I'm not a particular fan of the Shiamno line of components, but I have to hand it to them: They really hit the performance-price point with LX. While the performance is not quite up to par with XT, SRAM ESP 9.0 or the benchmark XTR, it is still quite good, and far and away better than Shimano's lower end stuff.
My first comparison: On a Trek 6000, the Acera front derailleur kept giving everybody headaches, as it would work on a dry ride, but it would quit the moment it touched any kind of water or dirt. The rear derailleur, an LX, just kept chugging along, and while the front wuldn't shift, the bike still had all eight gears in back.
Comparison two: A friend bought a new bike that was fitted with an Acera rear derailleur. The derailleur would be perfectly in tune at the beginning of the ride, but every ten minutes or so, we would have to stop and wait for him to clean off the screw adjusters on the back of the derailleur in a vain attempt to get the derailleur working again. The bike witht the LX in back, while it had trouble up front, worked perfectly on the same ride.
Comarison three: I had a chance to compare a Specialized Rockhopper A1, which was equipped with a near full nine speed LX group (including an LX rear derailleur), and a Gary Fisher X-Caliber, with an uprated XT rear derailleur. The Fisher should have won this comparison easily, as it's XT is twice the price of the Rockhopper's LX. The result was surprising: While this test was only done on road and grass, the LX and the XT had nearly identical performance, with the exception of the LX having a hard time upshifting when the chain was going through slowly (like when climbing a hill). Other than fault, the LX made a very good (and surprising) presentation of itself.
Comparison four: Go to a bike website like www.nashbar.com. Look up the prices of the Shimano derailleurs there. While the difference in price between the LX and the lower end Acera and Alivio is only around $10, the XT just happens to be twice the price of the LX ($25 vs. $48). That is quite a difference for such a small difference in performance.
Of course, there are other differences between the LX and the XT, as the XT is lighter in weight (about 50 grams lighter), and has a stronger return spring (as shown when the LX had a harder time upshifting than the XT). The XT is probably also more durable, but I have not seen either component break yet.
The Verdict?
Is the price difference worth it to you? If you are looking for a replacement for a broken XT derailleur (or lower model), this is a price-concious purchase, however, if you are a racer, the stronger spring may save a few seconds on climbs. If you are replacing a broken Deore, LX, Acera, Alivio, Altus, or SIS, this is a good choice, as it is a good performer for a low cost. If you are in the market for a new bike, don't be fooled by the LX rear derailleur, Acera front derailleur trick: unless you're never gonna go on wet and rooty terrain, I suggest you pay the extra $50-$200 for a complete Deore or LX bike. While these are more expensive, the extra cost of one of these bikes will pay you back, as you will have no frustrated trips to the bike shop, unlike the lower cost bikes.
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