Shimano GRX RD-RX400 10-Speed Rear Derailleur

I refreshed some drivetrain components after a few thousand miles of commuting, gravel, and CX racing. This paired really well with Tiagra 4700 shifters, and gave more crisp shifting than the RD-4700 that it replaced. I had a couple of chain drops last CX season (but this is a commuter bike with a 50/39 crank), so I'm hoping the clutch will prevent drops in the future. A couple of online reviews mentioned that this will also work with some 11-sp shifters, but YMMV. Highly recommend!

The derailleur itself is great. My Tiagra derailleur was worn out, so I replaced it with this one. The shifting has improved, and the clutch makes the bike much quieter over rough roads.

However, some small parts were missing. There were supposed to be a small piece of cable and, more importantly, a special washer needed for installation. Luckily, the guy at the lbs who installed the derailleur found a used one. I did not bother to contact biketiresdirect because this was the last derailleur they had. Just be aware that not everything they sell is new and complete.

I wanted to add a larger rear cassette on one of my ten speed bikes. I have Shimano 10 speed dura ace shifters and the item description vaguely stated that the derailleur is compatible. However, it simply is not. I was unable to shift through all the gears regardless of how I adjusted it. So I took it to a quality bike shop and they looked at the bike and immediately said that I either needed different shifters or a different derailleur. Bike Tires Direct has not offered a refund, because I didn't think to save the packaging.

***Additional comments from Bike Tires Direct***

We have since edited the page to more accurately reflect the specs of the rear derailleur. Shimano compatibility can be complicated. We apologize for the inconvenience but we have a clear return policy that all items must be returned with the original packaging. If you're ever unsure about compatibility or the return policy please reach out to us. We are more than happy to research compatibility and explain the return policy.

The derailleur seemed to be a well-manufactured product , and I can't say it doesn't function properly with the correct shifters (perhaps MTB-style trigger or grip shifters?). However, everything I read from users and from the Shimano website suggested this could be used with road shifters, like 105, Ultegra or Dura-Ace. Unfortunately the cable pull of the shifter didn't match up correctly with that needed for the derailleur to travel properly from cog to cog, and the shifts were sloppy.

This is a great med long cage derailer. Shimano says max 36 tooth, but it seems to be working fine on a 2x system with 42 max cog. Thing to note this is shimano's new shift ratio, so grx shifters or new tiagra shifters are required, older 10speed shifters do not work.

Bought to try out GRX gearing to prepare for a new bike build. Used the RX400 as it's on a rebuilt 90s Trek frame that can only fit 10-sp cassette. Was not compatible with my Microshift shifters, so had to buy Tiagra 4700s which work perfectly. Used a couple hundred miles and so far shifts smoothly with no chain drops

Part of a new gravel bike build (awesome company to buy from)

Never quite felt like the Tiagra RD was suitable for rough gravel use (fallen chain, choppy shifting on climbs and descents). Very pleased that Shimano didn't overlook 10-speed bikes when they released their GRX components. The clutch system on the GRX RD is really amazing at reducing the chain slap (though at the expense of slightly less crisp shifting... but can always turn off the clutch for riding on smooth roads). On top of that I was able to put on a larger cassette to make climbing on gravel easier. The recommended max 11-36 cassette combined with my bike's 32/48 crankset gives me pretty much the exact range I need.