# Recommend Shimano RD-TX30 tourney rear derailleur alternative please?



## Red_Raleigh (28 May 2015)

Hi all, first post.

I'm trying to fix a *Dawes Tourismo 20Six gents* bike and the rear derailleur has franctured after a bit of a crash, so it needs replacing, but I don't know enough about bikes to pick an alternative to the RD-TX30 which is on it already. They're hard to find anyway, so if anyone can point me to a decent alternative, I'd be very grateful. 

Thanks in advance everyone


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## Rickshaw Phil (28 May 2015)

Hi and  @Red_Raleigh

These derailleurs are still available in various versions under the Tourney name and I believe a TX35 would be the current equivalent to the TX30 if you want an inexpensive straight swap. Acera and Alivio are the next two steps up if you want to upgrade.

How does the current derailleur mount to the bike? _*If *_you have the older style horizontal rear dropouts and the hanger that clamps into the dropout, you might also need one of the old style hangers like this one: LINK.


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## outlash (28 May 2015)

Post up a pic of the deurailleur, the tourney mechs have different mounts as I have found out when I had to replace the broken one on my son's bike (I now have a brand new mech without a bike to fix it to!)

Tony.


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## Red_Raleigh (1 Jun 2015)

Hi guys, thanks for the replies. Been a tad busy since I posted the question. Sorry for the delay. Cheaper the better for the replacement.

Hope these pics are enough to go on. If not let me know. Thanks again. Much appreciated


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## outlash (1 Jun 2015)

Job done: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201217993771


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## Red_Raleigh (1 Jun 2015)

Thanks outlash, that's great! Just bought it. Is it your store?


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## outlash (1 Jun 2015)

No, I bought one from there the other day for my son's bike.


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## Rickshaw Phil (1 Jun 2015)

^^^ That is about as cheap as I think you'll find them. Bargain.

Photos always help and those confirm that you _*don't*_ need the old style hanger I linked to earlier as yours is a direct fit derailleur.

It would be worth making sure that the hanger currently on the bike isn't bent. Doesn't look like it in the photos but if the derailleur has taken a knock it's possible as they are designed to bend/break easily to save the frame from damage.

There are about a hundred different versions of that type of hanger so it's not easy to say which one you'd need if required. This one: link, looks like it but I'd recommend getting a local bike shop to check and confirm.


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## katonda (19 Apr 2020)

Hi all, 

sorry to raise an old thread from the dead, but I thought it would be better than creating a similar one. I think I'm in a similar position as OP. Not due to a fall, but the derailleur was never cleaned and while shifting seized up because of years of caked up gunk and ended up getting caught in the spokes at speed bending the shaft and breaking some teeth. 

Old bike of GF, not anything special. Looking for a bang for buck replacement here. 

What's the 2020 equivalent of the *Shimano Tourney RD-TX30*? 

Will I need the 'old style' hanger others mentioned?






















Also, does this crankshaft still look functional or is it risky? I can't tell if these teeth are damaged or if they are meant to look like that since the notch is repeated.


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## katonda (19 Apr 2020)

Would this cheapo do the trick?


View: https://www.amazon.de/SHIMANO-Tourney-RD-TY300-Schaltwerk-schwarz/dp/B01DN3VQGW/

It's a 7-speed I'm looking for judging by the number of cogs on the rear wheel, right?

Would it be worth spending a bit more to get a derailleur in the 20 euro range?


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## katonda (19 Apr 2020)

Like one of these three?

SHIMANO Altus RD-M310

Shimano Tourney TX RD-TX800

SHIMANO Acera Rear Derailleur RD-M360


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## Rickshaw Phil (19 Apr 2020)

Hi and  @katonda

Looking at your photos, you do not need the old style hanger that I've mentioned in the thread previously. Any of the derailleurs you've listed should do the job just fine. If choosing from the 20 Euro ones I'd personally probably pick the Acera as the ones I've had have been quite reliable.

The chainrings are difficult to judge from the photo. It's a cheap pressed steel set which is likely to have some short teeth and what appear to be cracks between some of them, but it's actually pressed like that on purpose to help the chain shift between gears. If it's not slipping under load or suffering chain suck (where the chain wraps round the chain ring and jams instead of shifting) then it's probably okay for a while longer. If it is, the only option is to replace the whole crankset and possibly the bottom bracket (the crank axle) too as the chances are a new crankset will need a different length axle.


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## katonda (19 Apr 2020)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Hi and  @katonda
> 
> Looking at your photos, you do not need the old style hanger that I've mentioned in the thread previously. Any of the derailleurs you've listed should do the job just fine. If choosing from the 20 Euro ones I'd personally probably pick the Acera as the ones I've had have been quite reliable.



Thanks for the quick answer @Rickshaw Phil, I'll get that one then. I recently replaced the brake cables and brake tubing, should I do the same for the gear cables or do they typically not need to be changed as often?



