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  • XT Shadow rear mech – quality problems?
  • rapiddescent
    Full Member

    I managed to bend a brand new XT shadow rear mech which lasted one ride – in fact, it seized and twisted after less than half way through its first outing (20 miles in). I was using it with a 991 sram chain (also new) and a top end sram cassette. It could be that the chain length and the jockey wheel height adjuster are less tolerant than other mechs, not sure.

    Whilst out on last nights local ride a few others were saying that had had similar issues with the XT Shadow… I tried to bend it back but it managed to chew up the new chain last night – so a new chain and XT shadow have been ordered and I’ll be able to see them side by side just how much damage there is.

    Anyone else have anything to share – I’m sure lots of you will have “I’m fine” messages.

    I noticed that the star-bolt was loose and that the derailleur could be clunked from side to side. Is this normal?.

    Jamie
    Free Member

    I’m sure lots of you will have “I’m fine” messages.

    Mine is fine after nearly 1000 miles 😉

    sslowpace
    Free Member

    I’m sure i read somewhere (mtbr.com?) that people were having better luck with the shadow mechs with a little bid of modification to bring the top jockey wheel closer to the casette as it runs slightly further away than a ‘normal’ mech. It just involved a little filing to allow the mech to curl around a little more.

    XTR shadow here and no real problems. I do find it needs a little more maintainance to keep super sweet, tho.

    HTH

    bobbyspangles
    Full Member

    i was not impressed with the one that i fitted, it bent like a cheap coat hanger after one ride. nice idea but not well executed

    Wiredchops
    Free Member

    With regards to bringing the top jockey wheel closer to the cassette. The instructions that come with the mech do describe in some detail the procedure to set the position of the jockey wheel as close as possible to the cassette. I did this when I got mine using the adjustment screw for this very purpose. Mine’s been absolutely fine for well over 1000 miles. New set of jockey’s on the beast last month or so and it’s as new again.

    OP, I’m assuming you set it up as per instructions?

    nickc
    Full Member

    What made it seize?

    sslowpace
    Free Member

    wiredchops, the mod was suggested after backing out the adjustment screw as much as possible.

    Just checked mine (shadow) and it is approx 1-2 mm further away than my old xtr.

    Anything that might help the OP 🙂

    GW
    Free Member

    mine bent after about ten mins use.. bent back by hand (far too easily) – they’re shite IMO!

    Yetiman
    Free Member

    Having run shadows on both my bikes for close to a year I won’t be going back to the standard type. The longest running mech now needs new jockey wheels and apart from that both are still shifting well despite constant abuse in some pretty tough conditions. A great product as far as I’m concerned.

    Teapot
    Free Member

    Did you use the same length chain as your old set up?

    rapiddescent
    Full Member

    I ran it close to the cassette as per indicated in the instructions – however, I hadn’t factored in that the chain length changes ever so slightly on my orange 5 and so the badly designed jockey wheel guard hit the cassette teeth and mangled itself. I was slightly naughty in that when it happened I had bodged a gear change into 42T/34T and probably compressed into a hole on the trail – but that shouldn’t wreck the mech and put a gouge in my frame.

    I’ve done this thousands of times previously on other setups.

    I have boxes of old bits in the workshop and the old sram x.9 etc derrailleurs have far more clearance.

    Will file out a bit of the new XT shadow when it arrives.

    rapiddescent
    Full Member

    teapot> no, put on a brand new 991 chain, new cassette and new raceface rings.

    tinsy
    Free Member

    I bought an SLX shadow mech, but the first thing I noticed was how much play there was in the jockey wheels, one was a lot worse than the other so put one with least play next to the cassette, sure it will be OK but not the quality I was expecting.

    PrinceJohn
    Full Member

    Tinsy – you do know about floating jockey wheels on shimano mechs?

    thomthumb
    Free Member

    the pivots on mine got so stiff i struggled to change down on the casette. took it off the other day, put it down fitted a new mech and suddenly the one on the floor downshifted – bit too stiff i reckon!

    cynic-al
    Free Member

    OP – how mangled was the chain? Twists can easily be removed with adjustable spanners.

    james
    Free Member

    I’ve not done it to mine, but managed to do it on a hire bike last summer.

    I read/heard somewhere that the XT shadfow ones use an aluminium lower cage which isn’t really strong enough and can bend

    The SLX one uses a steel lower section and is supposidly strong enough not to bend

    It maybe another 28g or so and not be silver but get the SLX one instead

    bluebird
    Free Member

    I have to admit I’ve not been terribly impressed with my XT shadow mech. It was fiddly to get it indexing properly (new cables and shifters fitted at the same time), and ironically it has more scrapes and gauges than the previously fitted X9. I thought it was supposed to sit closer to the wheel, out of the way?

    I must admit though, the new XT shifters are really nice.

    tinsy
    Free Member

    Prince John, had both my mechs so long that I dont remember the jockey wheels and if they had play, the replacement jockeys I run dont have this kind of movement… so is the floating correct then?

    clubber
    Free Member

    Shimano rear mechs have approx 0.5mm of side to side float in the top pulley – that’s one of the reasons they’re labelled upper and lower. SRAM mechs don’t have this and actually Shimano mechs run fine with a top jockey wheel with no float.

    rapiddescent
    Full Member

    Shimano rear mechs have approx 0.5mm of side to side float in the top pulley

    yeah – Sram don’t need this because they use a 1:1 pull ratio and so don’t need the fine-tuning that the floating top jockey wheel gives. However, I was shocked to find that the whole unit seems to float over 2mm side to side at the star-shape bolt. no wonder it would never index the gears properly. Beginning to regret buying Shimano, should have gone for Sram.

    clubber
    Free Member

    Yeah, because Shimano are well known for their poor shifting 🙄

    oldgit
    Free Member

    Again no probs here, mines been on the 853 Inbred, Carver 96er and now on the XTC runs sweet as.

    rapiddescent
    Full Member

    A bit of an update on this. The new XT Shadow rear mech that arrived today has been redesigned so that the daft wee jockey wheel protector isn’t there anymore. I checked and it definitely was caused because of the lack of clearance on the XT Shadow and the chain shortening on the orange 5 – chain length was perfect and the B screw was set.

    martyntr
    Free Member

    Mines fine after a year and a helf or there abouts..

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