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Submitted by
molten three
a Cross Country Rider
from Thame
Date Reviewed: July 22, 2009 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | with bike | | Strengths: | Quick fast shift, was reliable and would avoid the biggest of hits | | Weaknesses: | Broke very easily, plastic, not very appealing due to easy scratch | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano SLX m600 shadow | | Bike Setup: | GT Aggressor xc3 08 | | Bottom Line: | i would not buy for a cheap reliable great performing rear deraillieur pick a SLX much better, this one broke for me after a year of on off riding but completely gave up in deep riding, and has now snapped and bent the hanger along with a few spokes. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
pipexp
a Cross Country Rider
from Temuco, Chile
Date Reviewed: May 21, 2009 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Shift very well and fast. | | Weaknesses: | It cage plastic design, heavy.
delicate | | Bottom Line: | I got it 2 years ago, and works exactly like when i buy it.
shift fast and precise.
Be careful with this when fall down, because can be damage inside cage and not shows number of rings or shift bad. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
concepl
a Weekend Warrior
from manila, philippines
Date Reviewed: March 18, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | none | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$15.00 | | Purchased At: | cartimar | | Strengths: | cheap, reliable | | Weaknesses: | fine tune every once in a while | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | aluminum frame, hardtail, mosso aluminum forks, mob 26 x 1 3/8 tyres, shimano mechanical disc brakes | | Bottom Line: | reliable, cheap, still working after all these years. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sprinter3976
a Cross Country Rider
from Alabang, Philippines
Date Reviewed: October 29, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | La Mesa Forest Reserve | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$19.00 | | Purchased At: | Faren Enterprises | | Strengths: | (Rear derailleur only) Durable, surprisingly quiet, decent shifting. | | Weaknesses: | Heavy, plastic shell, easily gets scratched | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Deore LX, XT, 105, Ultegra, Dura Ace. | | Bike Setup: | '08 GT Outpost Disc (stock) | | Bottom Line: | Bought my bike stock, the Acera came with it. I bike to commute/workout on road everyday. I ride a basic trail (few short rocky downhills) about 5 times a week. With the everyday abuse, I thought I would be replacing my Acera sooner, but it still works perfectly. I had only tuned it once since I bought it. It has eaten sand, mud, grass, twigs, bumped rocks and curb, and it still works well. For an entry level component, not bad at all. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
AA
a Weekend Warrior
from Manila, Philippines
Date Reviewed: May 21, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | all | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Ross Bike Shop Cartimar | | Strengths: | nice design, cool black color & easy to read indicators. Easy to shift | | Weaknesses: | paint easily scratches, brake lever on right side reaches my 2 outer fingers when hard braking, need to adjust it... | | Similar Products Used: | none (yet!) | | Bike Setup: | stock 2008 Jamis X trail 3.0 24s disc with Cat Eye Velo 8 computer | | Bottom Line: | It is an afforable component group for a starter bike, which suits my needs. As I gain more experience, will upgrade to 9 speed, possibly with Deore group & Cane Creek brake levers (all black) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
AA
a Weekend Warrior
from Manila, Philippines
Date Reviewed: May 21, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | all | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Dan's Bike Shop Cartimar | | Strengths: | nice design, cool black color & easy to read indicators. Easy to shift | | Weaknesses: | paint easily scratches, brake lever on right side reaches my 2 outer fingers when hard braking | | Similar Products Used: | none (yet!) | | Bike Setup: | stock 2008 Jamis X trail 3.0 24s disc with Cat Eye Velo 8 computer | | Bottom Line: | It is an afforable component group for a starter bike, which suits my needs. As I gain more experience, will upgrade to 9 speed, possibly with Deore group & Cane Creek brake levers (all black) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tommi
a
from Canada
Date Reviewed: April 12, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$23.00 | | Purchased At: | Georges Cycle | | Strengths: | The Acera rear shifter on my Norco Bushpilot finally snapped in half, after 8 years of trail/ street/abusive riding.
