Hi all,
Now that my 2x drivetrain is wearing out I’m thinking it might be a good opportunity to try out 1x.
Has anyone successfully converted to 1x and a 11-42 cassette with a Shimano Deore RD-M615 rear derailleur?. Official Shimano specs say max. sprocket size of 36 teeth, but I’ve read some people have managed to run bigger.

Any advice appreciated.

I doubt it’ll work well as is. As a minimum you’ll need a longer b screw (or turn the existing one around). I’ve got a couple of mechs converted with a rad cage which greatly improves shifting. Not sure if it fits that mech. A goat link (or cheap copy) may also help but I’ve not tried that. Before buying anything check put the cost of a new 11 speed mech as that will be the best solution. I suppose you could always try it with just flipping the b screw as that is free. If it doesn’t work well then look at the other options

ok thanks for the info, looks like a new mech/shifter would be needed.

No need for a new shifter as a new 11 speed mech will work with your current 10 speed one, although if you are buying a new mech and cassette anyway then you could just go for it and move up to 11. Your old mech and shifter still have value too. Plenty of market for 10 speed stuff if it is still working

What exactly is wearing out?
2x stuff isn’t massively expensive. Saving a few grams going 1x isn’t worth having a non-optimal chainline and running out of gears

My 2017 Stache had 10 speed Deore and ran fine with a 11-42 Deore cassette with a single chain ring.

I did it years ago with the same mech but used a RAD cage!

It worked perfectly with the RAD cage mod and was as good, dare I say better than Shimano 1×11 teamed up with a decent shifter (XT and above) that drops two gears at a time.

The RAD cage made the jockey wheel cage stronger and better than 11 speed mechs, with their pressed tin cages, you can bend with finger pressure!

Yes I’ve done it using a sunrace 11-42 on my 29er HT.

It’s not great tbh, prob should look at a goat link or rad cage as above.

I have converted to 1 x 10 with 11-42 using a SLX 675 RD. I don’t know how similar they are but it works fine.

Thanks for the feedback guys. Can’t seem to find anywhere selling the RAD cage in stock. Do the goat links work just as well?

Hi all,
Still looking at doing this on a budget but nickjb mentioned something interesting that I could continue using my Deore 10 speed shifter with an 11speed rear derailleur, does that mean I could fit an 11 speed 11-46 cassette? OR does he just mean it will work better with an 11-42 10 speed cassette.

However, there is the Deore M6000 Medium Cage derailleur which is designed for up to an 42 tooth big cog.

Also, can I convert my current 2×10 FSA Gamma Drive MegaExo crankset to 1x by just fitting a narrow-wide chainring?. I believe chain line may not be optimal, can this be fixed with spacers or something?.

Sorry for all the questions but would appreciate the advice.

The shimano 11spd mechs will work fine up to 50t… Yes you can covert to 1x with just a ring change.