jgjulio

I have a Trek FX 7.3
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/bike_path/fx/73fx/

It come with the Shimano EF60 trigger, 8 speed shifters. (Shifter and brake handles are all in one gadget).
Although it shifts "ok" I can really tell and feel the difference between my other bike that has Shimano 105's.

What I am wondering is if I change the sifters to something like Deore shifters with separate brake handles would I increase performance (quick, quiet, etc) or am I wasting money and time.

How high up the "food chain" of components does one have to go to notice a difference in performance?

Thanks

bautieri

I don't think you would notice much of a difference if you upgrade the shifters but leave the current componet set up alone. Maybe you need a good tune up and/or new shifter cables.

What is it that annoys you about the EF60's? Are you looking for faster gear changes or less of the clunk noise when you use the shifters? Faster gear changes can be remedied by a better rear derailure, for best results with the new rear der go with a similar level shifter. However this will get a tad pricy and only you can decide if throwing 200-300 dollars into your FX is worth it to you. If it is then go for it, if not then wait that extra 3/10ths of a second for the shift.

andrelam

On my Gary Fisher hybrid (made by Trek) I have a set of Alivio shifters, but Deore rear derailler. If memory serves me right one of the nice upgrades on the FX7.3 vs. the lower models is that is has a Deore rear derailler as well. That is a very nice high quality, but reasonably prices derailler. Mine has about 4500 miles of year round commuting in the Buffalo NY area so it has been plenty of rain and snow. Even so it still shifts smoothly and acurately. The Alivio shifters are considered "low end" in Shimano's line up, but the Deore is considered "Mid Grade." The derailler is muc more important than the shifter. On my Mom's late model Schwinn hybrid the OEM Shimano rear derailler broke (Shimano's lowest grade). The local bike store had a derailler that would fit but was considered 1 to 2 steps above their entry level derailler. Now her bike shifts much smoother and more precisely. Here again, her low end shifter now works better just because the derailler is better. I could upgrade to a higher level XT or XRT, but I doubt I'd notice. There is definitely a sweet spot you can hit in the product lines of most bike products. There is good, and there there is very expensive, but better. The question is how much better is the super expensive stuff... frequently not that much unless you are a hard core rider and push your equipment to the limit.

Enjoy the ride, your shifters and derailler should provide you with years of good service. Just remembe to lube the cables every now and then, and after a few years put in new cables. It is pretty inexpensive and will bring the shifting back to "like new" condition.

Happy riding,
André

DieselDan

Get your rear derailleur tuned then come back to us with the results.

d4c4c8

Gotta remember, once you move above Alivio, you are looking at 9sp shifters. Even though the bike has a Deore rear derailleur, the shifter controls the gearing. If you move up to Deore or LX shifting, you're also looking at replacing a rear wheel, cassette & chain.

jgjulio

Thanks for the responses.
The RD is in tune. I have had the LBS do a tune up. I also know how to adjust RD's and it works OK. Actually my FD is the one that "bugs" me the most. When I shift to the granny gear from the middle ring it sometimes sounds like the bike is going to fall apart (exaggerated response on my part). Compared to my bike with 105's the shifting is significantly less crisp.

I was just thinking if changing the shifters would help - and while I am at it what do you think about changing the FD.

Thanks again.

Mr. Beanz

Why would you replace the wheel?

jesspal

+1

d4c4c8

I don't believe an 8sp cassette fits a 9sp freehub body. I know this is true of road freehubs which are 9/10 speed but you may be able to put a 9 speed cassette onto an 8 speet mountain freehub.

donalson

d4c4c8... i've got an 8spd hub on my kysrium wheels... and I know thos work just fine with 9 and 10 spds... the cassette didn't change widths from the 8-10spd cassettes... it was the 7spd that was narrower

d4c4c8

I sit corrected. I know the axel length changed from 126 to 130mm. Something i apparently misremembered had me thinking the freehub bodies were different also.

terbennett

I know that I will probably catch heat for this but, the shifters are where the difference is. You can run 105 derailleurs with Dura Ace shifters and the 105 derailleurs will shift just like Dura Ace derailleurs. The efficiency is dictated mainly by the adjustments of your gears and the quality of your shifters. On mountain bike drivetrains, it's the same situation.

TrekJapan

I won't totally discount parts quality but you have to look at the part and what its function in life is.

Once I changed the front derailleur on my road bike from a Tiagra to a 105. They looked remarkably alike and at the end of the day all it does is move side to side at a distance predetermined by the cable.

In my mind changing it was a waste. Shifters are a bit more complicated but not much. They tighten and loosen a cable. But they do have moving parts so the better quality the better action and more likely the better lifetime you get out of the component.

I'm the kind of guy that could EASILY get carried away with having the best of each and every component. But the bottom line really for me is when I try to shift, does it shift?

Tiagra to Dura Ace in my mind is all about weight and length of service of the components. I would hope to God when I pay for Dura Ace I'm getting great springs, great machining, tighter tolerances, etc.

For me I weigh in the high 180's and I'm not a roadie racer. An RD or shifter that weighs a few extra grams is not something a guy like me will ever notice.

John

DieselDan

Believe what you want, 9 speed was engineered to fit the wider 8-speed noob.

DieselDan

I have always found many front trigger shifter to be a bit loud and clunky on a downshift. Micro-shifting (generic term) grip shifters are usually smoother then indexed front shifting.

donalson

front D's aren't a big deal IMHO... I think it's more about the weight on front then anything... it's more likely adjustment or crank flex

rear derailer is a bit of a different story (up to a certian point then its all about weight)

that being said... i'm not a big fan shimano trigger shifters... low or high end.. i've got a set of 8spd xtr's sitting in the box because I don't like the feel... much prefer sram or even better grip shifters

LarDasse74

The performance of Shimano shifters does not tend to degrade over time - sometimes they stop working entirely, but if they are working at all then they are working properly... at least that has been my experience. So changing shifters is unlikely to improve your shifting.

Front derailleurs, however, do wear out and develop slop over time - especially low end ones like the C102 that comes on the trek. However, front derailleur adjustment is generally much harder to get perfect than rear derailleur shifting. If there is no noticable play in the pivots of the front derailleur then it can probably be tuned to improve shifting.
But a new front derailleur is generally quite cheap if you decide to go that route.

Good luck!