Shimano XT derailleur cable routing - is this normal?

[emtbPhil]

My first cube emtb came with Sram SX, which was pretty awful. I upgraded to Sram GX which was absolutely lovely.
But on a whim this week I bought a full suspension emtb and will be putting my hardtail up for sale.

The new bike has Shimano XT gear setup, and whilst it works pretty nicely out on the trails I can't help but think the routing of the shifter cable is utterly dumb.

In pretty much every gear the inner cable rubs against the bracket - the alignment of where the cable comes out isn't even slightly close to right?

Whilst I'm sure it might be "fine" or I might have to replace the inner cable a few times a year - it seems horrid compared to the nice guide wheel on the Sram.

I'm almost contemplating trying my GX shifter and derailleur on the shimano 12 speed casette just because it seems far better made.

 

[salko]

Yea, that how it is on Shimano. It looks shite but if will be more straight cable bend will stick way out of the bike and much more chance you will catch it in something and rip the cable out ... Sram guide wheel is superb compared to this.

 

[Planemo]

Yeah same on my new SLX. Really is a poor design. I expect more from Shimano tbh, I mean, how long have they been making drivetrains?!

 

[emtbPhil]

That's kind of my thoughts on it too - they've been making drivetrains forever and I get that the cable angle would be too wide, but this is pretty bad design.


I do prefer the shifter over the Sram one but urgh..

 

[Dan63]

You could try to fit "Cover with Tongue" part Y5PV48000 from the RD-M9100 XTR derailleur.

 

[STATO]

It might look horrible, but the tension in the cable when its at that angle is low so the rubbing is not a problem, and it even has a steel rub ring you can see to ensure low friction when shifting. I think having ran SRAM GX for a while, id prefer the shimano approach. The cable wheel on the SRAM might work better when new, but a few rides will soon fill it full of dust and dirt causing the bearing to eventually seize or the cable channel to fill with muck. Ive had to pull the cable wheel out before as there has been so much mud in it the cable was forced up and jammed against the cover. Sometimes the simplest approach is best, even if it looks a bit wrong at first appearances.

 

[Gary]

As Dan says, your outer cable is actually meant to be fitted with a ferrule with a tongue. Ie. an extended portion the cable slides through.

 

[emtbPhil]

Thanks guys

I'll pick one up and chuck it on