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Submitted by
mcgreivey
a Weekend Warrior
from North Bergen, NJ
Date Reviewed: October 2, 2009 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Came with bike when | | Strengths: | Shifts great. Never any problems with it. I;ve used various shifters with it, and in 7 years, I've only had to adjust it a couple times. | | Weaknesses: | Only one weakness: hex anchor nut is a pain. I carry a wrench on long rides, just in case. It should have an allen bolt anchor, so I could just use my multi-tool, if I had to. This is a PITA, but it's the only thing I don't like about it. | | Bike Setup: | '02 Specialized Sirrus A1, 8-speed, Shimano trigger shifters | | Bottom Line: | I've used three kinds of friction shifters, and now a different set of Shimano indexed shifters, and this derailleur has worked perfectly the whole time, with no problems, and only minimal adjustment. I ride almost exclusively on the road, so it's possible it won't stand up to the tortures of trail use--I don't know. But in my experience, it's great. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Geerhard
a Weekend Warrior
from Wolvertem
Date Reviewed: August 21, 2009 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | everithing | | Weaknesses: | bad reputation wich is NOT | | Similar Products Used: | deore, xt | | Bottom Line: | fast, good and releable shifting | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
gianni
a Cross Country Rider
from Zurich, Switzerland
Date Reviewed: June 17, 2009 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | LBS - came with bike | | Strengths: | Front and rear derailleur. Came with bike (Kona Blast). I first thought to replace them right away. But after taking the bike for a spin I was surprised how quick, fast and smooth they worked.
Bottom line - they shift, and shift, and shift and shift since tree years now - never a problem.
I crashed the bike different times, R/D has been hit, scratched, bent, bent back etc. - they still work like the first day.
Considering the price point you can get these i.e. dirt cheap, the performance is amazing. | | Weaknesses: | - weight
- not the best if you ride a lot in muddy terrain as seals, bearings etc. are evidently not of the quality as Deore and especially LX, SX or XT etc.
- 8 instead of 9 gears = spacing of the gears, especially the jumps in 6, 7 and 8, can be a bit wide in certain situations compared to 9 speed
| | Similar Products Used: | XT, SX, LX, Deore etc. | | Bike Setup: | stock | | Bottom Line: | Sturdy, don't seem to wanna break, exeptionally good value considering how cheap you can get them and if you ride trails, fire roads etc. in dry conditions or use the bike to commute, in the city etc. in the first place. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
pipexp
a Cross Country Rider
from Temuco, Chile
Date Reviewed: May 21, 2009 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$23.00 | | Strengths: | Shift well, and very smooth when is perfect tuned. Very strong. | | Weaknesses: | It ugly design | | Similar Products Used: | Deore , alivio | | Bottom Line: | Despite it desing, i used it xc and rally races and never fail me, clearly must good tuned and oliled. It can used recreacional rides and easy xc races. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
lonegunmen
a Downhiller
from Oak Ridge Tennessee
Date Reviewed: March 10, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | any whare | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | ETO | | Strengths: | its alright if youre just going to ride, but if you plan to drop or jump any i would reccomend spending just a little more money for a better one | | Weaknesses: | it bends too easy i dropped down like a 8 stair and it bent into the spokes | | Bike Setup: | scott voltage YZ2 stock | | Bottom Line: | if youre just crusing its ok, but i would suggest an upgrade if you can afford it. its worth it | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
preludedriven
a Weekend Warrior
from Orange County, Ca, USA
Date Reviewed: January 14, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Fullerton Loop | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Came with Iron Horse | | Strengths: | Cheap, Comes with most entry level bikes. Chain never jumps out of gear. Stays in tune better than my friend's Alivio! | | Weaknesses: | Heavy. Seems to need frequent retuning | | Bike Setup: | 2007 Iron Horse Maverick, 08 RockShox Recon Race | | Bottom Line: | As others have stated, upgrade this part if you get the chance. The Acera is a heavy, entry level part, but will work if it's tuned right. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
AScott_user
a Cross Country Rider
from Singapore
Date Reviewed: September 27, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Came with bike | | Strengths: | Rather reliable. Even after smashing it gently against a rock which resulted in deep scratches on the plastic body, its still working as it should be. | | Weaknesses: | Plenty. This rear dee will result in gear jumping and gear skipping, sometimes even the gear comes off from the lowest (granny) gear, which result in stucked chain. Going uphill hence proves a real challenge. Flops badly when going offroad, which might result in it being 'sucked' into your wheel spokes. | | Bike Setup: | 2008 Scott Aspect 55 | | Bottom Line: | Its a reliable workhorse for normal users such as recreational use, but dont get this piece of crap for offroad use. It doesn't belong to the world of offroad. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
diamondback_hardtail
a Cross Country Rider
from Cincinnati, OH U.S.
Date Reviewed: September 27, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Came on bike | | Strengths: | None | | Weaknesses: | I could go on for days...Once used for awhile it starts rapidly deteriorating which means uphills with hard pedaling and it starts skipping, jumping gears. | | Bottom Line: | Its fine to use if it came on a complete bike that you bought, but I would upgrade asap. I would NEVER recommend buying this derailleur as a separate piece, its not worth the plastic its made out of. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ironbirdexplorer
a Weekend Warrior
from New Brunswick Canada
Date Reviewed: September 1, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | TransCanada Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Local Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Works well when tuned up | | Weaknesses: | Needs Tuning often | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Hardrock Sport | | Bottom Line: | I was in a situation this summer where the bike was my only transport and a large part of my recreation. I used it probably harder than I should have, especially over the past few weeks on my holidays. Bottom line, I took a fairly hefty stick through my wheel trying to negotiate a...um....uggh, yeah...I'll call it a trail for lack of a better term. It bent the rear derailleur such that I couldn't gear down to 1-1 without it interfering with my spokes. I gave it a bit of a tug to straighten it out. It seemed to work, but the next day it snapped right off where it connects to the seat stay. Luckily, it was only the second last day of my holidays. I think I'm going to upgrade, seeing that I'm getting a little more into the harder off-road stuff.
The Acera rear derailleur is definitely more for the commuter than the off-roader. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
acid470
a Cross Country Rider
from Tyler, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: August 16, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | The "Great" Country Of Iraq | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$450.00 | | Purchased At: | Online Bike Shop, Ca | | Strengths: | Good on pavement for average commuting | | Weaknesses: | Just About Everything....it doesnt pull the chain tight enough, it needss to be tuned often, almost everyday, jumps gears when taken over rough terrain, bearings wear fast, bracket bends easily | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Alivio, Shimano Deore, Shimano LX | | Bike Setup: | Shimano rapid fire shifters, shimano deore vbrakes, weimann rims, kenda tires, shimano alivio crankset, alivio cassette | | Bottom Line: | DO NOT purchase this product if you ever plan on going off pavement or even riding hard on pavement. If you purchase a bike with this part, which unfortunately most bikes undr 750 dollars come with this equipment, then you may wanna look at least at an alivio or deore setup soon afterwards | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
gilesle
a Downhiller
from Roy, Utah, USA
Date Reviewed: June 23, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Well, before I noticed any problems it was great!!! really smooth and clean, no problems what so ever!!! | | Weaknesses: | I had bought a kona shred and this was the stock part it came with... I had my bike three days and I took it off a jump a couple times and I fell once, and I didn't even fall on that side of the bike and now it don't shift smoothly and it will sometimes get stuck and lock up. | | Bottom Line: | Good if not doing major stuff like jumping... but other than that it's not too bad... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lou
a Weekend Warrior
from Newburgh, NY, USA
Date Reviewed: June 21, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Anywhere I feel like riding! | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Walgoose(Mongoose bo | | Strengths: | Good for street use and Light trails only! Unless there are sticks on the rode! | | Weaknesses: | Rough terain especially sticks! | | Bike Setup: | Mongoose xr450 bought at Walmart for slightly over $300! | | Bottom Line: | Rode bike a couple of times after purchased a couple of years ago. Haven't rode in about 2 yrs as I am an occasional mountain biker. The bike handled very rough downhill mountain terrain well, only broke the kickstand as I bashed it on a rock while jumping a small stream. Took it out for ten minutes today and a random stick caught between derailleur, spokes and bike frame as I was pedalling hard up a small hill, the result: the derailleur bracket bent and the derailleur itself snapped where it pivots! Do not buy this peice of crap derailleur or cheap Walmart bike if you like to ride in rough terrain! Derailleur is made of aluminum but in a place where strength matters it's made of black plastic! The Shimano Acera rd-m340 is garbage! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Haven
a Weekend Warrior
from Florida
Date Reviewed: January 29, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Santos | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | came on bike | | Strengths: | cheap | | Weaknesses: | cheap | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | '05 Hardrock... Marzocchi DJ3, Avid BB7... | | Bottom Line: | I can't believe this thing held up for 3 years!!! over the last year I have gotten into some serious offroading and it has always held up w/ some fairly smooth shifting... I've been wanting to upgrade my drivetrain but couldn't justify spending the money until something actually broke... about and hour ago it finally snapped.