Rickshaw Phil said:


> The chainrings are difficult to judge from the photo. It's a cheap pressed steel set which is likely to have some short teeth and what appear to be cracks between some of them, but it's actually pressed like that on purpose to help the chain shift between gears. If it's not slipping under load or suffering chain suck (where the chain wraps round the chain ring and jams instead of shifting) then it's probably okay for a while longer. If it is, the only option is to replace the whole crankset and possibly the bottom bracket (the crank axle) too as the chances are a new crankset will need a different length axle.



I'll save some money then and wait until something breaks. She hasn't mentioned any of these problems. Nonetheless, I don't think this bike is worth investing too much new gear in. The Dutch second hand market has plenty of quality bikes at good prices that would be a better investment in the long run.


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## Rickshaw Phil (19 Apr 2020)

katonda said:


> Thanks for the quick answer @Rickshaw Phil, I'll get that one then. I recently replaced the brake cables and brake tubing, should I do the same for the gear cables or do they typically not need to be changed as often?


No problem.

I'd change the gear cables too if I were you. The gears are more sensitive to sticky cables than the brakes so replacing them every so often will just keep things sweet. The last bit of outer cable to the derailleur is particularly prone to gumming up due to dirt and water ingress.




katonda said:


> I'll save some money then and wait until something breaks. She hasn't mentioned any of these problems. Nonetheless, I don't think this bike is worth investing too much new gear in. The Dutch second hand market has plenty of quality bikes at good prices that would be a better investment in the long run.


That sounds fine. When they do need replacing it doesn't have to be very expensive. Decathlon have this on their UK website which would do the job (assuming it is the same number of teeth): https://www.decathlon.co.uk/48-38-28-chainset-silver-id_8517148.html
Unfortunately the website doesn't say what length bottom bracket is required for that one (probably best to ask them in store when the current crisis is over if you have a branch locally) but as an example to gauge cost, this Shimano bottom bracket is £18 and will last for years: https://www.decathlon.co.uk/shimano-bb-un53-bottom-bracket-118mm-id_6145390.html


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## DCBassman (20 Apr 2020)

The Altus RD-M310 will do up to 9-speed, great all-rounder.


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## katonda (25 Apr 2020)

Hi again, 

I successfully installed the rear derailleur yesterday, but I couldn't figure out how to do it without breaking the chain or removing the derailleur's metal plate. I opted for the latter, which the instructions explicitly told me not to. I assume that people usually break/replace the chain?

I've also ordered some replacement cables, but those will take a bit longer to arrive. 

Thanks to all for your support. My GF is happy.


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## Rickshaw Phil (25 Apr 2020)

Yes, breaking the chain (or fitting a new one) would be the usual. What you've done works just as well and shouldn't cause any problems as long as the parts go back together exactly the same way. The biggest danger if you've taken the pulley wheels out is inadvertently swapping them over. They look the same but are subtly different.


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## katonda (9 May 2020)

Hi again,

So the new cables arrived from China yesterday. Clipped them to size and the gears are working much smoother now.

However, I am having an issue with the rear shifter. When the chain goes on the bigger gears (closer to the spokes - not sure if this is shifting up or down) the derailleur starts to tap on the spokes on the second to last gear and gets caught in the spokes on the last. This is what I think led to my girlfriend's first accident. I tried various combinations of adjustments to the derailleur, even tried placing the washers of the wheels on the inside of the frame to create more of a gap. Nothing seemed to work. So I'm thinking that the derailleur hanger might be the problem. What do you think? Could it have been bent somehow? If I need to replace it, will any do or are there different kinds?

Sorry, my fingers were greasy and the sunlight was very bright when I took the shots.

Edit: Yup, judging by pictures from other bikes, I'd say it's bent. There are also a lot of different shapes to the derailleur hangers from what I can tell... does anyone know which one I need from the pictures alone?


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## Rickshaw Phil (10 May 2020)

Yes, it looks pretty certain that the hanger is bent. They are designed to bend/break easily in the event of taking a knock to save the frame from damage. The downside of this is that usually only very minor straightening can be done without them breaking.

As you've already gathered, there are more than a hundred different styles of hanger. From the photo I _think_ that this is the one you need: https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/gear-sp...ropout-for-7005-alloy-touring-trekking-frame/ but I can't be 100% sure. This is one occasion where you could really do with a bike shop to look at it and advise. Not easy in the current state of affairs I know.


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## katonda (10 May 2020)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> Yes, it looks pretty certain that the hanger is bent. They are designed to bend/break easily in the event of taking a knock to save the frame from damage. The downside of this is that usually only very minor straightening can be done without them breaking.
> 
> As you've already gathered, there are more than a hundred different styles of hanger. From the photo I _think_ that this is the one you need: https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/gear-sp...ropout-for-7005-alloy-touring-trekking-frame/ but I can't be 100% sure. This is one occasion where you could really do with a bike shop to look at it and advise. Not easy in the current state of affairs I know.



Thanks again Phil!

Yes, that does indeed look like the one I need. I took the time to take it off and take some additional shots. The paper is marked such that one square is 5x5mm.


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