The purpose of this thread is to help people decide if a 42T cog will work with a short cage rear derailleur.
I recently installed a Wolf 42T cog. Because I already have a brand new short cage derailleur that I very happy with, I scoured every message board and every review of both the Wolf and OneUp products to decide whether or not it would work. I found conflicting information on this topic but most people who had tried it reported that worked. For the record, both manufactures advise against using their 42T cog with a short cage derailleur. Here is my experience and I encourage everyone else who has tried it to report their experience:
2013 Salsa Spearfish 1 (80mm travel)
30T RaceFace Narrow Wide chainring
Sram X9 Type 2 short cage rear derailleur
Sram X0 10 speed shifter
Shimano XT 11-36 10 speed cassette
Sram PC1051 chain
Wolf Tooth 42T GC
Overall the setup was super easy and took less than 1 hour. I did not need the extended B-tension screw that Wolf provides, and I didn't even bottom out the factory Sram screw on the X9 short cage.
There was one thing that was SUPER critical, and that was chain length. There is literally only one length that will work on this setup. One link too long and it the chain drags on the derailleur cage in the 11T, one link too short and the chain will not downshift from the 42T. However, once I figured out the correct length, it shifted beautifully on the work stand. I could not tell a difference in shifting quality between the 42T and the factory 36T on the workstand.
I let all the air out of the shock and fully compressed the suspension and I still have a TINY amount of cage movement. I believe this setup will work and I am going to run with it. The trails are all too muddy to do a proper ride but when I do I will report.
UPDATE: I have about 50 miles on this setup and so far I haven't had a single issue. The shift into the 42T feels absolutely fantastic. I couldn't be happier with this drive train.
I recently installed a Wolf 42T cog. Because I already have a brand new short cage derailleur that I very happy with, I scoured every message board and every review of both the Wolf and OneUp products to decide whether or not it would work. I found conflicting information on this topic but most people who had tried it reported that worked. For the record, both manufactures advise against using their 42T cog with a short cage derailleur. Here is my experience and I encourage everyone else who has tried it to report their experience:
2013 Salsa Spearfish 1 (80mm travel)
30T RaceFace Narrow Wide chainring
Sram X9 Type 2 short cage rear derailleur
Sram X0 10 speed shifter
Shimano XT 11-36 10 speed cassette
Sram PC1051 chain
Wolf Tooth 42T GC
Overall the setup was super easy and took less than 1 hour. I did not need the extended B-tension screw that Wolf provides, and I didn't even bottom out the factory Sram screw on the X9 short cage.
There was one thing that was SUPER critical, and that was chain length. There is literally only one length that will work on this setup. One link too long and it the chain drags on the derailleur cage in the 11T, one link too short and the chain will not downshift from the 42T. However, once I figured out the correct length, it shifted beautifully on the work stand. I could not tell a difference in shifting quality between the 42T and the factory 36T on the workstand.
I let all the air out of the shock and fully compressed the suspension and I still have a TINY amount of cage movement. I believe this setup will work and I am going to run with it. The trails are all too muddy to do a proper ride but when I do I will report.
UPDATE: I have about 50 miles on this setup and so far I haven't had a single issue. The shift into the 42T feels absolutely fantastic. I couldn't be happier with this drive train.
