Derailleurs - rear

The Univega's old but worthy LX mech might seem an odd recipient of Hawk Racing's Derailleur Pulley Set characterised by super smooth stainless steel bearings and 7075 construction but shifting tag-alongs, trailers and full to the brim expedition panniers day in, day out calls for plenty of gear changing. Oh and they coordinate perfectly with the tubby tourers' red and black livery.

With CNC machined alloy and carbon construction, and weighing a very competitive 180g, Dia Compe's Gran Compe Zero is a competent and good looking alternative to Shimano's Ultegra and Dura Ace mechs. It's also compatible with, Shimano’s 10-spd Dura-Ace, Ultegra and 105 transmissions and it's SRAM compatible too according to Dia Compe – though not with SRAM's 10-spd lever – which doesn't make it sound like a definition of compatibility to us.

There are a couple of big changes out back. First, you get a carbon pulley plate that brings down the weight (16g overall). Second, the new rear mech is compatible with cassettes up to 28T. The total capacity (the tooth difference between the two chainrings plus the tooth difference between the biggest and smallest sprockets) is now 33T – so you’re unlikely to feel the need for a triple.