I'm discovering the concept of the clutched derailleurs on a bike with GRX 810 groupset. I read a whole lot of Reddit and forum threads to find tips about their settings. When asked about the on/off clutch positions, many (many !) people answer that you should always leave the clutch on except when removing the rear wheel. The technical documentation for GRX stuff says nothing explicitly about it.
And then I found this page by Shimano, that states about their Shadow rear derailleurs :
"Additionally, the clutch can be turned on or off, allowing riders to adjust the derailleur tension based on their riding conditions. Keep the clutch turned on for uninterrupted shifting when riding chunky gravel or hitting a singletrack connector. Then, turn it off when you get back to long pavement sections where the extra tension isn't necessary."
Here and there many cyclists pointed out that gear shifts were way smoother or worked well only without engaging the clutch (notably if their rear derailleur isn't set up perfecly enough, or if the clutch itself is in need of a service). I thought it would be useful to post it here just so people know Shimano is OK with keeping the clutch off when riding on pavement.
PS : I didn't find any advice about the best clutch position for storage, so if you have any I'd take it ! I'm leaving it off thinking the tension is of no use when not riding for several days/weeks.
by Moktar-ama