I plan on getting another one and repair the bike. I found it easy to adjust,with seamless shifting if properly done.
As I've read, it's not the best for the exreme riders, but for what I do- streets, some trails and occasionally cross country- it worked out pretty well. | | Bike Setup: | 2000 Norco Bushpilot | | Bottom Line: | The bottom line: 8 years of riding everywhere, and a lot of abuse. Pretty good value, I'd say. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joel C
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney, NSW, Australia
Date Reviewed: April 7, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Yo' Mama | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Bulletproof, strong | | Weaknesses: | Heavy, front crank rings cannot be tightened nor disassembled | | Similar Products Used: | Alivio fitted as OEM | | Bike Setup: | 98 Giant sedona (the black "anniversary" edition) | | Bottom Line: | My comments are on the front crankset and rear cassette only.
A certain bike shop changed my worn alivio gear for this series a few years back and I didn't think much of it (I wasn't all that fussed about materials and so forth back then). Though I probably paid too much as I actually thought it was better than the original ware.
This is probably because they are made of steel and not aluminium, which explains why they have lasted longer and haven't gotten all bent and worn out like the aluminium ones did. Works well with the original STX equipment.
They've mainly been used for commuting but have held up well to the occasional bashing on kerbs and ramps etc.
The only reason I would replace them is that dirt has gotten between the rings on the front and I cannot actually pull them apart to clean them nor can I tighten them. Oh, and they're heavy.
Giving them a high value rating because they are really cheap for what they do (and how long they last). Otherwise, they are pretty average. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alfredo Flores
a Cross Country Rider
from Saltillo, Coahuila, MEXICO
Date Reviewed: April 30, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Shifts fast, I've used in the past cheapo bikes that I got fed up, then I decided to get a Giant Boulder SE 2007 Model, bought 1 month ago. I've ridden the bike almost 400km to this moment and this rear derailleur works great. You should fine tune as in every bike to get the most out of this component. I have used the bike offroad and have put a decent amount of stress on the bike, but no problems at all. | | Weaknesses: | None ATM, makes a little noise when using the 34T Mega-Range sprocket though. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Tourney, came in a cheap bike I bought last year, heavy frame. | | Bike Setup: | Giant Boulder SE 2007: Shimano 7-Speed Mega-Range, Shimano C101 front derailleur, Shimano EF-50 Shifters. I wish I had a 8-speed drivetrain. | | Bottom Line: | If you're looking for entry-level performance get these. However, I did at first wanted a Yukon 07, but didn't have the budget, so, you better get a Deore, but if you don't have the budget go for the Acera, much much better the Tourney I used. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
muddy fox
a Cross Country Rider
from Palawan, Philippines
Date Reviewed: April 22, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | El Nido Trails | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$15.00 | | Purchased At: | Came in w/y first bike | | Strengths: | Affordable, can do the job of higer ends shifter. | | Weaknesses: | being an "Acera model" only. | | Similar Products Used: | Deore, Sram, and SunRace | | Bike Setup: | MOB Frame with Acera Gruppo ( Japan not Malaysia-old model ) | | Bottom Line: | This product will last if used on "normal" use only and very minimal abuse on trails. But by nature, I guess acera is not designed for extreme rides, maybe for city cycling only. If you are planning to bike seriously do not use this product but if you are a city commuter, this is enough to do the job. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
blade ofdeath
a Downhiller
from chico, CA, United States
Date Reviewed: November 27, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | olympus mons | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | with bike | | Strengths: | it lasted for a while doing ok, not great. yeah, i said it... oooooh!? | | Weaknesses: | thing sheared right off. its weak, too weak for any serious kind of downhill. definitely not cut out for drops and jumping. | | Bottom Line: | whatever, im broke. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Justin M
a Cross Country Rider
from MD
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | just gimme trail or gimme deth! | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | with bike | | Strengths: | LOOK AT THIS REVIEW@@@@@@@@@@######################!
