Looking for sturdy 7-speed derailer
 

Hi. I need a bit of help finding a new derailer for my 7-speed bike, which features an 11-28 setup in the back and a single 43t ring up front. It’s a 26-inch daily rider that hits potholes and occasionally leaps curbs. So I’m looking for something sturdy and (hopefully) somewhat elegant, i.e., no oversized pulley or an all-plastic part. I’m using Shimano thumb shifters.. Can you suggest a derailer? (And, yes, I’m a little worried about chain line issue. See image below.)
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4c6e30851.jpeg
43t chainring on inside of crank

Any 7, 8, or 9 speed derailleur will work as well as any 10 speed road derailleur except Tiagra 4700.

Rivendell uses sturdy and "sensible" stuff on their bikes, you might find some good ideas here: https://www.rivbike.com/collections/derailers

I'm a growing fan of the "Shadow" derailleurs.

So, perhaps a RD-M772.

I'm not a big fan of the Tourney, Altus, Acera, and Alivio level of parts, so I don't know how far down the line I would choose to go.

Of course, with trickle down technology, a NEW derailleur may be better than some vintage ones.

It goes against everything you're looking for, but the Altus M310 works well.

Der "strength/sturdiness" is not a big problem for most riders. They don't ride the miles, use their bikes in salty or muddy conditions with little or no servicing and some don't even shift too often:) But some do impact their ders, back pedal when the der is off index and shift under power.

Better ders do help survive the first situations with less plastic, tighter manufacturer tolerances and tend to be better after servicing then the lowest cost grades. But better ders don't do much for the rider caused issues, except drive up the replacement cost.

Perhaps we might have a better ability to advise if we knew what short comings the OP's previous ders suffered with. (Said with the assumption that the OP is trying to avoid what they have experienced before). Andy

Based purely on wanting a RD without plastic or large pulleys, you most likely would need to look at late 80’s to mid 90’s RD’s.

Unfortunately you’ll need to go on eBay and probably buy used or pay an obscene amount for NOS.

For a 1x7 I’d probably look for an RD-M732 with a short cage. Short cage mtb RD’s are not exactly in demand, but nothing from that era is cheap anymore.

John

I'm a fan of how the Shimano RD6401 looks and works. Used in good condition, typically around $40.

Funny you mention it, Andy. Today, I’ll be combing through the derailer bin at our wonderful co-op, here in Cleveland. My former derailer was an 80s-era Altus. Thanks.

Step up a little when you are digging through that bin. At least go to Deore if not XT. If you can find an old XTR RD-M592 (the gray one), even better.

My bike came with a Shimano Tourney mountain bike rear derailleur. Worked fine until clumsy me stepped on it Replaced it with a much sturdier Altus mountian bike model. A very good value. It's budget priced and works fine too.

That might be one reason it's the go to derailleur for some of the largest bicycle manufacturers lower end bikes.

Cleveburg has a bike co op now? Good to hear that. When I ran Bike One (1791 Coventry Rd, now a Thai restaurant) the closest was Shaker Cycle, or whatever shop Mitch Paul was operating at the time. Andy

I'd go with a good condition short cage RD of the early 90's deore dx or xt line. Solid pieces of gear and look quite sharp

indeed they do. Been around in the Flats since mid-aughts.
https://ohiocitycycles.org

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f373ab744.jpeg
Ha. The co-op bins don’t hold gold. Deore and its betters go into the pricey case for regular customers. Volunteers like me prefer mid-level, serviceable components like this Exage RD.

XT M737 is going to be an excellent choice for 7-9 speeds it is super reliable. I generally see them frequently all over the place but yeah not as easy to get as a new derailleurs but any new stuff in the 7 and 8 speed is pretty low quality and 9 speed can be found in XT sometimes but not so easy to find especially these days

I realize you meant XTR RD-M952. My experience with that RD is that is has a really weak B spring.

Set it up with a 34t max cog and worked great. Over time it wouldn’t clear it no matter how far the B screw was turned in. Swapped out the cassette for a 32t max temporarily.

The guy who gave it to me wanted it back for a project. That got me off my rear end to swap it out. Couldn’t get rid of it fast enough.

There are a few models with this problem, I was just surprised that XTR was one of them. Now the M900/910…

John