3 chili's cuz it lasted three years!!!
4 Value cuz it came with the bike and did it's job!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Khuan
a
from Perth, WA, Australia
Date Reviewed: November 27, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | None - I'm a commuter. | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Came with my bike. | | Strengths: | Good for commuting and fine for light off-roading. Look okay. | | Weaknesses: | Inadequate for real off-roading. | | Similar Products Used: | None. | | Bike Setup: | 2007 Giant Boulder. | | Bottom Line: | This derailleur is only suitable for commuting and the occasional light off-roading. I don't recommend you buy this derailleur by itself, but if you are shopping for a commuter bike and find one with this derailleur it'll be fine for your intentions. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tim
a Weekend Warrior
from overland park, ks
Date Reviewed: September 23, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Durable for low to moderate riding. Cheap. | | Weaknesses: | Cheap. No way to disassemble the replace springs and other internal parts that wear out. | | Bike Setup: | Giant Boulder SE stock.
| | Bottom Line: | Descent for the price. With proper PM, such as cleaning and lubricating, it has held up. I am a moderate rider and is has seen some miles and some hard trails. As with most things, you get what you pay for. And if you plan on doing alot of hard riding spend the extra $20 or $30 dollars on a better one. When mine brakes I will replace it with an XT but it hasn't done me wrong yet. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Caleb
a Weekend Warrior
from Fincastle va usa
Date Reviewed: March 26, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Douthat state park | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | very good price
holds up very well | | Weaknesses: | doesn't shift well in mud or rocks
short lifespan, after three years it is starting to get metal shavings all over it from pulleys and chain
| | Bottom Line: | good for very easy riders and moderately heavy riding, however it does not have a very long lifespan. But it is a very durable derailleur while it lasts, I once rode over a stick which lodge itself in the pulleys and it still works fine. Very good choice for beginner of budget minded rider. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
cris mc shaffery
a Weekend Warrior
from essex
Date Reviewed: March 10, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | 20 | | Strengths: | none brutal derralier shifts slowely | | Weaknesses: | everything | | Similar Products Used: | deore,alvio,sramx7,9 | | Bike Setup: | kone hei hei stock | | Bottom Line: | a crap derralier DO NOT BUY for any hard riding | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Zoli
a Cross Country Rider
from Melbourne, Aus
Date Reviewed: January 28, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Rapido Cycles | | Strengths: | Works okay for both On-road or soft off-road use. | | Weaknesses: | Looks ugly, sometimes doesnt shift correctly. | | Bike Setup: | Modded Scott Reflex 50 | | Bottom Line: | This came included on the Bike with the other budget Drivetrain components. I wouldnt buy this product unless it came stock on your bike. Recommended for recreational use however you can quickly outgrow this derailleur if you move out of being a recreational rider. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jacob
a Weekend Warrior
from sount australia
Date Reviewed: January 11, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | came with the bike | | Strengths: | Um not that much doesnt die even after severe thrashes. Not sure what you guys are are on about it does handle rough riding a bit noisy but its ok. | | Weaknesses: | Its very noisy and skips on really rocky stuff. | | Similar Products Used: | Altus | | Bike Setup: | Raleigh m800 Rock shox j4 | | Bottom Line: | Im not sure if the complaints about it snapping on 4 to 5ft drops is legit because i have done 7 to 9 ft drops with this and it has not let me down yet. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Not You
a Weekend Warrior
from Sparks, NV, USA
Date Reviewed: October 2, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | All of them | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Came stock | | Strengths: | Cheap, shifts ok for road. | | Weaknesses: | Durability is unpredictable. I smash it against the curb and the chain falls off and jams, yet I gow down a hill, hit the brakes too hard, totally eat it, my bike does at least 3 flips in the air...and it comes out fine. | | Similar Products Used: | Piece of crap Magna der. | | Bike Setup: | 2007 Raleigh Mojave 4.0 - Acera Rear, SIS(sy) front, tektro IO disk brakes, shimano cogset, joytech hubset, kenda tires | | Bottom Line: | Works good for road use and light XC trail, but anything harder and it could brake on you. Not exactly the most dependable rear der. Will be upgrading to something else soon. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
indio
a Cross Country Rider
from Raleigh, NC, USA
Date Reviewed: September 20, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | anywhere I can get to | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Flythe Cyclery | | Strengths: | none. i mean not one. | | Weaknesses: | Everything. I have had the bike less than a month. It's actually dangerous - you simply can't count on it to do the job. I went for a night ride and half way up a simple hill I sifted - it slipped, chain caught, chain snapped, I walked a lot. | | Similar Products Used: | none yet - but that's about to change. | | Bike Setup: | completely stock 820 | | Bottom Line: | if someone asked me today what I thought about a new bike with this equipment I would say just take it off - don't walk out of the store with it on your bike. it's crap. And anyone that says they are happy with it must weigh 85 pounds, and ride on flat paved park paths.
:)
did I say a hate this piece of "equipment"? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Aaron
a Weekend Warrior
from Poughkeepsie
Date Reviewed: July 17, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | all | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Cheap, good for occasional light trails & roadways. | | Weaknesses: | it came on my bike & I replaced it as soon as possible. After about 2 weeks of hard trail riding it started miss shifting & popping the chain off as I hit hills. | | Similar Products Used: | XT | | Bike Setup: | Ironhorse Sport, shimano rapid shifters, xt rear derialleur, easton stem, rock shox J1 forks & some other goodies. | | Bottom Line: | Good for your light smooth trails but do not depend on it when you hit heavy wooded trails. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Aaron
a Weekend Warrior
from Poughkeepsie
Date Reviewed: July 1, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | anywhere | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Came on the bike | | Strengths: | It worked great on the street, then I started hitting the trails with it. | | Weaknesses: | It started mis shifting after 1 month, slipping on hills & just really choppy shifts all & all. Had it adjusted & it still shifts like crap.
| | Similar Products Used: | Just ordered an XT | | Bike Setup: | 06 Ironhorse, shimano trigger shifters, XT rear derailleur Rock Shox J1 | | Bottom Line: | Good for minor to extreme light trails & roads. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Garth
a Weekend Warrior
from Carlsbad, CA, United States
Date Reviewed: June 30, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Flightline | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Came with the bike | | Strengths: | What? Oh right, its cheap. Could probably find one at target or Kmart. Good for someone who never rides their bike. You will become very good at tuning it. | | Weaknesses: | Loud, Jumps gears, Needs constant attention(Adjustments). Not for anything but a family ride around the lake(As long as there is a paved bike path). Everytime I took it down a staircase it would need a whole tune. Same with any trail that had rocks bigger than a fist. | | Similar Products Used: | Almost anything is better. Saint is my favorite. Super beefy. | | Bike Setup: | Versus Blitz, Manitou 4 way, maxxis, minute ones, raceface diablous, . | | Bottom Line: | Dont waste time spend more money. Buying cheap is the best way to break things and hurt yourself. Dont bother reading any other reviews on this product just buy something better. I had it adjusted at two bike shops and both kept telling me it wasn't even worth adjusting. If you wanna tune a Derailleur after each use buy this one. Please dont try to sell it if you have one. Just throw it away. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tecky
a Weekend Warrior
from Australia
Date Reviewed: May 8, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Bike Force | | Strengths: | None | | Weaknesses: | Where to begin? | | Bike Setup: | Trek | | Bottom Line: | The bottom line - warranty!! I have had the Acera for a week and a little bit of light riding uphill in an easy gear and then whole thing crunched and ended up inside my spokes, which has cost me even more to get replaced!
