Originally Posted by
MattTriv
The conclusion to this thread is that there is no upgrade path from a Shimano Tourney RD to an RD with a clutch.
At the time of this writing, no vendor has seen fit to address this market, despite the obvious widespread demand for such an upgrade. In order to get a clutch RD on a Tourney bike, you would almost certainly need to purchase additional parts such as a shifter, cassette, etc. that would end up costing as much as a Tourney-equipped bike itself. So, unless somebody creates an RD with a clutch for 7/8-speed MTBs, the only practical course of action is to shop for a bike that comes with a clutch RD.
seems like the M592 is a good upgrade, and possibly the best choice.. I've installed many of them on my projects... they work fine and are reasonably priced too!... buy it, use it, and enjoy the rides.
And.. by "doing your own shopping", you've learned things along the way.. cool, huh?
something else to learn... you don't NEED a clutch-type derailleur, but they are nice to have... there's a reason that the clutch ders come with an on/off knob.... more research time, eh?