agarose2000

I've been happily grinding away on an intro-level Gary Fisher hardtail Mamba bike with Shimano V-brakes and a Shimano derailleur that is behaving a bit erratically. For sure, I haven't tuned it recently, so that could be part of the problem, but even after it came out the shop last year, it catches occasionally between front gear shifts, and gets "stuck". Not a huge problem, but it does get a bit annoying after awhile.

I was thinking about upgrading the derailleurs, if it's not too expensive. Mind you - this is an INTRO level bike that I bought used for $100, so if the parts & install are going to cost over $150, it'll be a no-go for me. I'm not even sure what derailleur to get - durability is more important to me than weight (nonissue) or performance (as long as it works, good.)

Do bike shops generally do a free install on derailleurs, or do they charge extra for that?

CCrew

Extra. Find a decent one on ebay and learn to work on your bike. It ain't rocket science

Cyclist01012

Check your cables before blaming the derailleur, gummed up dirty cables will cause problems like you describe.

jjbod1

Jenson had and most likely still has a Shimano Deore rear for 19 bucks. Its going to be a few steps up from what you now have.

roccobike

All 3 suggestions above are really good. Also check your chain wear (stretch) using a ruler and the Sheldon Brown method. You can save a ton of bucks by buying some tools and learning to work on the bike yourself. A rear derailer swap is no big deal.

sirtigersalot

you say it gets stuck on front gear shifts? so i assume its the front derail? well thats even cheaper and easier to deal with then the rear, but first yeah check your cables, if its the derail itslelf (ie check cables ect) thats causing the problem then i assume the hinges are sticking, try oiling them, if not then yeah just replace it you can get a shimano alivio front derail for like 20 bucks or if you really wanna cheep out then and acera or a sram 3.0 is about $10, prolly get stuff even cheaper on ebay, the front is pretty easy to adjust and there are plenty of tutorials online, i'd check sheldon browns website and if your not up to that ur lbs will most likely do the swap out for under $20 (maybe even less depends on if they charge you for an adjustment or if they factor in the fact that they have to actually do the full replacement)

ed 

New cables and proper maintenance...your derailleurs are likely in fine shape.

agarose2000

Thanks all - I'm going to replace all the cables ASAP first and then take it from there. I'm pretty noob to bike repair, but this kind of stuff seems like a great place to take an initial plunge, and then I'm hoping to learn all about everything from here out. I figure tool investments are going to be good at this stage.

I read the Park tool website and some youtube videos which helped a lot.

I had a question though - I looked on Nashbar and Performancebike, and wasn't sure which cable/housing to get. Seemed like a big jump from the "Aztec" brand $28 ones to the $4.00 ones by Nashbar.

Cyclist01012

When you do the cables do the housing also.

sirtigersalot

prolly not everyone will aggree with me here but i'd stay away from the fancy cable housing, i havn't delt with the aztec stuff but the braided sram stuff i've seen that come apart at the ends or start to unravel ect, housing just doesn't last forever it gos bad inside or wears through at rub points so i wouldn't invest in the bulletproof housing, however i wouldn't get crap, I'd go with Jagwire thats pretty much the standard, should be easy to find online or at ur lbs, Novara cable kits are actually just rebranded jagwire so thats also good stuff. I personally use teflon cables on any exposed cables (ie not full lenght housing) but purely for looks, idk if it actually shifts better but i like the ninja black.

I know u prolly don't wanna spend money but be careful with how u cut it, I have not had good luck with standard tools and invested in some fancy park cutters, maybe someone else has a suggestion for other ways to cut it (local hardware stores prolly have similar styled cutters for less $$)

edit: oh also is that 4 bucks for cables and housing from nashbar?