quick shifting, doesnt giv u any blisters... very nice ad comfortable on long rides. | | Weaknesses: | plastic shell looks cheap, although it does protect from breakage on the internals, and doesnt work well with acera derailleurs, i recomend xt derailleur with it | | Similar Products Used: | xtr, xt, and a few other shimano's | | Bike Setup: | gary fisher wahoo xt equipped with the nixon platinum fork | | Bottom Line: | If u dont wana spend a cupl hundred on shifters that will work just as well as any other and want comfortable shifters without busted hands and blisters, i highly highly recomend these for any1, | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ben Briant
a Cross Country Rider
from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Date Reviewed: May 28, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Lysterfield trails/ Mt Dandenong trails | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Has reliable shifting and is easy to read digits. Looks good as well. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Bike Setup: | 05 Giant Yukon | | Bottom Line: | These are OEM shifters and are brilliant 8 speed shifters. I've had them nearly for 2 years now and they have never let me down, they do the job well. I will though, need to replace shifting cables as they are rusted and do not shift as well. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nick
a Cross Country Rider
from Ithaca, NY
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Shindagan Hollow | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Bert's Bikes | | Strengths: | These came with my bike and have lasted through several years of mud and abuse with little maintenance. The trigger/thumb shifters are the most comfortable shifting setup I have tried. Other than the ocassional adjustment they were great. I am forced to repace them after one too many NY winters, but I liked them so much I may just get the same thing again. | | Weaknesses: | Need adjustment on a regular basis. | | Similar Products Used: | Something else...I don't know what they were | | Bike Setup: | late 90's GT Timberline | | Bottom Line: | A great value! Super rugged, comfortable, and affordable. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
chris oxard
a Downhiller
from england
Date Reviewed: November 26, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | nevis range downhill track (scotland) | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$15.00 | | Purchased At: | iv no idea how much it cost it came with the bike (saracen dtox) | | Strengths: | it dose what its supost to (usualy) | | Weaknesses: | scraches and bends easyly | | Bottom Line: | why the hell they put this shifter on my xc bike i dont know they dont even fit properly. if your looking for fast gear changing and no chain sliping dont buy these!!! | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nick
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney
Date Reviewed: November 5, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | The Great North Walk | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | OEM | | Strengths: | Does what its ment to. | | Weaknesses: | Chunky, breaks easily (I broke it from riding with my legs on my handlebars and I took a leg off and the shifter casing went with it). Also it cracks and scrapes really easily. I had to replace to casing of it. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Deore Rapid fire shifters | | Bike Setup: | Giant Rincon 05 | | Bottom Line: | It does what is ment to, its obiously not ment to be on a dirt jumping bike more of a recreational bike. It scratches easily and the casing breaks easily. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Emmanuel Hugo
a Cross Country Rider
from Digos City, Philippines
Date Reviewed: November 5, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | cross country | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | local bike shop | | Strengths: | maneuverable and easy to use and good for my golden age to go on a regular week-end 100-km-cross-country-biking fun | | Weaknesses: | none so far | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Altus | | Bike Setup: | BigCat Jaguar-framed MTB | | Bottom Line: | On frame mounted superbly by a good bike mechanic following the product instruction it functions flawlessly in the open field. This product is appropriate for bikers with golden ages. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gilbert Cunanan
a Cross Country Rider
from Paranaque City, Philippines
Date Reviewed: September 6, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | roads in the Montalban area (Philippines). | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | a local bike shop | | Strengths: | Priced fairly. Reliable shifting. Easy to read digits. Controls easy to find. Lives up to the "EZ Fire" name. | | Weaknesses: | Looks betray its price. Scratches easily and the location (above the handlebar) doesn't help. Can't upgrade to 9-speed. | | Similar Products Used: | Cheaper no-name thumb shifters. | | Bike Setup: | Typical high-tensile steel mall bike with upgraded parts. | | Bottom Line: | I am currently building a newer, lighter bike with my own choice components and would likely use this same model shifter, partly since I'm already used to this and will still be using it on my other bike but also because I like the assurance it gives me. I don't race nor do serious downhill runs so I need "EZ Fire" shifting more than "Rapid Fire" shifting.
