11 Speed Derailleurs?

[mattwilkinson]

Can you use a 10 speed Rear Derailleur on an 11 speed system?
I was always told that the Derailleur doesn't mind how many gears but rather just the shifters.

To upgrade to 11 speed, do I need to upgrade the rear derailleur?

Matt

[Blakeylonger]

For 10 --> 11 ROAD:
SRAM: keep your mech, change your shifters.
Shimano: New mechs and shifters.
Campy: kinda varies depending on the exact model year of the parts, some were specific, later ones not so much.

[ValleyForge]

And consider that the chain & rear hub might complicate things as well.

[mattwilkinson]

Talking about shimano here
AFAIK, 10 speed Chainrings are fine for 11 spd, as the chain is only slightly narrow
That's a shame, so I would need: new freehub body, rear derailleur, shifters, chain and casette

How good is 11 spd? Will 10 speed become obsolete? Am I better off going to 11 speed now, will it make resale value significantly higher and easier to sell?

[2wheels_mond]

How good is 11 spd?

New 105 is brilliant, taking the design cues of the other new 11 speed groups make it shift very well.

Will 10 speed become obsolete?

Not at all, 10 speed parts are in abundance now and almost undoubtedly will be for some time to come. Hell, even 8-speed parts are still easy to find.

Am I better off going to 11 speed now, will it make resale value significantly higher and easier to sell?

Well, it's pretty nice, but I doubt it'll do much to the resale value. Whether it's worth it is up to you, but yes, it'll be a fairly significant outlay.

[mattwilkinson]

Thanks i'll keep that in mind.
On a 2014 Cervelo S2, Got 10 Speed 105 on currently but looking to go to something lighter and bit more reliable.

[2wheels_mond]

Thanks i'll keep that in mind.
On a 2014 Cervelo S2, Got 10 Speed 105 on currently but looking to go to something lighter and bit more reliable.

The new 11 speed is no lighter, it's just a different design. What is unreliable about what's on there?

[mattwilkinson]

Nothing really unreliable, rear crunches a little bit every now and then.
I really like the feel of DA, and miss the feel of my ultegra a bit.

I'll just stay with 10 speed. maybe upgrade the rear to ultegra, and then eventually upgrade shifters once I redo the bar tape and cables.
Chain and cassette are tiagra so those will be coming off shortly for 105/ultegra

[lobstermash]

If you want nicer shifting, get coated gear cables and PTFE lined outers. They're the big difference, rather than the shifters themselves.

[Duck!]

I was always told that the Derailleur doesn't mind how many gears but rather just the shifters.

In general terms, yes, but in the shifter/derailleur relationship there's a factor called the leverage ratio, which in basic terms is the amount of cable pulled at the shifter + the action of the pivots in the derailleur required to move the derailleur the right distance to line up with the gears. Pretty much all Shimano stuff from 5- to 10-sp, with a handful of exceptions, uses the same leverage ratio, so as long as the shifter is the right number of gears for the cassette then the derailleur will follow. However, 11-sp. uses a different leverage ratio, so you can only pair 11-sp. shifters with compatible derailleurs.

Differences in leverage ratio are the reason why you can't mix shifters & rear derailleurs between different brands.

10-sp. isn't going anywhere near oblivion in a hurry; Although parts such as higher-spec shifters & the like are becoming scarce, the fact that there are still 8- & 9-sp. groups in production shows that if they're around, 10-sp. will be around for a long while to come yet.