XT Shadow RD+ Medium Cage Rear Derailleur

component-RD-M8050-GS

The XT DI2 Medium Cage Rear Derailleuris perfectly suited to a wide variety of MTB applications, it delivers race-worthy performance without breaking the bank. 

manual-di2-rear-derailleur

Di2 Rear Derailleur User Manual

di2-dealer-manual-xt-m8050

XT M8050 Dealer Manual

Note that if you want to use **synchronized shifting** with mountain bike derailleurs you will need either the [SC-MT800 display](/component/xt-display-junction-sc-mt800/) or its XTR equivalent, the [SC-M9051](/component/xtr-display-junction-sc-m9051/).

Its **low sprocket max** capacity is 42T for 2x11-speed setups and 46T for 1x11-speed setups. The **max front difference** is 10T and its **total capacity** is 35T.

component-header-xt

thumbnail_rdm8050gs_s.jpg

rdm8050gs_s.jpg

Shadow RD+ Medium Cage Rear Derailleur

In another post I wrote how to [micro-adjust your road di2 rear derailleur](/micro-adjust-your-road-bike-di2-rear-derailleur/) and [front derailleur](/micro-adjust-your-di2-front-derailleur/). This time I’ll explain how to do the same with your mountain bike rear derailleur. The process is similar, but slightly different.

## Set up the rear derailleur
Make sure your rear derailleur is set up correctly – especially the distance between the guide pulley and largest sprocket:

- On a 2x bike, shift the front derailleur to the small chainring.
- Shift to the largest sprocket

Now check the distance between the guide pulley and the largest sprocket is within the specified range. Turn the B-screw if it isn’t – have a look at the image below for directions on how which direction and what the acceptable ranges are.

![Indexing and limit screws](https://assets.bettershifting.com/adjust_mtb_rd_index_b_screw_ebb86a429f.png)

##   Adjustment mode
In order to make adjustments to your rear derailleur you’ll have to enter adjustment mode. When you’re in this mode the shift buttons will only make adjustments – they won’t let you change gears. This is how it’s done:

![Fifth rear sprocket](https://assets.bettershifting.com/adjust_mtb_rd_rear_5th_sprocket_2e79255a90.png)

- Shift the rear derailleur to the 5th largest sprocket.
- If you use a **road Junction A**: Press and hold the button on your junction box until the red LED illuminates, indicating you’re in adjustment mode.
- If you use **System Information Display**: Press (read *note* below!) the button on the lower left part of the display once to enter adjustment mode. The adjustment indicator “**R**” will flash (“R” stands for Rear)
- Note: how long this ‘single press’ is varies, this can take anywhere from 0.5 to 2 seconds according to Shimano.

Easy, right? Now you can micro-adjust your rear derailleur using the shift buttons:

![MTB RD buttons](https://assets.bettershifting.com/adjust_mtb_rd_buttons_2d050595fc.png)

- Press shifting **button Y** to move the rear derailleur one step towards the inside (larger sprocket)
- If you’re using the System Information Display you’ll see the current adjustment setting on the screen.
- While turning the crank/front chainring keep moving the rear derailleur towards the 4th largest sprocket until it makes a **slight noise**
- The chain now touches the **4th sprocket**. Press the **X button five times** to move the rear derailleur 5 steps to the outside.
- Press the Junction Box/Information Display button until the red LED turns off or the blinking R stops blinking. You have now left adjustment mode.

Your rear derailleur should (almost) be set up perfectly now. Of course you can always enter adjustment mode again and make small changes, but this should be your baseline setup.

The only thing left to do now is to check and correct the high/low side stopper adjustment bolts. We’ll do the low stopper bolt first (largest sprocket).

![low stopper mtb](https://assets.bettershifting.com/adjust_mtb_rd_low_side_stopper_3f2aa42238.jpeg)

- Shift the rear derailleur to the largest sprocket
- Tighten the low-side adjustment bolt until it just touches the outer link
- (if it’s tightened too much it either won’t shift, make noise or shift back by one gear after about 5 seconds)

Now let’s do the high stopper bolt:

![high stopper mtb](https://assets.bettershifting.com/adjust_mtb_rd_high_side_stopper_1cb3d4072d.jpeg)

- Shift to the smallest sprocket
- Tighten the high-side adjustment bolt until it just touches the left link at the position where the rear derailleur stops.

Note that while you could do the micro-adjusting on the bike, it’s probably best to do it with the bike on a bike repair stand. This will allow you to notice when the chain is touching the 4th sprocket more easily. Questions? Problems? Just [send me a message](/contact/)!



featured-adjust-mtb-rd

Indexing Di2 rear derailleurs is done through micro-adjustment. The MTB Di2 rear derailleur process is slightly different from that of road RDs. Read how to set up your MTB rear derailleur and stop that chain rubbing noise.

Shadow RD+ Medium Cage Rear Derailleur

Details & Specifications

Shopping links