However, I say "likely use this" because the plasticky look really turns me off and I might just decide it will make my new bike look cheap. Yet to decide. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Muz
a
from Sydney, Oz
Date Reviewed: March 5, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | out-of-business sale | | Strengths: | Works well! Fitted them as a minor upgrade to a bargain basement alu. bike for comfort's sake - I'm an old, out-of-shape guy who uses the bike for transport. They replaced a pair of SRAM twist-shifters that sucked so badly; hard to rotate, imprecise, total rubbish! The Acera used a slightly different index range to the FIS derailleurs, it took a small cable-pull-point extension lever to synch them. I've got the Acera derailleurs if I need them, but the FIS ones work well with the shifters. So much less strain on my wrists and hands with them. Smooth and reliable in use. | | Weaknesses: | None that have interfered with my riding. | | Similar Products Used: | Twist-grip and thumb index shifters only 'til now, which is why I decided to try these. | | Bike Setup: | alu. frame, cheapy but strong. Riser bars to take weight off my wrists, sprung seat for comfort (middle age concession, I'm not competing for anything, just doing around three-and-a half hours daily - work and back) | | Bottom Line: | They work for me! They're almost solely responsible for a 4kmh increase along my daily commute, which demonstrated to me how entirely woeful twist-grip shifters are. I've got no regrets about choosing this model, which I didn't research before I bought, being ignorant. I bought them because they were commonly fitted to models up the range from mine, so I went with the flow. A good move in hindsight. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tim
a Weekend Warrior
from Deephaven, MN
Date Reviewed: May 24, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Hoo Koo e Koo | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | Penn Cycle, Mps | | Strengths: | price, durability, easy to adjust, looks | | Weaknesses: | not good for racing | | Similar Products Used: | Deore, older over bar (the cool old ones) | | Bike Setup: | Lower end Gary Fisher w/rock shocks. medium to aggressive.
| | Bottom Line: | I laugh at guys who say these need to be upgraded, and then just parade their stuff around on cement. These things have been pounded through the mud and rocks, and take abuse. I liked the older over/bar shifters better than any of the rapid fires...but these'll do just fine for way less than the higher end stuff. And, will get me through until I can get on the road on my ultegras where you really get what you pay for. I'd never go higher than Acera unless I were paid to race. Nice product! Higher is a waste on an MTB, and if you disagree, then you're just parading your money on your bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Weekend Warrior
from Edmonton,Alberta,Canada
Date Reviewed: April 2, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | anything | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | united cycle | | Strengths: | None they suck | | Weaknesses: | everything they just dont shift.The day i bought my bike they started crapping out on me. they wouldnt shift up. | | Similar Products Used: | shimano alivio and deore | | Bike Setup: | trek 4300 rock shock judy | | Bottom Line: | these shifters suck. there cheap pieces of junk. I brought them in to get fixed when i got my bike back and started climbing a hill they wouldnt shift up agian. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mark b.
