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Ultegra R8000: replace cage with long one

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  • March 7, 2020 at 6:08 pm #30534
    Huckfinn

    Hi,
    I have a Canyon Grail (the one with the double handlebar). 50/34 with an 11/34 cassette. Where I live there are nice offroad tracks. They are quite steep and I’d like to replace the cassette with an 11/40. I know some people have managed to do it with the existing rear mech but I’d like to be sure it all works out ok so I thought of replacing the medium cage derailleur with a long one. Can anyone tell me how to go about it (i.e. which derailleur and cassette suggestion and if I’d have to replace any other component? Well, yeah, the chain I guess….)?
    Thanks!!

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  • March 10, 2020 at 11:27 am #956597
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    melliott

    There’s a blog on the 3T

    There’s a blog on the 3T website by Gerard Vroomen where he talks about changing the chain length to get cassettes to fit. The blog post focus is 1x for the Strada and Exploro, and a lot of the cassette options need a XD-R freehub body. There’s meant to be a part 2 for 2x soon.

    https://blog.3t.bike/2020/01/12405/gravel-bike-tech-gears-for-tough-climbs-part-1/

    I wanted easier on hills on my gravel bike, so I switched the front chainring to a 42t – easy to do on SRAM Rival 1. I rarely spin out on the flats, and I don’t race on it, but it gets me up (pretty much) anything now.

    March 10, 2020 at 11:24 am #956595
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    Huckfinn

    Thanks. What do you have up

    Thanks. What do you have up front? + The person trying to use the 11-40 was using a Roadlink or not?

    March 10, 2020 at 11:17 am #956593
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    gbzpto

    You can buy a cheap road link
    You can buy a cheap road link equivalent on eBay. I run a medium cage with a 11-36 cassette. It works fine. I have seen someone use a 40 cassette but the mech was unable to compensate at the harder end of the cassette so on the 11 and the chain was too long.

    March 10, 2020 at 9:47 am #956591
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    Rich_cb

    I don’t have any experience
    I don’t have any experience of using the roadlink in a 2x system.

    It works perfectly on a 1x system.

    You may need to adjust your chainring sizes if your rear derailleur can’t handle the extra capacity.

    The manufacturers are usually pretty conservative about these things but it might be worth having a look on YouTube for examples of what people have managed to get working.

    March 10, 2020 at 8:47 am #956589
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    Huckfinn

    Thanks for that. I didn’t see

    Thanks for that. I didn’t see your comment! So it seems possible, right? And that would be with a 50-34 up front! So there isn’t even a need for the Wolftooth Roadlink? (which, according to them, would NOT as they said to me …”expand the capacity of the derailleur.”

    March 10, 2020 at 8:19 am #956587
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    Huckfinn

    Just to make sure, as I’m not

    Just to make sure, as I’m not that good on a technical level, I got in touch with Wolftooth. They said:…”The Roadlink will not expand the capacity of the derailleur.  With 2 chainrings and a wide range 11-40 cassette, I’d suggest using an XT M8000 SGS rear derailleur with our Tanpan 11.”

    !!!! That goes against what I read all over about people installing the Roadlink so as to actually use a wide range cassette! What are your thoughts on it?

    March 9, 2020 at 7:09 pm #956585
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    Rich_cb

    I’m using a Shimano SLX M7000
    I’m using a Shimano SLX M7000.

    No idea how it stacks up weight wise as that’s not something I worry about too much.

    I’ve done a few thousand Kms so far in some pretty grim weather and it’s holding up well so quality seems good.

    March 9, 2020 at 6:09 pm #956583
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    pockstone

    Have you cosidered changing

    Have you cosidered changing your chainset. FSA, Miche Graff do 46 – 30 combinations, or I think you can get even smaller rings with Spa cycles own brand chainsets. No need for faffing at the back, just lose a couple of links. If you’ve got a Shimano bottom bracket the Miche might be the way to go. Recently reviewed on road cc.  Don’t know how the ratios stack up compared to a 40t cassette.

    March 9, 2020 at 5:40 pm #956581
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    mikewood

    https://road.cc/content

    https://road.cc/content/feature/246424-how-get-ultra-low-gearing-gravel-bike-adventures

    If you have a 34 on there already then it will be the medium cage which takes a 40 in the above article

     

    March 9, 2020 at 4:24 pm #956579
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    Huckfinn

    Cool. Any suggestion for a

    Cool. Any suggestion for a reasonably good quality and lightweight 11-40 cassette?

    March 9, 2020 at 7:20 am #956577
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    Rich_cb

    I have it set up 1x so just
    I have it set up 1x so just have a 42 on the front.

    It is definitely a bit jumpy relative to an 11-34 but with a 2x setup you could probably mitigate the worst of it.

    March 9, 2020 at 6:14 am #956575
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    Huckfinn

    Thanks for that. That’s great

    Thanks for that. That’s great! And what do you have on the front? The “spread” between teeth is not too big?

    March 8, 2020 at 10:04 pm #956573
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    Rich_cb

    I have the RX800 set up with
    I have the RX800 set up with a wolftooth and an 11-40.

    Works perfectly.

    Can’t imagine the standard R8000 would be any different in that regard.

    March 8, 2020 at 9:36 pm #956571
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    Mathemagician

    Having a quick read around, I
    Having a quick read around, I don’t think R8000 and M8000 are cross compatible, though they may well be. Shimano ate usually twats for changing up cable pull ratios, so making frankenbikes isn’t straightforward. Their product compatibility page suggests it’s not doable, but if you fancy giving it a try I’ll be interested to hear the results.

    March 8, 2020 at 6:22 pm #956569
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    Huckfinn

    In fact originally I was

    In fact originally I was going for the 11-36 but recently did some quite demanding offroad trails and, given no-one does an 11-38 I was leaning towards the 11-40. But tell me: could I just use my current medium cage with the Wolftooth roadlink and an 11_40 cassette…?

    EDIT: KCNC actually does:

    https://www.kcnc.com.tw/allproducts_detail_23.html

    This with my medium cage + Wolftooth Roadlink maybe….?

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