The M980 rear derailleur has been built around Shimano's new Dyna-Sys 10 speed drivetrain standard and is designed to use the directional M980 HG-X chain; with 2 cage length options dependant on whether you want to run a 3x10, 2x10 or even 1x10 setup. The familiar 'Shadow' low profile design architecture keeps the derailleur and it's carbon pulley cage closely tucked in to prevent impact damage from trail hazards whilst also eliminating chainstay contact and trail chatter, similarly the direct cable routing prevents snagging.

Exceptional levels of stiffness are a result of widely braced and cold forged alloy links and combine with the strong return spring and florine coated link pin bushings to give the slickest and most precise shifting action possible, whilst a modified cable pull-ratio (which requires the same pressure regardless of the position on the cassette) helps resist the effects of cable contamination to maintain shift quality for longer.