Low Normal derailer with STI shifters

[Sheldon Brown]

I was getting confused going back and forth between my new Raleigh
Cadent (Shimano Ultegra 3x10) and my two bikes that have Campagnolo Ergo
shifters, because on those bikes, the small lever behind the brake lever
upshifts the rear derailer, while the corresponding lever on the Shimano
STIs downshifts.

I've long been interested in low-normal rear derailers (that's what the
first couple of derailers I ever used were, old Cyclo Benelux models)
but had never tried one (or even heard of anybody else trying one) with
"road" STI brifters. Always ready to try something new, I bought a Deore
XT low-normal rear derailer and installed it on the Cadent.

I'm quite pleased with the results, and it's a less difficult mental
adjustment than I had thought it might be. I just need to remember:
Little Lever, Lower Gears; Big Lever, Bigger Gears. It's now the same on
both sides of the handlebars, and I like that a lot.

Downshifting is maybe not quite as fast, as it tends to wait for the
wheel to roll around so that the "gate" in the cassette is in the right
position, but downshifting is smoother and seems more reliable than with
the original Ultegra high-normal rear derailer.

No problem with upshifting either. I really like this setup!

See http://sheldonbrown.org/raleigh-cadent for details and photos.

Sheldon "Why Be Normal?" Brown
+--------------------------------------+
| Without deviation from the norm, |
| progress is not possible |
| -- Frank Zappa |
+--------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

 

[Qui si parla Campagnolo]

Sheldon Brown wrote:
> I was getting confused going back and forth between my new Raleigh
> Cadent (Shimano Ultegra 3x10) and my two bikes that have Campagnolo Ergo
> shifters, because on those bikes, the small lever behind the brake lever
> upshifts the rear derailer, while the corresponding lever on the Shimano
> STIs downshifts.
>
> I've long been interested in low-normal rear derailers (that's what the
> first couple of derailers I ever used were, old Cyclo Benelux models)
> but had never tried one (or even heard of anybody else trying one) with
> "road" STI brifters. Always ready to try something new, I bought a Deore
> XT low-normal rear derailer and installed it on the Cadent.
>
> I'm quite pleased with the results, and it's a less difficult mental
> adjustment than I had thought it might be. I just need to remember:
> Little Lever, Lower Gears; Big Lever, Bigger Gears. It's now the same on
> both sides of the handlebars, and I like that a lot.

No, no no, Sheldon. bigger lever, bigger in size cogs, smaller lever,
smaller in size cogs..OR, you are 'pushing' the derailleur in that
direction...push lever-pushing the chain to the inside...
>
> Downshifting is maybe not quite as fast, as it tends to wait for the
> wheel to roll around so that the "gate" in the cassette is in the right
> position, but downshifting is smoother and seems more reliable than with
> the original Ultegra high-normal rear derailer.
>
> No problem with upshifting either. I really like this setup!
>
> See http://sheldonbrown.org/raleigh-cadent for details and photos.
>
> Sheldon "Why Be Normal?" Brown
> +--------------------------------------+
> | Without deviation from the norm, |
> | progress is not possible |
> | -- Frank Zappa |
> +--------------------------------------+
> Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
> Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
> http://harriscyclery.com
> Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
> http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

 

[James Thomson]

"Sheldon Brown" <[email protected]> a écrit:

> I've long been interested in low-normal rear derailers (that's what the
> first couple of derailers I ever used were, old Cyclo Benelux models) but
> had never tried one (or even heard of anybody else trying one) with "road"
> STI brifters.

It's not so unusual: quite a few touring bikes come with that setup as
standard.

I find that Campag Ergo levers work very well with Shimano Rapid Rise
derailleurs using the Hubbub alternative cable route. This puts the
downshift on the thumb button, allowing more downshifts in a single stroke,
and simpler shifting from the hoods.

James Thomson

 

[Jack Sprat]

I've been running my bike with this setup since last September when I
bought an XT derailleur "for cheap" and then found out it was
low-normal. I said what the heck and put it on anyway. I took a little
while to stop shifting to harder gears when I was tired and the hill was
steep, but now that I've make the adjustment I prefer it.

It has been my experience that shifting to the bigger/easier gears one
by one (with the little lever) as I gradually loose momentum on the
bottom of a climb works really well. And I really like being able to
shift 2/3 gears at once with the big lever when I want to "stand and go"
.... much better than the frantic click-click-click I used to do on the
little lever.