a Weekend Warrior
from midwest
Date Reviewed: February 28, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | the one in front of me | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | secondhand | | Strengths: | reliable shifting, due to the 8-SPEED!!! Good value, and 8-SPEED!!! | | Weaknesses: | EZ-Fire a little different feel than rapidfire (Alivio & up) | | Similar Products Used: | Alivio, Deore | | Bike Setup: | Motobecane (KHS) FS, 24-speed converted, xt crank, Hayes Mech., Black fork, RaceFace stem, carbon bar | | Bottom Line: | Acera works! My old set from my last bike are still going strong on my brother's bike, and I have a set on my new bike. I will switch up to Alivio next season, simply because the true Rapidfire works just that little bit better. Most people don't remember that the XT they say doesn't work as well is 9-SPEED (SUUUUUCK!!). Thanks for nothing, Shimano -- should have stopped at 8. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jacob O'Neall
a Downhiller
from Eubank, Ky
Date Reviewed: January 25, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | any that's good | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | came on bike | | Strengths: | um....... | | Weaknesses: | went through two complete sets, plus a third right side shifter withind one year, not due to crashing, just the internals failing. The first right-side shifter failed before I got the bike out of the store parking lot. they ARE that bad. | | Similar Products Used: | none this bad. | | Bike Setup: | 2000 Mongoose XR-850 DH/FR frame with 6 inches of travel, RST Sigma XL 8 inch inverted fork, Bombshell DH front wheel, Jayco rear wheel, WTB Mutanoraptor 2.4 lazer f & r, WTB Power V DH saddle, Promax disks, Shimano acera shifters & front derailler/ deore rear derailler, Truvativ Firex cranks, Raceface bb | | Bottom Line: | Don't buy these. I'm tired of them and am replacing them as soon as my time permits. I thought my first set was just a bad pair, but any decent shifter should at least survive a test spin around the parking lot. My sram mrx's and 7.0 twisters are much more reliable and perform better. Get some Sram shifter, not these from shimano. Okay, I'll be fair, I've had good experience with deore &lx, so if you are going to get shimano buy deore or better. Hint: Sram has new triggers. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
j jh
a Cross Country Rider
from Canberra
Date Reviewed: December 17, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Majura | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Culture | | Strengths: | Never missed a shift, don't seem to go out of tune like other shifters. | | Weaknesses: | Looks a bit dodgey - has no street cred. because they are so cheap. | | Similar Products Used: | LX deore | | Bike Setup: | Merida Dakar 670 | | Bottom Line: | These shifters were gold compared to all other ons I've ridden - all my friends with their expensive XT and LX gear always had problems but me on my cheapass piece of crap had no trouble shifting gears through mud up hills and down.
I've finally upgraded to deore on a new bike and I wish these new shifters were as good as my old dodgey ones.
They probably aren't all as good as the ones I got - I think mine were freaks, kind of like Herby the magic VW that was in that 80s disney movie but they served me well and never missed a beat.
If you're thinking about buying these then I'd say you can't go wrong, they're just as likely to work reliably as more expensive stuff. Maybe they weigh a few grams more is all. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Konte
a Cross Country Rider
from Greece
Date Reviewed: September 13, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | St. Marinos | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$35.00 | | Purchased At: | Papanikolaou | | Strengths: | Easy and quick shifting,no maintainance needed all these years and they don't have problems with mud or water. | | Weaknesses: | These plastic cups...get scrathed easily. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Altus, Shimano LX, SRAM 7.0 | | Bottom Line: | These shifters are great for cross country riding and won't create problems even when they are operating in a hard way!They have everything you expect from quality and performance shifters in a reasonable price! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave Janovetz
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: | they work well, you can see what gear you in well. | | Weaknesses: | the feed back kind of sucks | | Similar Products Used: | grip shift, xt | | Bike Setup: | specialized hardrock comp | | Bottom Line: | im satisfied. theyre not great but they work and are comfortabe to use. | | 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: | Fairly durable. A couple of head-ons into trees and no damage to them yet. Easy to use. | | Weaknesses: | Not as fluid feeling as alot of higher end shifters. These skin my knuckles. | | Similar Products Used: | low end SRAM shifters | | Bike Setup: | 2002 Jamis Cross Country SX, clipless pedals, Acera derailers, etc. | | Bottom Line: | These are great entry level shifters. They are durable enough to handle my trail riding and a couple of spills. My biggest problem however, is that they skin the top of my pointer finger knuckles. There is a sharp plastic molding joint somewhere that really eats up my skin when I'm riding hard and attempt to shift. I'll probably upgrade soon. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gerald
a Weekend Warrior
from San Mateo, Rizal, Philippines
Date Reviewed: December 9, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | San Mateo to Cogeo Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$120.00 | | Purchased At: | John Wilke's | | Strengths: | Low Price
Precise Shifting
No Gear Drifting | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Altus | | Bike Setup: | Schwinn Moab. | | Bottom Line: | I prefer buying shimano deore component group but my budget allowed me to buy only the next best thing. So far, my bike performs as expected though.