This part is a disgrace to the Shimano name!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Izac Teng
a Cross Country Rider
from NZ
Date Reviewed: February 21, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | rotorua | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Strengths: | quick shifting
easy to tune | | Weaknesses: | needs to be CONSTANTLY tuned, if the chain falls off which it probably does when going down speed bumps the entire shifting is effed up and i takes like 20minutes of careful tuning to get it back to shape
goes pyhsco on climbs and derails the chain on fast bumpy dh bits | | Bike Setup: | Mongoose rockadile ALD, with truvativ cranks (replaced cause the alst one rounded out) | | Bottom Line: | the shifting is okay...but around 8th and 1 it skips abit (mayube cause i snapped the chain and had to get a new one) anyway it probably worked so crap cause i snapped the chain and didn't replace the cassette but tis wearing in so its all gravy...the tuning jsut pisses me off though...the secodn the stupid chain falls off the derailer jstu effs up and it dosn't change probably
good for light riders...if ur going fast dh and hard climbing buy xt or deores | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe
a Cross Country Rider
from England
Date Reviewed: October 6, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | anything rough | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Pretty hard.
Smooth.
Reliable | | Weaknesses: | Nothing major so far. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano SIS | | Bike Setup: | Rock Lobster Frame, Hope Mono M4, XT Drive, Mavic 521 Rims | | Bottom Line: | For months i used this with crappy SIS shifters and it worked pretty good, though not 100% reliable, sometimes would jump a gear or not engage the one i wanted straight away. I have just fitted XT shifters, and as soon as i get my forks back from service will give them a try, I'm expecting an improvement. Pretty Good deraillieur for the price, i'd recommend it to those on a budget. The oversize cogs look pretty cool too. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
josh smith
a Cross Country Rider
from edmonton,alberta,canada
Date Reviewed: June 30, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | strong, I crashed and landed right on it off a jump and it didn't bend | | Weaknesses: | I rattles way too much when I'm going downhill on even the slightest bumps and I have to tune it way to much. | | Similar Products Used: | alivio,deore | | Bike Setup: | bruiser with DJ 3's | | Bottom Line: | it's O.K if it comes on your bike but I wouldn't get one otherwise | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bill Reed
a Cross Country Rider
from Youngstown, OH
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Shady one in the trees | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | Schwinn S70 (WalMart) | | Strengths: | Inexpensive, reliable, long cage/oversize cog make it work nice and smooth, Easy to clean/lubricate. | | Weaknesses: | Requires knowledge of how to properly adjust, which apparently leaves most posters out of luck. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano | | Bike Setup: | Hybrid | | Bottom Line: | This is a good derailleur at a very good price. Regular maintenance is a must, but what is new about good PM? Keep it clean, lubricated and adjust the CABLE AT THE SHIFTER and you will be gold. I have logged many kilos with this and have had little problem. True, it takes an adjustment on occasion, especially if you knock it, but otherwise it is smooth, accurate and reliable. You could hardly do better at this price and you surely could do worse! Ride on! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Derrick Prest
a Downhiller
from Port Colborne ON
Date Reviewed: December 15, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Autobahn | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | came with my bike | | Strengths: | It works super good for about 2 months then it takes awhile to shift into 6th no biggie | | Weaknesses: | nothing realy i dont see what everyone is complaining about,it hasint broke or anything but ive been getting lucky and havent fallen on it or bashed it off anything yet so thats probley why | | Similar Products Used: | shimano alivo | | Bike Setup: | 04 kona shred stock | | Bottom Line: | probley the best derailer ive had. its great for the price, it would be alot better if it pulled the chain alil tighter but its only slipped like once | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tyler came with bike
a Weekend Warrior
from USA FL Chuluota
Date Reviewed: October 17, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Snowhill Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$326.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Works | | Strengths: | Shifts great
Have to be going realituvly fast to get into 8th | | Weaknesses: | I bent the hanger once but im not sure how
| | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | 2005 hardrock Sport stock | | Bottom Line: | IT is a great shifter i dont know what the other guys are talking about. I dint have to tweat mine the slightest bit for great preformance | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Forrest Cary
a Cross Country Rider
from Homer,AK USA
Date Reviewed: August 14, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Anywhere | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$330.00 | | Purchased At: | came with the bike | | Strengths: | price nunber of gears quality speed response compact size | | Weaknesses: | took an adjustment or two to get it to shift into first or eighth the deralieur clicks against the spokes in first gear but that is the mechanics fault. | | Similar Products Used: | other shimanos dont know the names | | Bike Setup: | hardrock sport frame rst fork acera x rear deralieur tektro brakes | | Bottom Line: | great shifter works great for my kind of riding would have also liked the xt get it | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rick
a Weekend Warrior
from St. T. Ontario
Date Reviewed: July 25, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$575.00 | | Purchased At: | Came with bike | | Strengths: | It turns and......well thats about it. | | Weaknesses: | No amount of adjusting will fix the jumping or skipping it does in 6th or 7th gear. They bike is less than a year old. I have had more problems with my "quality" TREK bike than I did with my department store special CCM!!!!! The rear Accera derailleur is garbage. There is too much play in the mounting hardware, the bolts for the gears fell out on the trail!!! The chain snapped in my backyard! (Its a flat lawn) They say don't put any pressure on it.....Ah, hello I'm pedalling here!!! Are we supposed to walk our bikes?
A friend switched to XT's and his bike is trouble free. Friends don't let friends use Accera!
I'm not even going to mention the rear suspension problems | | Bike Setup: | TREK Y26 (9 months old) | | Bottom Line: | If you buy a bike with Accera chip in the extra coin to get at least shimano LX | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave Fair
a Weekend Warrior
from Cape Town, South Africa
Date Reviewed: July 12, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Sportsmens Warehouse | | Strengths: | Mmmm, still thinking about that | | Weaknesses: | Apart from the fact that they don't work, I can think of any | | Bike Setup: | Trek 4300 standard | | Bottom Line: | I have taken these to three different shops for tuning, downloaded the manual and tried myself, and still they jump, and stick and grind when under pressure. It drives me nuts. when changing with cable tension its fine, but when you use the spring in the mechanism to chnage up, thats when it fails. The guy at my dealer says that the spring is of realy poor quality and no amount of tuning will fix it.
Invest in better gear because a great bike is totally nullified when yours gears stick/crash/jump while riding. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Marcus Smith
a
from Fredericton N.B. Canada
Date Reviewed: July 4, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Sport Check | | Strengths: | This Derailleur isn't really good for much but if your looking for something cheap and to just ride with it's alright. | | Weaknesses: | It breaks really easy (might be because i got it at Sport check) | | Similar Products Used: | none. | | Bike Setup: | Nakamura Avenger (worst bike ever) | | Bottom Line: | This Derailleur isn't good for much and I worn you never get a sportcheck bike because they break really easy..mine broke in 3 weeks by just shifting the gears and it bent the frame and everything. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Colby
a
from New Hampshire
Date Reviewed: July 3, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | came stock | | Strengths: | cheap | | Weaknesses: | not very durable pulleis suck | | Similar Products Used: | all deore | | Bike Setup: | raliegh m50 with so many mods hard to count | | Bottom Line: | good for day to day commuting but not for anything hard.took it out for a week on the trailsand it is now shot so i got a deore xt wich works great | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Josh
a Downhiller
from Kelowna BC Canada
Date Reviewed: July 1, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Strengths: | Works well if you take care of it, cheap, fairly light, does its job. | | Weaknesses: | Not top quality so it could break if you're not careful, lots of plastic parts. | | Similar Products Used: | 9 or 10 smashed up shimanos | | Bottom Line: | This is a pretty decent derailleur. I've had it for about 8 months and I haven't had a real problem with it, mostly just presetting adjustments. I've taken it dirtjumping and on singletrack and it did just fine, especially for the price I paid. As long as you can avoid smashing it into a tree, this derailleur should last you awhile. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Igor
a Weekend Warrior
from Germany
