Some derailleurs have a small removable plug on the clutch housing so that the friction can be adjusted very easily, but for the Ultegra RX derailleur, the clutch cover would need to be removed to access the adjustment bolt.
The thirty-day tune-up offered by many bike shops is the perfect time to take care of this.
After the first few hours of riding, the clutch will break in and the friction band will need to be tightened a little to bring it back to the original level. The good news is that they can be serviced and it’s a relatively straightforward procedure that professional mechanics are very familiar with. The clutch units on Shimano Shadow+ rear derailleurs have a regular service interval for adjustment and lubrication. That’s a possibility here too, but let’s assume it’s a simple fix for the enjoyment and education of your readers. The previous derailleur that a mechanic recommended replacing may have had a very similar symptom with a more serious cause that wasn’t so easily remedied. Of course, it’s impossible to diagnose a bike without seeing it in person and this is no substitute for the work of a professional mechanic at the local bike shop. With a few tips, we have a good chance of bringing his derailleur back to performing perfectly. It sounds like David was on the right track with adding grease, but it may have been the wrong kind or in the wrong place. However, here is a very thorough answer to your question from Shimano mountain bike product manager Nick Murdick that includes lubrication instructions. Those instructions are limited to adjusting the clutch tension only and doesn’t cover lubrication, which requires special grease. There are instructions detailing how to adjust a Shimano rear derailleur clutch in chapter five of the of Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance, 6th edition. Is there a fix for this problem? Is this a common issue with Shimano clutch derailleurs? I tried removing the cover and lubricating the shaft that the clutch spring grips, but this did not help.
The same thing happened to my wife’s Deore SLX MTB derailleur, and my mechanic said it was kaput and needed replacing. It makes shifting to a larger cog harder. The stiction is worse with the clutch on. My Ultegra RX rear derailleur has developed resistance, or stiction, when rotating the cage forwards.
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