If you are running a 1x drivetrain with a regular-sized cassette (ie, 11-36t or smaller) or some 2x mountain bike drivetrains with a similarly sized cassette, you may want to use a medium cage derailleur. Campagnolo provides a much more thorough description of the changes and we highly recommend you read through this guide carefully before committing to any new parts from the Italian marque. Campagnolo’s Super Record EPS electronic groupset is now onto its fourth generation. Matthew Loveridge / Immediate Media However, experience with Ultegra makes us worried that the shift will require more force as the cables age because of the extra bends from the under-tape routing. Nevertheless, these levers are the best value bit of road kit Shimano has ever made.

Almost all modern mountain bike derailleurs (and Shimano’s GRX gravel groupsets, Ultegra RX rear derailleur, Campagnolo Ekar, SRAM’s single-ring road groupsets and eTap AXS 12-speed road rear derailleurs) include a clutch mechanism. However, SRAM’s Force AXS Wide groupset means you may not have to create your own mullet builds. Bridging the gap between road-going AXS groupsets and mullet builds, the groupset offers a lower bottom gear for road and a good range for gravel riding with cassettes up to 36 teeth, but does this by altering the drivetrain alignment. It uses the traditional Shimano joining pin system (standard chain tools are suitable too), and we tried a variety of joining links including Powerlink, which all worked fine. speed SRAM components are inter-compatible, regardless of whether they are road or mountain bike parts – for example, you could run road shifters with a mountain bike rear derailleur Now that we’ve gone through the tortuous process of working out exactly what will work with your drivetrain, you have the fun of deciding which price point to go for.At first glance this looks no different from the previous 105 front mech, but closer inspection reveals that the plates are just over 1mm wider apart, they’re shaped differently, and the parallelogram that drives the mech is a new geometry too. Campagnolo’s Super Record EPS electronic groupset is on version four now and has gone 12-speed. Again, it’s a system unto itself, with its own electronics to communicate between the shifters and the rear derailleur.

There are also differences in the pull ratios used between different groupsets: the Ergopower shifters used by mechanical Super Record, Record and Chorus 11-speed are not compatible with Potenza, which itself is incompatible with both Ergopower and Centaur Power-Shift systems.This is also the case with Shimano’s 11-speed mountain bike components – for example, you could use an XTR M9000 derailleur with a pair of SLX M7000 shifters Most* 8- and 9-speed Shimano mountain bike and road kit is inter-compatible because they both use the same cable pull ratio. This means you can use an 8- or 9-speed mountain bike derailleur with road shifters, or vice versa For clarity, 10-, 11- and 12-speed Shimano road/gravel and mountain bike components are not inter-compatible with each other. This is because they use different cable pull ratios

Compatible parts are now marked by a letter surrounded by a square box – simply put, if all of your components have the same stamped letter on them, they’ll work together. The quality of the shift and the shape of the whole lever/hood assembly is a winner, especially considering the price. They’re not as woolly feeling as the previous 105, with the shift action having a more positive feel on both sides. We couldn’t detect the claimed improvement in braking from the hoods, but we never had a problem with the old version. Regular rear derailleurs rely solely on the tension provided by the main pivot to keep the chain in place.

Shimano XTR Di2 M9050 11 Speed MTB Gear Shifter

A clutch derailleur essentially increases the resistance this pivot provides – either through a clutch or more complex electro-hydraulic systems, as seen on SRAM AXS – resisting fore and aft movement of the derailleur cage, and making for a far quieter and more reliable drivetrain. Their shifting performance, although light and smooth, was a little too soft and quiet for some testers. We would prefer a more positive and precise feel closer to that of the flagship Dura-Ace. We all liked the new shaped hoods and the internal cable routing makes for a cleaner looking front end, at the expense of some under tape bulges and a slight increase in friction – despite the new PTFE lined cables.

The good news is there’s some reverse compatibility between version three 11-speed EPS components and older generations. What cage length derailleur should I buy? SRAM’s current 12-speed eTap AXS rear derailleurs are all compatible across road, gravel and mountain biking. For example, you can run an Eagle rear derailleur on a road or gravel bike. If you’re doing this, you’ll need to run a compatible chain (you cannot run a road FlatTop chain with an Eagle rear derailleur), chainring and cassette Campagnolo has introduced many changes to its groupsets, resulting in reduced compatibility between generations. So boxed letters (indicating the ranges) will aid you in identifying if your parts are compatible. Campagnolo The current 12-speed generation of Shimano electronic groupsets have inter-compatible wiring and electronics and use the newer SD300 wire variant.At the controls is an ergonomically designed shifter, which for the latest edition has received similar treatment to the pricier Ultegra R8000 series. Overall, the shifters have been reduced in size, and re-shaped to make them easier to grip in slippery conditions. High Quality, High Value Chain reaction Cycles and CRC are trading names of Wiggle Ltd (In Administration) registered in the United Kingdom at 1000 Lakeside, Suite 310, Third Floor N E Wing, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO6 3EN, All 11-speed Shimano Di2 road, gravel and mountain bike Di2 components are inter-compatible – you could, for example, use an XT M8050 rear derailleur with a pair of Ultegra R8070 shifters Clutch-equipped rear derailleurs were once the sole preserve of mountain bike offerings, but are now seen on both gravel and road groupsets from Shimano and SRAM. Matthew Loveridge / Immediate Media