Rapid rise XT and STI compatibility.

[vernon]

A colleague of mine wants to lower the gearing on his Specialised Roubaix
bike by fitting a larger cassett at the back. To accomodate the larger
cassette he needs to also change his rear mech and thought that he's be able
to use an XT mechanisim that he already has. However the mech is a rapid
rise and he's uncetain whether or not it will work with his 105 STI levers.
I'm totally unclear on the compatibility.

Any ideas folks?

[Tim Dunne]

"vernon" > wrote in message


> A colleague of mine wants to lower the gearing on his Specialised
> Roubaix bike by fitting a larger cassett at the back. To accomodate
> the larger cassette he needs to also change his rear mech and thought
> that he's be able to use an XT mechanisim that he already has.
> However the mech is a rapid rise and he's uncetain whether or not it
> will work with his 105 STI levers. I'm totally unclear on the
> compatibility.
>
> Any ideas folks?

My Ultra Galaxy is factory fitted 9 speed 11-34 on the rear, long cage Deore
XT rapid rise mech. and Flightdech STI 105 levers, but whether that's what
you've got...

HTH

Tim
--
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[vernon]

"Tim Dunne" > wrote in message
.uk...
> "vernon" > wrote in message
>
>
>> A colleague of mine wants to lower the gearing on his Specialised
>> Roubaix bike by fitting a larger cassett at the back. To accomodate
>> the larger cassette he needs to also change his rear mech and thought
>> that he's be able to use an XT mechanisim that he already has.
>> However the mech is a rapid rise and he's uncetain whether or not it
>> will work with his 105 STI levers. I'm totally unclear on the
>> compatibility.
>>
>> Any ideas folks?
>
> My Ultra Galaxy is factory fitted 9 speed 11-34 on the rear, long cage
> Deore
> XT rapid rise mech. and Flightdech STI 105 levers, but whether that's what
> you've got...
>
It's not me that proposes that combo but one of the questions my colleague
had was what effects does rapid rise have on the gear changing? He can see
the benefits for mountain biking but wondered if it placed undue strain on
the brake/gear lever.

It's all to high tech for me. I'm happy with my seven speed block, Alivio
mech and bar end shifters on my Galaxy and a Sora group set on my Raleigh
road bike - there again I'm a bit of a cheapskate :-)

[Tim Dunne]

"vernon" > wrote in message


> It's not me that proposes that combo but one of the questions my
> colleague had was what effects does rapid rise have on the gear
> changing? He can see the benefits for mountain biking but wondered
> if it placed undue strain on the brake/gear lever.

Don't know, really. All I can say is that it works for me - thousands of
miles on the mech and levers and no problems to speak of. Lately I've been
doing a fair bit in the Peak District and it's been a godsend.

The only issue I've had has been a snapped gear cable last year - not major
hassle but being left with the worst three gears on the system for 20 mile
was quite an arse... I travel with a spare cable now, which will prevent one
snapping again. Until I forget it...

> It's all to high tech for me. I'm happy with my seven speed block,
> Alivio mech and bar end shifters on my Galaxy and a Sora group set on
> my Raleigh road bike - there again I'm a bit of a cheapskate :-)

It was my first road bike in years, so it's kind of what I've always had...
I like it, but I've heard grumblings from others about the supposed
unreliability of rapid rise.

Tim

--
Sent from Birmingham, UK... Check out www.nervouscyclist.org
'I find sometimes it’s easy to be myself, but sometimes I find it’s
better to be somebody else.' - Dave Matthews 'So Much To Say'
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[vernon]

"Tim Dunne" > wrote in message
.uk...
>
> It was my first road bike in years, so it's kind of what I've always
> had...
> I like it, but I've heard grumblings from others about the supposed
> unreliability of rapid rise.
>
What aspect of rapid rise mechs is unreliable - snapping cables? I quite
like the idea of a failure leading to a low gear rather than a high one ;-)

-=V=-

[Simon Brooke]

in message >, vernon
') wrote:

> A colleague of mine wants to lower the gearing on his Specialised Roubaix
> bike by fitting a larger cassett at the back. To accomodate the larger
> cassette he needs to also change his rear mech and thought that he's be
> able
> to use an XT mechanisim that he already has. However the mech is a rapid
> rise and he's uncetain whether or not it will work with his 105 STI
> levers. I'm totally unclear on the compatibility.
>
> Any ideas folks?

