11-speed derailleur on a 10-sp drivetrain?
11-04-19, 11:27 AM
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11-speed derailleur on a 10-sp drivetrain?
I have a 2012 Cannondale SuperSix 3 with a Shimano Ultegra 6700 2x10 drivetrain and a BB30. New replacement 6700 drivetrain parts are becoming more difficult to find. Can I use the Shimano 6800 11-sp rear derailleur (with an 11-sp chain) on my bike and keep using the original shifters. rear derailleur and 10-sp cassette? I don't want to spend a whole lot of money replacing the groupset to a 2x11.
Thanks in advance for any information.
Thanks in advance for any information.
Last edited by Homebrew01; 11-04-19 at 12:43 PM.
11-04-19, 02:03 PM
#3
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Answer is no. When Shimano went to 11-speeds, for some inexplicable reason, they changed their derailleur geometry so that only 11-speed derailleurs work with 11-speed shifters.
As far as 6700 parts, a quick scan of Ebay indicates that excellent condition 6700 rear derailleurs will cost you in the vicinity of $30 to $50. Ultegra strictly isn't required, as any Shimano rear derailleur from the 8-9-10 speed era will work with your shifters. Except for some oddball exceptions such as 8-speed Dura-Ace, the new 10-speed Tiagra, and 10-speed MTB.
Yesterday, at our local bike Co-op, I sold a 9-speed era Tiagra rear derailleur to a client; it would have worked fine in your application. The barrel adjuster was frozen up with corrosion, which a spritz of WD fixed. All-in cost: $5.
If the cage with the jockey wheels had been mangled, we would have replaced with another donor derailleur. 15 minutes and $15. Jockey wheels worn out? 10 minutes and $10 for new ones.
BTW: I have a couple of bikes with Shimano 11-speed. It shifts no better than Shimano 10-speed, assuming the cables and cable housings are relatively fresh. In fact, the older Shimano shifters with the exposed cable runs shift the best, due to the tight bends and extra cable friction of having the shift cables under the bar wrap.
And the 10 and 11 speed cassettes have about the same number of useful gears as 9-speeds, as the newer cassettes include useless 11 and 12-tooth cogs.
As far as 6700 parts, a quick scan of Ebay indicates that excellent condition 6700 rear derailleurs will cost you in the vicinity of $30 to $50. Ultegra strictly isn't required, as any Shimano rear derailleur from the 8-9-10 speed era will work with your shifters. Except for some oddball exceptions such as 8-speed Dura-Ace, the new 10-speed Tiagra, and 10-speed MTB.
Yesterday, at our local bike Co-op, I sold a 9-speed era Tiagra rear derailleur to a client; it would have worked fine in your application. The barrel adjuster was frozen up with corrosion, which a spritz of WD fixed. All-in cost: $5.
If the cage with the jockey wheels had been mangled, we would have replaced with another donor derailleur. 15 minutes and $15. Jockey wheels worn out? 10 minutes and $10 for new ones.
BTW: I have a couple of bikes with Shimano 11-speed. It shifts no better than Shimano 10-speed, assuming the cables and cable housings are relatively fresh. In fact, the older Shimano shifters with the exposed cable runs shift the best, due to the tight bends and extra cable friction of having the shift cables under the bar wrap.
And the 10 and 11 speed cassettes have about the same number of useful gears as 9-speeds, as the newer cassettes include useless 11 and 12-tooth cogs.
11-04-19, 03:40 PM
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11-04-19, 03:42 PM
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It's my OCD kicking in...I wanted to replace it with a new part if possible. Thanks for the info.
11-04-19, 04:26 PM
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The reason is totally explicable. They had reached the limits of the amount of shifter pull needed to change gears. In order to go to 11 speed, the shifters had to pull more cable per gear shift and the derailleurs had to be redesigned for that
11-04-19, 04:31 PM
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So, your choice is that you either embrace 11 speed fully or you search for replacements for your original equipment. Good news for you is that any 10 speed 105, Ultegra, or Dura Ace, 5600, 5700, 6600, 6700, 7800, 7900, series derailleurs will work with your shifters
11-05-19, 03:29 AM
#8
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It super won't work, but seriously new 10 speed Shimano stuff is still plentiful. Just don't get Tiagra 4700--it actually uses the same cable pull ratio as the 11 speed stuff. Seriously, I'm looking at QBP (they're the most common US distributor for bike shops) and they have hundred of 5701 derailleurs. Also Microshift 10 speed road derailleurs will work with your drivetrain. 6700 is a little difficult to find new, but not impossible, and really it doesn't matter if you throw 5700 on there mechanically.
