Newer derailleurs worse than old ones?

[Mod-Master]

Hello all, after a nice ride back home on my dads 2019 cannonade trail-4 29er, (with hybrid tyres) i shifted quite a lot during that trip due to varying terrain, and after a long hard think. I realised my not-so-good deore lx shifter shifted better than a practically brand new alivio derailleur! The shifting was very crunchy and not smooth at all, however on the flip side, I shift with a pair of billy basic gripshifts and an entry level deore lx, i barely even notice it! And it’s not that it hasn’t been lubed or cleaned, it’s only been ridden a few times! After a nice holiday in Hungary (I have some family there) there is a person I know there who has something called a csepel camping (folding bike) photo



Sorry about photo quality this is off the internet…

Riding this bike was the smoothest ride I ever had! Even though the front brakes were terrible and you had to pedal backwards to brake instead.
Having just put on a nice SRAM XO rear derailleur and SRAM cassette I can’t wait to feel that smooth shift. same goes for front derailleurs, even though I haven’t had a good experience with my bike due to some tool putting a 2 speed derailleur on a 3 speed crankset… .after I stuck a pair of trigger shifters on my bike I tried shifting the front speeds, after I shifted from 3 to 2 I was confused… . It hadn’t shifted, until I looked down just to find it had! But shifting the front gears on any new bike I’ve ridden is an awful experience. So I’m going to finish this by saying the classic phrase: they don’t make em like they used to!!

If you have any stories of old being better than new, then pleas comment

Thanks for looking

 

[Tootyred]

Old kit is often better made imho.....better materials and stronger.....plus the older it is the more likely its serviceable!

However, shift technology has moved on, so the opposite is probably true in terms of the actual shift.....ramps, pins, etc.

All this aside, most good / bad shifting is down to set up and starting with compatible parts!

 

[Mod-Master]

Your right in saying that it is down to setup,
Also with the standardisation of clutches on derailleurs is making shifting more reliable.
Though sometimes going old school is just somehow better

 

[Tootyred]

Cheaper.....for sure.....£15 for a cassette over £150......

 

[Mod-Master]

Yes much cheaper, but how much better, I used to have a Shimano hyperglide cassette and swapped it for a SRAM red cassette that was 2x lighter but 2x more expensive

 

[greencat]

Could be something as simple as cable stretch if the bike's only been ridden a few times. It can also take a while to get the feel of the shift right on a new to ride bike. I find the modern stuff shifts as well as the older stuff - but can be more fincky to set up (especially the 10+ speed stuff). I still think 9 spd was the sweet spot for rear gears.

typo: corrected

 

[Mod-Master]

Yes, just to correct you there, “the more modern stuff shifts as well as the newer stuff” is the same thing I personally have only ridden 8 speed and under bikes but I am currently replacing my 8 speed drivetrain with an SRAM 9 speed drivetrain
Pictures below

 

[markoc]

Can't speak for smoothness (my retros are SS or frictionless DX thumbs for infinite fettling as I'm lazy) but the clutch feature on modern mechs to keep chain tension is flippin brilliant.

 

[Mod-Master]

I personally have never ridden a bike with a clutch, but I do keep having problems with my derailleur keeping tension on the chain. But I do agree that the clutch would be much smoother

 

[greencat]

Agreed, clutches are a genuinely useful mech innovation. I almost never lose a chain nowadays.