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Yes, it was much easier than I expected, but I wouldn't have tried doing it without the advice on this thread.
The XTs are rather nice, aren't they? 8)
You should look at the XTRs!!! expensive but fabulous shifting, only have to flick teh lever and it`s changed ; plus dual action on F&R downshift, and no nasty cluttering of gear indicators. Unlike most XTR stuff they do seem genuinely a step +++ above XT and not just a matter of being blingy / lighter
jamesb - MemberYou should look at the XTRs!!!
Stop tempting me! But seriously ... I realise XTR is superb. One day, maybe, on a custom-built bike, when I have a bit more spare cash. The XTs are such a step-up from the Deore that I'm chuffed to bits 8)
BTW, you are something of a saint - as I mentioned earlier, I didn't need bikemagic or Park to do this job - your instructions were clear and worked first time. I couldn't quite believe it, but it really was THAT easy! Maybe because everything worked fine before, but everything's A OK.
Thanks again!
[i] its still in shop display mode [/i]
And looks that clean are you sure its actually left the shop?
I washed it before, 'cos bikemagic said I should!
It has been dirty, quite a few times, honest 😆
I have Deore shifters at the minute. Are the blingier XTs worth the money then - is there a performance increase or just a nicer trigger feel and better looks? I don't like the plasticcy feel of the deore.
It's really early for me to say, as I've only tried them literally up and down the road to test the shifting. That said, it seems (to me at least) much, much snappier/quicker, with less travel on the levers, making for more comfortable shifting - IMO Deore feels a bit lazy in comparison, although it still does the job.
I'm sure there will be lots of people on STW who can give long-term advice on this. I know that one key difference surrounds the use of bearings in the XT version.
I'm going to try and get out tomorrow evening to try them out properly, but initial impressions are very favourable (- I've only used standard Deore before). Got them for £48 from Ribble (with an additional discount code) ... seems a pretty good price.
I accept the fact that I'll sound like a bit of an arse here - however, it astounds me how people ride their bikes into the middle of nowhere with absolutely zero mechanical skills.
This includes a few of my mates to be honest. There's nothing complicated on a bike that a bit of common sense/lack of laziness/willingness to learn can't sort in a few minutes.
Surprised nobody on here's told you to 'just get a singlespeed'
🙂
Hmm, a bit out of context here. I was talking about complete replacement of components, not repairs on a trail. I'll be the first to hold my hands up and say I've messed things up in the past and need to improve, but I am able to do the basics on a ride. I've spent many years fiddling with bikes, but things change and asking for a bit of guidance shouldn't be such a bad thing. There is a difference ...
Setting up gears is a trail maintenance issue that is often needed imo, unless you're struggling with the concept of taking your grips off and tightening a couple of allen bolts for actually fitting the shifters?
The comment was a generalisation and not specifically aimed at you in any case, however it seems you've succeeded anyway and as per one of my comments - it wasn't that hard, was it?
I have almost zero mechanical skills...so I don't ride into places where I'd be in trouble if something breaks! I'm either with someone who is mechanically competent or I'm in my local woods which aren't big enough to make it difficult to walk back to the car!
And, tom, I first impressions suggest there is an improvement over the deore shifters. And they have the 2 way release thing so you can use your thumb for both shifters. Other than that it just seems like it shifts faster.
I sort of agree with TAFKASTR. Being able to trim gears on the trail when they get misaligned is a useful skill, but 5 mins with a helpful friend looking at how barrel adjustment relates to mech trimming should give the skill level needed to sort most trail issues. And it's relatively intuitive unless you're a mechanical halfwit.
Fitting a new drivetrain from scratch takes way more finesse imho. Bolting the parts on is a fraction of it (although front mechs are a bit of a black art to me) it's then setting end stops and b-limit screws and getting cables just so and then finally if you've got the above right trimming F&R is the easy bit. Of course if you're fitting new shifters to an existing drivetrain that avoids a lot of the faff, but I'll bet at some point a new mech will be wanted / needed and fitting one of those is worth knowing too.
Agreed - all fair points. I used to be really good on maintenance stuff years ago, and even built my own road bike in my late teens, but then didn't bike for a few years and things had changed. Having totally mucked up gears a few years ago, I've left them to the LBS in recent years. This wasn't helped by a local bike shop that would only fit the shifters provided I didn't have a go first (- their advice was not to bother trying, just bring them it!).
I think this has been a cathartic experience and I will be more than happy to at least have a go at more things in the future.
I now have a definite resolve to become a bit more independent in terms of repairs and maintenance, so TAFKASTR, I do agree with you, especially in terms of not venturing out into the wilds without the necessary repair skills to get you back.