Hi everyone,

I am looking into the purchase of a new hybrid bike, my question has to deal with the derailleurs. I am interested in (2) different bikes (from different companies), but I see that they have different derailleurs. The first bike has Shimano Sora RD-3400SS (rear), and Shimano Sora FD-3400 (front). The other bike of interest has Shimano Deore (rear), and Shimano Altus (front). Is one of these derailleur sets better then the other? By "better" I guess I mean is one more reliable or "smoother" in operation then the other?

I hope this isn't a "Ford" vs "Chevy" thread.

Thanks

Sora are road components.

Deore are MTB components, have you checked the gearing range of the two bikes.

Thanks jbchybridrider for raising that question.

I checked the gearing on both of these bikes, here is what I found:

Shimano Deore – Crank -48/36/26 Cassette – 11-31 9 speed
Shimano Sora – Crank – 50/34 Cassette – 12-26 9 speed

I have been doing some additional research in reference to these (2) derailleur sets and found that they are both fairly good quality components. Like you mentioned, they are just designed primarily for either mountain bikes or road bikes.

After looking at these (2) set ups, I am leaning toward the Deore set up. This would give me a wider range of gearing and for me that would be a plus.
I have made arrangements with my LBS (they have both of these bikes in stock) to test ride both of them this weekend.

May I ask the name and model of the bikes?
A 12-26 is much prefer over a 11-31, because for a 11-31,11-32,11-34 the gears are too far apart. You may feel as you are missing gears in between gears. It may be good if you are planing on doing hills or mountain riding, but for normal riding it won't be as good as like a 12-25, 12-26, 12-28 9/10 speed. Plus not very comfortable/good for the knees.

Deore is one notch higher than Sora. I wouldn't pick based on the front derailleur, they are so basic that they don't make any difference in shift quality IME. The Sora RD will limit you to a 27-28T granny (low) geared cassette. Combine that with a 50/34 crank and you will be struggling on steeper climbs, especially if you're out of shape. If you live in flatlands this won't matter. I'd go with the Deore bike though, better RD and you have a triple with up to a 34T low geared cassette if you want it which is the best of both worlds on a hybrid. Remember, cassettes are relatively cheap ($25-30) and easy to replace so I wouldn't rule out a bike based on which cassette comes stock.

Shimano Deore – Crank -48/36/26 Cassette – 11-31 9 speed - Trek 7.4FX
Shimano Sora – Crank – 50/34 Cassette – 12-26 9 speed - Jamis Allegro Comp

I think the 11-34 cassette on the Trek hybrid I have is most of the reason I hate it. The gears are spaced too far apart. The 50/34 12-26 is a fairly standard combination referred to as compact double. My new road bike has 11-28 50/34. You'll probably find the Jamis has narrower tires since it's a road bike. Unfortunately the Cannondale Quick series has different gearing depending on the price. The Quick 4 is in the same price range, but it has 11-32 cassette, while the more expensive Quick 3 has 12-26 cassette in addition to triple chainring in the front.

Test ride the Trek and the Jamis (more than just around the parking lot) and shift each bike through all of the gears. Both of those bikes are aluminum and similar weight. I don't think you would go wrong with either bike.

A 50/34 12-26 9 speed has enough gears for you to climb a steep hill. Leave the 11-31 for the mountain bikes. You shouldn't have to change components other than the saddle and handlebar grips on a new bike. If you have to, then that's not the bike for you. I'm able to climb steep hills with my 48t middle chain ring on the lowest gear. You should be more than fine on a the 34t on steep hills. Like I've said, if you aren't planning on doing mountain and hill rides 100%, then ditch the 11-31 cassette bike.

50/34 12-26, 12-28 9/10 speed are found on road bikes. Ask anyone who owns a road bike with those gears/crank set on how it handles hills.

How about 8 speed vs 9 or 10 speed in terms of "feel"?

I have a 50/34 compact double crank with a 9 speed 11/28 cassette on my road bike and struggle up anything over 10% incline. For somebody just starting out who is out of shape, and encounters longer or steeper hills, a 34/28 low gear might not cut it. The thing with road bike derailleurs is that they limit you do a 27-28T granny gear (although that's slowly changing). I'd be inclined to go for the triple crank with a narrower spaced cassette (like a 12/26) on a hybrid if large gear jumps are a concern. On flat ground you'll probably never have to leave the middle chainring and you still have plenty of climbing gears by dropping down to the small chainring.

As far as the "feel" of 8 vs 9/10 speed there isn't any difference. Better shifters and derailleurs may give a slight improvement in shift quality.

Ops, what I meant to say with my 42t middle chain ring and not 48t.

You want to get a bike for a better overall feel of the ride and not just for climbing hills. A 11-31,11-32,11-34 might be great on the hills, but lacks in comfort etc on normal riding. As long as you aren't climbing Mount McKinley you should be fine with a 50/34 12-26 9 speed.

You'll get more gears options on 10 speed vs a 9 or 8 speed etc. That way when you won't be shifting the front derailleur as much. Plus as the higher the speed, mostly the better the derailleurs are.

10 vs 9 isn't that noticeable if the smallest and largest ring size on the cassettes are identical. I would avoid an 8 speed.

Why would you avoid an 8 speed? If I was rich, I would pay Shimano to make Deore friction shifters (in the style of old XT friction shifters) and 50-36-24T cranksets with chainguards as a trekking group.

This. For that reason, I'm switching from a 52/42/30, 11-32 9spd to a 48/34, 12-28 10spd - it's actually going to net me two extra gears in the inch range I use the most. And the 34-28 low gear - 35.1 gear inches, less than 6mph at 60rpm - is low enough that I really don't want to climb anything too steep for it.