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Submitted by
nightbike..
a Weekend Warrior
from Cassovia, Slovakia
Date Reviewed: May 28, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | all around | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | came with bike | | Strengths: | Great piece. Pushing hard on pedals and shifting meanwhile makes no problem at all. It catches right away.. and you fly.. | | Weaknesses: | non really so far | | Similar Products Used: | Alivio | | Bike Setup: | Apache Blackhawk
XT rear, LX front, LX shifters | | Bottom Line: | They work better than Alivio for sure. It has some bugs like the chain is scratching in 1st, 2nd and 26th, 27th gear but I do not consider that as a weakness. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
nightbike..
a Weekend Warrior
from Cassovia, Slovakia
Date Reviewed: May 28, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | all around | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | came with bike | | Strengths: | Great piece. Pushing hard on pedals and shifting meanwhile makes no problem at all. It catches right away.. and you fly.. | | Weaknesses: | non really so far | | Similar Products Used: | Alivio | | Bike Setup: | Apache Blackhawk
XT rear, LX front, LX shifters | | Bottom Line: | They work better than Alivio for sure. It has some bugs like the chain is scratching in 1st, 2nd and 26th, 27th gear but I do not consider that as a weakness. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
nightbike..
a Weekend Warrior
from Cassovia, Slovakia
Date Reviewed: May 28, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | all around | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | came with bike | | Strengths: | Great piece. Pushing hard on pedals and shifting meanwhile makes no problem at all. It catches right away.. and you fly.. | | Weaknesses: | non really so far | | Similar Products Used: | Alivio | | Bike Setup: | Apache Blackhawk
XT rear, LX front, LX shifters | | Bottom Line: | They work better than Alivio for sure. It has some bugs like the chain is scratching in 1st, 2nd and 26th, 27th gear but I do not consider that as a weakness. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John Smith
a Weekend Warrior
from Manchester, Manchester, UK
Date Reviewed: February 19, 2008 | | Favoriate Trail: | Loop de loops | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Came with bike | | Strengths: | Sorry...but it works. I even had a play with this thing...it went out of tune which is fair enough as it had done a fair few miles and was covered in crap...so I played. After screwing it up good style...I RTFM..Read The F**kin' Manual...and set it up nicely. Now as goood as it ever was. | | Weaknesses: | None really...it changes gear within 1/2 crank turn regardless of up or down, power on or power off. | | Similar Products Used: | Various, XT, XTR | | Bike Setup: | Basically a stock Genius MC30 | | Bottom Line: | People...it works. The lightest...nope. The coolest...nope. Cheap, light enough, robust enough, frame matchingly coloured enough...you bet my arse!!!
Go on...buy one. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
simon
a
from newbury uk
Date Reviewed: December 9, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | came with bike | | Strengths: | Works well, long life. Not found any reason to change it yet, the action is still precise with no wear after 3 years and about 4000 miles use/abuse. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Deore | | Bike Setup: | 2005 Giant NRS3, XT cranks and rear mech, Deore shifters | | Bottom Line: | Used for 3 years now, still as good as new. Shifts well, even when clogged with mud. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
JP Taberdo
a Cross Country Rider
from Brisbane
Date Reviewed: August 21, 2007 | | Favoriate Trail: | Majura Pines | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Gap Cycles and Glow | | Strengths: | Works well when adjusted right. Reasonably priced. | | Weaknesses: | Non so far! | | Similar Products Used: | SRAM XGen, Shim Alivio, Suntour crap | | Bike Setup: | Giant NRS (deore/raceface prodigy), Mongoose Meteore Comp (X.7/firex) | | Bottom Line: | Has worked well on two bikes so far. Both times I upgraded from the last piece of crap. Shifts fast and crisp on raceface prodigy and avid firex cranks. seems to shift better with SRAM shifters - picks up the chain faster, and with less thumb action. i'm not sure if that's just the shifter though..
anyway, i recommend LX fronts. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Canada
Date Reviewed: June 20, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | - Upgrade from Alivio.
