Component Advice
 

Which is better:

1) Shimano EF50 or Shimano ST M360, 8spd Shifters

2) Shimano Alivio or Shimano Acera Derailleur

Since both are at the lower level of the Shimano line, they are pretty much going to give you similar results. That doen't mean that they're not good, but you're not going to get high performance out of either of they

Acera is one step below Alivio. Acera is a weird group that's more of a state of mind than a proper groupset. I think it is Shimano's answer to OEMs who say: "Alivio's too expensive, can you make it even cheaper?"

Acera/Alivio says: They work.

Sora says: We work well.

Deore says: We work really well.

105 says: We work excellent.

Ultegra says: You can brag about my work.

&

Dura Ace says: Stand up straight and look snotty.

?
 

How big a difference is there between these shifters and derailleurs?

I've corrected your post

Hi
 

Is there little difference in the shifters' quality?

You're thinking too hard, you're comparing low end with low end. There's no appreciable difference whatsoever.

What is high end

Lower end derailleurs actually work better with lower end shifters. The lower end shifters have a little "slop" built into them which allows them to overshift slightly and adjust for the slop that's present in the lower end derailleur.

:eek: :roflmao2: :roflmao2: :p

So what's a high end shifter?

Shimano MTB groups low to high:

Tourney: "Look at this great cheap bike I bought on my trip to Vietnam!"

Altus: "Dad bought me this bike so I wouldn't be late to basketball practice."

Acera: "Wouldn't it be great if we bought bikes for us and the kids and then went cycling around the park like my family did when I was 9?"

Alivio: "I bugged my mom for a nice new MTB for my birthday."

Deore: "I worked all winter in the pizzeria to earn the money to buy this bike."

SLX / Deore LX: "I have a real job (and a mortgage, and ...)"

Deore XT: "They pay me way too much at work."

XTR: "Don't touch the bike - my sponsor doesn't allow it!"

As you go towards the higher end in any line, you are really paying for higher quality materials and tighter tolerances in the manufacturing process. These lead to:

1. Less weight
2. More precise performance
3. Longer life

The lower end stuff works great but as others have noted there will just be a little more slop (i.e the shifting won't feel as precise). Based on personal experience with my kids bikes that have the lower end stuff on them, they also need to be adjusted a little more often than the higher end stuff.

bmnaut - Ultegra/XTR are the high end stuff. IMHO unless you are a weight weenie or sponsored, they are not worth the money.