Date Reviewed: June 28, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Goes together with a bike | | Strengths: | It is cheap | | Weaknesses: | beacuse of its price it is not of the best quality | | Similar Products Used: | Deore | | Bike Setup: | Sportscheck bikes (Bikepuls) | | Bottom Line: | Well, if you want to start mtb'ing than and you do not know if you will like it you may use it - but be prepared to change it after few months of riding. Otherwise you will spend more and more time adjusting it.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Curt D
a Cross Country Rider
from Grand Rapids MI
Date Reviewed: June 11, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Cannonsburg SG | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Cheap, somewhat reliable, somewhat strong | | Weaknesses: | requires lots of maint. and adjusting and heavy | | Similar Products Used: | deore | | Bike Setup: | trek 4300 hardtail deore comp. rokshox front | | Bottom Line: | works very well for begginers or road riders, not recommended for much off-road use, lots of adjustings needed
otherwise good for starters not bad for 20-30 bucks | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Willam Spears
a Weekend Warrior
from Downey
Date Reviewed: April 6, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | anything free from cars | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | Jones Bike Shop Long Beach | | Strengths: | Reliabliity, low cost | | Weaknesses: | low caste, underappreciated and despised by many | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano suntour Sachs Huret and Sram | | Bike Setup: | Haro Escape 7.0 | | Bottom Line: | This underrated set of derailleurs has out lasted my Shimano Deore XT's purchased at the same time. they do not shift as smoothly or as quitely as the more expensive derailleur but they do it! they need to be adjusted more frequntly than more expensive derailleurs but still they are working and my Deore XT's are D.O.A. an must be replaced! GRRRRR ARRRGH! and other shuch comments! if your on a budget and can not aford a bike with more snazzy derailleur dont worry about these they'll do the just make'sure to adjust as needed, and you'll have a goood value | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Racer9
a Weekend Warrior
from Royersford,PA,US
Date Reviewed: February 28, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Any trail that si off-road | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Bikesport (came on bike) | | Strengths: | Very good for stock equipment! Performs well! | | Weaknesses: | heavy, shifts hard when under alot of pressure. | | Bike Setup: | Stock Specialized Hardrock Sport | | Bottom Line: | Very good! Performs better than anything I have ever ridden but could still improve on it some. When adjusted properly makes just about no noise. The front shifting mech. is not that smooth but better than Kmart bikes by alot. This thing is awesome so I don't know what the other people are talking about. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian
a Weekend Warrior
from Picayune, MS
Date Reviewed: February 3, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | out of business Schwinn shop | | Strengths: | I have used it since 1997. I have just now noticed that it is getting a little tougher to shift with the front derailers when I'm riding hard. | | Similar Products Used: | Delore LX | | Bottom Line: | If you are looking for a bike, and this is on there, you'll at least know you won't have any problems here for a while. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alan User
a Cross Country Rider
from London
Date Reviewed: January 25, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Inexpensive. Great for day-in, day-out city commuting. | | Weaknesses: | May not be what you want if you are going to subject your drivetrain to extremes. Also, the front derailleur doesn't downshift well under stress. | | Similar Products Used: | Sturmey-Archer 3-speed hub. Shimano 7-speed hub. | | Bike Setup: | Raleigh Pioneer. | | Bottom Line: | If you using the Acera derailleur for commuting back and forth to work on city streets, this does the trick. No problems with it. None at all. If you have to go up any sort of hills/inclines, the front derailleur doesn't downshift well understress. Sounds like the chain and gears are getting chewed up. Horrible sounds. You know you're doing damage. I'm gonna give it 4 chilies, but that's only because my experience has been city commuting. For the type of people that visit this website (performance users), rating should probably be 2. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Aaron McGraw
a Cross Country Rider
from Oil City PA, USA
Date Reviewed: October 27, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Oil Creek/ Allgheny/ Sugar Creek Trail Systems, Venango County (Ride them!) | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | (actually it was on the bike....) | | Strengths: | It has lasted 7 years. Smooth shifting after thousands (yeah, thousands) of miles. | | Weaknesses: | Well, weight I suppose. When I drop a few pounds, I guess I'll have the right to gripe about such things. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano: Exage Trail M350 (still running it on one of my bikes!), Deore LX, Deore XT, Alivio, CO-50 "Mega Range", 105, 600 Ultegra Suntour: Alpha 5000, XC-6000, XCE 4050
Sachs-Huret: Duopar | | Bike Setup: | 1996 Royce Union Alumina 7005 Series Aluminum hardtail. Acera-X front and rear derailleurs, SRAM MRX twisters, Scott Pederson SE cantilevers, Specialized "Son-of-a-Strongarm" cranks with LX-outer and Avitar inner and middle rings and alloy bolts. BB-UN72 bottom bracket, Nashbar Special Clipless pedals, SRAM CN-48 chain, Shimano-spaced Suntour 7-spd cassette, Avid Levers, JD components bar ends and suspension stem, Specialized GX-26 rims with 15 gauge spokes, alloy nipples, and Deore LX hubs (built by the Legendary Simon Rakower at Allweather Sports, Fairbanks, Alaska), Titec bars, SR Duo-track 7006 fork, Geax knobbies, Kalloy Black ano seatpost, SDG comp saddle. | | Bottom Line: | This derailleur, albeit a lower-end model, has seen me through thick and thin...both on Alaskan and Pennsylvanian trails. I replaced the pulleys with Shift Biscuits ages ago, and they have served me well. The Pulley bolts were also replaced with allen-key type bolts back in '97 or so. Occassional lubrication and cable adjustments are the only maintenance that has been performed on the mechanism. This derailleur probably has just under 7000 miles on it (no foolin'). Its still going strong. Shifts wonderfully with Gripshift, and over the Suntour (non-hyperglide) cassette. Lasted longer than my marriage, my youthful idealism, and the period of time I was interested in hip-hop music. NO complaints about this derailleur....and to all of those who gave this peice of equipment a bad review....I don't appreciate you talking badly about one of my closest friends! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Justin Mayo
a Cross Country Rider
from St John's NL, Canade
Date Reviewed: August 6, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | White Hills | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | Canary's Cycle | | Strengths: | Good for a 7 spd cassette
good for first few days | | Weaknesses: | crap for 8 spd cassette
can't shift good on hills
skips horrible in 8th gear
requires tune-up every weak
chain gets stuck every now and then
needs to be oiled after usually every ride | | Similar Products Used: | SIS 7 | | Bike Setup: | 2002 Brodie Hellion | | Bottom Line: | Its suck ass overall, no good on a bike with a 8 cassette, and needs to be tuned every week or few rides. Good for average bikers, go for at least alivio, or even altus | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
trevor magleby
a Cross Country Rider
from annabella,UT,United states
Date Reviewed: August 5, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | cow pie trail & the clear creek road | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$330.00 | | Purchased At: | it came with the bike | | Strengths: | it shifts very well on paved, dirt, and medium difficulty trails. | | Weaknesses: | the chain clanks when I speed on big bumps, somtimes has trouble shifting when on steep hills. | | Similar Products Used: | shimano mega range, shimano alivio,shimano deore, and walmart bike brands. | | Bike Setup: | specialized hardrock: V brakes, rst capa shocks, true vativ crank,& specialized enduro tires. | | Bottom Line: | it's a great all around derailer i've gone 300 miles and have had only 2 tune up's, i've beated my bike alot and my acera derailers have done me good, nothing on them has fallen apart. i would reccomend it to all people who wanted a great derailer that works really well for country trails,and city roads. for people who take their bikes off jumps and try to kill them selfs, i would probably not reccomend the acera. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nicholas W.
a Cross Country Rider
from Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: July 17, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Lasted for 3 years (with maintenance).
Easy to adjust screws and settings | | Weaknesses: | Heavy
Requires maintenance | | Similar Products Used: | DX, LX, SXT | | Bike Setup: | old raleigh inferno | | Bottom Line: | You get what you pay for. This was on my commuting bike (and occasional light trails) and it did the job. I paid 400 for the bike and the parts were all Acera.
Definitely required maint. after hard rides and a certain amount of time.
But for the beginner I would suggest this is a great point to start off with. Cheap but effective. Why go for higher end components if you are new to biking? Learn to use the lesser stuff first and learn how equipment works. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Johnny Boczar
a Cross Country Rider
from Galati Gl Rmania
Date Reviewed: July 14, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | came whit the bike | | Strengths: | Cheap, pretty good looking easy to adjust | | Weaknesses: | Difficult shifting in stressful conditions but this can be avoided and it's attenuated by the price | | Similar Products Used: | XT, LX, Alivio ... | | Bike Setup: | Wheeler 600 Sport Line | | Bottom Line: | It's a derailleur whit a very good value for maoney and a quite good quality/price balance it is a little stressed when shifting in difficult condition but I think it's normal at it's price. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Wausau WI, U.S.A.
