[crazyjeys]

i see some people replacing their jockey wheels to the kcnc colored wheels. is there any significant changes on changing to the kcnc jockey wheels? i know that the OEM wheels are king made of hard plastic and the kcnc ones are like aluminums. are these purely bling?

 

[Squash]

Not necessarily bling, they do tend to last longer than the stock composite wheels. And they do use small serviceable cartridge bearings that roll smoother. Most derailleurs simply use metal or ceramic bushings, unless you're talking upper end derailleurs. They last about twice as long as composite wheels, but then they cost about twice as much too. The bling part is that they are available in various colors as well. Anyway, if you ride a lot they might be worth it, otherwise they just look cool. :thumbsup:

Good Dirt

 

[Shark]

Some guys say the metal wheels are a bit louder.

 

[mtnbiker72]

I used some Control Tech ones back in the 90's (one on a XT and one on a Campy derailleur on a road bike). There was no increase in performance and it did seem to create extra drivetrain noise.

I've never worn out a set of composite pulleys so the durability issue was irrelevant.

 

[shiggy]

i see some people replacing their jockey wheels to the kcnc colored wheels. is there any significant changes on changing to the kcnc jockey wheels? i know that the OEM wheels are king made of hard plastic and the kcnc ones are like aluminums. are these purely bling?

Heavier, cost more, do not work as well, bearings seize easier than bushings...

Sure not because of function.

 

[jeffscott]

I have worn out a set of jockey wheels...I now have I think the enduro aftermarket wheels, bearings but compostie wheel.

The upper shimano wheel is designed with some side to side play...most of the aftermarket wheels don't have this play..

The shifting seems to be unaffected by the lack of play...and yes a little bit noisier.

They work just fine and in some conditons better than the bushings...the bushings seem to fill with dried road salt and die.

 

[FBinNY]

Heavier, cost more, do not work as well, bearings seize easier than bushings....

+1, IMO no mechanical benefit except possibly longer life. But the service life improvement is not enough to justify the cost.

Plastic pulleys do the job well, and their simple bronze bearing (bushing) is low friction enough that there's no measurable difference in friction when in operation. One advantage of plastic pulleys is that they rend to run quieter than metal ones.

By fancy pulleys only if you want the world to know that you use fancy pulleys.