clutch derailleurs
- Thread starter ccf
- Start date
bladderhead
Zen MBB Master
I have XX1 derailleur and cog and these are the only ones of which I have a lot of recent experience. I have a wide-narrow oval chainwheel. Shifting is not noticeably better or worse than with a round one.
ratz
Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
You'd be less likely to drop a chain shifting with a clutch version but that's about all it will do for road bike.
If you took your left hand and pushed the RD forwards and up towards the crankset, it would move fairly easily until you let go and it sprang back to normal. When you push it forwards, this takes tension off your chain and it sags.
In a regular RD, the spring in that lower arm is all that is keeping the lower part of the chain tensioned. When you go over bumps, rocks etc, the weight of your bouncing chain pulls the spring loaded arm forwards creating slack and "chain slap". Chain slap is when your RD arm and chain are bouncing enough for the chain to slap the chainstay bracket. This is obnoxious. Also when your chain is loose like that, it is easier for it to bounce off of your chain rings and make your day a living hell.
A clutch RD eliminates the bounce. Take the same diagram as above with a Clutch RD. If you pushed the RD up and forwards, it wouldnt move. It is held in place by a small piece that prevents it from moving forward. This keeps your chain properly tensioned, preventing the chain slap and bounce.
If you took your left hand and pushed the RD forwards and up towards the crankset, it would move fairly easily until you let go and it sprang back to normal. When you push it forwards, this takes tension off your chain and it sags.
In a regular RD, the spring in that lower arm is all that is keeping the lower part of the chain tensioned. When you go over bumps, rocks etc, the weight of your bouncing chain pulls the spring loaded arm forwards creating slack and "chain slap". Chain slap is when your RD arm and chain are bouncing enough for the chain to slap the chainstay bracket. This is obnoxious. Also when your chain is loose like that, it is easier for it to bounce off of your chain rings and make your day a living hell.
A clutch RD eliminates the bounce. Take the same diagram as above with a Clutch RD. If you pushed the RD up and forwards, it wouldnt move. It is held in place by a small piece that prevents it from moving forward. This keeps your chain properly tensioned, preventing the chain slap and bounce.