- Great performance for the price I paid. | | Weaknesses: | - None so far. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Alivio. | | Bike Setup: | Trek 4500 Shimano LX front, XT Rear. | | Bottom Line: | I didn't see any reason to buy the XT for the front since it would be used less often than the rear, and to me, I could use the money I saved buying the LX on something else.
Didn't take me long to set up - So far it seems to work good. Still some minor tweaking to get it setup just right, but that won't take me long.
I am curious to see if I will see some of the same results others have posted - but until then, I am very satisfied with this product.
I was told too that the only real difference between the XT and LX front derailleurs was the weight - XT being lighter.
Recommend the LX nonetheless. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
cory
a Weekend Warrior
from cleveland, ohio
Date Reviewed: June 16, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | worked well for about 2 years and thousands of miles. didnt notice any problems | | Weaknesses: | eventually it stopped shifting. after tinkering i could get it to shift up from the middle to the big ring but never back down. not sure if the spring had weakened or the metal that pushes the chain had. i tried cleaning and greasing but it still wouldnt work. | | Bike Setup: | stock 2005 stumpjumper | | Bottom Line: | i got a lot of miles out of it before i noticed any problems. however, i rarely do hardcore singletrack, instead i ride on gravel and limestone bike pathes so i didnt strain the fdr too much. im kinda upset that it suddenly stopped working. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: February 13, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | Cambria (2001) | | Strengths: | Durability, weight, colour, clean & crisp shifting. | | Weaknesses: | None. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Alivio (bottom pull). | | Bike Setup: | 2001 Trek Fuel 90 Disk (top pull) & 1996 GT Ricochet (bottom pull). | | Bottom Line: | I currently have 2 of these Shimano front derailleurs (one on each) of my 2 bikes. See "Bike Setup" for info. I have 10,000kms+ on my 1996 GT Ricochet & 9,000kms+ on my 2001 Trek Fuel 90 Disk. They look good, work well, with clean and crisp shifting.
Bottom Line: These are great derailleurs, if you buy them as an upgrade or come stock on your bike you should have years of trouble free service from them. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dirtdober
a Cross Country Rider
from thomaston,texas
Date Reviewed: June 10, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | rocky hill, bluff creek, kelly creek, hill country sna...... | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | discovery cycles in austin | | Strengths: | tough, cheap | | Weaknesses: | poor upshifting | | Similar Products Used: | alivio, old school sram | | Bike Setup: | gary fisher sugar LX front and XT back with LX shifters | | Bottom Line: | I have tried to adjust this thing and never could get it right. It will downshift ok but you always have to give it an extra push when going up. I finally gave up trying to adjust it and just accepted defeat. On the positve side, it hasn't got any worse with age and I've come to live with it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
evil geeke
a Cross Country Rider
from calgary
Date Reviewed: May 5, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | hard to think of any | | Weaknesses: | rubs the chain in 1st and 2nd gear *and* in 26th and 27th gear, no matter how it's adjusted. sloppy, imprecise shifts that sometimes jam up the chain or drop it off the rings. | | Similar Products Used: | deore | | Bike Setup: | 2001 klein attitude comp, lx shifters, bontrager race cranks, xtr rear derailleur. | | Bottom Line: | My bike came with the LX front derailleur and it was the single crappiest component on the whole bike. The first generation SIS deore performed better than this. In order to ride without rubbing the chain, I found myself adjusting the cable tension behind the shifter as I rode (tighter when i needed to be in big gears and looser when i needed the small gears). How silly is that?
