New rear mech/derailleur

Guys I just had a miserable walk back to the car after my SRAM X7 rear mech sheared for no apparent reason (well except maybe a bash awhile back).

Anyway..... its the original component and just about the only thing I haven't replaced yet.

I am thinking about a replacement in the £30 to £40 ish bracket. Two questions.....

1. Under the 'Derailleurs - MTB Rear' section of Chainreaction they have long/short/medium cages. Which is best? I am guessing a short cage would be better to avoid bashing it on rocks but I am sure it's not as simple as that.

2. Shimano Hone Rear Mech M600 looks like a contender. Is there any compatibility/mounting issues? I am running XT kit eveywhere else except the shifters.


Cheers.

Graig,
I'm sure I read some where that SRAM & Shimano use a different ratio (1:1 & 2:1) so you can't use SRAM shifters and Shimano derailleur. Check it out!

I think the long short etc cage size relates to the maximum sie ratios you want to use.

Think short & medium is used for double chainsets or triples with smaller cassettes and long cage are for triples with large (mtb) cassettes.

Cheers guys.

Quite right my SRAM X7 shifters aren't compatible with Shimano except for the front mech. There are only 2 SRAM mechs compatible with Shimano but none of the X range. The other thing is the Shimano Hone Rear Mech M600 does 'simply' fit onto the rear axle IF you have the full Hone rear hub assembly.

Still haven't found a definative answer to the cage size although it definately seems related to cassette/chain ring ratio.

I am keeping my shifters as I have been very happy with their performance. Just deciding on silver or matt black 2007 SRAM X7 long cage rear mech then !

Tin Tin is right SRAM shifters pull more cable than shimano ones so you have to get an SRAM rear mech

Hi Craig,

Jase is right - the long / short cage relates to the cassette range and number of chainrings. It dictates the amount of slack your derailer can take up. Unless you have a road cassette (and / or only one or two chain rings) on your mountain bike, go for the long cage.

A short one will probably work for most gear ranges, but you might find yourself doing a panic big-big shift one day, and tearing off your rear mech.

Long is the way to go!

Hope this helps,
Tom

P.s Standard disclaimer applies - I'm not a mechanic, and reserve the right to talk out of my....

Cheers guys