anyone used a roadlink for a rear derailleur

[cnighbor1]

https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/products/roadlink
looks interesting to me
The RoadLink™ derailleur hanger extension is a unique patent-pending device that offsets the position of your road derailleur to make it possible to run a wide-range mountain bike style cassette. It is an ideal solution for riders looking to convert their road, gravel, cyclocross, or commuter drivetrain bike to attain the simplicity and reduced weight of a single front chainring but without giving up the gear range of a double. It is also great for riders with double chainring bikes that want lower gearing for those ultra steep climbs. It does not compromise the shifting in the smaller cogs of the cassette but yet it enables the derailleur to work with as large as a 40T cassette.

Easily installed in less than 5 minutes by any home mechanic! For more technical details on the RoadLink™, checkout the RoadLink Tech Page.

The RoadLink™ is optimized for use with ten or eleven-speed 11-36t and 11-40t cassettes and works great with Wolf Tooth’s 40-tooth GC cassette extenders and Drop-Stop chainrings. The RoadLink™ RD adaper installs in minutes, is optimized around Shimano ten- or eleven-speed road derailleurs and shifters, but works well with SRAM and Campy too. It can be used with single or double chainrings. Here is a list of recommended applications:
•Single Chainring:
•Road
•Cyclocross
•Commuting
•Drop-bar mountain
•Double Chainring:
•Road
•Touring
•Drop-bar mountain

Compatibility:
•10s Cassette Compatibility:
•11-32: Not Required (GS medium cage rear derailleur works)
•11-34: Single or Double Chainring
•11-36: Single or Double Chainring (front rings can be no more than 14 teeth different e.g. 48-34)
•11-40: Single or Double Chainring (front rings can be no more than 10 teeth different e.g. 46-36)
•11-42: Not Supported
•11s Cassette Compatibility:
•11-32: Not Required (GS medium cage rear derailleur works)
•11-36: Single or Double Chainring (front rings can be no more than 14 teeth different e.g. 48-34)
•11-40: Single or Double Chainring (front rings can be no more than 10 teeth different e.g. 46-36)
•11-42: Not Supported
•10-42: Not Supported
•Double chainrings are only supported with GS (medium cage) rear derailleurs.
•The RoadLink™ mounts only to standard derailleur hangers.

•The RoadLink™ is optimized for the 10 and 11 speed Shimano road derailleur geometry. It also works very well with 9 speed road groups, all SRAM groups, and Campy derailleurs! One note is that with Campy it works best with cassettes up to 11-36.

• SRAMs Exact Actuation road shifters (10s and 11s) are interchangeable with their Exact Actuation mountain derailleurs- which can easily handle a 36 or 40 (and, for one-by, are available with a clutch)- and the CX1 will go even bigger with a single ring. If you already have SRAM, they also make nice front brake-only levers that match their rear shifters too.
• Triple chainrings are not supported (medium cage rear derailleurs cannot accommodate that big of a range).
• Direct Mount-native frames are not supported.
•Due to the lack of a clutch mechanism on Shimano road derailleurs, secondary chain retention (front derailleur or chain device) may be needed, especially for rough or off-road use.
•Due to variations in derailleur hanger geometry, chainstay length, chainring size, B-screw adjustment, and suspension configuration, individual results will vary.
•This 7.9mm max dimension is controlled by the Shimano spec, but a few derailleur hangers don't meet the spec. You can file a bit of the bottom "tang" of those derailleur hangers to install the RoadLink™.

[fa63]

Yes, I use it to run a 11-40 cassette on one of my bikes. Lots of discussions on it on this forum as well.

[weaponsgrade]

Yes, I'm using one to run an 11-42 cassette with 1x.

[eddief]

smooth shifting up to 36 cog with 50/34 crank. 40 cog was a little dicey on big big and small small combo.

need bigger than 36, then move to Woolftooth Tanpan and mountain rear derailleur. Supposed to be good to at least 42 teeth.

[frank_h]

Another data point: yes, and it's fantastic!

1x setup with 36 in back.

[Mark McM]

How is shifting between the smallest sprockets with the Road Link? It looks like there would be a mighty big chain gap (distance between sprocket and the jockey wheel) in the smaller sprockets.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

How is shifting between the smallest sprockets with the Road Link? It looks like there would be a mighty big chain gap (distance between sprocket and the jockey wheel) in the smaller sprockets.

I've asked this several times. It's always been followed by crickets.

[NHAero]

My sense on this is that what makes more sense is a MTB RD (I'm using a Shadow RD-M772) that came out just before the pull ratio changed and MTB and road pulls weren't compatible. By fooling a bit with the B screw I'm using the M772 with a 10 speed road shifter on an 11-40 Sunrace cassette, and no Roadlink or Tanpan.

[ColonelJLloyd]

A MTB RD with a clutch makes more sense for 11-42 cassettes.

[fa63]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

How is shifting between the smallest sprockets with the Road Link? It looks like there would be a mighty big chain gap (distance between sprocket and the jockey wheel) in the smaller sprockets.

I can shift across all the gears just fine.

[bobswire]

I use one on an older frame with tight geo that allows me to use 28c tires that I otherwise would have to mount without air to clear r. derailleur/seatpost. I call the bike my "city slicker " I use for navigating the streets for errands and such. I purchased it the first day they were advertised and sold knowing it was a god send.

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by ColonelJLloyd

A MTB RD with a clutch makes more sense for 11-42 cassettes.

campagnolo doesnt make MTB RD's

i've posted before, but i'm using a roadlink with Potenza mid cage RD and an 11-40 cassette. 38t front ring. works great.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

campagnolo doesnt make MTB RD's

There's a ShiftMate for that unless you're married to the brand name. But if what you're doing is working for you no need to look elsewhere.

For 1x drivetrains that see rough terrain the chain drop and chain slap that can occur is best mitigated with a clutch design. Best; not only.

[eddief]

lots of variables, but with 11 speed Ultegra GS derailleur, compact 2 ring crankset, and 11-36 cassette, the shifting was perfect in all combos. some say you can go even bigger in back and maintain smooth shifting, but I found it dicey (gotta watch out for cross chaining at the extremes) with 40 cassette and Wolftooth does not recommend it.

Originally Posted by ColonelJLloyd

I've asked this several times. It's always been followed by crickets.

[GScot]

Using a TanPan, GoatLink and XT derailleur with an 11-46 and 36 tooth single on one bike, shifting is excellent. RoadLink with 11-40 Ultegra GS derailleur and 34-44 double on another. It also shifts just fine. A little more noise on shifts with the RoadLink bike and more noise plus more effort on the XT clutch derailleur bike. They do settle into gear and run as silent as any drive train after shifting.