btw, I don't fault the LX shifters at all, as they work flawlessly with my XT rear derailleur. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
garret
a Cross Country Rider
from tres rivers, ma, usa
Date Reviewed: April 6, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | sterage rock | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | COMPETITIVE EDGE ELM. THEY ROCK!! | | Strengths: | none | | Weaknesses: | poor shifting period. | | Similar Products Used: | deore...just as good maybe even better | | Bike Setup: | 06' stumpy expert stock; stans upgrade | | Bottom Line: | i will be replacing this very very soon. not that it's common to change gears up front on climbs, but if you do.. forget about it.. i've come to the top of a peak, only to start a decent, and try to get out of the granny ring.. no shift.. so i end up taking my eyes off the trail to see what's going on down there.. and i'm jamming the rapid fires.. finally.. boooo i'm sorry but if you can't shift when going down a hill, you're out, i could handle rough.. or no shifts climbing, but when i'm decending and i want to get to the big ring, and fast, this is not the derailer for me.. or anyone unless you do easy fire roads, with not much change in contour. either going to x-gen, xt.. xtr.. reco's are welcomed.
bottom line, don't spend your money on this.. if it comes stock on your bike upgrade.. seriously how much is the difference? 5-10.. 30$ at most? front derailers are cheap, so get the best.. and lx is not even close. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
johnnyb
a Cross Country Rider
from Fairfax, Cali
Date Reviewed: April 3, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | Tamarancho | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | Everywhere | | Strengths: | Cheaper than other derailleurs. Simple operation and adjustments. Shifts well under load when new. | | Weaknesses: | Wears out before you wear the bike out. I get about 10,000 miles of riding before the shifting cage pins get too loose and sloppy. | | Similar Products Used: | XT, 105, ultegra and SRAM | | Bike Setup: | Rumble w/Fox RLC, all LX, avid mechs. Rainier w/bomber, LX, avids. Bianchi roadie | | Bottom Line: | Works as well as other Shimanoes when new. The construction of the shifting cage is flimsy and loosens up after a while and can make clean shifting impossible. What you pay for is the inexpensiveness with this product. Its cheap.
I have owned several models of the derailleur over the years usually comes with the bike. I'm indifferent with the LX because its cheap. I had an XT der. on a Stumpjumper several years ago that still works today on another bike, though its cage has become loose too, it still shifts fine. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Moey Bain
a Weekend Warrior
from Canada
Date Reviewed: April 1, 2006 | | Favoriate Trail: | hammerfest trails | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | online | | Strengths: | good shifter | | Weaknesses: | none that i have found | | Similar Products Used: | shimano xt | | Bike Setup: | judy tt air front suspension, s-ram attack gear shifters, xt front deraileur lx back, avid brake levers. | | Bottom Line: | this is a good cross country deraileur or for just doin whatever. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Richard
a Cross Country Rider
from Bowling Green,KY, USA
Date Reviewed: January 29, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | as equiped on bike | | Strengths: | Shifted well when new. | | Weaknesses: | Cheap and weak stamped metal linkages, which tend to have a lot of slop in the pivot points and it wears in. Derailer cage very loose | | Similar Products Used: | Scram gen X | | Bike Setup: | Giant Ranier, avid disc, LX rear derailer, LX crank. | | Bottom Line: | Works good when new, but put some wear on it and it gets slopy and the derailer cage has so much play in it it will grab the chainring. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lonnie Jackson
a Weekend Warrior
from Lemoore, CA USA
Date Reviewed: July 1, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | Buckridge | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$18.00 | | Purchased At: | eBay | | Strengths: | Shifts like butter, very sturdy, great value | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Alivio | | Bike Setup: | 05 Ignition | | Bottom Line: | Upgraded my cheapo stock Alivio front derailleur. I got a super deal on eBay. This LX 8 Speed derailleur rocks. Shifts every time, even under heavy loads and tough climbing. Dialed it in when I installed it and have not made an adjustment yet. Has not failed me yet. This derailleur proves you do not have to spend a lot of money to get good performance. A great upgrade from a cheap stock front derailleur. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave K.
