My Vagabond has 2x10 SRAM Apex shifters, X5 long cage derailleur with 11-34, X5 crankset with 42/32 and a Shimano Deore side swing front mech.
It is needing new cassette, chain and larger front ring.
I could do with a wider range - climbing off road and/or with luggage is challenging.
Obvious thing is to go to 11-36 at rear, but could I go for a new mech that has larger capacity and go 11-42…?
My ancient SRAM GX mech appears to be able to handle 11-42 at the rear and 28/38 at the front 👍
My ideal drivetrain for an all day/all terrain MTB or gravel bike would maybe be 10-45 at the rear and 30/46 at the front, I haven't researched yet whether Shimano mechs can accommodate that although I understand that larger aftermarket jockey wheels give you a bit of extra capacity in the rear mech?
I agree with that.
Looks like front mech is limited to 10t, but I wonder if trying it with 12t is worth a gamble..
Rear mech and cassette - X5 is 1:1 pull ratio, but I'm struggling to see if upgrading rear derailleur to something like GX for extra capacity to go to 11/42 or even 11/45 is also 1:1 pull ratio. Much as the shifters are plasticcy and oddball double tap, They Just Work.
Possibly a bit risky, but the Shimano CUES U6000 group set used to have an rd-u6020-11 rear mech. option with 48T capacity that would handle 11-45 and 46/32. Although it's CUES it would also work with HG+ 11 speed chains (apparently all the Linkguide bobbins is in the cassette).
I'm pretty sure that CUES is also 1:1 so it might work with your shifters although the chain might be a problem. Whether it would work with a 10 speed chain or not (possibly rub on the narrower cage?) I don't know.
I think it's now been discontinued but is readily available retail (there was also a 10 speed version with a little less capacity).
Perhaps someone with a bit more understanding that me might be able to advise.
I use Shimano not SRAM but similar advice applies: you can be a bit cavalier when it comes to sizing if you are careful when riding.
The "absolute ring size" limits of a lot of mechs are physical, ie, they will/won't fit around a certain size of cog. And then separately, there's the "capacity" of the setup, which comes down to range between high/low.
I run GRX 2x on my gravel bike, with 48/31 chainrings... and on the gravel wheelset, an 11-40 cassette. This is outisde spec, and if you try to put it in 48/40 you will lock the whole setup and possibly damage the mech. But! You shouldn't be cross-chaining anyway! So as long as you don't cross-chain it, it actually works quite happily. I did a long bikepacking trip which, owing to luggage, meant I was never really out of the small ring, and ran 31:11-40 just fine.
Personally, I'm fine to think "don't cross chain!" quite a lot, but I have ridden with some friends who wouldn't even contemplate it, mainly because they know they'd forget. So: as long as you're not too far out of scope, you could push the rear capacity further.
I'm good with some user skills and caution, I know the user well. ☺️
I'm off down the wormhole of what mechs are 1:1.
This drivetrain has done 3 years so the extra durability of CUES is not needed.
the extra durability of CUES is not needed.
It wasn't the durability, it was the capacity - the fact that it would handle 46/32 & 11-45 natively I also think it's 1:1 but you'd need someone else to help you work out if it'd actually work.
You wouldn't be running CUES anyway, just using the mech. to knock your chain about. I might be wide of the mark though.
Oh, it's worth exploring just for the reasons you outline. But if that's the case, is there a SRAM 10s 1:1 mech that has more capacity than X5?