My only wish is that they made these in "road" configurations instead of
just mountain.

J.

Sheldon Brown wrote:
> I was getting confused going back and forth between my new Raleigh
> Cadent (Shimano Ultegra 3x10) and my two bikes that have Campagnolo Ergo
> shifters, because on those bikes, the small lever behind the brake lever
> upshifts the rear derailer, while the corresponding lever on the Shimano
> STIs downshifts.
>
> I've long been interested in low-normal rear derailers (that's what the
> first couple of derailers I ever used were, old Cyclo Benelux models)
> but had never tried one (or even heard of anybody else trying one) with
> "road" STI brifters. Always ready to try something new, I bought a Deore
> XT low-normal rear derailer and installed it on the Cadent.
>
> I'm quite pleased with the results, and it's a less difficult mental
> adjustment than I had thought it might be. I just need to remember:
> Little Lever, Lower Gears; Big Lever, Bigger Gears. It's now the same on
> both sides of the handlebars, and I like that a lot.
>
> Downshifting is maybe not quite as fast, as it tends to wait for the
> wheel to roll around so that the "gate" in the cassette is in the right
> position, but downshifting is smoother and seems more reliable than with
> the original Ultegra high-normal rear derailer.
>
> No problem with upshifting either. I really like this setup!
>
> See http://sheldonbrown.org/raleigh-cadent for details and photos.
>
> Sheldon "Why Be Normal?" Brown
> +--------------------------------------+
> | Without deviation from the norm, |
> | progress is not possible |
> | -- Frank Zappa |
> +--------------------------------------+
> Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
> Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
> http://harriscyclery.com
> Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
> http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com
>

 

[Jack Sprat]

I've been running my bike with this setup since last September when I
bought an XT derailleur "for cheap" and then found out it was
low-normal. I said what the heck and put it on anyway. I took a little
while to stop shifting to harder gears when I was tired and the hill was
steep, but now that I've make the adjustment I prefer it.

It has been my experience that shifting to the bigger/easier gears one
by one (with the little lever) as I gradually loose momentum on the
bottom of a climb works really well. And I really like being able to
shift 2/3 gears at once with the big lever when I want to "stand and go"
.... much better than the frantic click-click-click I used to do on the
little lever.

My only wish is that they made these in "road" configurations instead of
just mountain.

J.

Sheldon Brown wrote:
> I was getting confused going back and forth between my new Raleigh
> Cadent (Shimano Ultegra 3x10) and my two bikes that have Campagnolo Ergo
> shifters, because on those bikes, the small lever behind the brake lever
> upshifts the rear derailer, while the corresponding lever on the Shimano
> STIs downshifts.
>
> I've long been interested in low-normal rear derailers (that's what the
> first couple of derailers I ever used were, old Cyclo Benelux models)
> but had never tried one (or even heard of anybody else trying one) with
> "road" STI brifters. Always ready to try something new, I bought a Deore
> XT low-normal rear derailer and installed it on the Cadent.
>
> I'm quite pleased with the results, and it's a less difficult mental
> adjustment than I had thought it might be. I just need to remember:
> Little Lever, Lower Gears; Big Lever, Bigger Gears. It's now the same on
> both sides of the handlebars, and I like that a lot.
>
> Downshifting is maybe not quite as fast, as it tends to wait for the
> wheel to roll around so that the "gate" in the cassette is in the right
> position, but downshifting is smoother and seems more reliable than with
> the original Ultegra high-normal rear derailer.
>
> No problem with upshifting either. I really like this setup!
>
> See http://sheldonbrown.org/raleigh-cadent for details and photos.
>
> Sheldon "Why Be Normal?" Brown
> +--------------------------------------+
> | Without deviation from the norm, |
> | progress is not possible |
> | -- Frank Zappa |
> +--------------------------------------+
> Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
> Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
> http://harriscyclery.com
> Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
> http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com
>

 

[Chris Z The Wheelman]

Well. I've never bothered with these. The reason being it takes more
effort to climb onto a lrger cog fro a smaller than vice versa, and a
cable provides more pull than a spring. Handicap ramps and factory
broken teeth notwithstanding.

Chris "if it's not broke..." Z.

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[Jeremy MacLennan]

Sorry to hijack, but has anyone tried one of the low normal rear
deraileurs with a shimano indexed barcon shifter? I'm thinking of
replacing the RD on my cross bike, and I wonder if a low normal MTB
unit would be a good choice. Any comments?