Picked up a Trek FX1 and was curious what recomendations you all might have for an upgrade to the Altus setup that came on this bike.

I think there is some wiggle room to go up a step, im just not familiar enough with modern stuff to make an educated choice.

Any input is appreciated!

Spinay70

Any particular problem with Altus? Seems well matched to the bike and unless damaged there is little upside to a change.
Now if you intended to tighten up the steps on the 7 spd by going to 9 or 10 spd that is another but considerably more
expensive choice but Sora and Tiagra are still out as triples (Tiagra as NOS with the recent 11spd removing the triple).
There are ATB shifters for T bars that will work fine with road groups upto 9 spd.

I agree with sch, Shimano's Altus drivetrain is one of their best values. The Altus system on my Giant Sedona works flawlessly for the rear derailleur, and with a little patience the triple front does too. Even an expensive triple front derailleur can be problematic, That's one reason some prefer a single or even double front chainring.

You might do better replacing the tires with some faster (low rolling resistance) ones. They also have seat posts that absorb more road vibration, and perhaps a more comfortable seats. That Trek is a nice bike BTY.

I would be ok with removing the triple...Thanks for the suggestion!

Spinay70

Whoever had it previously changed to faster tires/different seat, some other goodies added. I agree, its a nice bike and like u mentioned want to get rid of the triple for a double. Just looking for compatibility options and a brand/name to start researching.

SP70

I agree with sch, I see little upside to change for change's sake; Never Fix A Running Piece. Unless you have money burning a hole in your pocket, leave replacement until something wears out or breaks.

I get the philosophy.

I decided to not include the why part of this project. Maybe later I will, assuming I can find suitable replacements to complete it. I might add pics too. I will not discuss my finances, however.

Spinay70

I like good hubs and cheap derailleurs. My hubs spin all the time. I only shift gears every few minutes.

Hi Spinay70, sorry late to the thread, actually I am doing just that (upgrading Altus) - not because I have money to burn/or anything is broken but as a self-learning project (after attending a weekend bike tech course).

My boundary values are:

1. Go to 3x9 speed and stay within Altus/Acera/Alivio
2. Alivio shifters (wanted two-way release) <- the absolute worst possible reason to upgrade!

Lessons learnt:

1. This crankset range (7-speed, riveted) means that any upgrade to Alivio is major surgery: new cassette, bolted crankset etc.
2. Current incarnations of <10-speed Shimano MTB components(Altus, Acera, Alivio) are all-in on <= 40T cranksets; not hybrid friendly
3. Shimano created an off-shoot "Trekking" range for 44/48T cranksets
4. Front mechs: need to look for 63-66 degree chainstay angle FDs; most of them are for 66-69 degrees(standard for MTB frames)

Parts I chose (for upgrading to 3x9 speed)
1. Shifters: SL-M4000-L/R (two-way release - yay!!)_
2. Rear mech: RD-M4000 (wanted to see what is "Shadow" technology)
3. Front mech: FD-T4000-TS3 (this is a clamp-on; for 63-66 degrees chainstay angle)
4. Crankset: FC-T4060 (48/36/26T - notice the "T" in FC-T4060; i.e. Trekking range, not MTB range) with BB-MT800 (recommended is SM-BB52 but I had a BB-MT800 lying around)
5. My bike came with a brifter, to split off the v-brake - used some brake levers I had in the parts box
6. Cassette CS-HG400-9