SRAM X.7 rear derailleur

This derailleur was severely mangled, but I thought I'd try to fix it as a spare for one of the members of our 24 hour team.

A badly bent derailleur cage, provided it isn't actually cracked, is no big deal to fix. I normally use a method I described here to get them back to new. This X.7 derailleur is, however, something different.

After straightening the outer plate of the derailleur I tried to reassemble it. The inner plate is made from plastic and unfortunately has stretched so that the cage holes no longer line up. A possible fix is to chuck the plastic cage in the freezer and see if it will shrink back to its pre-stretched size.

Update

After having the plastic cage in the freezer for the week I can report that it has not shrunk. To get this derailleur working again will require a new cage plate (either bought or DIY). Bummer.

Related articles:

Shimano Zee Rear Derailleur

Comes in two different versions:

XTR rear derailleur tuning

There's really minimal tuning available for the XTR RD-M972 shadow 9-speed derailleurs without breaking out the dremel and shaving parts down.

Rear derailleur tuning

Is it worthwhile?

SRAM X.0 9 speed rear derailleur

weight: 198g;

SRAM X.0 9 speed shifters

weight: 253g for the pair including cables;

Shimano derailleur spare parts