Originally Posted by AU Tiger

I read this as meaning that the majority of the OP's riding is on less-demanding trails (little or no grade, lower speeds than on roads) and only a little bit will be on the road. That is what has been guiding my advice to stick with the Roam 2 instead of the Roam 1. If I'm making too much of that, or if the OP actually plans to do a lot of more demanding road riding, then by all means go with the higher component level. But in my opinion, the difference Deore makes is not needed (and likely won't be noticed much) on tow paths.


Is your riding similar to what the OP described -- primarily light trails and tow paths?


I don't disagree about Deore being the sweet spot, and as I mentioned earlier my rear Deore derailleur definitely shifts more smoothly than the front Acera derailleur. Having said that, the times I notice that difference are on the very hilly roads in my area -- not on the rail trails. When I'm on rail trails, I'm almost always on the 36T chainring and usually in the middle 3 or 4 gears on the back. And when I do need to shift gears on a trail trail, there's no real urgency about it -- momentum and timing aren't critical in that situation like they are when I'm riding the roads.

So will Deore make a difference for the OP? Sure, but probably not for the majority of his riding (based on his description).