For recreational bikers, this is the product to buy.
For serious racers, better go for at least Deore.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Aaron
a
from Austin, TX
Date Reviewed: August 15, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1.00 | | Purchased At: | oem | | Strengths: | Good reliable shifting when used for what it was designed for | | Weaknesses: | Not very ergonomic for my hands. The thumb levers were much to high and far back to easily get to. | | Similar Products Used: | Alivio rapidfire, Deore thumb SIS, gripshift | | Bike Setup: | well I can tell you that it doesnt have Acera on it anymore | | Bottom Line: | These shifter/brake levers came stock on my bike. I liked them ok, but it was a little uncomfortable for me to shift with my thumb since I had the brake levers turned so far down (which is one problem with having a unified shifter/brake levers, you can adjust the position independently.) The main reason I upgraded to the Alivio rapidfire shifters was because the shifter levers were positioned different, but mostly I was upgrading just for the sake of upgrading. I didnt want to have anything from the Acera line on my bike. That said, I have nothing against it, I just wanted better stuff. Taking my bike and other similarly priced bikes for examples, I think these shifters offer excellent performance in the price range they are offered. But dont expect them to keep up with any of the LX or higher components. The important thing is not the price of your bike or its components, but the fact that these shifters are getting all dirty because you are out on the trails having a blast. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Baube
a Weekend Warrior
from Baie-Comeau
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | spinsport www.spinsport.qc.ca | | Strengths: | though, quick, ergonomic and precise | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | altus, grip shift, sis thumbshifter, LX | | Bike Setup: | front derailleur sis; rear derailleur tried a lot(stx-rc, lx, xt, acera, altus) | | Bottom Line: | work great with all of the derailleur above and i recommand this products to all who search a good shifter and did'nt want to pay an xtr shifter | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott
a
from Austin, TX USA
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Ride Away Bicycles | | Strengths: | Great set up. Tough and durable. Works well with xtr derailers | | Weaknesses: | None yet. | | Bike Setup: | 2001 GT Aggressor 2.0 Rock Shock Jett fork and seat post, xtr rear derailer and lx crankset and bb, Hutchison python treads
| | Bottom Line: | As I slowly up grade my bike I feel I can keep these. Smooth shifting, ultra compatible and durable. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Martin Drake
a Weekend Warrior
from Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Date Reviewed: April 15, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Capital City Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | Melbourne City Cycles | | Strengths: | Good down shift, generally smooth change. | | Weaknesses: | Does not handle a lot of vibration (my first set fell apart at 14mths - the bike spends a lot of time on the back of the car and often off-road). Hard to keep clean & lub'd. Needs regular tweaking to maintain tidy shifts. | | Similar Products Used: | Early version of Acera. | | Bike Setup: | Shogun Trailblazer II, updated seat/post, bars and cranks. | | Bottom Line: | Would probably look at upgrading to a sturdier set next time (replaced the failed set with newer Acera - the bike has been costing me more than the car lately !).
The first unit was good while I was doing mainly road/sealed track work. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ronald Aliwalas
a Weekend Warrior
from Bacoor,Cavite, Philippines
Date Reviewed: February 12, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$12.00 | | Purchased At: | Cartimar | | Strengths: | It's Cheap but performs well. Perfect for bikers on a low budget. | | Weaknesses: | Not ideal for rough riding but it can be used for it if needed. After all it, was described by shimano as "City-MTB component group". | | Similar Products Used: | Altus | | Bike Setup: | CHEAP rigid setup (Got it from Makro and upgraded some of its components to Shimano.) Altus V-brakes. Acera Derailleurs. | | Bottom Line: | It is definitely not a racer's first choice for components, but for cash-strapped bikers it is a good choice. It is cheap, yes , but it does what it was advertised to do - "For real mountain bike performance". | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Niels Joubert
a
from Stellenbosch, South Africa
Date Reviewed: October 22, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | Came with my bike | | Strengths: | Tougher than it looks. VERY easy to use. Fast shifting down. Great price. | | Weaknesses: | Difficult to clean quickly. Gets hurt first when you fal, because the "display" sits on top. | | Bike Setup: | Diamondback Vectra 1999. Planning to buy Rockshox Judy C and MTB Seatpost shock. | | Bottom Line: | This is a very good product for the beginner and middle-class rider. The shifting works well and, altough I have never cleaned it properly (as in take it apart and clean), it still works with no problems. With the systen to easy and quickly shift down 3 gers at once, you can easily navigate difficult sections where lots of gear-shifting is needed.
