Affordable Derailleurs/Shifters

[Huhwhat?]

I recently purchased a (lightly used) Bianchi Avenue to use for general riding and commuting to work. It has Altus shifters/derailleurs that, frankly, I'm not sure I care for. I'm looking to change them out soon. Any advice on reliable gear that won't put too big a dent in my wallet?

 

[gclark8]

You could go for Shimano 8 speed Sora or 9 speed Tiagra (or higher) with flat bar road shifters/derailleurs. The series is 440/443.
http://www.shimano.com.au/publish/c...products/road_components/flat_handlebar_.html

I have them with 105 on my SR81, and look like getting Ultega/443 on the Tri bike.

 

[Huhwhat?]

Will that require changing out my 7-speed cassette?

 

[Doctor Morbius]

Will that require changing out my 7-speed cassette?

Yes it will. Chain also.

By the way, the groups that GClark8 mentioned are road components. The Altus group is a low end MTB group. It's one notch below Alivio. You may want to stick with MTB upgrades. Deore offers a decent bang for the buck value.

All of the current shifters/derailleurs are 8, 9 & 10 speed for road and 8 & 9 for MTB.

 

[gclark8]

Yes, you get to choose 8 or 9.

 

[Huhwhat?]

The Altus group is a low end MTB group.

I knew I didn't like them. I'll look at Deore to start with. I'd rather not change out anything I don't have to (cassette, chain), so I'll look at them only if I can't find better derailleurs/shifters that are compatible with what I have now.

 

[gclark8]

In short:

7 speed: Altus and lower. What you have now.

8 Speed: Alivio. You can use existing 7 speed cranks, FD and chain. Just change cassette, RD and shifter/levers (EF29/35), there are some good road cassettes in this range.

8 Speed Sora. You will need to change the FD and Crankset, BB, cassette and RD. Still use existing chain, if HG. Use 443 levers and shifters.

9 speed: Deore. Change everything, Crankset, FD, BB, RD, Shifters, cassette, chain. Cheaper to change bike.

9 speed: Tiagra, Change everything, Crankset, FD, BB, RD, Shifters, cassette, chain. Again, cheaper to change bike.

 

[boudreaux]

Will that require changing out my 7-speed cassette?

You will aslo need a new rear wheel if you ditch the 7 speed cassette.

 

[boudreaux]

In short:

7 speed: Altus and lower. What you have now.

8 Speed: Alivio. You can use existing 7 speed cranks, FD and chain. Just change cassette, RD and shifter/levers (EF29/35), there are some good road cassettes in this range.

8 Speed Sora. You will need to change the FD and Crankset, BB, cassette and RD. Still use existing chain, if HG. Use 443 levers and shifters.

9 speed: Deore. Change everything, Crankset, FD, BB, RD, Shifters, cassette, chain. Cheaper to change bike.

9 speed: Tiagra, Change everything, Crankset, FD, BB, RD, Shifters, cassette, chain. Again, cheaper to change bike.

In order to get rid of the original 7 speed cassette or freewheel. he needs to also get a new rear wheel. It's also easier to stick with mbt stuff on the type of bike he's got. He'd be ahead to just ditch the POS and start with what he wants, rather than get in over his head trying to change out of bunch of stuff on a low end bike.....You are also wrong on alot more than the cassette business,but I won't bore you with that.

 

[Doctor Morbius]

In order to get rid of the original 7 speed cassette or freewheel. he needs to also get a new rear wheel. It's also easier to stick with mbt stuff on the type of bike he's got. He'd be ahead to just ditch the POS and start with what he wants, rather than get in over his head trying to change out of bunch of stuff on a low end bike.....You are also wrong on alot more than the cassette business,but I won't bore you with that.

If he goes to the local bike shop and gets a quote for this change over, he'll most likely have enough sticker shock to see that a better bike is a better option than throwing money down a rat hole. He'll end up coughing up a lot more of the long green doing these upgrades. And going from Altus to Alivio isn't worth the effort.

 

[boudreaux]

If he goes to the local bike shop and gets a quote for this change over, he'll most likely have enough sticker shock to see that a better bike is a better option than throwing money down a rat hole. He'll end up coughing up a lot more of the long green doing these upgrades. And going from Altus to Alivio isn't worth the effort.

Yeah, and even the cheap stuff works ok if properly tuned.Not like he is going to be earning a living racing it....

 

[meehs]

One other option might be to look on eBay for some NOS or lightly used 7 spd Shimano MTB components.