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Rear Derailleur 101
SGS, Rapid Rise, Low Normal... What does it all mean, and what is compatible with my current drivetrain? Bikeman helps demystify rear deraileur lingo. Here are some basics on rear derailleurs.
Low / Top Normal
There is a spring inside a rear derailleur to assist in shifting. It makes it so all you have to do is pull it one way with your shifter cable and it will pull back when you release that cable tension. Low and top normal refers to the way in which the derailleur springs back.
--Top normal, what some consider traditional, will spring back to the hardest (smallest) cog on the cassette or freewheel.
--Low normal, also know as Shimano Rapid Rise, will naturally spring back to the easiest (largest) cog on the cassette or freewheel.
Cage Length
The length of the rear derailleur cage determines how big of a gear range the rear derailleur can handle. Simply put: The longer the derailleur cage, the longer the chain you can use, the larger the gear range the derailleur can smoothly operate. It is always safer to go with a longer cage derailleur if you are unsure of what you need.
Shimano labels their cage lengths with these letters:
SS = Short Cage
GS = Medium Cage
SGS = Long Cage
Cable Actuation
There are certain shifter/derailleur combos that make your shifting system working properly. A Shimano rear derailleur should be used with a Shimano compatible shifter (including those made by SRAM), a SRAM ESP compatible shifter should be used with a SRAM ESP Derailleur, the same with Campagnolo. For example:
Compatible - Shimano XT shifter / Shimano LX derailleur
Compatible - SRAM Attack shifter (Shimano compatible) / Shimano Ultegra derailleur
Not Compatible - Campagnolo Chorus shifter / Shimano Ultegra derailleur
Not Compatible - Shimano XTR shifter / SRAM X.0. Derailleur
If you have compatibility questions drop us a line.
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