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Nine Mile Park | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Rib Mountain Cycle | | Strengths: | its cheap | | Weaknesses: | everything! it upshifts like crap, dont even try shifting when going up hill its a waste of energy. it grinds all the time and just sucks. | | Similar Products Used: | decore and xt | | Bike Setup: | specialized hardrock comp | | Bottom Line: | it blows. dont buy it. if its on your bike have the shop swap it out for an xt. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a Weekend Warrior
from Roseville, MN, USA
Date Reviewed: June 19, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Price | | Similar Products Used: | Alivio | | Bike Setup: | Giant Rincon | | Bottom Line: | The Acera front derailer works great if you are new to biking and are not a hardcore biker. If you plan on taking your bike off road a lot you might want to consider the alivio or even the deore. But if you are like me and just enjoy a nice easy ride once or twice a week, then the acera derailer will work just fine for you. Just remember while shifting to ease up on the pressure on the pedals or ease you can cause problems. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Karl
a Cross Country Rider
from Walnut Creek, California
Date Reviewed: May 20, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Marshall Creek/Mnt Diablo | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | cheap, predictable | | Weaknesses: | Some of it's predictability is problem shifting under high stress like steep inclines. | | Bottom Line: | Look, deuraillers - especially in this price range - just aren't perfect. I've had to tame my aggressive instincts on some killer steep inclines because this rear derailler has some problems under stress. I also weigh 220lbs so I pity any derauiller that has to shift when I'm riding a nose bleed trail. Overall, it's been an okay product. If you have disposable income to upgrade, do it. I probably will soon. Used this product 3-4 times a week for 18 months. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Randall
a Cross Country Rider
from Lubbock
Date Reviewed: May 17, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | If you have friends who don't know a thing about bikes, you might be able to sell it to them for $20 because it says Shimano | | Weaknesses: | Everything. It squeaks, it rattles, it skips, its slower than anything I have ever tried. I have been in more accidents because of delayed shifting than all other accidents combined. One of these days I'm gonna sue shimano to help curb the cost of my ER visits. | | Similar Products Used: | You would be better off leaning back and using your FINGER. | | Bike Setup: | Gary Fisher | | Bottom Line: | I think this product is an embarrassment to the entire shimano name. I'm gonna try to think of reasons why shimano would even consider making this thing. 1:Perhaps the Product Development Intern who helped out on this one was related to a VP at Shimano. 2:Maybe the whole Kid Rock/Eminem craze inspired shimano to make a product "straight out tha traila' park". 3: Maybe Shimano got together with Gary Fisher and plotted against "cheap skate" bikers who spend under $1500 on a new bike. Whatever the case, shimano couldn't have made a worse product if they tried.
You should buy this only if it comes on a bike. If this is the case, be sure to have extra money to buy some kind of replacement on the spot. Don't buy it if you have ever ridden a bike or if you ever expect to change gears.
I'm only giving this thing one chili because that's as low as it goes. It hasn't done anything to earn that chili. Maybe because it says shimano. That's the only way I can justify giving it any chilis. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Francis Fowler
a Cross Country Rider
from Wellington, New Zealand
Date Reviewed: May 1, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | came on bike | | Strengths: | cheap, works ok for the money if well maintained | | Weaknesses: | doesn't shift that great, look cheap | | Similar Products Used: | deore front, xt rear, lx front, lx rear | | Bike Setup: | GT Arrowhead - mostly stock (acera front and rear) | | Bottom Line: | These derailers are ok for the money, They don't shift that great though. I wouldn't recommend buying one unless it comes with the bike. The rear one bounced into the spokes and broke the derailer hanger but that was probably because of my cheap, piece of s#@! wheels flexing on a jump landing. At the moment they hardly work at all but that is because my whole drivetrain is badly worn. If you learn how to adjust them, don't change gears while under power, have decent shifters and the rest of your drivetrain and cables are in ok condition, then they should work ok. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Barry
a Weekend Warrior
from Victoria
Date Reviewed: April 2, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | anything fast, also trials | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | came on bike | | Strengths: | Rear derailleur relatively strong...landed on a car ramp on it and only broke the plastic adjuster which is easily replaced, i expected much worse. Been in fight with many a stick, crashed into lots of things with it. | | Weaknesses: | Not super fast shifting but could be due to bad cable routing | | Similar Products Used: | XTR, Deore XT, Deore LX, Deore, ALivio...i think ive tried every Shimano rear derailleur | | Bike Setup: | 99 Raceline Expert, RS Indy XC, Deore LX front derailleur, Deore Brakes, Ritchey bars | | Bottom Line: | Not too shabby for a cheapo derailleur, would like to upgrade oneday, although it is nice to have a full metal derailleur...I have also never done any maintenance besides replacing the broken plastic thingo | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Wade McGhee
a Cross Country Rider
from Orillia, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: March 25, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Hardwood Hills | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Acera crank is o.k., rear derailler is surprisingly smooth for a lower end product. | | Weaknesses: | Front Derailler is the WORST. Don't buy this product or even replace one that is broken with another Acera. Go to Deore - you'll be amazed at the difference. | | Similar Products Used: | Alivio, Deore, Deore LX, XT | | Bike Setup: | I changed out my Acera Front derailler as fast as I could on my Trek 600, and changed the Acera Rear derailler on girlfrinds bike to LX. | | Bottom Line: | The bottom line is that if you have a bike that comes with Acera stuff, it'll do the job, and the rear derailler is fairly decent, but you'll enjoy your bike much more when you get rid of that awful front derailler. I've had much lower grade front deraillers work better! THe straight Deore front derailler is the best upgrade since it fits all frame sizes with a shim kit and is as smooth as you'll ever need. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
kiks bords
a Weekend Warrior
from manila, philippines
Date Reviewed: March 4, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$10.00 | | Purchased At: | bike shop | | Strengths: | cheap | | Weaknesses: | slow shifting | | Bike Setup: | gt hard tail w/ rigid fork acera x group set | | Bottom Line: | i've been using my bike for 5 years now with acera x group set and its doing great up to now i never encounter any problem with this product, maybe it was setup correctly by the bike mechanic where i purchased my bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
david crouch
a Cross Country Rider
from london
Date Reviewed: January 20, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | bike shop | | Strengths: | for £17 ish its better than some | | Weaknesses: | absolutly rubish dont recommend this to anyone, it may be cheap but you throw your money away. mine had a large throw jockey wheel. poor shifter, constant adjustment and the main barrel containing the chain tension spring is plastic!! obviously this broke and sent the whole thiong flying into my spokes and snapped the new chain. CRAP | | Similar Products Used: | every thing from old simplex 6 shimanos. at least the old was metal and held together | | Bike Setup: | marin palisades modified, old style frame (less angular tubing) | | Bottom Line: | dont bother it will break!!! verry easily and won't keep the chain on sprockets | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mike n
a Cross Country Rider
from crestview
Date Reviewed: January 9, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | University of West Florida | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | came on bike (Jamis Cross Country) | | Strengths: | works. I've been through many rainstorms and it hasn't been damaged or rusted yet. | | Weaknesses: | Heavy | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Deore | | Bike Setup: | 2002 Jamis Cross Country SX. Clipless pedals, Rock Shox Judy fork, Maxxis Mofo XC tires, etc. | | Bottom Line: | One of the previous reviews is correct. A derailer is suposed to shift and thats about it. This one does that. It may need some minor adjusting from time to time, but no big deal. I keep it lubed up occassionaly and I can't complain although the XT and XTR is much lighter. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a Weekend Warrior
from Canada
Date Reviewed: December 6, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | works, easy to shift | | Weaknesses: | hard to adjust, slow shifting | | Similar Products Used: | low end shimano stuff (TY-22) | | Bike Setup: | 2002 Norco Bigfoot | | Bottom Line: | DO NOT BUY IT TO PUT ON A BIKE, get at least deore | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mark lyndo
a Weekend Warrior
from auckland, newzealand
Date Reviewed: December 5, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Riverhead | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | on bike | | Strengths: | does the job | | Weaknesses: | wont break | | Similar Products Used: | shimano exage | | Bike Setup: | Claud Butler hard tail, deore cranks, gripshifters, olivio front der, Z5's | | Bottom Line: | I got my bike 2nd hand so no idea how old it is, I ride in sand and mud/dust usually technical type trails with tree roots etc..nothing major but fun..this deraileur does the job dosnt miss..abit slow but so am I!...I want to replace it, not because I have to! same with the Olivio front der...I might realise how crap they are when I upgrade but at the moment they do the job..I do clean and maintain regularly.. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mould
a Cross Country Rider
from thornhill, ontario, canada
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | el scorcho | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | sport mart | | Strengths: | can somtimes change the gears | | Weaknesses: | everything, rough changing, very flimsy, needs to be fixed every other day | | Similar Products Used: | a twig hanging down from the axle | | Bike Setup: | Norco 125 | | Bottom Line: | cant hold up to anything, onyl good for raod commuting, dont use for any sort of off road | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
moabbiker
a
from usa
Date Reviewed: June 1, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | cheap price, good quality! | | Weaknesses: | heavy! | | Similar Products Used: | xt, xtr, dura ace | | Bottom Line: | OK, let's get with the facts here. Derailleurs work on a very simple principle. An XTR will not make it "shift" better on its own. Shifting is a property that is heavily dependent on the gears itself, shifter, cabling, and calibration of the derailleur itself. The derailleur component, assuming it is aligned correctly, is only a minor part of the equation! Now, I've used the Acera as well as XTR and dura ace derailleurs so I know what I'm talking about here. There is NO difference, except for one main ingredient: weight. The Acera weighs considerably more than the higher grades of derailleurs, so weight weenies need not apply. Anyone who says the Acera can't shift well obviously has their derailleur misadjusted, all derailleurs will go into misaligned after time due to cable stretch -- no big deal! Learn to align that thing yourself. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Allan
a
from Buffalo, NY
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$330.00 | | Strengths: | Somewhat reliable low-end shifter. Works for light trial riding. Works well enough. | | Weaknesses: | Shifting into 3rd front gear is tough, chain rubs against the derailluer in the high hears. | | Similar Products Used: | kmart crap | | Bike Setup: | stock Specialized Hardrock | | Bottom Line: | decent for beginners, but not worth risking in a more intensive situation. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt Brooks
a Weekend Warrior
from Huntsville, AL
Date Reviewed: April 20, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Monte Sano | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Bicycles Etc. | | Similar Products Used: | Low-end stuff on ~$200 bikes | | Bike Setup: | Trek 4300 stock equipment | | Bottom Line: | I bought a Trek 4300 from the guys at bicycles etc. exactly a week ago. I put about 25 miles on trail riding onto my bike in the first 4 days and half way through the 4th day the rear hanger went too far over when shifting to first in anticipation of a climb. The hanger locked into the spokes. Since I was still moving the hanger jacked up vertically and bent itself to hell.
