suntour xc comp or deore thumbies ?

[captaincosmic]

Which is the best I have options on my Alpinestars build as the bike came with suntours and I have procured some deore thumbies too
My gut feeling is that the xc`s will look great in the black and are probably better as more experienced riders than me seem to love them.....what do you think ?

 

[captain cannondale]

Just bought a set of the Suntours for my latest build but did have the choice of XT thumbies too.

Just had to go for the Suntour I think they look more elegant and sleeker and the shifting is sublime.

Don't get me wrong I like the Shimano ones very much but given the choice would always sway towards the xc's

 

[raymondluxuryyacht]

There is a technical difference: suntour cassettes and freewheels had different spacings between cogs in bottom and top half if the hub. Shimano ones were evenly spaced. Therefore suntour shifters should work best with suntour cassettes or freewheels.

 

[captaincosmic]

spacing

presumably though you can run the XC`s on friction
they made a mirodrive system I seem to recall
they do look sleeker for sure

 

[retroyetirigid]

I've been running XC Pro's with an XTR rear mech (8 speed) with no probs.

I would say though, that Deore thumbies with their steel clamp, are a more robust lever. XT and XC Pro/Comp with alloy clamps, while lighter, are more prone to striping threads.

 

[drcarlos]

The index system with suntour is not a precise as Shimano adn there is a miniscule amount of play when engaged (well there is with my XC-Pros any way) this could be used to your advantage with a Shimano cassette and the slightly different spacing. It's worth a try. I have no real preference as I have Deore II, Deore XTII and XC-Pro thumbies on my bikes. whatI do know is they are far better than the STi's of the era

Carl.

 

[suburbanreuben]

I've had the same set of XC pros on a bike for the last 17 years...
They still work precisely, with no slop or wobble. They're just better made.
When did you last see a knurled brass adjuster on Shimano?

 

[DoctorRad]

When changing to a bigger cog, SunTour thumbshifters are designed to slightly overshift and then settle into the exact position when you let go of the lever. This means better shifting to an easier gear - which is harder for the chain as it's moving to a bigger cog - without such heavy tooth profiling as Shimano cassettes had / have.

Although the SunTour spacings were variable across the block - 4.8mm and 5.0mm - they shift well enough with Shimano spaced 8-speed cassettes - all 4.8mm spacing - for you not to notice.

I use XC-Ltd or -Expert shifters with an XC-Pro rear mech and a Shimano-spaced SRAM 8-speed cassette on my commuter, and it maybe needs tweaking once a month for cable stretch. Similar on one of my FSRs but this time with a Shimano XT mech with a floating top jockey / XC Pro thumbshifters.

If you have 7-speed SunTour shifters, you can use them with an 8-speed cassette by having the largest cog position at the back non-indexed, moving the shifter past the last click and having the mech travel limited by the low adjustment screw. I do this to run SunTour wishbones with an 8-speed cassette on my Inbred as the wishbones are 7-speed only.

To use SunTour thumbshifters or wishbones with a 9-speed cassette, try the Hubbub modification to a Shimano rear mech:

http://pages.citebite.com/y4n7c3h4yubr

This would give a non-indexed lowest gear with an 8-speed shifter, or two lowest gears with a 7-speed. YMMV, I've never tried this myself, as I am avoiding 9-speed (or greater) cassettes and chains for as long as possible.

 

[captaincosmic]

thanks

thank you all
i am amazed at the depth of knowledge