Shimano cranks go in this order, Altus, Acera, Alivio, Deore, Deore LX, Deore SLX, Deore XT, Deore XTR for mountain cranks. So Deore is only one step above Alivio. External cups sit outside the bottom bracket where internal are flush with bottom bracket.
Usually a bike with Deore/Deore LX groupset is a middle of the row choice.
Last edited by jeepseahawk; 08-11-11 at 05:27 PM.