Originally Posted by
uriwvu
One note: the website is incorrect regarding the '21's rear derailleur. The rear derailleur on the 2021 Verve 3 is NOT an Alivio M3100, but an Acera M3000 (unchanged from 2020 model).
I initially thought that must have been a typographical error...the 3xxx series is Acera and the 4xxx series is Alivio. But sure enough...The RD-M3100 is "new"
on Shimano's website. I'm not sure what this derailleur provides that the existing M3000 and M4000 do not...except perhaps a blacked-out appearance. All three of these (M3000, M3100, and M4000) support a 45T chain wrap, a 36T large sprocket, are of the Shadow design, and have a barrel adjuster at the derailleur (vs. M6000 and above, which lack the derailleur barrel adjusters).