I am not a very rough off-road driver, but after a few nasty falls, 300km on the back of a car though very dry semi-desert, lots of water and mud, it is still going strong. I have once sprayed a bit of Q20 inside just to keep it lubricated - don't do this! Some of the oil comes out again, and then it is very difficult to clean off any dust that gets is.
Personally these shifters have never disappointed me, butif you are a professional or really goes for the roughest, toughest sections, then this is not the best product. For every other use, it is really the best. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
alex
a
from ENGLAND
Date Reviewed: August 26, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | dead man's hill | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | hargrove's cycles | | Strengths: | cheap + easy to use | | Similar Products Used: | deore | | Bike Setup: | rock shock psylo race, mavic rims, xt drive train | | Bottom Line: | i've only recently replaced them so as to bring my whole drive train up to XT stuff but for the last year they have worked perfectly with no problems at all. i've had a few bad crashes and the casing is a bit scuffed but amazingly took all i could throw at it. cheep and cheerful shifters! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Me
a Weekend Warrior
from Canada
Date Reviewed: May 14, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | anywhere | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Costco | | Strengths: | It looks pretty cool and doesnt work that bad either. Shifts fast and pretty accurate if there ajusted right. | | Weaknesses: | needs to be adjusted to work right | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | Quantum Infinity (if thats how u spell it) i got at costco for $450 CAN. has dual suspension and a tripped out frame. v-brakes too. | | Bottom Line: | They are good if u are not a serious biker (like me) If i was to get into biking more i would def. upgrade. So the "bottom line" is if your looking for something that is cheap but will still preform, look at these. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ben
a Weekend Warrior
from Toronto, ON, CANADA ROCKS!
Date Reviewed: April 21, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Bicycle Depot | | Strengths: | -Looks kinda cool
-Very accurate (mine is tuned to perfection)
-Pretty fast
-Downshift up 4 in 1 stroke | | Weaknesses: | -Plastic makes me worry
-Outer part (plastic) already got a bit chipped
| | Similar Products Used: | Altus, Old Acera X, Deore LX | | Bike Setup: | Cheap drivetrain on Decent bike (aluminum frame, rock shocks jett) | | Bottom Line: | Not bad, not bad at all. I adjusted it myself way better than the store did and now it runs as smooth and as fast as it's capable of, which is pretty darn good too. Doesn't look or feel very durable though. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
vinny h.
