And it was engaged. No wonder it was shifting rough and I thought the chain is a bit slack. Hahahhahahahaha
There is no manual, so no wonder I couldn't RFM.
Shimano XT 12
There is no manual, so no wonder I couldn't RFM.
Shimano XT 12
I didn't know my derailleur has a clutch!
- Thread starter Pablo
- Start date
ls1mike
$50 Site Donor 2024
How does it work? I mean what does it look like?
It’s not really a clutch as we would think of in a car or other ICE Vehicle. It doesn’t disengage the the driveline
It works in a nutshell by partially locking the spring tensioner via small external lever
Pablo but being up there in Gods country referred to as the northland you do lube it with Amsoil?
I love clutched derailleurs and narrow-wide chainrings!
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
The clutch doesn't make it shift rough. It keeps tension on the chain so it doesn't jump off the chainring since there isn't a front derailleur to hold it. Because of the huge difference in gears the chain gets slack in the higher gears and it keeps the cage from bouncing back and forth. You want to run it engaged unless you're running smooth trails etc. The only time I've had the chain jump off was when I forgot to engage the clutch after servicing and went riding on mountain bike trails.
Maybe you're thinking about it backwards, if the chain is slack the clutch is disengaged.
Maybe you're thinking about it backwards, if the chain is slack the clutch is disengaged.
Mine doesn't. =(
I probably will, but didn't love it when I went to troubleshoot my shifting issues on a brand new bike! Hahhaaa. Basically - I asked myself - What IS this lever all about???
Could be yes. But it sure shifts better now.
Interesting discussion: https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/...utch-doing-on-a-shimano-m8100-rear-derailleur
I do find that derailleurs with clutches shift better when the clutch is disengaged, though it may be only a small difference.
Why a clutch? Some rear cassettes have a very wide range, like 10-50. This requires a rear derailleur with a very long arm or cage to accommodate the big difference. When you hit bumps that shake the chain up and down, that long cage increases the moment arm of the torque that the chain applies to the derailleur. Long cages allow more chain motion and slap. Extreme of chain slap can make the chain come off the front chainring. The clutch makes it harder for the derailleur cage to rotate (edit: in one direction, asymmetric), reducing chain slap.
The general rule is engage the clutch when riding on rough terrain.
BTW, my mountain bike from late 2014 with SRAM XX1 has a 1x 11-speed 10-42 rear cassette and the rear derailleur has no clutch. It shifts great and has never had excessive chain slap. It doesn't have or need a chain guide either. My friend's mountain bike from 1-2 years ago is Shimano 1x with a 10-52 rear, a clutch rear derailleur and a chain guide.
Why a clutch? Some rear cassettes have a very wide range, like 10-50. This requires a rear derailleur with a very long arm or cage to accommodate the big difference. When you hit bumps that shake the chain up and down, that long cage increases the moment arm of the torque that the chain applies to the derailleur. Long cages allow more chain motion and slap. Extreme of chain slap can make the chain come off the front chainring. The clutch makes it harder for the derailleur cage to rotate (edit: in one direction, asymmetric), reducing chain slap.
The general rule is engage the clutch when riding on rough terrain.
BTW, my mountain bike from late 2014 with SRAM XX1 has a 1x 11-speed 10-42 rear cassette and the rear derailleur has no clutch. It shifts great and has never had excessive chain slap. It doesn't have or need a chain guide either. My friend's mountain bike from 1-2 years ago is Shimano 1x with a 10-52 rear, a clutch rear derailleur and a chain guide.
Last edited:
BTW, if the chain is a bit slack when clutch is engaged, something is wrong. The clutch may be dirty or obstructed, the derailleur arm/cage spring may be weak, the chain too long, or not properly aligned or adjusted.
I did a little experiment today. With easy soft shifts, matters not if clutch is engaged or not. But hard jamming up or down, emergency shifts, like zero clunk disengaged. - engaged real clunks.
Chain tension does seem correct either way. Thanks.
This thread is useless without pics or maybe an animated gif.
