36-11 casette, 34t chainring. Am I better with a long or med cage, or does it make no difference? Will be using a top chain guide only BTW

Both will work no probs, personally the medium cage looks neater and is more discreet so less chance of catching it on rocks, ramblers, Audis etc… 😉

Both will work but you don’t need long cage for a single chainring so medium is ‘better’ in that there’s more clearance and in theory at least, better chain retention.

Medium would be a better option if you’re in the market for a new one

I run the same ring and cassette combo with a medium cage X9 mech with no issues whatsoever.

Medium or short cage IMHO

Neither, short.

Short cage shimano Zee is cheap and works great.

Short.

short

Ok ta for the replies.
Currently have a long cage deore bought as a stop gap but fancy trying shadow+ so will probably go with a med cage SLX as I may also change to a 2×10 setup if I find the 1×10 limiting on my local rides