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Short or long cage for the RD?

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Old 09-30-13, 10:16 PM
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Stix Zadinia
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Short or long cage for the RD?

Hello everyone,

I'm currently trying to figure out which groupset to get for my first road frame, and one of the things I'm dubious about is what type of rear deraileur to get, whether I should go with a long cage, or a short one.

Is it totally dependent on which cassette I pair it up with?

I'd like to eventually try both a 11-25 and 11-28 cassette, so I'm guessing getting a long RD is a safer bet? Or would the long cage perform poorly with a smaller, 11-25 cassette?


Thanks much for your opinions!
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Old 09-30-13, 10:53 PM
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It's more about the cranks. Short with double, Long with triple. Most derailers will handle 28T no problemo, even the short cage Shimano 105 RD I have that's only rated to 27T.
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Old 09-30-13, 11:01 PM
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I have a 53 front and 27 back with a short rd.
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Old 09-30-13, 11:31 PM
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Short is fine for your casette but get the long if you have a triple up front. If you think you might someday get one of those 34 tooth pie plate cassettes, you'll want an MTB RD that works with your shifters

Long cage will work fine with a smaller cassette. Think of it this way, it wouldn't be too useful if it only worked with the big cogs...
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Old 09-30-13, 11:35 PM
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Stix Zadinia
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I'm definitely going with a double standard crankset (172.5mm 53/39). Perhaps an 11-32 cassette since like this one would give me better range while on the big ring? (my intended use is flat terrain almost exclusively)

Last edited by Stix Zadinia; 09-30-13 at 11:38 PM.
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Old 09-30-13, 11:37 PM
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Originally Posted by Stix Zadinia
I'm definitely going with a double standard crankset (172.5mm 53/39). Perhaps an 11-32 cassette since like this one..
For an 11-32, you'll need long.
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Old 09-30-13, 11:41 PM
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Short cage will work fine with a 53/39 and 11-28. You'll likely need a long or mid cage RD for a bigger cassette though. Long cage will work just fine with smaller cassettes - after all an 11-28 goes all the way to, well, 11. I'm not sure why you'd get a standard double though if you need a 32, why not get a compact double with closer spacing of an 11-28?
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Old 09-30-13, 11:46 PM
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Originally Posted by Beaker
why not get a compact double with closer spacing of an 11-28?
I'm guessing in time I'd favor closer spacing between shifts, but for now I still want to have the 53T option for the higher shifts.



* In fact, Im wondering if I can get an 11 speed-specific 55T or 56T outer ring, just to have as a spare that is, along with an appropriately cut spare chain..
...Just as I'm eager to try different things out, and I'm a fan of high gears -even though my knees disagree

Last edited by Stix Zadinia; 09-30-13 at 11:51 PM.
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Old 09-30-13, 11:51 PM
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Whatever floats your boat, but has been said many, many times around here, 50x11 is a plenty big gear for some darn fast/strong riders.
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Old 09-30-13, 11:56 PM
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Well, over time I'd like to add some aerobar extensions as well, and pretend I'm on a TT while on my commute..


I'd like to try out different stuff more than anything else, really. I could even end up settling for a double compact crank, later on..
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Old 10-01-13, 02:58 AM
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My shimano 10 spd long cage with 30t rear and triple at front work smoothly, shimano short cage max is 28t with double at front should works fine.
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Old 10-01-13, 03:15 AM
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I have a 52T crank and 28T back with a long shimano RD.And,I haven't found any problem with it.The rear deraileur works well.
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Old 10-01-13, 05:07 AM
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Originally Posted by Stix Zadinia
I'm definitely going with a double standard crankset (172.5mm 53/39). Perhaps an 11-32 cassette since like this one would give me better range while on the big ring? (my intended use is flat terrain almost exclusively)
Why would you want a 32 if your riding flats?
11-25 is perfect for flats, 32 is good if your have some epic climbs to bail you out of, but I don't really see a need on the flats.
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Old 10-01-13, 08:46 AM
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This is going to be very strange gearing.
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Old 10-01-13, 08:55 AM
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Originally Posted by Stix Zadinia
Well, over time I'd like to add some aerobar extensions as well, and pretend I'm on a TT while on my commute..


I'd like to try out different stuff more than anything else, really. I could even end up settling for a double compact crank, later on..
You do realize that at 90 rpm you're going to be doing 32 mph in 50x11?

As mentioned earlier, that's more than enough gear.
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Old 10-01-13, 09:04 AM
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OP, for a 32 tooth cassette with double crank, you don't want a long RD, you want a medium RD like the Wi-Fli stuff from SRAM. Long is for big rear and triple front. Short is for regular rear and double front. Medium is for big(ger) rear and double front. Keep the RD as small as possible to optimize shifting.
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