It doesn't attend to aesthetics, but XT 12 speed rear derailleurs handles up to a 51 tooth cassette, while XT 11 speed only handle 46 sometimes. The cable pull is virtually identical as well as the price these days, so I run 12 speed with 11 speed cassette and shifters for mountain applications. I then repurposed the 11 speed for a 1x11 road application with suntour barend shifters and a Wolf Tooth tanpan. With any tanpan, any friction shifters should work (thumb, downtube or bar end). That would also be true for SRAM 11 and 12 speed. I find the shifting gaps to be easy unless I'm in a painful place on a climb. That can sometimes cause clumsy shifts. Best, Zach in ABQ
On Wednesday, October 1, 2025 at 8:19:17 PM UTC-6 Jeffrey Arita wrote: > Bryan: > > Sorry, late to respond but here goes: we have used a Shimano XT > M8000-series RD for many tours, including the one we are currently on > (Japan). It is the 'SGS' or long-cage model which I believe has one of the > largest capacities currently out there (why I chose to buy it in 2019). > > That RD is currently setup with a *triple* crankset (46 - 33 - 20) [yes, > a 20(!) tooth small chainring]. The cassette is a Shimano Ultegra > 11-speed, 11-34), using friction bar end shifters. The drivetrain is on a > Co-Motion coupled tandem with full panniers, handlebar bag, two large > drybags, etc. I didn't know how hilly Japan could be, so I erred on the > lower end of the gearing spectrum. Glad we did as the 20 / 34 combo has > been used a lot (650b tires). That ultra low gear sure is easy on aging > knees. > > My point with the Shimano XT M8000 SGS is it handles a very wide range of > gearing, handy if you ever want to perhaps go with a double or triple > crankset in the future. As a 1x11 speed it won't even be breaking a sweat > 😉. It isn't silver but it certainly does the job and it has been reliable. > > Good luck, > > Jeff & Lori > Touring Japan > > On Wednesday, October 1, 2025 at 11:46:39 PM UTC+9 Bryan H wrote: > >> Hello decided to try 1x11 on my susie build, going with a XT deore 11 >> speed cassette. For the derailleur and shifter would love to keep it a >> classic silver/polish look. Any suggestions on this? Modern derailleurs are >> appealing to avoid lots of chain slap however couldn't find anything with >> the look and performance I'm going for. Any suggestions greatly >> appreciated! >> >> Bryan >> Walnut Creek, CA >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/5834b1af-d458-46a1-8ba1-3c0ad7a141f2n%40googlegroups.com.
