[dubbington]

Just got my 2006 Iron Horse Full Suspension
Sram X.5 Rear
Shimano Alivio Front
Sram X4 Shifters
Sram Cog

I was thinking about upgrading the derauillers.
Would going SRAM X.7 everything make a difference?
How about a combo like...
X.9 rear, XO front and X.7 Shifters?
I have only put 5 miles on the thing but it slips in the rear pedaling hard up hills. I figured the X.5 Rear Derauiller was weak.

What is a better front Derauiller than Shimano Alivio?

Also, my X.5 rear is long cage right?

Thanks
Rc

 

[JonathanGennick]

When you say that your bike slips in the rear when going up hills, what exactly do you mean by that? Are you having problems during shifts, or do things "slip" when just peddling and not shifting?

 

[DeeEight]

Deore, Deore LX, XT, XTR... better not in shifting terms neccessarily, but in weight.

 

[rkj__]

well, for starters, before you go spending money, i think you should get your bike adjusted properly by a good mechanic. even the cheapest stuff does not "slip" when adjusted perfectly.

also, if you are looking to upgrade, i would replace the shifters first. getting the pair will improve shifting front and rear. i found the sx-4 shifters to feel very cheap. x7 or x9 will feel better.

in the shimano lineup, it goes, alivio, deore, lx, xt, xtr.

 

[MillerSHO]

I run alivio rear derailleur and its probably been the only bullet proof part on my bike but only after it was tuned.
It NEVER slips like you're saying and shifts exactly when I tell it to. Your isn't adjusted right.

As far as the front goes to answer your main question, proper tuning goes way further then the derailleur itself IMO.

 

[bvibert]

Sounds like your bike needs to be adjusted. It's not that hard to do yourself, you can find plenty of help by searching these forums. However, since the bike it brand new I'd take it back to where you bought it and have them adjust it, that is assuming that you bought it from a LBS. You may find that the bike functions fine with the lower end components on it once it's adjusted properly. I have an alivio front der on my bike and I haven't had any problems with it...

 

[mcmoody]

I'm no expert, but we've had two bikes with alivio derailers and they were both CONSTANTLY loosing chains, not shifting, etc... it was a nightmare and riding was always a huge pain in the ass when we had to stop every few minutes to put a chain back on the ring.

These were both Specialized bikes - rockhopper and hardrock... they perform fine in moderate conditions, but go through anything rough, rutted, rocky, ravines, etc.. and then chain would pop off or shift on its own, etc...

We regularly took both bikes to see the shop for a look, complaining about the chains. And we took the time to learn how to adjust them on our own, which became easier but did not solve the problem for more than a single ride.

I ended up upgrading my whole bike to a Fisher with Deore XT on the front and a X.7 Sram on the back and it's not had a single problem over the past several months.

My fiance 'upgraded' his Rock Hopper for a Monocog... he was so disgusted but the hassles of derailers he went SS and hasn't had a single regret!

martha

 

[ebarker9]

A more likely cause is the combination of full suspension, chain length, and derailleur spring tension. It's not nearly as easy to get this right on a FS bike as it is on a hardtail and it will always be somewhat of a compromise, as the geometry changes depending on suspension movement. The shop where you bought the bike should be able to correct this...I'd take careful notes on which gears it's an issue and under what pedaling conditions and keep bringing it back to them until you're happy. Upgrading parts might help, but there's no reason why it shouldn't work fine with what you've got.

 

[kayakguy]

Those X-4 shifters are really a sad piece of gear. You can pick up X-7 or X-9 shifters for pretty cheap. Start there and then upgrade your derailleurs.

A word of caution, my brother probably has that same bike, seems like it is an eight speed. X-7 and X-9 will most likely only be found in nine speed. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

 

[thecrazyfinn]

Welcome to 'Low-end shifters suck'. Alivio & plain Deore(and SX4/SX5) are tough enough to last, but they don't shift all that well and will go out of alignment easily.

When they die, buy XT/X.9 (especially for the rear). Will last longer and shift better. There's no good reason to buy anything lesser on the aftermarket, the savings from LX are small and anything less just isn't worth it.

If you're going to cheap out, do it with the shifters and maybe the front derailleur. Deore's shift fine, especially with XT at the back.

 

[TJT]

I have an Alivio front, and Deore rear. I've had no problems at all. But, I would definitely not go any 'lower' than Deore at the back.

Keep them properly adjusted and when they die, replace them with something solid.

 

[HuffyMan]

i had the same bike and components and they shifted fine. so throw that on the 'adjust what you got first' fire.

 

[Ricko]

Log on to parktools.com, they have easy to follow instructions on adjusting your drivetrain and everything else on your bike, that's most likely all you need is a little tweeking.

I wouldn't go spending your $$ on upgrading til you wear things out, the only noticeable change will be less change in your wallet...seriously.

Nothing wrong with that Alivio stuff. My wife has a 10 year old bike and had tho original Alivio rear der on in til about two weeks ago, she wound up a stick in her chain and bent that sukka all fubar.:bluefrown:

 

[taikuodo]

Uhh, seriously, theres nothing wrong with alivio. From there it just gets crisper and lighter.