chiefkurtz 

Which way is the easiest for torquing down on it, and hold the cable snug? I see it both ways, and I think Shimano actually shows the bolt side out in their literature. Any opinions on what works best for you, and why?

FBinNY 

Think about it for a moment. The cable is leaving the adjuster barrel on the bolt head side of the derailleur. Do you really think you want to route it across the unit to the nut side? Odds are you'd get your answer the moment you tried to attach the cable.

The other usual question is "which side of the bolt do I route it to?". The answer is usually in the parts themselves. If there's a hole in the bolt, use it. If not, there's likely a small channel someplace on either side, if so use that.

The worst case scenario is that you go to the wrong side and find the RD doesn't index correctly. if so, reroute the cable and go from there.

FWIW- when I used to teach repair, I'd answer questions like this by suggesting people look at the parts, think a bit, and let the bike itself tell them what's right.

chiefkurtz 

Oh, I've thought about it, and the design doesn't help. There is no hole in the bolt, and torquing on the nut from above requires you to grip the cage to keep it from moving against the turning of the nut.

cxwrench

If I remember correctly they came with bolt head inside from Shimano. I also remember changing them on nearly every one I worked on.

rccardr 

The top picture, nut outside, is the way I orient all of my 740x RD’s. It’s just easier.

FBinNY 

I'm sorry. I misinterpreted your original question.

Al long as the cable ends up in the right place, either achieves the same result, so it's up to you.

OTOH - Shimano might have provided a clue to their preference. If the bolt head is knurled on the underside, it is most likely intended to rest on and bite on the aluminum to keep from turning.

In any case, what works right is right.

chiefkurtz 

No worries. I've had this sitting on a too small for me Gios Compact for four years, now I'm going to swap it onto a new acquisition; a 1988 Cannondale R500 Crest Team bike.

70sSanO

The top picture is correct one, with the hex head outside the RD.

However, the more important question is which index shifters are you using?

That my friend is the real driver to attaching the cable.

John

veganbikes

Worst shimano bolt I can recall I replaced mine with a more standard bolt not sure why they did that but Shimano being Shimano I guess. Great derailleur if only they made a longer cage version it would be perfect.

70sSanO

They kind of did… however the Dura Ace name was replaced with XTR and the model changed to M900. Plus the 32/33 max cog/capacity was extreme conservative.

A close second was the RD-7700GS. Would be first except for max cog of 27; probably could be pushed to 30.

John

chiefkurtz 

SJX426 

The RD in my stash has the nut on the inside like the second picture. That is the way it was when I bought it.
There is a groove in the body for the cable to sit in and it is parallel to the flat for the bolt, which has two flats.
IMHO It is better to pinch the cable with the head of the bolt than twist the cable with the nut. Oh, and there is a washer under the nut. It only makes sense to me to assemble it this way.
VeloBase.com - Component: Shimano RD-7402, Dura-Ace (8sp) First comment addresses this issue too, stating it was shipped with the nut on the inside.

rccardr 

They came from the factory with the nut inside the RD body. However, very common to reverse the nut (and washer) to make it easier to properly adjust the cable length.
Threading a driver down through the RD body to tighten the nut might be more aesthetically pleasing but it's not really mechanically advantageous.

smd4

Now why would they have done that for a road racing derailleur? It's not a derailleur for a touring bike.

smd4

Whether the bolt is accessed inside the body of the derailleur or outside has no bearing on the shifter being used. In both instances, the cables will be attaching in the same location--outside the derailleur.

And the top picture is a "modification"--as cxwrewnch and rdcardr noted--to make it easier to access the bolt.

70sSanO

I’ve been running a 74XX from 1986 until 2015 when I went to an XTR M910 with a triple crank.

My original new boxed LBS 7400 came with the hex nut out without modification.

You can say what you want want, but I was there 35 years ago.

John

smd4

So was I, but I was working on them in a shop.

70sSanO

They did. The RD-7700GS to go with the 7700 triple crank.

But I guess you weren’t working in a shop at that time.

John

smd4

That's when Shimano sold out and started pandering to folks who should have been riding touring or hybrid bikes.

Besides--the original question has to do with 74xx derailleurs.

70sSanO

While the OP was 74XX, your statement was why would Shimano offer a long cage on a road racing derailleur.

It is odd that you think the Dura Ace 7700 represents a sold out and pandering group. I personally think it is one of the best groups they produced.

John

smd4

Why is it odd? Did I say I didn't like 7700? That's all I use. I even have a post about how I think it's the best groups DA ever made. That doesn't mean I don't think they sold out when they made a version of the group available to tourists. The two opinions aren't mutually exclusive.

cxwrench

So it's "selling out" to make high quality parts that lots of people will buy because they want...high quality parts? Just because they don't pin on a number race they're not worthy?

Atlas Shrugged

So I assume you are still riding a 52-42 with a straight block in the back? But you are right, Shimano seems to sell out all the time that’s why it’s so hard to find their top tier stuff in stock.

veganbikes

True but I am running on 6 speed freewheel. I am sure the XTR would actually run it but I couldn't run the XTR on that bike and do other modifications to make it more practical because of what that bike is and means to me my other bikes yes that one sadly no for stupid reasons I need to get over.

They wouldn't but they should have because I wanted it. A Dura-Ace touring group would have been great or maybe something for randonuerring that is racey with more range.

70sSanO

This is way beyond my expertise, and you have probably already looked into this, and it may be too far down the road at this point, but is it possible to swap the 7400 short cage for an 80's Deore or 600 long cage?

I think when the 7700-GS came out the only difference from the short was the cage length; same max cog.

John