Strengths: Very sturdy derailleur rd m 662 sgs complete low profile shadow technologie reliable experience shifting problem ghost shifting latent shifting ( solution make sure upper jockey pulley is never more than two inches or less from cog or cassette surface thrue out unscrew anchor bolt brought it forward tighten problem gone I also change pulleys (tasx) to sealed bearing unit with no end play
Works like a charm since it is good price reliability structure.
Weaknesses: Mention it weight few gram perfomance durability reliability price best derailleur. Recommend change pulleys to seal bearing even greater performance $20 -25 well worth it give xtr a toss twice the price or more
Bottom Line:
By far the best for price quality sturdiness I recommend it
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Submitted by
extremedave
a Weekend Warrior
from NJ
Date Reviewed: September 15, 2011
Strengths: Shifting accuracy and speed
Weaknesses: Not terribly light.
Bottom Line:
Very happy with the decision to upgrade to the SLX. Had the Deore M592 stock, the SLX shifts quicker, more positively, and more accurately. A great deal less chain slap and noise and the shifting has dramatically improved. Downside, I did noticed some ghost shifting on a very rough downhill when on the middle ring and smaller cog. Also not much of a weight difference.
For the price and the minimal time required to swap, it's a no-brainer upgrade. Recommended.
Submitted by
rnew
a Weekend Warrior
from Augusta, Georgia, USA
Date Reviewed: August 6, 2011
Strengths: Looks good and it is lighter
Weaknesses: Delayed downshifting in one or two gears but that could just be an adjustment problem
Bottom Line:
I ruined the derailleur that came with my bike. I read the reviews on mtbr for this derailleur and went out and bought one. I thought that it would change gears smoother and quiter then the original stock alivio but there is no big difference to me. In fact, it might be slightly more finicky in the downshifting in one or two gears but that could just be an adjustment problem. But, what I have noticed, which was a huge difference and not mentioned by other reviews (about as much as going from a mountain bike tire to a road bike tire), which I did not expect, was the gain in power when I pedal. It was much easier to increase my speed or even just to maintain speed going over bumps. I imagine it is due to less friction? I don't know, but my average speed increased almost 2 miles an hour. Bottom line is that the gear changing does its job with no noticeable difference. The big difference is how it transfers power. I am only going to give it a 3 for value because for 25$, I could have gotten the same gear changing with an alivio, however the overall rating I am giving it a 5 because I love to go faster with less effort.
One more thing, I also notice that when I am in high gear there is no more slight whirring sound from the chain being stressed at an angle from the biggest sprocket and the smallest cog which again translates to less friction and more power.
Similar Products Used: Shimano Exage 300 LX, Deore LX
Bike Setup: Rock Shox Tora 318, Truvativ Blaze with Truvativ Power Spline, Shimano SLX, Sram X7, Avid BB5, Michelin Country Trail
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Submitted by
FNG RIDER
a Weekend Warrior
from Los Angeles, Ca
Date Reviewed: June 21, 2011
Strengths: Shifts are smooth, small compact design, Shadow deraileur is hidden behind the rear stay! Direct pull cable, no loop! easy to install and set up. Nice appearance.
Weaknesses: none so far
Bottom Line:
Bent rear hanger, worn out Deore r/d, cables not so good.
SLX shifts realy nice, stronger return spring, install was very easy. I checked hanger on flat surface, it had very slight bend. Cables took beating during wet season.
I used XTR cables/housing.
Complete install in less than 1 hour, and I am a novice mechanic!
Shifts are smooth even under load. I still will make some minor adjustments at the brake lever barrel adjuster.
Submitted by
Azkil Gomez
a Weekend Warrior
from Guadalajara Jalisco, Mexico
Date Reviewed: July 4, 2010
Strengths: Low profile, very nice looking, crisp clean shifts
Weaknesses: None so far
Bottom Line:
I'm surprised how well it works!, my other bike is a full XT drivetrain,but even whit the alivio shifters 8 speed setup, I can't find a difference on performance, if you dont have the money for the XT I would say SLX is the way to go, even the dark titanium color looks great! I'm thinking on upgrading my old but reliable XT to Shadow XT just because this guy.
There are many good things about this derailleur that caught my eye. However, of the ones already listed, the two that meant for most to me are the: direct cable routing and the low profile.
Direct cable routing adds to the precision of this derailleur but reducing the amount of slack "arc" cable sticking out the back of it. Often this can be overcome with quality shifter cable casing, but my plan was to pair this unit with a SRAM twist-shifter using the Shimano (2:1) actuation ratio so I wanted to reduce as much slack as I could. Installation was easy, but take care when installing the casing to maximize the benefit of the straight-cable design. On the upshifts, the super-strong single-spring design has no problem pulling the chain through the shifts quickly and silently.
The low profile of this derailleur is amazing. I ride where there are many switchbacks and close-quarter trees where I sometimes brush them with my shoulders as I navigate past and never have to worry about hanging the derailleur on anything.
The SLX and its snugly-fitted cable tuck away nicely beside the cassette to provide a quiet ride and effortless, accurate shifts. At this price point, there isn't anything I'd rather use.
Strengths: CAN TAKE A HIT! i bashed this thing against rocks and trees, and even a lag screw (it was hanging out of a wallride and i slipped off and the slx hit the nail) and it couldn't care less. i have also hit many rocks too. shifts very very well and smooth too. very easy to clean too. and small...very small profile, hides in the chainstay. ( i said ive hit hit some rocks and stuff but i hop onto a rock and the rear wheel falls off and hits it, but i doesnt care at all)
Weaknesses: i would like a med cage, (the store was out of med cages) the long cage bangs around a lot, and i would like just a smaller cage.
Bottom Line:
awesome get it..but if you got 30 dolla more get an xt, but i love it and you can get it very cheap too
Similar Products Used: xt, xtr, saint, sram, x5-x0,
Bike Setup: scott hardtail, with slx and xt parts, marrochhi dirtjumpers 3 fork, xt wheelset
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Submitted by
pinarlusu
a Cross Country Rider
from NSW Australia
Date Reviewed: February 28, 2009
Strengths: Strong, light weight, good looking, shift well
Weaknesses: Haven't found any yet
Bottom Line:
Well, I quite like the gears in the SLX line because LX to XT has a massive gap between. SLX is the balance of both but tend to lean more on the XT side. This derailleur is quite strong as I landed on it on my third ride, with a few scratches on it but still going well without any probs. It's design is similar to the XT one which is better than the LX. It's a really good derailleur !!
Bike Setup: Mongoose Otero 07 , RS Revelation + Monarch, Monkey lite, Mavic Crossride, SLX Crank ... I've modified everything except the headset and shifter.
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Submitted by
mtbnachos
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego
Date Reviewed: December 25, 2008
Strengths: Relatively light, robust, cheaper than XT w/ same performance!
Weaknesses: Little pricey
Bottom Line:
This is the trim that's replacing the Deore LX. It's about darn time! Although more expensive, I think it matches performance of XT and for less dough. Definitely this is THE standard rear derailleur for beginner mtbikers. The cage is extremely robust and shifting feels very crisp. I'm using a cheapo Deore shifter and it feels solid. Go get one!