I've found the best option for a clutchless system is to pick up the last generation pre-clutch Shimano XTR or XT Shadow rear derailleurs (work with 10spd or 11spd shifters). I find the spring tension is much higher than the newer derailleurs with the clutch off. It's still much noisier than using a clutch if you're hammering down jank (for trail use I like to run a Shimano clutch derailleur detuned to a similar tension to what SRAM runs) but the shifter action is much nicer.
Sept. 4, 2022, 1:05 p.m. - Andrew Major
I've found the best option for a clutchless system is to pick up the last generation pre-clutch Shimano XTR or XT Shadow rear derailleurs (work with 10spd or 11spd shifters). I find the spring tension is much higher than the newer derailleurs with the clutch off. It's still much noisier than using a clutch if you're hammering down jank (for trail use I like to run a Shimano clutch derailleur detuned to a similar tension to what SRAM runs) but the shifter action is much nicer.