yashinon

I own a 2006 7.3 FX, which has a Shimano Deore derailleur. The newest 7.3 FX comes with a Shimano Alivio setup.

Are these interchangeable, i.e, could I swap out the derailleur without replacing other components (shifters, chain, etc)? Is there any advantage to replacing the derailleur with a newer setup? Is there a difference in technology between the two?

Panthers007

If your Deore is working fine, I see no reason to replace it. I rather doubt you'd notice any significant difference between the two. But if you went up to a Tiagra or Ultegra you would. And if you did replace your RD, unless you put a much shorter or longer cage RD in, you wouldn't likely need to swap out any other components. The only thing that might need attention would be the chain. If it had to stretch to fit the new RD, you might need a longer chain. With it being too long, pulling a link is all you'd need do.

Bill Kapaun

Deore is higher in the pecking order than the "A" series.

Going to a "ROAD" RDER makes little sense if you stay with your 11-3x cassette & triple rings.You likely wouldn't have enough chain wrap capacity and the largest cog may be too big.
Deore to Tiagra wouldn't be an upgrade anyway.

Keep what you have!

Bezalel

They're pretty much interchangeable. While Deore is higher than Alivio in any given year, 2006 Deore technology has trickled down to the 2014 Alivio.

Update: Just looks at the specs. Only the RDs are Deore and Alivio, the rest of the drivetrain is from lower groupsets. (But what I said about technology trickling down still stands.)

Also the 2006 is 8-speed so the Shifters and Cassette need to be matched and the chain needs to for at least as many gears as the cassette.

krobinson103

This years deore is basically last years deore xt. Its a substantial upgrade over alivio, but for the price slx or deore xt is more bang for your buck upgrading.

yashinon

Thanks for the info! It was mainly a hypothetical question.