Originally Posted by
veganbikes
I get it from factual information of when 7 speed components came out and where they are now. They started at Dura Ace and XT and are now at the absolute bottom
Tourney of a long time ago was much better you look at the 70s-80s era stuff it was metal construction most of the derailleurs were better. I get people love to say tourney is good, it isn't. It is better than a sharp stick in the eye but most things are better than that. It can work in mediocrity but it isn't good stuff and we know this. If you are a very occasional rider and you can keep it tuned it can work but let's not try and make it better than it is.
Alivio is 2X the cost of Tourney. It may be better. But they both have the same construction, the pantograph links are stamped metal and the end connections are molded plastic. My Tourney works flawlessly for over 10,000 miles now, haven't needed to adjust it since installed and the linkages are tight. (Astounding at $13 new.) The difference in choice, in my opinion, should come down to sizing, in terms of capacity, max cog size, and the slope of the pantograph linkage being well matched to the cassette/freewheel gear slope. That Sunrace above, notably, appears to have zero pantograph slope, so is going to have a bigger gap under the small cogs, unless the B-screw pivot is spring loaded (EDIT, there appears to be no B-screw adjustment). I chose a Tourney at the time because it was the only one at the LBS that had a claw mount (my frame has no RD hanger), but lucky me, the GS (mid) cage, 45 tooth capacity, 34 tooth max large cog, and pantograph slope were all perfect for my 2X conversion. And, it has one of those cable pulley wheels to greatly improve housing angle, no big aft loop. It checks all the M.E. boxes: "Lighter than air, stronger than steel, cheaper than dirt."