Groupsets....

Underpants

My Cinder Cone has a Shimano SLX rear derailleur, FSA Alpha Drive chainset and Deore everything else. [Not bothered about brakes atm as the Shimano 486 hydros are spot on].

My question is would gear changing be smoother if everything matched? I.e all SLX for example...

There's no major problem with it right now for what I want it for now but I have noticed changing gears at the front isnt exactly silky.

elPedro666

In short, I don't think so. If it was all SLX it would be slicker, but that's because SLX is slick stuff, not because it matches!

Apart from set-up, and assuming nothing's worn out, I'd say the biggest influence on front shifting is your chainrings and I'm guessing the alpha-drive is fairly basic? In which case higher-end Shimano rings will be a big improvement.

Just wear those rings out & when they're dead think about an SLX (or deore) chainset (probably cheaper than buying rings).

cat_with_no_tail

If changing gears on the front is a bit clunky, have you tried adjusting the grub screws, or even the position of the derailleur (it may have taken a knock and shifted slightly). You may also be surprised how much difference it makes just taking the drivetrain apart and giving it a proper clean and re-grease

As for shifting improving if everything matches, not necessarily. Most components are designed in such a way that they will be compatible with other brands. SRAM, Shimano and Truvativ will mostly work together without any major problems.

If you were to upgrade everything to SLX, you may notice a difference in shifting performance, as the SLX is higher up the range than deore. In my opinion though (and I'm sure someone will be along to correct me shortly). Once you pass SLX, you are pretty much paying just to save weight.

If I were you, I definately wouldn't start replacing stuff until the old stuff has worn out.

Hope that helps.

**Edit** Must type faster :roll:

Underpants

Ok, thanks for your input. I'm sloooowly learning about this MTBing lark!

This may sound like a stupid question but how do I know when something is worn out? Just when it stops working properly or is visibly damaged? :oops:

elPedro666

The teeth will start to look 'hooked' and shifting will be more difficult. Need a chain gauge for the chain.

King Donut

elPedro666 wrote:

The teeth will start to look 'hooked' and shifting will be more difficult. Need a chain gauge for the chain.

Yep, get a chain checker (just punch that in to Wiggle/Park Tools/CRC). It's a simple looking tool that shows when a chain starts to stretch. A stretched chain will wear out your cassette/chainring teeth quicker and chains are cheaper to replace than rings. If it gets to the stage that chain is slipping regularly then it's gone too far!

ride_whenever

A chain checker is a good plan because they're cheap.

A rolhoff sprocket wear checker is also a neat tool to have if you're feeling flush.

Underpants

How long do chainsets tend to last?

King Donut

Depends on so many variables (where you ride etc). But for example my first mtb was typical £300 entry level and the chainset lasted 5,000 miles over 1 year, but certain gears were unusable by that point! I was using it a fair bit on-road for the work run and once or twice a week off-road. At the time I didn't know better and I never cleaned the drivetrain - I'd just give it a general clean down when it got really muddy.

Regularly cleaning the drivetrain is pretty much essential in my book.

nicklouse

Underpants

in a word.

No. a poorly setup/maintained set up will work badly.

read the how toos on park and sheldons sites about maintaining your gears and how to see the wear.