Originally Posted by
Gotte
I've found an old Suntour X1 rear derailleur for my vintage touer. I also have at my disposal a ShimanoSTX and Shimano Deore LX. Anyone know how the Suntour compares? Whichever will be combined with barend shifters (probably), on friction, so no indexing worries.
The Deore LX (assuming its a 1991/1992 or later) has a much lighter action to work well in conjunction with STI shifters, which themselves have their own springs.
This can be either a good, or a bad, feature. It depends on the application. If the Deore LX is used with bar ends in ratcheting friction, I would say its a bad thing, as it would be too easy to shift across multiple cogs when a single shift is intended. I've used Suntour ratcheting shifters in friction, and the 'feel' is much better with a good banded spring stiffly sprung Suntour RD (similar to the X1 upthread) than with a light action Shimano coil spring RD (specifically a current version Shimano Deore LX rd).
OTOH, if the Deore LX is matched up with shimano bar ends, the shifter action and light action coil spring might mate just right--I've never tried, so I can't report.