Tourney v Altus

[AlBaker]

This may have been dealt with in the past, so I hope I'm not duplicating anything. I searched and couldn't find what I needed.

I have a Shimano Tourney rear derailleur on my cruiser bike, and a Shimano Altus rear derailleur on my step-through bike. I have noticed the slick gear changes with the Altus, and not so slick on the Tourney. Once in a while the Tourney will not hit the next gear, perfectly, or it clonks after the change is made. I read that's how the Tourney is. I never had that happen with the Altus. I've tweaked the shifter barrel adjuster on the fly to make the shifts as smooth as possible but it still can't match the Altus.

So I'm thinking about putting the Altus on the cruiser, an M-310. I see that some derailleurs are rated 6/7 speed, others 7/8 speed. Then there are the 9 speed at a higher cost. What I'm wondering is, why can't a 9 speed be used with a 7 speed shifter and 7 speed freewheel? Surely it's the shifter that decides the number of speeds. It's all so confusing.

 

[raleighnut]

This may have been dealt with in the past, so I hope I'm not duplicating anything. I searched and couldn't find what I needed.

I have a Shimano Tourney rear derailleur on my cruiser bike, and a Shimano Altus rear derailleur on my step-through bike. I have noticed the slick gear changes with the Altus, and not so slick on the Tourney. Once in a while the Tourney will not hit the next gear, perfectly, or it clonks after the change is made. I read that's how the Tourney is. I never had that happen with the Altus. I've tweaked the shifter barrel adjuster on the fly to make the shifts as smooth as possible but it still can't match the Altus.

So I'm thinking about putting the Altus on the cruiser, an M-310. I see that some derailleurs are rated 6/7 speed, others 7/8 speed. Then there are the 9 speed at a higher cost. What I'm wondering is, why can't a 9 speed be used with a 7 speed shifter and 7 speed freewheel? Surely it's the shifter that decides the number of speeds. It's all so confusing.

Cable pull Ratio may differ especially on the 9 speed

 

[AlBaker]

Cable pull Ratio may differ especially on the 9 speed

Ah, that's something I didn't think about. Thank you.

 

[C R]

This may have been dealt with in the past, so I hope I'm not duplicating anything. I searched and couldn't find what I needed.

I have a Shimano Tourney rear derailleur on my cruiser bike, and a Shimano Altus rear derailleur on my step-through bike. I have noticed the slick gear changes with the Altus, and not so slick on the Tourney. Once in a while the Tourney will not hit the next gear, perfectly, or it clonks after the change is made. I read that's how the Tourney is. I never had that happen with the Altus. I've tweaked the shifter barrel adjuster on the fly to make the shifts as smooth as possible but it still can't match the Altus.

So I'm thinking about putting the Altus on the cruiser, an M-310. I see that some derailleurs are rated 6/7 speed, others 7/8 speed. Then there are the 9 speed at a higher cost. What I'm wondering is, why can't a 9 speed be used with a 7 speed shifter and 7 speed freewheel? Surely it's the shifter that decides the number of speeds. It's all so confusing.

I think it might be worth checking hanger alignment on the tourney. A well adjusted tourney can give nice smooth shifting.

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

Altus M310 is a decent rear derailleur, had one on my Voodoo Wazoo fatbike as standard iirc, with the oversize pulley wheels.

One day I must try and get that fatbike running again, needs a new driveside crank, after it sheared through the pedal axle in July '20 on way to work. Also needs new gear cable, which is a relatively simple swap, but absolutely no chance of finding a new fatbike crank early in pandemic so it's been sat in the garage since!

 

[Drago]

7 and 9 are usually the same with Shimano, but there may be some exceptions so you're wise to check

It's worth paying the fraction extra and making the jump to Alivio. The change is equally reliable, but smoother and more positive, for virtually no extra OPEC tokens.

 

[AlBaker]

I think it might be worth checking hanger alignment on the tourney. A well adjusted tourney can give nice smooth shifting.

Most of my life has been spent in construction, so I have a good eye for verticals and horizontals. The derailleur is hanging perfectly vertical. On a bike I had years ago, the derailleur was hanging outward, yet didn't present any problems. I pointed it out to the bike shop where I bought it, and they straightened it. It didn't change anything. I have used the shifter barrel adjuster to make fine adjustments on the fly and I think it's as good as it can get, but the shifting, although acceptable, isn't as good as the Altus. I'm getting picky in my old age.

 

[AlBaker]

7 and 9 are usually the same with Shimano, but there may be some exceptions so you're wise to check

It's worth paying the fraction extra and making the jump to Alivio. The change is equally reliable, but smoother and more positive, for virtually no extra OPEC tokens.

I'll check that out. Thanks.

 

[AlBaker]

7 and 9 are usually the same with Shimano, but there may be some exceptions so you're wise to check

It's worth paying the fraction extra and making the jump to Alivio. The change is equally reliable, but smoother and more positive, for virtually no extra OPEC tokens.

The cable pull ratios are the same, but the 9 speed derailleur is only compatible with Shimano 9 speed chains. I don't think a 9 speed chain will work well with a 7 speed freewheel.

 

[Drago]

You can get Alivio in 7/8 speed flavour,

 

[AlBaker]

You can get Alivio in 7/8 speed flavour,

I went for a ride and gave it some serious thought. I think the length of the chain is a factor more than the derailleur itself. I measured the distance from the center of the chain ring to the rear axle on both bikes. It's 3 1/4" (8.25 cm) longer on the cruiser with the Tourney, than on the bike with the Altus. So there's that much more chain flopping around, a total of 7" (18 cm).

Being a deep thinker (sometimes) I thought about satisfaction. Satisfaction is proportional to happiness. It stands to reason that being satisfied with something leads to happiness. Dissatisfaction leads to misery. Before I went out for the ride I ordered the Altus M-310. When I got back I canceled it. I could foresee the Altus not being any better because of the chain. Getting new stuff is a pleasure but not when the goal isn't reached. Heck, I should have been a phlisoo... philloss... filosof... drat... whatever.