a
from chicago, IL
Date Reviewed: January 29, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | eight-ball | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | aesthetically good looks, downshifts fairly quickly by 3's, pretty accurate shifting, pretty durable, intergrated brake levers | | Weaknesses: | none yet, besides getting chewed by the big boys for not having something better but who the hell cares | | Similar Products Used: | alivio shifters, stx-rc shifters | | Bike Setup: | '00 Raleigh M60 w/manitou magnum fork, deore lx/acera drivetrain on a sun ditch witch wheelset coupled to michellin 2.2 dh soft tires | | Bottom Line: | My shifters are the eight speed 2000 models w/ the integrated brake levers. I got them stock on my bike. Overall, they shift smoothly and efficiently and if you are a competent mechanic, you should be able to fine tune the shifting to be perfect(like mine). They are cheap and have good performance at a low price. And for the riding that me and my buddies do, its perfect b/c our components have to be acceptable yet replaceable when we bash our stuff (urban assaults/freeride.) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Vincent Lonano
a Weekend Warrior
from Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Date Reviewed: January 15, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Compact, good geometry, works well, compact, and cheap. | | Weaknesses: | None discovered yet. | | Similar Products Used: | XT, Grip Shift. | | Bottom Line: | This cheap unit works perfectly and is easy to use. I will not replace it like the rest of the Acera stuff I already trashed to upgrade to XT. I find the shifting much easier to modulate than my brothers XT setup; I don't have to push as far to change gears. The integrated brakes levers make it very compact. A home run at this price when you consider the cost of integrated high end stuff. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kyle
a Racer
from Montana
Date Reviewed: January 6, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | quick shifts, look awsome, durable, cheap. | | Weaknesses: | doesn't work the best with cheap tranny. | | Similar Products Used: | XT | | Bottom Line: | These shifters are awsome. they were bought as replacements for my xt stuff and to my surprise they worked way better than the xt's. and the best thing is they're inexpensive. five flaming chili thingys for these puppies. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tyler E
a Weekend Warrior
from Sidney, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: December 30, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Hartland Dump | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Russ Hay's | | Strengths: | -Great Looking
-Tough
-Good Positioning
-Comfortable Shifting | | Weaknesses: | -None | | Bike Setup: | 2000 Norco Wolverine, 20"
Shimano Acera Drivetrain
SR Suntour M7600 Suspension | | Bottom Line: | Probably the only GOOD thing about the Shimano Acera product. The whole drivetrain was horrible, but the shifters were awesome. They were great looking, and had great positioning. Really comfortable shifting. I like them more than the Deore LX or XT shifters. Its just a shame the drivetrain couldn't match up... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Freddy Liu
a Racer
from Cairns, QLD, Australia
Date Reviewed: August 26, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Strong, fast to turn the numbers, light | | Weaknesses: | Shifts pretty slow, up button is too small and the down button is too far down | | Similar Products Used: | SRAM Grip shift
Shimano SIS | | Bike Setup: | Apollo LDX 2.2 | | Bottom Line: | I didn't buy this it came with my bike, its very good for downhill or a simple track, a BMX track is recommended to test this device | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan Jacobson
a Cross Country Rider
from Irvine
Date Reviewed: March 5, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | SANTIAGO CANYON | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Cheap...Thats just about it | | Weaknesses: | plastic, i totaled and the thump things are really jagged and scratchy | | Bike Setup: | KHS Crest Rock shock INDY xc time attack pedals | | Bottom Line: | These shifters are cheap, but not really reliable. you miss shift too much, and they are not durable at all | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael Cuddihy
a Weekend Warrior
from Canberra, Australia
Date Reviewed: January 28, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Mt Stromlo | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Looks OK, seems to work reliably (at least going on relatively easy stuff. I don't have all Acera stuff - actually I have even lower end bits and pieces, but it does work quite well with my rear derailleur. It is handy being able to shift up few gears at a time. | | Weaknesses: | However, the front derailleur does not seem to have a middle "index" and trigger coming down to lower gears does not give you any options if the gear didn't change. This is not a problem when the deraillear is adjusted properly but my shitty SIS stuff does drop of adjustment quickly.
I am not sure whether this is a failing of all shifters, or whether this is just a crappy front derailleur. | | Similar Products Used: | not much experience with other things | | Bike Setup: | Shimano SIS, Alloy frame, Tektro levers | | Bottom Line: | Cheap shifter which does the job for me - so far, but I suspect there are better things out there. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Fook Seung Lee
a Weekend Warrior
from Brisbane, Australia
Date Reviewed: January 20, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Looks cool
Easy shifting
| | Weaknesses: | None encountered | | Bike Setup: | RockShox Jett XC, Shimano SIS with Acera shifters, aluminium frame | | Bottom Line: | These shifters look slick and cool, and they work well. The buttons are in the right places and need no force to use, and quality wise they are competent. Shifting down can be done 3 gears at a time with just one button click which is good for quickshifts (especially with my crappy SIS setup) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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