Last Updated on July 28, 2023 by FAB Jim The Cyclist
The Tourney derailleur is at the bottom of the Shimano lineup, so not many people think of it as that great. But I think it might be one of the best derailleurs ever made for its purpose. It is very common now for entry level hybrid and mountain bikes, which means it’s on a lot of bikes. I’ve got 3 bikes in the garage now with Tourney and others have come and gone. And with all these bikes I’ve never had an issue with a derailleur, they just work. They are not high performance or light, but they are very reliable and durable. And they are very affordable.
Models and Specs
There are many different versions of the Tourney derailleur now, here are some of the main ones:
Tourney RD-TY500-SGS Long Cage Rear Derailleur – a great option for hybrid and mountain bikes, comes with wheel cable guide. Cable guide is used to reduce friction for more responsive shifting.
- Speeds: 6/7
- Compatible chains: 6/7/8 speed
- Max Front Difference: 20
- Total Capacity: 43T
- Low Sprocket/Max: 34T
- Low Sprocket/Min: 28T
- Top Sprocket/Max: 14T
- Top Sprocket/Min: 11T
- Pulley/Teeth: 13/13T
Tourney RD-TY300-SGS Long Cage Rear Derailleur – a great option for hybrid and mountain bikes.
- Speeds: 6/7
- Compatible chains: 6/7/8 speed
- Max Front Difference: 20
- Total Capacity: 43T
- Low Sprocket/Max: 34T
- Low Sprocket/Min: 28T
- Top Sprocket/Max: 14T
- Top Sprocket/Min: 11T
- Pulley/Teeth: 13/13T
A070 RD-A070 Rear Derailleur – Entry level road derailleur.
- Speeds: 7
- Compatible chains: 6/7/8 speed
- Max Front Difference: 20
- Total Capacity: 37T
- Low Sprocket/Max: 28T
- Low Sprocket/Min: 28T
- Top Sprocket/Max: 14T
- Top Sprocket/Min: 11T
- Pulley/Teeth: 11/13T
Tourney TX RD-TX800 Rear Derailleur – for sport bikes.
- Speeds: 7/8
- Compatible chains: 6/7/8 speed
- Max Front Difference: 20
- Total Capacity: 43T
- Low Sprocket/Max: 34T
- Low Sprocket/Min: 28T
- Top Sprocket/Max: 14T
- Top Sprocket/Min: 11T
- Pulley/Teeth: 13/13T
Tourney TZ RD-TZ500-GS Medium Cage Rear Derailleur – entry level bikes.
- Speeds: 6
- Compatible chains: 6/7/8 speed
- Max Front Difference: 20
- Total Capacity: 34T
- Low Sprocket/Max: 28T
- Low Sprocket/Min: 28T
- Top Sprocket/Max: 14T
- Top Sprocket/Min: 14T
- Pulley/Teeth: 11/11T
There are other Tourney derailleurs, but the above are some of the ones I have most seen.
Anatomy
Here is the Shimano diagram with all of the parts:
Here are all the important adjustments including the barrel adjustment, limit screws, and anchor bolt:
Instruction manual
Shifters
Just about every type of shifter is available to work with Tourney from Shimano including integrated brake/shifters for flat bars and drop bars, thumb shifters, grip style shifters, and even stem shifters. Plus there are shifters from SRAM and Microshift that will work. Huge range of shifter options.
History
The Tourney was introduced way back in 1971 as a mid-level derailleur. In 1986 it was changed to entry-level. It has gone on to be probably the most popular entry level derailleur ever, and it is on many bicycles.
Gallery
Links
Need help with shifting? Check out this link:
Bike shifting on its own? Check this link out:
Nice post!
Thanks
Nice post, thorough, that’s for sure. You always surprise me that you can find this old gear and use it effectively. 6/7 speed, though, not great for climbing I would think.