I was able to ride home kind of - I couldn't go below 6th gear or else it would do it again!
Bicycles etc. ordered in a new derailer, re-trued the rear wheel, and I picked the bike up yesterday two days later. No charge and great service there.
Anyway they said this was a rare problem and I know it can happen on any derailer. Perhaps it was the fault of this one or perhaps I caught a stick in the back that popped it over.
For the riding I did do the derailer before I broke it was pretty good. I hadn't logged in many miles but the majority of the time it switched into the gear I want with little complaint and stayed there. I'm a newbie to MTBing on hard trails but for what it's worth I am fairly fit and I push the bike decently. At least for now I have no desire to upgrade this component. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ben Hanson
a Cross Country Rider
from York, England
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Stuff in Scotland around Fort William | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | Came on Bike | | Strengths: | Cheep, Looks O.K | | Weaknesses: | Loud, gets clogged up | | Bike Setup: | Trek 4100 | | Bottom Line: | Ive had this for 2 years with my bike and it has served me well so far. However, on a 125 mile bike ride across the scottish highlands it got completely clogged up with mud and stopped working properly after 90 miles. I had to kick the damn thing to get it to work properly as it got jammed up. After cleaning though, I managed to get it working properly but I will upgrade to at least alivio before I go on another serious ride. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
brian
a Cross Country Rider
from seminole, FLorida
Date Reviewed: February 2, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | trails, city and somedown hill | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | stock on bike | | Strengths: | uhm... if you ride a recumbant or are 50+ and only ride on flat concrete trails away from traffic, this may be good if its on a bike in your price range. only better than Kmart bikes. | | Weaknesses: | if you like out of bounds riding DONT GET THIS CRAP!!! you will need to upgrade within a week if you stand up or change gears rapidly for climbing and going down hills. chain slips, shifts loudly after only a few days, the in ward and outward limits have to be adjusted every other day because it seems to adjust itself. | | Bike Setup: | gary fisher wahoo | | Bottom Line: | dont get it | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Don B.
a Weekend Warrior
from Glendora, CA. USA
Date Reviewed: January 16, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | San Gabriel Mountains, So. CA. | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Came as standard part on recumbent bike I own. Works well. With Grip Shifters the
shifting is smooth and predictable up and down modest hills. Apparently it's cheap,
but both front and back have not gotten out of adjustment on me. No problems. | | Weaknesses: | As mentioned by many below, it is unadvisable to shift the front derailer from 2nd into Granny if you are half-way up a hill. Front derailer and back DO NOT shift well
when under stress. When I first got the bike I would drop the chain OFF the front chainwheels when shifting down to granny on a hill. I assumed it was because I was a novice at ascending hills with the new bike, and with practice the shifting problem no longer happens. Bottom line, if you know how to finess it, and you know how to adjust it, it is a great product. | | Similar Products Used: | What ever is on my 1987 Schwinn MTB. | | Bike Setup: | Easy Racers EZ-1 Recumbent. Shimano rigged all the way. SRAM XTR grip shifters. | | Bottom Line: | This is a great product for road riding. I wouldn't recommend it for OFF ROAD.
Learn to finess it and you will have a great and reliable product. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Richard
a Weekend Warrior
from Coconut Creek , FL, USA
Date Reviewed: January 7, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Only be on Quiet Waters Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Bicycle Generations | | Strengths: | The only strength about this derailleur system would be the cheap price. In this case you get what you pay for. | | Weaknesses: | Shifts slowly with a lot of noise. It has a problem shifting from 2nd to 3rd in the front. The chain pops off with little effort. The rear is very bouncy. | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | Trek 4300 | | Bottom Line: | This is a very dangerous derailleur system. I have been riding this bike 3 days a week on an intermediate to advanced course. During a few technical sections the chain popped off. The only thing that kept me from hitting the deck was my balance and brakes. I brought the bike into the shop for service. Nothing changed. I recommend that anyone who sees this system on a mountain bike, upgrade! It is not designed for off roading. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jon Spear
a Weekend Warrior
from Whitman Ma USA
Date Reviewed: October 16, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$15.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Barn | | Strengths: | Cheap $$$ | | Weaknesses: | Cheap construction | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Alivio | | Bottom Line: | Worked great, then the lower berring went after 200+mi. Other than that it was perfect. Never slipped, always quick and smooth. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Phill Stacey
a Cross Country Rider
from Abingdon (oxfordshire)
Date Reviewed: September 11, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Forest of Dean | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Came on the bike | | Strengths: | A cheap and reliable gear system which does what you tell it to. | | Weaknesses: | it's slower in comparison to alvio,stx,deore,lx,xt and xtr. | | Similar Products Used: | sis,Megarange, alvio, stx and lx | | Bike Setup: | 2000 Dawes chilliwak 24spd Acera.
2001 Dawes Kokomo 21spd megarange. | | Bottom Line: | Both my brother and I have ridden across England on these deraileurs and they both work fine one year later. Considering the bike has done about 1800 miles in one and a half years I am surprised to see that my deraileur is still working and neither myself or anyone has had to tune it at all, and I can easily get to all 24 gears without any problem at all.This is a brilliant gear system which is ideal for students with little money or a novice who doesn't want to spend a lot of money. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Zack
a
from SinCity
Date Reviewed: August 13, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Staircases n more staircases | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | It works n it's cheap. | | Weaknesses: | Front derailleur is a piece of (@!?+*&^%$#@) | | Bottom Line: | Rear d works just fine, pretty smooth n accurate. Can't say the front d works though. I had to tighten up cable n misaligned the front d more outwards towards top crank b4 it finally engage gears smoothly. But it still felt stiff n shifting during uphill is not easy. No use fretting over this stuffs for the price tag it carries, I'll say get over it n just ride. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
monty
a
from yorkshire
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | owt | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$10.00 | | Purchased At: | halfords | | Strengths: | brand name, cost £5 in clearance sale, smooth running, light weight, easy to clean/strip & i wont loose any sleep if i wrap it around a log. | | Weaknesses: | none at a fiver, if it lasts a few months i will be happy | | Similar Products Used: | mega range (total rubbish) bottom jockey wheel too soft plastic stripped teeth in 2 months. French Trax dreailure not too bad | | Bike Setup: | Scott timber SE 21 speed | | Bottom Line: | cost effective (hence i baught 2) better than the crap that was originally fitted to my bike | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
HOngYI1 YI
a Weekend Warrior
from SIngapore
Date Reviewed: July 12, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | NOt many riden b4. BUt Bukit TImah>? | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Shifts well.
takes like less than 1 second to shift in the rear.
Front takes maybe 3 seconds. SO?>
Normally i only use the 2nd chainring when doing XC.
DUn tell me u pple do use all 3... | | Weaknesses: | Maybe abit slow shifting.
THe fronts shifting isnt veri smooth.