I really, really wouldn't. Rapid Rise was a bad idea in the first place,
and while it uses standard Shimano cable pull so it would index correctly,
it would be utterly confusing.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
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[ to reply either on or off group. Expect lengthy replies until the ]
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[Matthew Haigh]

Simon Brooke wrote:
> in message >, vernon
> ') wrote:
>
>> A colleague of mine wants to lower the gearing on his Specialised Roubaix
>> bike by fitting a larger cassett at the back. To accomodate the larger
>> cassette he needs to also change his rear mech and thought that he's be
>> able
>> to use an XT mechanisim that he already has. However the mech is a rapid
>> rise and he's uncetain whether or not it will work with his 105 STI
>> levers. I'm totally unclear on the compatibility.
>>
>> Any ideas folks?
>
> I really, really wouldn't. Rapid Rise was a bad idea in the first place,
> and while it uses standard Shimano cable pull so it would index correctly,
> it would be utterly confusing.

It doesn't take that long to retrain yourself to use the gears
"backwards" - certainly on MTB trigger shifters it kind-of makes more
sense to run the shifters that way around as you use the same action on
each hand. Paired with dual control levers, I'm sold (on MTBs).

I've not used rapid rise on a road bike, though.

Matt

[Tim Dunne]

"vernon" > wrote in message


> What aspect of rapid rise mechs is unreliable - snapping cables?

I don't think so - I think the cable was just a poor example of the species.
Although allegedly shimano, it was badly corroded at the nipple.

> I
> quite like the idea of a failure leading to a low gear rather than a
> high one ;-)

It's OK till you find you spin out at 9MPH.

Tim

--
Sent from Birmingham, UK... Check out www.nervouscyclist.org
'I find sometimes it’s easy to be myself, but sometimes I find it’s
better to be somebody else.' - Dave Matthews 'So Much To Say'
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[Tim Dunne]

"Simon Brooke" > wrote in message


> I really, really wouldn't. Rapid Rise was a bad idea in the first
> place,

People keep saying this, but why? It works well on my steed...

Tim
--
Sent from Birmingham, UK... Check out www.nervouscyclist.org
'I find sometimes it's easy to be myself, but sometimes I find it's
better to be somebody else.' - Dave Matthews 'So Much To Say'
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[Tony Raven[_2_]]

Tim Dunne wrote on 05/06/2007 00:49 +0100:
> "Simon Brooke" > wrote in message
>
>
>> I really, really wouldn't. Rapid Rise was a bad idea in the first
>> place,
>
> People keep saying this, but why? It works well on my steed...
>

It will work but you will have the problem that you will be able to
change up several gears at a time but change down only one gear at a
time which is the reverse of normal. That may or may not be a problem
to you.

--
Tony

"The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there
is no good evidence either way."
- Bertrand Russell

[Simon Brooke]

in message >, vernon ')
wrote:

>
> "Tim Dunne" > wrote in message
> .uk...
>>
>> It was my first road bike in years, so it's kind of what I've always
>> had...
>> I like it, but I've heard grumblings from others about the supposed
>> unreliability of rapid rise.
>>
> What aspect of rapid rise mechs is unreliable - snapping cables? I quite
> like the idea of a failure leading to a low gear rather than a high one
> ;-)

Bending cogs on the cassette. Mind you, the switch to rapid rise was
supposedly because the XTR cassettes were so prone to bent cogs -
allegedly rapid rise puts less strain on them.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; Conservatives are not necessarily stupid,
;; but most stupid people are conservatives -- J S Mill

[Tim Dunne]

"Simon Brooke" > wrote in message


> Bending cogs on the cassette.

How's that work, then? Come on, you can't make a statement like that without
justifying it.

> Mind you, the switch to rapid rise was
> supposedly because the XTR cassettes were so prone to bent cogs -
> allegedly rapid rise puts less strain on them.

Is this fact, or just your personal opinion? I ask because I've seen you
state this on numerous occasions.

Tim
--
Sent from Birmingham, UK... Check out www.nervouscyclist.org
'I find sometimes it's easy to be myself, but sometimes I find it's
better to be somebody else.' - Dave Matthews 'So Much To Say'
My 'reply to' address is valid, mail to the posting address is dumped

[Tim Dunne]

"Tony Raven" > wrote in message


> It will work but you will have the problem that you will be able to
> change up several gears at a time but change down only one gear at a
> time which is the reverse of normal. That may or may not be a problem
> to you.

I get confused. I can move to a smaller cog in multiple steps, but larger
ones come single step, yes. I'd not noticed until you pointed it out, but
I'd not used STI before this bike.

Tim

--
Sent from Birmingham, UK... Check out www.nervouscyclist.org
'I find sometimes it's easy to be myself, but sometimes I find it's
better to be somebody else.' - Dave Matthews 'So Much To Say'
My 'reply to' address is valid, mail to the posting address is dumped