Wolftooth Tanpan 11

[Mook]

Hi all,

My gravelbike setup requires a workaround.

Current setup is 1x11 XT and I want to pair 105(5800) brifters with the 8000 XT RD. Shimano has been using different pull ratios for road and MTB since the 9 spd days.

Enter the Woolftooth Tanpan 11 as a cheap, yet seemingly effective adaptor/converter. Else I have to go down an expensive rabbit hole of complete GRX group, or 11 spd road RD with limited cassette max.

My current 11 spd cassette has a 46T max ring ....... 38T chainring up front.

Any advise or opinions plse.

Thx

[Bro Derek]

A TanPan will cost about a grand imported

You can buy a GRX deraileur 2nd hand for that or get one of these;

https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/rear-derailleurs/811204/microshift-xle-rear-derailleur

Both will be compatible with the STi's you want to use and as good as a TanPan/xt combo 

[MORNE]

11 hours ago, Mook said:

Hi all,

My gravelbike setup requires a workaround.

Current setup is 1x11 XT and I want to pair 105(5800) brifters with the 8000 XT RD. Shimano has been using different pull ratios for road and MTB since the 9 spd days.

Enter the Woolftooth Tanpan 11 as a cheap, yet seemingly effective adaptor/converter. Else I have to go down an expensive rabbit hole of complete GRX group, or 11 spd road RD with limited cassette max.

My current 11 spd cassette has a 46T max ring ....... 38T chainring up front.

Any advise or opinions plse.

Thx

Had this exact setup on my wife’s gravel bike, except 40 up front. It worked fine with the tanpan. I agree that you are likely to find a rear mech for not that much more these days…and you could sell the XT to offset costs. But yea, those 1k series shimano 11 speed mechs are/were bomb proof…and if you are a tinkerer, why not. 

[Mook]

59 minutes ago, MORNE said:

Had this exact setup on my wife’s gravel bike, except 40 up front. It worked fine with the tanpan. I agree that you are likely to find a rear mech for not that much more these days…and you could sell the XT to offset costs. But yea, those 1k series shimano 11 speed mechs are/were bomb proof…and if you are a tinkerer, why not. 

Thank you @Bro Derek and @MORNE  for your inputs.

Glad to hear from a reputable source that the Tanpan is in fact what Wolftooth says it is. The Microshift Rd-m665L is going for a steal and will handle a 46T, but it is not a XT. I can get it for 399 new @ Cyclelab. The GRX 812 is spec'd for 42T largest cassette ring, but I have read a few posts elsewhere where guys pushed it to 46 and 50T without any issues. My current config is 46T and I do not want to replace that with a 42T. The GRX is not cheap, even 2nd hand, but worth a look if I can get one in good shape for a reasonable price. 

Right now the Microshift option is the cheapest, but will I also get the cheapest performance thrown in with the deal - I wonder ...........

You are spot on Morne, these XT's are nuke-proof AND yes, I am a tinkerererer 😝

 

[cadenceblur]

All valid points, I will weigh in on the Tanpan - I have it set up with an XT m8000 derailleur and Ultegra shifter and it's been flawless and oh so smooth as well.

[Bro Derek]

1 hour ago, Mook said:

Thank you @Bro Derek and @MORNE  for your inputs.

Glad to hear from a reputable source that the Tanpan is in fact what Wolftooth says it is. The Microshift Rd-m665L is going for a steal and will handle a 46T, but it is not a XT. I can get it for 399 new @ Cyclelab. The GRX 812 is spec'd for 42T largest cassette ring, but I have read a few posts elsewhere where guys pushed it to 46 and 50T without any issues. My current config is 46T and I do not want to replace that with a 42T. The GRX is not cheap, even 2nd hand, but worth a look if I can get one in good shape for a reasonable price. 

Right now the Microshift option is the cheapest, but will I also get the cheapest performance thrown in with the deal - I wonder ...........

You are spot on Morne, these XT's are nuke-proof AND yes, I am a tinkerererer 😝

 

The Microshift is good. 

I have 105 shifters paired to one of those exact RDs (also got it new from Cyclelab) and it does the job beautifully. 

I run it with an 11-36 cassette though.

If your heart is set on a tanpan, which it looks like it is, then I'd say get one. I think anything else won't scratch your itch

Another really cool option is the fake Ingrid RD (long cage 52, short cage 46 tooth) from Ali-Express;

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005934742030.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.1.7a9f7950b3az0E&algo_pvid=ad732245-1b2f-4d45-a4b2-6395b5adbaaf&algo_exp_id=ad732245-1b2f-4d45-a4b2-6395b5adbaaf-0&pdp_ext_f={"order"%3A"17"%2C"eval"%3A"1"}&pdp_npi=4%40dis!ZAR!2272.37!1681.55!!!120.00!88.80!%40211b628117542903087543496e0550!12000035998659008!sea!ZA!2468727665!X&curPageLogUid=1M68L5zAvP9e&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch|query_from%3A

 They are brilliant

[Mook]

8 minutes ago, Bro Derek said:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005934742030.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.1.7a9f7950b3az0E&algo_pvid=ad732245-1b2f-4d45-a4b2-6395b5adbaaf&algo_exp_id=ad732245-1b2f-4d45-a4b2-6395b5adbaaf-0&pdp_ext_f={"order"%3A"17"%2C"eval"%3A"1"}&pdp_npi=4%40dis!ZAR!2272.37!1681.55!!!120.00!88.80!%40211b628117542903087543496e0550!12000035998659008!sea!ZA!2468727665!X&curPageLogUid=1M68L5zAvP9e&utparam-url=scene%3Asearch|query_from%3A

 

Thx guys,

@Bro Derek, these Ingrid's are seriously "bling" mate 💃. At less than R500, the Microshift RD is probably the sensible way to go. Secondly, I could have my gravelbike running within the next few days.

