Took Totoro to the Tama River today. It flows from the mountains northwest of Tokyo through the western edge of the city and down to the coast near Haneda airport. There is a cycling track for much of its length, which makes for a rare chance to cycle in Tokyo without traffic or red lights:
I am using a Dura-Ace rear derailleur, ostensibly a "9 speed" but here I am using it on a "10 speed" hub fitted at the moment with an 8 speed cassette. I use a Dura Ace shifter in friction mode, so any 8,9 or 10 speed cassette will work without further adjustment, and I have used all of these with this mechanism. This particular cassette is my widest range, 11-34T, which allows me to run a single crank at the front:
This is a TA Zephry double. I removed the big ring as I didn't use it with this cassette, and replaced it with a more useful chain guard. I like TA cranks, which have a low Q and are well made. This one takes any chain rings from a 33T upwards. I also have the TA Cyclotouriste double, which will take anything from 24T to 60T. TA
chainrings are also well made and last a very long time.
And a shot of the rear DA derailleur. It is the long cage version, specified to 27T max, but Shimano (lawyers) are conservative:
It just clears the 34T cog with the B screw fully applied, but to give a little headroom I replaced the guide jockey wheel with a slightly smaller Shimano ceramic one. The original oversized tension pulley with its Dura Ace sealed bearings was still fine, so I cleaned it and left it. It shifts silently and perfectly across the whole range.
I wish Shimano still made these. I've had these parts for almost 2 decades, but eventually they'll wear. Perhaps I'll be too worn by that time too.
TT