BAck shifts very accurately but noisy(when chain falls onto next cog). | | Similar Products Used: | nothings much. Crappy deraillers on commercial shopping mall bikes that dun shift till u adjust the shifters for few seconds. | | Bike Setup: | ACera front/rear,
Dx spds,
SUntour crank,
RST 381 fork....
quite lousy huh | | Bottom Line: | ITs still quite reliable. I've been riding on the road, on XC. It doesnt hurt. I can still ride as well. DUn understand why all of u say it gets out of tune etc cos i seldom tune it. At least not for a few months already.
Its quite reliable... ANd it came on my bike. SInce its working why trash it?
Btw, mine is quite a new version, its i think metal. Go get it if u are on a budget. COs i dun think i will upgrade unless it fails. :)
who should buy it?
PPle who lack money.(students like me)
Pple who are not that hardcore and dun mind owning a low class.
Performs its job well.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Arek Goral
a Weekend Warrior
from Warszawa Poland
Date Reviewed: May 7, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Stock on the bike | | Strengths: | Happens it works | | Weaknesses: | For people who feel bored - you can spend whole life on adjustments . | | Similar Products Used: | No name derailleurs. | | Bike Setup: | Grisley Mega , Alu 7005 , acera - alivio ,sram 5.0 , suntour mg90 shock | | Bottom Line: | You can recommend this product only for someone you really hate .
Or you can buy it if you feel to calm - it guarantees really strong emotions .... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bummed-out
a Weekend Warrior
from Missoula, MT
Date Reviewed: February 24, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Stock on the bike | | Strengths: | Not one strength. This front derailluer is so horrible I can't begin to describe it. | | Weaknesses: | It exists. | | Bike Setup: | Alpine Designs, Rockshox, Bontrager | | Bottom Line: | I probably tuned that f***ing front derailleur after every ride. I tuned it, my gearhead boyfriend tuned it, the poor guy at the shop tuned it (again and again and again). I bought the bike in May and even though I had the choice to send the derailleur back to Shimano, I just couldn't because that meant no riding until I got a replacement (and it was only May!) This wasn't an option and I couldn't afford an upgrade 'cause I had just dropped all my dough on the bike. After a month I stopped tuning it altogether and just road the crap out of it. It was an all-around disheartening experience. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rich
a Weekend Warrior
from Thunder Bay On Canada
Date Reviewed: February 20, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | once it is set
works ok | | Weaknesses: | very difficult to set up | | Similar Products Used: | cheap suntour junk | | Bike Setup: | 2000 Trek 6000 | | Bottom Line: | This review is for the front derailer
I needed to take it back to lbs about four times before he finally snugged up the cable tight as can be and now it works. The only problem I have now is shifting under load.
Just try to keep tension off while shifting once set it works alright. From the looks of the reviews on lx and xt, shifting under load is the problem with most shimano products. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rusty
a Downhiller
from Australia
Date Reviewed: February 8, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Brisbane Australia | | Strengths: | None | | Weaknesses: | Both front & rear suck big-time. Forget mud, they don't work, forget about everything after 2 years of use. | | Similar Products Used: | None - my first MTB. | | Bike Setup: | Giant Rincon SE => time for upgrade, its dead! | | Bottom Line: | Worked ok when new, offroad killed em pretty quick. Slow shifting, they decide to self-adjust mid-ride (particularly the front). No matter how much you attempt to adjust the rear derailer it just won't work. If you want a reliable bike 2 years down the track, avoid anything that comes with these fitted as std equipment!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve
a Weekend Warrior
from Austin, TX
Date Reviewed: February 4, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Barton Springs | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Sun&Ski | | Strengths: | Never fails to piss you off | | Weaknesses: | extremely poor shifting, adjusting doesn't seem to do anything. | | Similar Products Used: | deore, lx, xt | | Bike Setup: | 2001 GF Tassajara | | Bottom Line: | Nobody should suffer from having the piece of crap Acera front der. on thier bike. If your bike came with one like mine replace it ASAP. I'm not kidding. Had trouble going into the 3rd and 2nd chainrings. BOTTOM LINE: Total crap. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Johnny
a Weekend Warrior
from Vancouver
Date Reviewed: December 12, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Nice looking, good positioning. | | Weaknesses: | Horrible, horrible derailleurs. If you buy these, expect your chain to skip/fall off frequently. Its been to the bike shop 5 times for adjustments/repairs and it still does the same thing. Shimano Acera sucks... | | Bottom Line: | Crap | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brendan
a Cross Country Rider
from S. S. Town, MD
Date Reviewed: October 3, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Round the house | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | strong shifting, no skips with good lubing. | | Weaknesses: | I don't know of any, but understand other rider's complaints. | | Similar Products Used: | xtr xtr xtr | | Bike Setup: | my trials bike: ridgid GT outpost with thin bars, and reeeally heavy wheels, it's perty fast on most surfaces. | | Bottom Line: | This is a very good REAR derailer. The front one has issues, so I replaced it w/ an xtr (ain't to expensive for front). If you doll it right, I performs very well. I did notice it has a bad shake over hard bumps/stairs, so it's best on a trials or stock bike, not your racer. Keep on riding. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Phil
a Weekend Warrior
from Jamaica Estates, NY, USA
Date Reviewed: September 29, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | it moves | | Weaknesses: | the chain doesn't | | Bottom Line: | the front derailleur is big doodoo! it came with my bike and doesn't shift unless i have a very high cadence. don't even think of paying a cent for it. don't try taking on trails either cause if you're about to hit a steap climb, expect to walk your way up! If you're a masher who does urban biking just keep it on the third chainring and don't try shifting! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg
a
from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: September 15, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | They are still working | | Weaknesses: | Needs lots of readjusting. I spend more time fixing than i do riding | | Bottom Line: | Other than adjusting them before every ride, they have served me well. My bike basically died after about 1000km, but my derailleurs (acera front and rear)managed to survive. I ride my bike hard for what it was made for (i only paid $350CDN) and they still move that chain. Pretty good quality, but spend a few extra $ and get something a little better. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Luke Rewerenda
a Cross Country Rider
from Gliwice, Poland
Date Reviewed: September 9, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | closed military areas, tank training grounds etc. | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Cheap
Appropriate for city rides | | Weaknesses: | Very weak, easy to destroy (plastic parts), hardly works in off-road conditions, shifts poorly | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX, XT, ESP 7.0, Sachs Plasma | | Bike Setup: | Merida Matts, 4" shock | | Bottom Line: | It works while used on asphalt roads in arid conditions.
Otherwise it fails to shift or it shifts lazily. Needs adjustments every 100 km or so. Also, hard do adjust.
Expect a huge play after few off-road trips. Suitable for city bikes.
Useless for XC, unreliable and unpredictible (can shift down upon shock) etc.
'96 Tourney groups work a way better, so even the value rating is 1.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ron Clemins
a Weekend Warrior
from Phoenixville, Pa, USA
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Valley Forge Park | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Price | | Weaknesses: | Gets out of whack VERY OFTEN. Impossible for a newbie to adjust. | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | Marin Madrone Trail, stock | | Bottom Line: | NEVER TAKE THESE DERAILLERS OFFROAD! I guess since my bike is considered a hybrid, they assumed I would never go off road with it. Well, the Acera was working great until I started to do some mild singletrack. Now, the front and rear deraillers need a complete overhaul every time I ride. If you need to shift the front while stomping the pedals, this piece of &*#%$ will grind and lock up your chain and make you walk up a *&^%$ hill! I am glad I bought the 5 year service plan, because I am at the bike shop like every 2 weeks. I am hoping that they get so sick of seeing me that they offer to upgrade my deraillers at a discount.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Phil
a Weekend Warrior
from Worcester, England
Date Reviewed: July 29, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Cheap and thats about it. | | Weaknesses: | Everything but cost. Came on my lovely new bike and shifts like a load of crap. Works fine with no pressure on it but as soon as you start riding it rubs creaks clatters and requires a good kicking to get it to shift. | | Similar Products Used: | Altus on my old outpost. shifts far better. | | Bike Setup: | GT Tempest, azonic bars FSA cranks and soon to be bomber Z5's. | | Bottom Line: | Crap. Dont buy this product. if it comes on your bike see how it goes for about a week then change it for something better or do as im going to and convert to one ring at the front.
