I've got an XT (10 speed) thats probably 4-5 years old.
The bike (it's on its second bike actually) gets thrashed as much as my skill level allows.
Despite new chain and cassette and chainring and jockey wheels (15-20 rides ago), the shifting is still sometimes a bit off, catching on the next gear, refusing to go down, ghost shifting.
I dont think its the cable, as it seems to run smooth at least some of the time, and behaves perfectly when fiddling at home.
I also drop chains occasionaly despite having a top guide and a relatvely new narrow wide ring. I'm tied to raceface due to cranks sadly, I like the look of the tall toothed sram offerings.
Do mechs get baggy, tired, sloppy whatever? Is it repairable or terminal?
For reference, similar set up, of similar age on my hardtail which sees more miles, far more mud, but far less gnar and due to terrain, probably less shifting per mile; is perfect and buttery smooth in comparison.
Well, they can.... but have you checked hanger alignment?
4-5 years?! Yeah time for a new one, they get sloppy and while it may not have bent out of shape on one knock it has probably seen lots of small impacts that bend it out of shape in all directions
The clutch is probably completely knackered as well, those 10 speed ones were never great
Mine usually last about 6 months
I had an eagle mech develop play in the parallelogram after ~2 years of use which resulted in poor shifting, so I'd say yes they can. However, none of the other ones I've had ever lasted long enough to develop it before getting smashed off by a rock...
Do rear mechs wear out? To yes, if you look after them. If you don't, they'll normally get destroyed before then.
My XTR 11s sas on its' third bike, had it since 2013 or thereabouts, but let me down for the first time last weekend. Serviced the clutch and got it back to 90% of former glory. Only just took it off to fir 12 speed. Not a bad innings.
Some more than others. But all will get sloppy at the end of that (equal to a piece of string) length of time.
I’ve always dismantled and cleaned the jockey wheels from time to time. Clean and grease the mech if was clogged. Never had one wear out as such before changing bikes. I’m sure someone with even moderate engineering p/mechanical skills could make a basic derailleur last almost indefinitely with regular servicing/replacing jockey wheels etc.
Have you changed jockey wheels?
Have you given it a wobble? (Shimano are usually pretty 'solid' feeling, SRAM have a 'deliberate' wobble from new...)
Is the clutch/tension spring still strong?
Not checked the hanger (dont have the abiltiy to check, but have a spare I can try)
New jockey wheels last summer - fancy hope ones, no play
Serviced the clutch and got it back to 90% of former glory
Is this simple-ish to do, or is it a full garage workshop type endeavour?
Clean and grease the mech if was clogged
Is this dissassembling, or just spraying/lubing the obvious moving parts?
Is the clutch/tension spring still strong?
Notable differnece between clutch on and off, but probably not as strong as others I have seen.
ayjaydoubleyou
Is this simple-ish to do, or is it a full garage workshop type endeavour?
2mm allen key, some brake cleaner, some grease. You don't want drop the little screws and lose them, so don't try doing it on a gravel driveway or a deck with slots in it:) Video below.
Notable differnece between clutch on and off, but probably not as strong as others I have seen.
Sminao clutches are adjustable, so you can make it firmer, video will show that also
GMBN Tech show (youtube) did a recent video on servicing your mech (including clutch) - maybe worth a watch?
Not checked the hanger (dont have the abiltiy to check, but have a spare I can try)
Your spare is just as likely to be bent. A proper tool is one of the best investments you can make.
Ghost shifting, if it is on a full sus, might be that the cable is too short and tension changes as the suspension compresses. You might want to add a little slack in the cable and outer length to sort that out. Also worth looking at B-screw adjustment to ensure enough clearance on the cassette
Mine usually last about 6 months
You have a new mech every 6 months?!
If it’s an early 90’s Deore DX rear mech, then no, they don’t wear out, ever. It’s not possible. 😃😃😂
2mm allen key, some brake cleaner, some grease. You don’t want drop the little screws and lose them, so don’t try doing it on a gravel driveway or a deck with slots in it:) Video below.
Also be aware that the 2mm hex screws are easily rounded off by hamfisted people using old tools trying to rush the reassembly in poor light. Allegedly.
You have a new mech every 6 months?!
Well, every 3 on average. I have 2 bikes, although admittedly the trail bike might do 9 months while the big bike will do 4-6
My 96 Deore LX is still going strong, thousands of miles through everything on it and it works no issues.
my 19 Deore on the other had is toast.
Well, every 3 on average. I have 2 bikes, although admittedly the trail bike might do 9 months while the big bike will do 4-6
You're doing something very wrong then!
Try a new inner and outer cable first before you replace it.
I'm bemused someone even asked this question, the answer to which is 'Duh, yeah!'
I’m bemused someone even asked this question, the answer to which is ‘Duh, yeah!’
Well, yes - nearly everything wears out eventually. It's a question of timescale.
Pivots and springs in a rear mech will obviously wear over time. The 3 months above is fairly absurd, though. I'd expect to need to replace suspension bearings several times before you got to the natural lifespan of a rear mech.
Yes they develop slop (Shimano) where the jockey wheel cage is attached to the rest of the derailleur and some of the other pivot points. It can be difficult to feel when the whole thing is under tension! Depends where you ride and how much of beating your mech gets. Mine usually look pretty battered after a few months riding!
Something that is rarely mentioned is the fact the jockey wheel cage get's bent/twisted (11sp XT are soft as shite) so the upper and lower jockeys end up out of alignment.
Most bulletproof setup I've had featured a CNC'd cage. It was a lot stiffer than the Shimano one it replaced (got bounced off a lot of rocks round the lakes and peaks) and I got a year out of it with only 2 hanger realignments, 1 cable inner replacement and 2 adjustments for the new cables when stretched.
With Shimano clutches try to not lose the:
- The housing seal (grease it)
- The housing bolts
- The tiny metal clip thing
- Tension adjuster port cover (if it has one)
All have potential to fall on the floor and go missing! Also a tiny bit of loctite on the clutch tension bolt gives it a bit of resistance to undoing. I like a thin coat of moly driveshaft grease (NLGI 2) for the clutch wheel itself!
I'd change the cable before looking at the rear mech, they can fray at the shifter which causes shifting problems.
Jees 6 months for a rear mech! I just sold an XT from 2005ish. Done thousands of miles. eBay buyer was chuffed to bits. I would go with hanger alignment.
Not sure I’ve ever had a ‘new’ one and they all seem to work fine. As a couple of folk have said, got some much older ones which do seem to have weathered better. But that could also be because I don’t rode the 9speed bike as much these days. In fact it’s currently in SS mode
My money would be on either cable needing replaced or hanger alignment.
Mechs can get sloppy of course, but I noticed (while cleaning) that my mech could be moved side to side (a lot) so I checked the hanger bolt, it took 2 full turns to tighten it up.
Shifting while it was so loose was still absolutely perfect.
That was on a 2015 xt setup on my Ebike.
<embarrassed admission>
It was the b-tension screw. Not correctly set when I changed from a larger cassette to my current one.
Similarly, chain is a link or two too long hence the dropping.
Shifting massively improved, will see if the dropping is also fixed or if I will be taking the thing apart to up the clutch tension.
Will be giving it a decent clean tomorrow too.
Excellent, at least it didn’t cost you a wheel.
A new mech every 6 months? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Your spare is just as likely to be bent. A proper tool is one of the best investments you can make.
My tourer got the hanger properly bent by airport handlers. After a LBS straightened it using the tool(steel frame) it was actually better than it had been before it got bent. Guess it must have been a few degreees out without me noticing.