Chain Tension - Help needed!

birch1983

Thanks for all the replies lads.

Sorry about all the confusion. As said above by Andy the bike was only in those gears so the chain route could be seen in the two combinations.

After all the advice given I think the link from Nick has tempted me to replace the deralleur for a better spec one. I shall continue to use the bike xc and feel it will be money well spent.

With the bike currently having Alivio shifters would I be able to replace the rear mech on it's own and keep these. Also as there are quite a few on the market has anyone got any alternate recommendations for a suitable replacement to be considered alongside the xtr mech.

I will fit it myself too. As a former mechanic I'd say I was quite capable of replacing it myself. 8)

Chunkers1980

Don't go for XTR!

An M590 Deore would fit the bill.

Mech will work with your current setup if it's mega9 (So M530 Deore, an LX, SLX (not 10spd) or anything below an XT M773.

birch1983

Thanks for that.

Would this fit the bill:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=20700

Presumably I would require the longer caged version as I currently have 9spd rear Alivio mech?

Andy!

yeah you will need long for the 3x9.

the Deore and SLX shadow are good mechs but the XT is not really much more (£15 over the Deore) so may as well go for the one linked.

Not sure about shifters as not used the ones you have. There is only incremental improvements between Deore, SLX and XT and I would say making sure your cables are in good condition would have more of an impact compared to the expense of new shifters. I have been looking out for some XT ones myself but they are quite hard to come by in the classifieds and as usual on ebay they seem to go for what you can get new ones for.

Chunkers1980

You need to keep the same rear shifter (8spd) otherwise you will need a new cassette and chain too.

nicklouse

birch1983 wrote:

Thanks for that.

Would this fit the bill:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=20700

Presumably I would require the longer caged version as I currently have 9spd rear Alivio mech?

yes but will not change much at all.

Chunkers1980

I think it will help a little more than a bit.

Any Acera or Alivio mech I play with does seem to have a noticable amount less of spring tension in the pull back of the cage than the SLX that's in my hand.

birch1983

Chunkers1980 wrote:

You need to keep the same rear shifter (8spd) otherwise you will need a new cassette and chain too.

It is 9spd. Shouldn't make a difference in my case should it.

I reckon I will go down the XT route.

Thanks for all your help!

diy

I reckon your chain IS too long based on the fact that you are using a long cage with a what looks like a narrow cassette. i'd try a 2 teeth bigger cassette and leave everything else the same.

I'm not convinced mucking about with the mech will change much if its well lubed and your cables are clean.

birch1983

It's 9spd on the rear if that helps. I will have to check the cassette tonight as it was what came as standard. I will post details on the rear cassette tonight when I get back from work.

I dare say the springs in the mech do feel very weak!

birch1983

Thanks to everyone who had input in this thread I shall be replacing both the front and rear mech. For the rear I have opted for a Shimano XT M772 and for the front I have gone for the XT M770. Hopefully this will resolve the problem.

The parts should be here for the weekend. I did wonder if anyone could offer any advice towards the correct way of fitting the new mechs?

Will I need a new chain?

Thanks in anticipation of your response.

RideXC

Derailleurs usually come with instructions on how to fit them, although it is quite simple really. Just make sure you tune them correctly and test the gears before hitting the trails because tuning a rear/front mech with a tiny multi-tool and mud everywhere isn't exactly very fun. Dont forget to grease your cables or change them if they're rusted, it makes a lot of difference to your shifting performance. Have fun!