a Weekend Warrior
from Marin County, California
Date Reviewed: March 16, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | Tamarancho | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Strengths: | It works well, like it should. | | Weaknesses: | None that I can tell so far. | | Similar Products Used: | Deore, XT, XTR | | Bike Setup: | Ellsworth Joker, Maitou Black Elite, Mavic, Thomson, etc., etc. | | Bottom Line: | Honestly it works as well as the XT and XTR in my experience. I think people "think" higher end stuff works better sometimes because it costs more. I've been riding an XTR front for years and the LX seems to work just as well. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Hui Chuen Chuang
a Weekend Warrior
from Penang, Malaysia
Date Reviewed: January 15, 2005 | | Favoriate Trail: | near my house | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | Sim Cycle | | Strengths: | sleek, light, looks good, never miss a shift | | Weaknesses: | so far so good | | Similar Products Used: | tourney | | Bike Setup: | deore cranks, megarange cassette, altus RD | | Bottom Line: | good upgrade for a beginer. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Christian
a Cross Country Rider
from Dundas ON, Canada
Date Reviewed: January 6, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Came on bike | | Strengths: | Cheap, works, lasts and lasts | | Weaknesses: | Not fancy-pants | | Similar Products Used: | STX, XT, XTR, those junky noname ones | | Bike Setup: | This was on my commuter | | Bottom Line: | It just doesn't die! Came on a low-end mountain bike which I used for commuting in both summer and salt-filled winter. Rode the bike until the frame rusted completely through, then put it on my next commuter. Still works fine (except when it's frozen solid in a block of ice, in which case I kick it to break the ice and it starts working again). I just don't understand how it could still work, but I'm not complaining. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Richard
a Racer
from San Antonio
Date Reviewed: January 5, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | NONE | | Weaknesses: | Not a good piece of equipment. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano XTR
Shimano Ultegra | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Epic 04'
| | Bottom Line: | In this case you get what you pay for. The LX front derailer is a piece of junk. My Epic deserves better than that so I had to upgrade to XTR. The LX is unreliable. Always out of tune. You notice a huge difference when you switch to XTR. Much smoother and lower maintenance.
I also have a road bike with full Ultegra. I know this isn't mtb but you can still tell how crappy the LX is when you ride other bikes with better components.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Llloyd
a
from Cebu, The Philippines
Date Reviewed: January 2, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$17.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Hub | | Strengths: | Great value... mine is the gold one... looks cool on my matt black Mosso frame. | | Weaknesses: | None... | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano XT, Shimano ALivio | | Bike Setup: | SR Suntour XC Pro E fork, Mosso slalon-M1 frame, Shimano Deore LX FD, Shimano Deore XT RD, Shimano Deore LX shifter, Avid Speed Dial 7 lever, Ameoba Borla control set and stem, Mavic DeeMax wheels, Maxxis Kraken tires, Shimano Deore XT hub, Avid Ball Bearing 7 disc brake (203mm rotor), Shimano Deore Hollowtech crankset, Shimano pedal PD515, Amoeba seat post (carbon fiber), Amoeba saddle | | Bottom Line: | Highly recommended... performance is solid... at par with the XT FD that I have and way above than my previously installed alivio...
The price difference compared with the XT's is negligible though... had bought my XT rear derailuer at $20. I opted to use the LX due to its color... it blends along with my frame... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris Andersen
a Cross Country Rider
from Glendale, AZ, USA
Date Reviewed: November 2, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | McDowell Mtn Loops | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | Nashbar.com | | Strengths: | Cost. | | Weaknesses: | None yet. | | Similar Products Used: | Deore. | | Bike Setup: | Specialized hardtail. | | Bottom Line: | First off, I used a Deore front derailleur for 3 years on my hardtail with no problems (and that includes hard riding on AZ's rocky/technical terrain, including 24-hour and other racing), so props to Shimano for that.
My Deore finally broke, though, so I got the cheapest replacement I could find--nashbar.com had the Deore LX for less than $20, so I threw it on there a week before the 24-hour race on Oct 30/31. Well, the thing performed just fine during the race--not a single problem.