1 flaming turd. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim Rowe
a Weekend Warrior
from Brisbane, Australia
Date Reviewed: July 26, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Whites hill reserve | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Rear derailleur is great shifts well on both upshift and down, needs adjustment only when i crash
| | Weaknesses: | front Derailleur is a piece of s**t. Needs adjusting at least after every ride, chain always scrapes on some part of the cage. Won't shift down when under pressure ie; middle to granny. | | Similar Products Used: | xt, lx, xtr, | | Bike Setup: | Merida Kalahari with rock shox jett race forks,acera
shifters and suntour sprockets | | Bottom Line: | front is crap rear is great will upgrade fornt to lx/ deore as soon as possible. Don't buy the front unless it comes on your bike and if so ditch it, it will ruin your chainrings and scratch all the paint off the seat tube. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike DeWitt
a Weekend Warrior
from Ft. Leonard Wood, MO
Date Reviewed: June 2, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Too Many | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Cheap, Looks good, Great for a starter or for just cruising around the trails. | | Weaknesses: | Hangs up under pressure, have to adjust it once in a while. Dont take to shifting uphills to good. | | Similar Products Used: | All the suntour systems. | | Bike Setup: | Raleigh M60 (2000) w/ Rock Shox Jett Acera X drive train | | Bottom Line: | Good stock equipment on your bike, if into comp. better upgrade. For the price cant be beat. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brandon
a Downhiller
from Houston, TX
Date Reviewed: May 31, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | The Bowl | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | cheap
O.K. shifting under low stress
it works... sort of | | Weaknesses: | sucky shifting under high stress
clunky, inaccurate shifting in normal riding | | Bike Setup: | Motobecane 300FS, stock | | Bottom Line: | An O.K. shifter for the money. However, DO NOT buy it unless ic comes with your bike. When riding uphill and downshifting at the same time, the chain will 'skip' and not engage. The shifts are inaccurate and NOISY. Upshifts are quick, but not so for downshifts. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from Austin, TX, US
Date Reviewed: April 26, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | City Park | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Sometimes shifts | | Weaknesses: | Does not shift well under stress | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | Trek 6000 | | Bottom Line: | This derailer fails when you need it most | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrew Cooper
a Weekend Warrior
from Bournemouth, UK
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Runs smoothly when you have it for the first week. | | Weaknesses: | DO NOT GET THIS PRODUCT it may be cheap but its heavy,it changeds slowly. I used it for one hour on a fairly muddy wet trail and it started locking up I had a long walk home. | | Bottom Line: | WORST PODUCT EVER | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian
a Weekend Warrior
from Maryland
Date Reviewed: February 3, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Hey it's cheap, came with my '97 Schwinn Clear creek. Lasted and lasted one of the few original parts left. Just clean it with break cleaner then relube and it's factory new again! | | Weaknesses: | Cheap, sorta heavy, gets gunked up easy | | Similar Products Used: | Classic suntour and Campy deraillers | | Bike Setup: | '97 Schwinn Clear Creek with whole lotta replaced parts | | Bottom Line: | Hey it came with it and it took my clydesdale abuse for 3 years and I don't replace something unless its broken but I guess that rarely happens when your your own wrench | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian
a Weekend Warrior
from Halifax, Nova Scotia
Date Reviewed: December 22, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Jack's Lake | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
I have put this derailleur through mud, dirt, crashes, and a lot of mileage and it's still working great. It cost almost nothing compared to anything higher, and still shifts smoothly enough to get by. | | Weaknesses: |
A little slow on the shifting, can be nasty to adjust the limits. | | Similar Products Used: |
Shimano SIS, STX, LX, XT | | Bike Setup: |
'96 Raleigh Serengeti w/ '98 Judy XC, all Acera X drive train | | Bottom Line: | If you've got the cash, by all means go for something higher up, but this derailleur gives solid performance for the money. It also will survive most of what you can throw at it. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Cross-Country Rider
from Bedford, England
Date Reviewed: December 6, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Strawberryland | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Cheap | | Weaknesses: |
Squeaks
Rattles
Chews my chain
shifts badly | | Similar Products Used: |
stx-rc
lx
xt
s-ram | | Bike Setup: |
Kona Hahanna
Bomber Z4
Mavic D521
636 pedals | | Bottom Line: | Okay... dont buy this mech coz it is a piece of crap, it came with my bike and 4 a while (a month)
it shifted ok. but then it started rattling and when i shifted it sounded like some one woz rattling a box of spanners. Then it just stopped shifting and i had 2 ride everywhere on the biggest sprocket until i got my new stx-rc one which is miles better
i give it one steaming turnip | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
luke
a Cross-Country Rider
from canada, newfoundland, st.john's
Date Reviewed: November 17, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
south side hill | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
works well for the price | | Weaknesses: |
needs lots of care | | Similar Products Used: |
alivio
stx-rc | | Bike Setup: |
kona,hahanna
shimano 636 pedals
rst 281
tektro quartz brakes | | Bottom Line: | If it shifts and dosen't brake it's good enough
for me. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark McCarthy
a Cross-Country Rider
from Howell, NJ
Date Reviewed: October 7, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Delaware & Raritan Canal | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Strong, cheap, and reliable | | Weaknesses: |
None that I can see. | | Similar Products Used: |
None, for I haven't had a mountain bike before my M-30. I have a Suntour ARX on my road bike. | | Bike Setup: |
I have a 1999 Raleigh M-30 rigid. It has toe-clips, two water bottles, bar ends, and a frame mounted pump. | | Bottom Line: | The Acera seems to be a good, basic derailleur. I've beaten on it while riding construction sites, and it's still shifting. If you want something to get the job done, a properly set up Acera will do the job for you. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
chris
a Cross-Country Rider
from ca
Date Reviewed: August 5, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
worked good for first 6 months | | Weaknesses: |
doesn't work after first 6 months(if that long) | | Similar Products Used: |
none | | Bike Setup: |
97 hardrock gx upgraded to indy c | | Bottom Line: | piece of shit\
one star cause i have to | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alex T
a Weekend Warrior
from Washington DC
Date Reviewed: July 23, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
Cheap? Shifts great for the price first 100 miles, if you can adjust it | | Weaknesses: |
b*tch to adjust.
doesnt seem it's gonna last for long | | Similar Products Used: |
you tell me | | Bike Setup: |
Pacific 5500, came with it. | | Bottom Line: | 1) it was not designed for F/S bikes. When I got bike, it was at least 8mm higher, and I couldn't move it down, 'cause it is top swing low-clamp, and there's no space to push it down. I had to file a piece of clam to lower and it is still higher then it should.
2) trouble to upshift from granny to second. And you can't adjust it, it starts rubbing on chain. cage was designed for chain thicker then the one I got /Z narrow chain/.
3) I had bike for less then a mo, and cage is kinda loose, don't think it's gonna last long. Yet it seems to be the problem with all top swing Shimanos | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
AdamA.K.A Bobby Hill
a Downhiller
from Nelson, B.C.
Date Reviewed: June 17, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Long Svoboda | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Shifts great
Really strong
Crisp Action
CHEAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | | Weaknesses: |
Breaks really easy
Hard 2 fix | | Similar Products Used: |
All the Shimano ones | | Bike Setup: |
Rigid GT Outpost
Downhill pedals
Riserbars
Totally freeride | | Bottom Line: | Really good 4 the price. I was doing some trials stuff and i mangled it when I fell and it was F**KIN hard 2 fix but it still works great. Go and buy one but u should get XTR instead. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe
a Racer
from Barberton, OH
Date Reviewed: May 22, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Vulture's Knob | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
+Got for $19 (99' version)
+Shifts well
+Super easy to adjust
+Works well with Grip Shift | | Weaknesses: |
-I think it weighs more than XT (but XT costs more)
-I don't know how long it will last | | Similar Products Used: |
Tourney, LX, and others | | Bike Setup: |
Pacific Riptide hardtail, with a DNP 7 spd cassette and Gripshift MRX. | | Bottom Line: | I have used this for about 2 months and it has been great. I have barely needed to adjust it, and when I did need to it was as simple as a turn of the barrel adjuster on it, which rules. It has been great shifting from day one, and it only weighs 285 grams which is only a third of an ounce or so more than LX. It only cost $19 from my LBS too!I haven't treated it kindly but it shifts under pressure great and it survived a race, which it shifted perfectly all the way. I am racing again next weekend with this derailleur! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ed
a Downhiller
from australia
Date Reviewed: April 16, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
maceglies | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
good 7 speed derallier, it came on my rigid, which is now a respectble slalom bearst | | Weaknesses: |
its crap, 7 speed | | Similar Products Used: |
none, i have the best 7 speed deralliuer | | Bike Setup: |
slalom bike, rst 381r, dh bars, chainguide, xtr v's | | Bottom Line: | it's shit, don't buy unless you to use 7 speed | | Overall Rating: |
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