Sometimes, Ten is Just One Too Many

There's lots of drivetrain technology being touted these days. Ten speeds, ELEVEN speeds, fancy chainrings to keep your chain on without a guide, clutch derailleurs... Well, I liked the idea of a clutch derailleur. By all accounts they do a great job at controlling chain slap and making the bike quieter overall. Trouble is, when they were first introduced in 2011, both the big S's did a great job of ensuring they weren't compatible with existing nine-speed drivetrains. You want the clutch derailleur? You had to buy a new shifter, cassette and chain on top of that fancy derailer.

Cable pull ratio has long been the difference that rendered SRAM and Shimano systems incompatible. SRAM pushed the virtues of their 1:1 cable pull ratio whilst Shimano stuck to their 'tried and true' system that was closer to 2:1. when the clutch derailer was introduced along with their respective ten speed drivetrains, both companies changed their cable ratios, seemingly to ensure incompatibility.

However, at some point, the left hand wasn't talking to the right. Shimano's new cable pull ratio ended up being very close to the 1:1 system of SRAM, such that many speculated you could get away with running a ten speed Shimano derailleur with a nine-speed SRAM shifter. Inspired, I set out to do exactly this but, to my dissappointment, it wasn't possible to get smooth running across the whole cassette, particularly in the smallest and largest sprockets.

Never one to give up, I decided to 'convert' the cable pull of my shiny new Shimano derailleur to that of my SRAM shifter. I measured the cable pull of a Shimano and SRAM shifter to calculate the change in pull ratio required, applied some rudimentary physics and built a stack of washers on which to mount the cable. Well, the cable lasted about four runs, but I did have perfect shifting for the duration of those four runs! Encouraged, I set out making a dedicated piece, with the end result being what you see below.
Since fitting it at the beginning of the summer I've had nothing but flawless shifting, and it's amazing how much quieter the bike is with the clutch technology. To say I'm stoked on this is an understatement. I've since made more spacers for friends, both online and local, all of whom have only had positive things to say. I've since made more spacers for friends, both online and local, all of whom have only had positive things to say. The latest batch are anodized, and considerably better finished than my original, handmade prototype piece!