Originally Posted by albee
I was checking out trying to find the lowest end road rear derailleur cage that bolts onto the derailleur chassis and I think the lowest I can go is Ultegra, b/c 105's look like the cage is permanently mounted - no allen key hole.
I do NOT know which Shimano rear derailleurs have a
(¿)hidden(?) Allen Key Hole to preclude access to the small bolt which secures the rear pulley cage's pivot shaft ...
Consequently, because it is mostly a cosmetic issue (IMO), if you do not want a long cage (
that is, one which appears to be long) AND you can live with a steel cage, then you can
possibly opt for the cage from a Shimano ALTUS (
RD-M310) rear derailleur which I think has a 13t upper & a 15t (
!!!) lower pulley whose cage I presume is secured in the same manner as with most other Shimano rear derailleurs ...
If you are truly handy, then you can re-sculpt the cage to some extent.by removing some of excess material from the steel cages ...
The weight penalty of a steel cage will be small ...
OR, simply get an
older generation, USED Shimano rear derailleur whose cage has the general appearance suits which your aesthetic sensibilities ...