Pulley my derailleur?

May 3, 2015 12:47 PM

I have a mid-2000s road bike that was built up with 9-speed Ultegra. One of the rear derailleur pulleys has ejected a ring of rubber (a gasket?). Shifting is fine, though my drivetrain seems inert - when I spin the cranks with my hand, it stops almost immediately as soon as I let go. So I think I should replace the pulley set, and probably the chain, though that's easier.

What I can't seem to determine is: which pulley set do I want? There sure are a ton of options, anywhere from $5 to $200, and I can't seem to tell them apart. All of my LBSs are closed today, or I'd be there. Please point me towards a good but not needlessly bling pulley set?

posted by Dashy to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (4 answers total)

I assume these Velo Orange pulleys would work well if your ultegra pulleys are 11 tooth. I also used some pulleys that looked kind of like these sealed bearing pulleys but they had a generic kind of name that I can't remember off-hand. I would avoid paying for ceramic bearings, derailleurs aren't high heat where ceramic bearings actually make sense.
posted by glip at 1:02 PM on May 3, 2015

You should replace both pulleys, and bearings are superior to bushings for most road applications. Rule of thumb on chain replacement is to replace anytime you change any other drivetrain component like cassette or chainrings— chains are cheap, and a worn chain wears your other parts faster.

Even these basic pulleys should be fine. I prefer the nicer KMC chains like the X9 series (make sure you buy one that includes a quick link), but Wipperman Connex, YBN, or original Shimano 53 will work fine.
posted by a halcyon day at 2:14 PM on May 3, 2015

Any 7/8/9 speed pulley should work. 10 and 11 speed chains are different so require different pulleys.
posted by bradbane at 3:38 PM on May 3, 2015

I've also had good luck with the Tacx ball bearing pulley sets. Cheap and better than the actual Shimano ones.
posted by ssg at 9:53 AM on May 4, 2015