dreamy

Hi, I need to replace a rear derailleur without spending a lot . I have the below in my parts bin

This is a more general question, but how would the operation of cleaned up old derailleur like this compare to a new Tourney or Acera?
Is it worth the trouble refurbing it ??

Thanks

Andrew R Stewart 

Answer is rather dependent on the old der's condition, especially WRT the pivot wear.

Shimano has used a few differing basic design elements over the years. What angle WRT the cog set is the der's parallelogram at. Is the parallelogram also slanted or is parallel to the wheel's plane. Are the ders all long cage or medium lengths.

For the few $ that a tourney or Acera cost they do a pretty good job when new. But a big reason for their low cost is the softer materials (for lower cost manufacturing), less precise forming of the various parts, materials that are more subject to both corrosion and abrasives (mud and salt) and are not meant to make a rider happy for anywhere near as long as a higher grade of der does.

Like so many questions asked here the answer is more about the rider then the gear. Andy

Bill Kapaun

One in the bin is worth more....
Give it a try after flushing/lubing.

At my stage in life, any of the "A" series are better then I am. They'll all shift my 3x9's quite adequately.

KCT1986

The parts bin one seems to have been used quite a bit. You could try mounting it or clamping the claw hanger in a bench vise and checking to see how tight the pivots are.

The pulleys seems to be quite worn. If the pivots seem OK, new pulleys may make the RD usable.

Kapusta

I have a 20 year old LX that still works perfectly. It bounced around a few MTBs, a commuter, and is now used for a 10 speed Road/Gravel bike.

I replaced the pulley wheels once.

If there is no play in the pivots, go for it. I’d prefer it to a new Acera.

HillRider

Give that LX a good scrubbing, oil all of the pivots and give it a try. Nothing is lower cost than something you already own. If it is too worn or shifts poorly all you are out is a bit of time.

mikethe

Did it with lowering to SLX - not recommending.

mitchmellow62

What are you replacing Dreamy? I'm assuming there will be no compatibility issues with what you are planning. Your expectations of performance will likely be based on the quality of the derailleur you are replacing. The cosmetic damage and dirt are not a good indicator of the operational condition of the LX. I agree with others who have told you to test it, clean it up and try it. It could be a diamond in the rough. It appears to be of the LX, XT, XTR era (turn of the century 9 speed?) so it was toward the higher end of the line. I have an XTR from 1999 that has been "in the family" since 2000 and much used. I think the return spring in the parallelogram may be getting weak because the shift to the smallest cassette cog can be a little slow at times but otherwise it operates flawlessly.

Kapusta

Unless there is some damage not visible in that picture, I would frankly be surprised if that derailleur does not work perfectly. Maybe a new set of pulleys is needed.

The dirt is meaningless. This is an MTB RD. They are meant to be dirty. And that is not even particularly dirty. Nor do all those scrapes mean much. I've got several perfectly functioning MTB RDs that look that bad. Heck, my LX (looks like the same model in a long cage) looks worse and functions perfectly. These RDs were incredibly robust.

The only thing I am curious about is why it is still attached to the derailleur hangar

curbtender

That's a solid derailleur. 7-10 speed road and some mtb. Long cage will get you up to a 34 cog.

dreamy

Thanks for the replies. It seems to be in solid good working order, just full of gunk , so I'll give it a good clean and see how it goes.

dreamy

Follow up .... finally got around to giving it a clean and touch up and installed and it works beautifully

I love a happy ending!

mitchmellow62

Excellent. I like happy endings. That cleaned up nicely.

WorldIRC

I had that derailleur back in the day. It worked so well. Glad you were able to clean it up and get it working!