What's going on here then? RD-M953

[fjpshaw]

Interesting to hear positive experiences. Having only ever used "high normal" mechs in the past (see, even learning the lingo ) I'm actually quite looking forward to this setup. Even found myself thinking about it while walking to the car after work. Saddo, I know!

 

[velofrog]

wouldn't ride any other way. both my bikes are rapid rise. much smoother up-changing, especially under load while climbing and searching for a lower gear!

 

[highlandsflyer]

I have to agree. Bulls lives in a relatively low gradient land. Being 'stuck' in low ratio works fine for me, on the rare occasion I would have that as my only issue!

 

[FluffyChicken]

On the rare chance a cable snaps you're not really stuck, as with the normal mech you adjust the screws to select a nicer cog.
If you've not go it a screwdriver with you or cannot bodge it with sticks in thevmech etc.. Then being stuck in the small cog means its damn hard to riude and you'll be pushing as small small is generally a loose chain so you get middle and big ring.
Not easy unless it flat road you ride you're off road bike on.

Me, I wouldn't touch them, but I ride retro :-D

 

[Chris D]

Can be a bit confusing.

I have one of those on a new bike to me but I also have

a Kona with DX thumbies
a Klein with 'normal' gears
and a Klein with bloody XTR 'paddle' shifter!

So I get confused between where the gear shifter actually is let alone which way it goes. Being old and forgetful does not help.

Makes me love the simplicity of...............................................................my single speed

 

[hamster]

The problem is that the spring (and spring only) enables a downshift, which has to fight the chain tension. This works great, but when the spring weakens, you find that it ghost shifts. On a high normal, the locked gear cable tension stops this happening.
It works great until the spring is weaker. It was particularly good on my tourer with bar-end shifters, as in low gear the shifter faced down and away from my knees (and it's in a low gear when you need to be out of the saddle most).

But then that damn spring weakened.

 

[Logic.Al]

never tried RR. I've had the dual control shifters, which the media also ridiculed, and used them with a normal rear mech and loved them. Used them since they first came out with XTR stuff right up until my new On-One arrived with SRAM X-9 and still I try shifting with the brake levers. In fact I don't like the double push shifters of SRAM. I like the push pull Alivio's on my M-trax and the older shimano stuff but not the push push stuff.

 

[brocklanders023]

Didn't like the flappy paddle shifters but would say the RR XTR set up I had between 2007-10 was the best set up I've ever had. It was well used but never missed a beat and is still doing service on a friends bike. Had a 10sp XT/SLX mix after and have just gone to a new SLX set up. Both are/were very good but not as good as the RR.

 

[xerxes]

I've never tried rapid rise, but until recently never had any issues getting set-ups, new and old, to index correctly. I usually put the bike on a work stand, have the barrel adjuster about 1/3 out, pull the cable taught with a pair of pliers and tighten the cable clamp. Sometimes, that's it, don't even need to fiddle with the barrel adjuster, other times just a quarter or half a turn and we're done.

Then I bought a used M737 rear derailleur. It was generally in pretty good shape, but the jockey wheels were very worn. I could get it to index shifting down, or up, but not in both directions. I then fitted a new set of BBB Rollerboys jockey wheels and bingo! Indexes perfectly in both directions.

So, it's definitely worth having a look at the jockey wheels if you're having indexing issues.