bang for buck

John.w said:

Acknowledging the fact that up-to shimano deore spec components are price graded carefully and
each step up to that point gives a marked difference/improvement in performance. And xtr
components are a light year above xt in arguably quality, and definately weight reduction and
price. what visual/noticable improvements are there between deore lx and deore xt mega9 components
now?? I have a mix of lx and xt mega9 shifters/mechs/brakes/chainset and as i now need a new front
mech was wondering if it would be "worth" buying an xt to match the xt rear mech??,or buying
another lx, as it all worked so well together before.

IME a lot of the difference comes in longevity. It all works OK when new, but the cheaper stuff
doesn't survive as well.

Quoted message said:

IME a lot of the difference comes in longevity. It all works OK when new, but the cheaper stuff
doesn't survive as well.

concur. xt bearings last much better than lx.

"John.w" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Acknowledging the fact that up-to shimano deore spec components are price graded carefully and
each step up to that point gives a marked difference/improvement in performance.

I wouldn't necessarily acknowledge that. All of it works really well nowadays. Even Alivio bikes are
terrific, and the components better sealed, etc., than XT was 10 years ago. The biggest difference
is weight, but there's really no cut off point where everything is magically better. More like a few
grams dfference for each part. This extends to the rest of the bike too -- so while an XT bike might
weigh 3-4 LB less than an Alivio bike, there's usually no single part that makes a huge difference.

Quoted message said:

And xtr components are a light year above xt in arguably quality, and definately weight reduction
and price.

Not really. XTR does feel nicer, but the anodized cranks look like [censored] in a few months, and
replacement parts like cassettes and chainrings are hideously expensive. Definately not good value
for money. For all practical purposes, XT and LX and Deore work just as well. You won't miss too
many shifts with any of them.

Quoted message said:

what visual/noticable improvements are there between deore lx and deore xt mega9
components now??

IME, XT and LX parts are practically identical, except for finish. Deore stuff is a little heavier,
but just as good.

Finish is worth considering -- I already commented on gray anodized XTR. Polished parts look better
over the long haul. Shimano knows this, and they know that if they give you a black painted LX or
105 crank, you'll be back in a couple of years when your bike starts looking shabby.

Alivio bikes seem to come with lower gearing. This might be better for a less experienced rider, but
not as good for a fitter one.

The best way to shop for a mountain bike is to go for fit, and the quality of the suspension fork.
Those are the things that affect your ride the most.

Quoted message said:

I have a mix of lx and xt mega9 shifters/mechs/brakes/chainset and as i now need a new front mech
was wondering if it would be "worth" buying an xt to match the xt rear mech??,or buying another
lx, as it all worked so well together before.

XT front mechs are [censored]. Checking the reviews on mtbr.com, it seems a lot of other people have had
the same experience. These units start out with loose pivots, and only get worse. LX and STX ones
are identical AFAICT. I don't know about current Deore or Alivio ones. XTR are good but expensive.
Next time I'm going to look for a 10 year old Deore DX or XT, or early XTR. Anyway, spending the
extra money on XT isn't worth it.

Matt O.