Replacement pulley/jockey wheel recommendations

[jspaceman]

I'm looking for some new jockey wheels for my 9070 Di2 rear derailleur, as the stock Shimano ones are near the end of their lives.

Any recommendations? The CeramicSpeed OSPW is a bit out of my price range and overkill. What about CeramicSpeed jockey wheels? They are pricey too, are they worth it? I also came across the Enduro Zero ceramics, which are a bit cheaper, as well as the Kogels. Any others? Or should I just ignore the hype and buy another pair of stock Shimano ones?

Thanks.

[RocketRacing]

My logical brain says shimano jockey wheels are probably the easiest, and best performing as an all round package.

But the more “interesting side” of my brain (my wife would say something far harsher) is curious about the ospw.

But i run etap, and i don’t think a few watts upgrade would be worth a downgrade in shifting quality... especially given the cost. With di2, i don’t think i would sacrafice class leading shifting either. The marginal losses from delayed shift times, and poor language on bike might not be worth it.

[TobinHatesYou]

OPSW should be borderline the last upgrade you make in terms of price/watt.

Re: RocketRacing, eTap pulleys are just as expensive as third party options from Kogel, BBInfinite, etc., so I never bother.

[RocketRacing]

OPSW should be borderline the last upgrade you make in terms of price/watt.

Re: RocketRacing, eTap pulleys are just as expensive as third party options from Kogel, BBInfinite, etc., so I never bother.

Not to hijack, but what do you suggest for etap?

[jspaceman]

My logical brain says shimano jockey wheels are probably the easiest, and best performing as an all round package.

But the more “interesting side” of my brain (my wife would say something far harsher) is curious about the ospw.

But i run etap, and i don’t think a few watts upgrade would be worth a downgrade in shifting quality... especially given the cost. With di2, i don’t think i would sacrafice class leading shifting either. The marginal losses from delayed shift times, and poor language on bike might not be worth it.

I've never tried a bike with OSPW system, or anything similar. Does it downgrade shifting quality? (eg. make is sloppier, slower, etc.).

[Wookski]

Rear mech is great place to use full ceramic bearings like those in Kogel’s not for Instagram jockey wheels.

[RocketRacing]

My logical brain says shimano jockey wheels are probably the easiest, and best performing as an all round package.

But the more “interesting side” of my brain (my wife would say something far harsher) is curious about the ospw.

But i run etap, and i don’t think a few watts upgrade would be worth a downgrade in shifting quality... especially given the cost. With di2, i don’t think i would sacrafice class leading shifting either. The marginal losses from delayed shift times, and poor language on bike might not be worth it.

I've never tried a bike with OSPW system, or anything similar. Does it downgrade shifting quality? (eg. make is sloppier, slower, etc.).

Apparently it can, unless you get it right. There is a video of an etap upgrade where he followed ceramicspeed advice on chain length, and chain tension was so Low, that even with the b screw maxed out, the pully still touched the cassette. So the guy went with his stock chain length, and that extra tension pulled the system lower for proper clearance. Then he said it shifted fine. So if you do not tune chain tension via chain length, you can make sloppy shifting, or pully/casette contact.

I have heard others say that shifting is slowed due to the longer ospw system changing the forces that your deraillier needs to overcome to shift (and maybe there is more lateral Flex). I don’t fully understand all of that, and who knows if those people had ideal chain lengths/tension.

Others say the system hurts shift speed/quality. But who knows if it can be mitigated by tweaking setup... there are too many different bikes, casettes, and groupsets to really know.

The next question i have is how many of the claimed Watts saved... are then lost again when you have to increase chain tension to make it work on your bike. Who knows what chain tension ceramic speed used for their comparison tests. My gut tells Me that it was whatever was most favorable to their marketing department.

Fastfitnesstips has a youtube video analyzing the watts saved of the system. Worth a watch. Short story... they figure the saved watts are less than ceramic speed is claiming.

[talltales]

Imo, just get a fresh pair of DA pulleys. The difference is tiny, they are MUCH cheaper and no worries over shift quality. The savings can go towards replacing the chain and cassette a bit earlier.

https://www.ceramicspeed.com/en/cycling ... ency-test/

[alcatraz]

Maybe its worth mentioning not to get...

1. alloy pulley wheels (noisy)
2. large play bearings like cheap full ceramic (sloppy shifting/friction)

If you want to get a cheap functioning pulley get some kind of composit non-metal material with steel bearings. Lightweight, fast shifting.

[jspaceman]

Maybe its worth mentioning not to get...

1. alloy pulley wheels (noisy)
2. large play bearings like cheap full ceramic (sloppy shifting/friction)

If you want to get a cheap functioning pulley get some kind of composit non-metal material with steel bearings. Lightweight, fast shifting.

I was wondering if the aluminium pulleys would be a bit more noisey than the Delrin ones. Not to mention the anodized paint would probably wear off after while. Because of that I'm leaning more towards Enduro Zeros instead of CeramicSpeed. Plus the Enduros are a bit cheaper.

[Calnago]

Alloy pulleys are in my opinion unbearably noisy. The rest is hype. I’d use the stock pulleys that your derailleur, and pulley cage, was designed around.

[nickf]

Alloy ones have worked well for me. I don't really notice any extra noise to be honest. KCNC is what I typically go with. All that oversized stuff is just bling.

[TobinHatesYou]

Alloy ones have worked well for me. I don't really notice any extra noise to be honest. KCNC is what I typically go with. All that oversized stuff is just bling.

The first thing I noticed when I put on Kogel alloy pulleys was the noise. Your bike must be making all kinds of noises if you "don't really notice any extra noise."

[1415chris]

I went through aluminium jockey wheels, KCNC ceramic, about decade ago. They didn't stay for long time. Even in MTB application they were noticeably noiser then delrin counterparts. Also with the time their appearance wasn't appealing as they were new.
I really miss AFC and their delrin pulleys which were available in different sizes, shapes, weights and colours.

[jih]

Why not replace with new sram red pulley wheels? They’re ceramic and last a long time (I’ve had a pair for 20,000km in all conditions and still smooth)