Shimano Alivio vs Deore?

Question

I am spending $500 on a bike being built with groupset all Alivo and suntour xcr with lockout and a aluminium no name Taiwan import frame. The salesman told me if I were to upgrade to Deore then I would want to upgrade the forks as well and because I am a recreational rider that it is not worth the expense. He also said the Deore groupset will need more maintenance and tuning than the alivio, is this correct??

Answer 1

Sounds like the salesman wanted to make sure of a sale.

1) Deore or any higher level group does not require more tuning or maint., the opposite is normally the case as the lower level stuff wears out faster.

2) Up-grading the derailleurs does not have anything to do with a fork up-grade, just as new forks does not warrant up-grading your shifters or derailleurs.

If you are just getting into riding just get a good all around bike, later on when your skills improve or you find a certain type of riding you prefer then up-grade or get a different bike.

Answer 2

Since you are not a professional cyclist, don't worry about it. Buy the cheaper components.....

Answer 3

The sales guy is wrong.

Alivio is Shimanos top of the line UTILITY grade of components while Deore is their entry level MTB series. The forks have nothing to do with the drivetrain.

Deore is a better gruppo and will be more reliable in the long run, but in the interest of saving a couple of bucks I would keep the front derailleur, then change the shifters and rear derailleur. Deore shifters are MUCH better than Alivio. Also, Alivio chainrings cannot be changed while Deore can which will increase the life of the component.

Regarding the fork, it will be fine for trails that have rain ruts or baby head sized boulders but is absolutely not for technical terrain or serious trails.

If I were you, I would get my money back and RUN away from this guy, then find another shop that will not "pull your leg".

Answer 4

The better the components, the less maintenance they will require.  That is one reason for the higher prices.  

Components today are sooo much better than the equipment I started with back in the early 1980's.