CAMPAGNOLO 9 speed rear derailleur - no choice!

[hedgey]

On my commuting road bike,...

I need to replace my 9 speed rear derailleur, and my option seems to be only an Xenon medium cage unit - which seems to be 'entry level'.

My setup is mostly Campag Veloce -

front chainrings (triple 52 42 30).

Rear cassette - Veloce - (13 - 26.)

Wondered - are there any other better options available to me - or will the Xenon be just fine?

Any advice/ suggestions would be much appreciated..

 

[Chrisz]

Xenon would do the job nicely - but you could use a 10 speed mech with no problems and get one from higher up the range if that's what you want. It's also worth trawling ebay for one.

 

[jonathanw]

A 10 speed campag long cage derailleur should work with a 9 speed cassette and with a 39T capacity should meet your needs regarding the setup outlined.

 

[hedgey]

thanks for all the info - now wonder:

Would a 10 speed derailleur from 'higher up the range', offer any benefits in terms of slickness of operation and/or longetivity, over the obvioulsy cheaper Xenon kit?

 

[jonathanw]

Law of diminishing returns as you go up the range, but some say they notice the difference. The shifters make the biggest difference in my opinion and the rear mech the least, but the name is also prominent on the the rear mech so it's what you see. This is why bike manufacturers put the higher spec rear mech on, then scrimp on the cassette, chain or crankset. Only my opinion, but I went for full ultegra on new road bike and I barely notice the shifting difference between lower spec shimano kit on my commuter. The weight of the frame is the biggest difference that helps, not the rear mech.

 

[hedgey]

thanks for all the info - think I might go for a Xenon 9 speed mech. Ribble have this for £29.08. To quote from their site:
"- Short (254g) for double chainset and sprocket set up to 13-26.

- Medium (258g) for double chainset and sprocket set up to 13-28 or for triple chainset and sprocket set up to 13-26

- Long (263g) for triple chainset and sprocket set up to 13-28"

So seems that a medium cage one would work ok?

 

[jonathanw]

Medium or long will do fine for your setup. Long is mostly for MTB's, so as long as you don't change your rear cassette to 11-32 or 11-34, then medium will be ok. The capacity of the long should be more than what is quoted, and with the correct chain length and b-screw adjustment you can often get a little more than quoted.