Parcel arrived today from Tredz containing the following parts:
- Aluminium Mach 1 MX rim with rear 9 speed freewheel Shimano Deore hub
- Sunrace MX3 10 speed 11t - 42t rear cassette
- Pressed rear derailleur holder
Having mounted the Sunrise cassette onto the new wheel and fully torqued it up, I tried it within the frame and the fit is practically perfect. Two issues that have appeared are that the 11t catches onto the tubing just where it is welded onto the dropout to the point I need to have someone to just pull on the frame slightly to be able to insert the wheel without the 11t scratching the paint.
The other issue is that the piece of 10 speed chain i have rubs against the frame ever so slightly on the rear mounting piece of the derailleur when it is put into the 11t. After a little experimentation I placed a stainless steel 1.2mm thick washer on the drive side axle, and now the chain clears easily by just 0.8mm.
So progress is coming along well. I have ordered a Shimano Deore XT M786 shadow plus derailleur today so with any luck it will be here by the weekend.
This weekend I am also going to start designing my new derailleur hanger that will mount in the traditional manner but will allow the derailleur to sit within a new adjusted position to allow for the 42t low gear and attach to it using the direct mount method.
New wheel is much lighter than my original steel wheel, which will help with the finished bike weight. Will weigh things over the weekend and report back.
Photos below of work so far.