I personally think front derailleurs are pretty basic mechanisms... sure I'd love to have XTR or XT, but I just can't see the need to spend more money on such a simple mechanism. This thing does the trick just fine. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
SABER HAGHVIRDY
a Weekend Warrior
from IRAN/TEHRAN
Date Reviewed: September 23, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | Any trails wich have bumpimg descending | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | Local store (Mamad 47) | | Strengths: | works well 'no need of constant adjustment'good color and looking | | Weaknesses: | the hinges are losened a little(the pressed ones) | | Similar Products Used: | Alovio-XT | | Bike Setup: | Giant Iguana -RST Gilla AET-shimano Alivio LX | | Bottom Line: | it had worked good for me in this 7 monthes im using it with the least problems it could have .
first i wanted to buy a XT but the XT wasnt Mega drive so i chose this one.
the Mega drives allows you to use 9 speed freewheels whith no chain rubbing (to the leg of your front deraileur) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric L
a
from Laguna Hills
Date Reviewed: May 16, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | Schoolyard | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Good price, I personally like the color. It works pretty damn good. | | Weaknesses: | NONE | | Similar Products Used: | XTR | | Bike Setup: | Enduro Pro frame, Marzochhi Bomber MXC fork, Fox Float R, other crap | | Bottom Line: | Okay here is the bottom line: ITS A FRICKIN DERAILLEUR! I bought this derailleur for my bike, put it on, and thats it. It works flawlessly...I do not understand why you would pay extra for an XTR or XT when they all use the same basic design. I am majoring in mechanical engineering and I just don't understand why people hate this derailleur so much. I have an XTR on my XC bike and a LX on my FS, and they both work the same. For some reason, a product doesnt get a good review on this website unless it costs wayyy too much money.
This derailleur works well...and THAT is the bottom line. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
TheBigC
a Cross Country Rider
from Tampa, FL
Date Reviewed: May 9, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | Rollercoaster | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Price is right. | | Weaknesses: | Gunmetal blue sucks. Always, and I mean constantly slipping out of adjustment | | Bike Setup: | GT XCR5000, all XT except the FD | | Bottom Line: | Yuck. If I'd known it was gonna be this big a piece of junk, I would have spent the extra $10 or so for the XT or even XTR. It CONSTANTLY comes out of adjustment. Don't give me any of that " You need to adjust it properly" crap. TWO..TWO different bike shops have adjusted this thing several times. It STILL comes out of adjustment, sometimes only 10-20 miles after a tune up.
The only plus i can see is that it hasnt broken, it only comes out of adjustment. that saves it from getting only one flaming turd. I can't even give it a good value rating, cause it might be priced right, but it is a waste of money.
DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kelly
a Weekend Warrior
from Upstate NY
Date Reviewed: February 12, 2004 | | Favoriate Trail: | everything | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | lbs | | Strengths: | easy to set up, cheap and it has worked perfectly for me | | Weaknesses: | it is not as chi-chi as xtr; it rubs if I cross-chain to an extreme (small/small or big/big) | | Similar Products Used: | older deore xt on ds bike | | Bike Setup: | banshee morphine hardtail, newer rf cranks, lx 8sp cassette, older deore xt 8sp shifters, big tires & lots of heavier sturdy stuff | | Bottom Line: | it may not last forever, but so far it has worked perfectly since I set it up in November. I've ridden it on trails, trials, drops, hops, steps & steeps. I've ridden it to and from work a few days a week through a snowy and salty northeast winter. I ride a triple chainring up front (22/32/44). Easy to set up, and I've not touched it since. This is an easy call so far (hope it lasts). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Monster
a Cross Country Rider
from Collingwood, ON
Date Reviewed: October 8, 2003 | | Favoriate Trail: | three stage | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Once adjusted properly it rocks. | | Weaknesses: | Most people can't adjust properly | | Similar Products Used: | stx, xt ,xtr | | Bike Setup: | 2000 Rocky spice, raceface, xtr, mavic rims, sram 9.0,time | | Bottom Line: | take the time to learn how to adjust or ensure your LBS can do it properly. Over 3 years for this 1, had others on different bikes. all good. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Robb Spring
a
from Kansas City, MO, USA
Date Reviewed: August 4, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Came with bike | | Strengths: | Came with bike. Works when adjusted (and used) correctly. | | Weaknesses: | Difficult to set-up, without proper knowledge. | | Similar Products Used: | |
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$ 25.00
