Originally Posted by
Kapusta
You are not using “tolerance” the same way I was. You are referring to manufacturing tolerances. I am referring to robustness of design, which makes something more tolerant of less-than ideal environmental conditions, things getting out of spec, or high manufacturing tolerances.
Okay.
Originally Posted by
Kapusta
The two primary things that cause rear drivetrains to go out of adjustment are the cable tension/condition and hangar alignment. These are exactly the same whether you bolt up 8 speed or 11 sp The “tolerances” (along the lines of how you were using the term) of these two things are identical regardless of which RD is bolted to them.
Yes, derailleur hangers are not more robust nor are cables, for the lower-speed designs ....
Originally Posted by
Kapusta
The difference is that more widely spaced cogs are more robust (tolerant to changes, as I was using the term) in terms of cable tension/condition and hangar alignment.
As I said, its not a big deal, but it is there. Maybe I am just harder on my stuff than you. The 11sp bikes I have are both MTBs and see hard use. But that was also true of my 9-speed stuff that I ran up until the last couple years.
Not "more robust" as in 'stronger" (which is what the word means) but more tolerant of bad adjustment. I have never ridden anything more than 8-speed on a serious MTB .... but when do you see a cut-off? Nine, ten? When did the derailleurs stop working?
We need to move this part of the discussion to the MTB page to get a really significant sample size, methinks.
Originally Posted by
Kapusta
I imagine for road use the difference may be much less and in many cases non-existent in practical terms.
Seems likely, as I have never had any problem with any system on a road bike.