I recently converted my 8 speed Altus drive train to a 9 speed Deore drive train. The shifts at the back are much cleaner and you definately get good bang for your buck there. I also upgraded the front derailler from the bog standard 'sis' spec to a Deore to match the shifters. Again, an improvement - but not all that much. At the price its worth it for the easier shifting. The brakes were upgraded from no name cable operated discs to hydrolic deore units. Very happy with them at the price.

However, looking at xt/xtr level parts is there really an increase actual on the road comfort/performance that matches the double/quadruple tag or is the price just for the 'bling' factor and a bit less weight?

I've ridden about 6000mi/10 000km on my Deore front and rear derailleurs and Deore level cassette if that means anything to you. It still works very good but 95% of my riding is on the street and it's a hybrid bike.

If you are racing or doing something competitive then the lighter weight of XT/XTR may be worth the additional cost. XT, LX/SLX may or may not last longer. For just riding around town, I think Deore is ok though.

Just need a robust bike for riding century+ in the weekends and the occasional off road patches. So far the parts seem strong - much stronger than the 4 cassettes I went through in 10,000km friom the altus level. If it shifts nicely it just makes it all that much more fun.I have two other bikes for commuting - both run 21 speed drive trains that I expect to wear out every now and then. But at the price who cares?

No. Deore is fine.

How often do you check chain wear?

In the summer every month or so I usually ride 1000-2000km so its wears pretty fast. In winter I mainly ride my commuter bikes and the amount of snow and ice we get here makes it difficult to get out in the weekend so my stationary bicycle gets a beating. Just in the middle of my winter upgrade cycle. Though I have to say that the way it rides now any further upgrades are for the sake of rather than a need.

4 cassettes in 10,000 km is odd. You should expect 2 chains foe every cassette at a minimum. A chain, especially an 8 speed, should last more than 2,000 km. We typically see 4,000 km for an unabused chain and certainly some can last longer. Are you replacing your chain as well as your cassette or just your cassette?

The chain and cassette were usually worn out to the point where 8/7/6 got dicey. Then again I barely ever left the big ring and those 3 gears anyway. Yes... spinning is good but I'm not good at it. Working on it this winter on the stationary bike. Actually managed to move my comfort zone a few gears down at a faster cadence. Hopefully that spreads out the load and makes things last longer. Installing a 48t at the front has also helped a lot. With 44t I was stuck using the highest gear I could to get the speed I wanted. Thus the 11t always wore out fast. Figures given how small it is.

Hopefully my training and modifications will make things last longer.

so you're doing centuries on a mountain bike?

maybe you should consider getting a more road oriented bike for that kind of riding ?

road bikes generally have 50T or 53T big rings. 39T or 42T is a common small (or middle if its a triple), although 50-34T is the standard for compact double fronts.

and yes, its all about spin on the road. power riding aka mashing is going to trash your knees, and wear out bike parts.

A century a week all through the summer. Did 220km in one day on one occassion - ate a lot and it hurt the next day. To be fair I have do run with slicks on days I go a long way. I do like having an mtb as some places I go have fire roads and my snow commuter and flat bar roadie don't cut it there. On the plus side I built legs like tree trunks and my core is stupidly strong.

I know people who've ridden centuries on MTBs, it's not that hard.

Ah. That will do it. I've seen cassettes last less than 1000 km because of that. It's also very hard on the knees. Learning to spin is one of the best things a cyclist can do. I typically ride in my 34 ring and spend time in the middle of my cassette. My small cog is 11 teeth and I've found that I can comfortably ride in 34-11 combination at about about 40 km/h although I don't ride in that combo very often because crosschaining is hard on the components.

Think about a cyclocross bike. Our paved roads here are awful so we do a lot of dirt road riding and we all have 'cross bikes.

A century on my mtb usually comes in at 5:45-6 hours riding time. I try and rest as little as possible, but its also about the photo ops and fun so I try and maintain 25-30km/h average over the whole ride and allow a 7 hour window for the day. I'd ride 300km but I have two young kids and 14-16 hours of riding would really annoy my wife!

krobinson102, There's no easy answer to your question. Often new, or even just properly adjusted kit will functon better. When I crashed out my STX-RC shifters on my mountain bike (8S) I replaced them with XT (8S) shifters. The XT shifters shift more quickly due to slightly shorter levers, the shifter body was slightly smaller as well. Otherwise not so different. Shimano trickle-downs it's technology so newer mid level group parts are as good, or better, than older higher level group parts. I've had Alivio through XTR RDs and functionally they're much the same WRT performance and longevity. There is a noticeable difference in finish and weight, however.

My touring bike is running 18 year old Alivio and Acera level kit and doing just fine. Bottom line in my mind is if one's racing for trophys, LX/XT and for money XT/XTR.


Brad

Deore is fine. Having used everything from department store garbage to XTR, I think Deore is right at the point of diminishing returns for most riders/conditions unless you're competing at a high level. Even then, sometimes when you put parts on the scale the XTR/Dura Ace will weigh the same as the next level or two down.

Can I suggest drop bars on this MTB? I can't imagine doing a century on flat bars.

Drops? Wouldn't that hurt your neck on a century?

you setup the drops so the flats on top are maybe even a little higher than your flat bars are now, the hoods are about where you are now, and the drops are lower for headwinds. best of all worlds.

if a rider has drop bars and almost never uses the drops, then the drop bars are setup too low.

Wha?!?!?!?!

Drops and me don't agree. Tried them and hated them. Ergo grips with small horns give me all the hand positoons I need.

I don't know if it's just the plethora of Deore out there, but I see more Deore shifters wear out than any other MTB shifters. If I were to upgrade shifters I would go with LX or better..

I think for hydraulic disk brakes there may be a point in getting the servo wave equipped parts (SLX and up) because they run greater pad clearance so are quieter in the wet. If you have no complaints about your Deore brakes though, then even that is probably a waste. I like XT for poser value. That's pretty important for me in a bike, I ride more often if my bike looks nicer.

I bought a set of the Deore 555 hydro brakes about 10 years ago and they still work flawlessly like the day I bought them; maintenance is keep them clean and replace the pads when needed.

I had a little lol moment there.