mtbikerinpa

Its Acera we are talking about. It is junk to start with. Even a 15 buck Alivio is better than Acera.

Violineb

I really appreciate the advice I´m getting from everyone here. Just yesterday though I decided to start practicing wheelies. I was practicing endos before (just balancing in front, not flying but I hardly made any progress. 3-5 seconds is the most I can manage in front and the wheelies caused to have to bail out and leave my bike to eat the pavement. (such a noob I am) My Acera took the fall and now the rear hanger is a little bent towards the casette so when I shift to the biggest cog I would end up going into the spokes if I didn´t have that plastic guard. On top of that the little screws (I forget their exact term) need adjust in both the front and back. We´ll see if I can get the bike shop to do it for free.

It´s not a big job is it? I mean I did buy the bike from there so it´s shouldn´t bother them too much or?

I am actually considering spending some money and have decided that a Shimano XT would be a worthwhile upgrade, unless someone can convince me that going for the highest end XTR is worth the $45 more.

Thanks

phantomcow2

I personally would get sram stuff. But if your derailleur hanger is bent, your shop likely has the tool to do it and its not a big job. For free i dont know, might be better off having a spare hanger

myenzo

Question, I have a Deore rear derailleur and I plan to do some racing, will it work or will I really notice a difference if I went to XT, or XTR?

mtbikerinpa

Deore, LX and XT are all roughly comparable, and differ really only by wieghts. XT has a few cooler tweaks but not major aside from the pulley having a real bearing(one is still ceramic).
XTR is a completely new construction. It uses higher grade materials and bushings for durability, as well as an adjustible spring tension. The XTR pulley set is sealed ball bearing all the way, which lasts longer and is less sensitive to mud and muck.
For the majority of the market, the differences on the XTR are not sizable to be worth it, but the XT is primo for most things non-Sram. I never had a thing to complain about with the one I had(4,000 miles) and it is on another bike now, since I have the XTR(3,000 and counting).
My other bike has a Sram 9.0 carbon deraileur with a grip shift. It has convinced me there is merrit to the grips, but I am still not sure I want to race on it yet. I got my sram stuff at a swap meet for 10 so no big there.

Raiyn

Going from Acera to XT is a HUGE jump. Personally I wouldn't spend that kind of money upgrading your current bike. It's totally illogical.
Heck the only reason my commuter bike sports LX stuff (up from Alivio) is due to the fact that the parts were hand-me-down's from upgrading my trail bike. Stick with Alivio or Deore and use the extra coin to bump up something else.

Brian

Good on ya for breaking stuff! Really. You're learning riding skills and having fun. I'm sure plenty of bikes end up just gathering dust. And a broken part is the easiest upgrade to justify. I run a small internet bike business, so I get to use whatever I want, and change things for no other reason than being bored. Even though I could run all XTR if I want, I never saw any advantage to doing so. The only worn out part on any of the 6 bikes in my garage is an XTR front derailleur. I suggest you go to an LX or XT rear, and keep it well adjusted with a quality stainless cable too. I just got some SRAM X9, but they really aren't as smooth as my old XT stuff. I'm hoping it's just a matter of adjustment, otherwise I'l lbe kind of disappointed.

myenzo

Whats the web address, I would like to look at your selection.

Brian

We're in Australia, sorry.

Violineb

Wow, thanks again for all the helpful replies I just ordered the newest LX derailleur from an ebay seller in Hong Kong. (100% feedback) Somehow I get the feeling that the 2005 (or whatever is newest) LX and XT are almost identical. On top of that, I was researching for some a new bike if I have money this summer, and was suprised to see that even bikes costing $3000 only had XT in the rear. And most only had LX and even more of them had Alevio or plain Deore
Like this https://www2.trekbikes.com/Bikes/Moun...EX_9/index.php

Sort of silly if you ask me, but we´ll see what it feels like to go from Acera to LX I just wish it wasn´t rapid rise but I´ll just get used to it and when I get a new bike I´ll probably try SRAM shifters/derailleurs and Avid brakes

And you can count on me to continue breaking things. I can almost swear that I´ve ruined something in the rear (maybe the hub?) because it creaks and clicks just when I´m coasting, not to mention when I´m pedaling

myenzo

Well, you can get hubs for pretty cheap, or you can get new wheelsets for under 150 (includes deore or above hubs)

Brian

www.wheelworld.com has some great deals on wheelsets built for taking a beating.

Portis

Far be it for me to disagree with any of the experts on here. I am a relative newbie. I have however ridden my Mountain bikes over 7500 miles in the last 13 months. In that time i have learned a little. I have an Acera on one Trek 4300 and an Alivio on the other.

What i have learned is that a properly adjusted and clean derailler/housing/cables/shifter works perfectly. When both of my deraillers are adjusted properly and everything is functioning normally they work as good as new. You may want to make certain that everything is up to snuff.

It would be pretty silly to buy a $50 derailler and then find out that you just needed new cables and housing, or to clean them.

sydney

Well said! Even cheap derailers work perfectly when all else is right. An XTR will shift like cr@p if improperly setup,if cables or casing is bad or the hanger is bent.

Mr_Super_Socks

Amen. see 23 in this thread.

Violineb

Well I took care of step #1. I went to the shop and had them put a new derailleur hanger on for about $15. The guy first gave me the hanger and then I asked him to put it on and he just took the bike in back and put a new one on leaving me holding the hanger which I had just bought. So in effect I got two hangers for the price of one. Go me The derailleur still shifts crappy so I´m leaving the bike inside for it to thaw and then I´m going to lube everything and sometime later this week ask my friend to adjust the derailleurs. (or rather, show me how exactly)

As for the LX rd, it´s still on the way and we´ll see what sort of difference it makes.

One more thing, I was looking as the banshee Morphine and I only which I had $600 to blow on a frame If I get myself a student here in Iceland then by summer maybe I will have $600 plus whatever I sell my bike for.