The Tanpan route will take a while having to wait out shipping delays. I would however hang onto my XT8000 RD and get one of these gizmo's at a later stage should the Microshift option not work 100%. 

Cheers

[NotSoBigBen]

I 3D printed 'Tanpan' goodies for both my gravel bikes

One with 10sp Ultegra shifters and 10sp XT rear derailleur using an 11-40 Sunrace (I think) cassette and the other with 11sp Ultegra shifters and 11sp XT rear derailleur with 11-46 Shimano Cassette 

[Dexter-morgan]

3 hours ago, NotSoBigBen said:

I 3D printed 'Tanpan' goodies for both my gravel bikes

One with 10sp Ultegra shifters and 10sp XT rear derailleur using an 11-40 Sunrace (I think) cassette and the other with 11sp Ultegra shifters and 11sp XT rear derailleur with 11-46 Shimano Cassette 

Good to know I will keep it in mind for my next build.

 

[RobertWhitehead]

Is the tanpan thingy majig for road and or gravel bikes or is it something that attaches above any rear mech, wait let me ask Google and do some reading. 

 

Ooooo, ok, now I'm also caught up in class. 

Edited August 5, 2025 by RobertWhitehead
Sommer

[Dexter-morgan]

Edited - removed.

Edited August 5, 2025 by Dexter-morgan
wrong thread

[NGM]

37 minutes ago, Dexter-morgan said:

Good day, all, I am looking for a Gravel fork(or Road bike with good clearance) - obviously willing to pay, Disc brake and preferably through axle, please send me a DM is you can help.

Did you mean for this to be on another thread?

[Dexter-morgan]

1 minute ago, NGM said:

Did you mean for this to be on another thread?

Sorry, Yes, I will move to the correct one, I was between two threads.

[Mook]

On 8/3/2025 at 6:28 PM, Bro Derek said:

A TanPan will cost about a grand imported

You can buy a GRX deraileur 2nd hand for that or get one of these;

https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/rear-derailleurs/811204/microshift-xle-rear-derailleur

Both will be compatible with the STi's you want to use and as good as a TanPan/xt combo 

Hi guys,

Feedback for those that might not want to pay school fees. The Microshift XLE RD does not work with STI's, since it has the exact same pull ratio as the 11spd Shimano MTB range of RD's. This is why Microshift flog their components as fully compatible with Shimano. For example, the 11 spd Shimano MTB shifter will operate the 11 spd Microshift MTB RD and vise versa. The Microshift XLE RD is a MTB specific product.

Back to the drawing board. My options have been reduced to either a GRX RD or the Tanpan gizmo. 

Cheers

[NGM]

1 hour ago, Mook said:

Hi guys,

Feedback for those that might not want to pay school fees. The Microshift XLE RD does not work with STI's, since it has the exact same pull ratio as the 11spd Shimano MTB range of RD's. This is why Microshift flog their components as fully compatible with Shimano. For example, the 11 spd Shimano MTB shifter will operate the 11 spd Microshift MTB RD and vise versa. The Microshift XLE RD is a MTB specific product.

Back to the drawing board. My options have been reduced to either a GRX RD or the Tanpan gizmo. 

Cheers

 

Those are the only two options I'm aware of if you want 105 STIs with 11 speed mtb casette. But I'm no expert. Shimano CUES does seem to be a step toward standardizing pull ratios.. I've also successfully played around with bar-end shifters to get an mtb groupset working with drop bars, but this is not for everyone. Some interesting reading (that includes the 2 shimano options you mention above):

https://bikepacking.com/gear/guide-to-mullet-drivetrains/

Given that you now have two 11spd mtb RDs, I suspect the tanpan option is cheaper? And it means you can at least make use of one of them. The 105 STI plus 11spd GRX RD would sort out your pull ratio issues but you MAY still need an RD extender (also wolftooth) on top of the GRX RD. Again though, I'm not an expert and haven't played around with any of the wolftooth stuff specifically. I have heard good things about the tanpan though.

[Mook]

3 hours ago, NGM said:

 

Those are the only two options I'm aware of if you want 105 STIs with 11 speed mtb casette. But I'm no expert. Shimano CUES does seem to be a step toward standardizing pull ratios.. I've also successfully played around with bar-end shifters to get an mtb groupset working with drop bars, but this is not for everyone. Some interesting reading (that includes the 2 shimano options you mention above):

https://bikepacking.com/gear/guide-to-mullet-drivetrains/

Given that you now have two 11spd mtb RDs, I suspect the tanpan option is cheaper? And it means you can at least make use of one of them. The 105 STI plus 11spd GRX RD would sort out your pull ratio issues but you MAY still need an RD extender (also wolftooth) on top of the GRX RD. Again though, I'm not an expert and haven't played around with any of the wolftooth stuff specifically. I have heard good things about the tanpan though.

thx @NGM. There's a mod done to the GRX812 RD to fit a longer cage instead of going the hanger extender route. YT has a video where guys swop the GRX812 cage with a 11spd XT M8000 long cage to negotiate 46T cogs at the back. Works perfect, but it is a costly exercise. 

A few hubbers have used the Tanpan sh11 without any issues.

I guess that is the way to go.