What are the different classes of Shimano gears?

[Whykickamoocow?]

Hi there, can someone list the different classes of Shimano gears from cheapest to best?

I want to get a bike but I know nothing of the gears - and most of the bikes I've seen use shimano. I want decent gears, but I won't need anything too high end.

[Chilli]

it goes something like;acera, alivio, deore, lx, xt, xtr is top of the range
be warned but; just because its shimano doesnt mean its any good if its any of the above then its okay

[ELX]

try to get atleast Deore or Alivio. Acera and Atuls are pretty crap and are not ment for any hard riding. Deore is the cheapest performance groupset. Stay clear of SiS.

[fastrider gus]

saint!

[Bender is CRAZY]

Yeah i wnat saint, but i got Deore, do you have saint Gus??Or r u getting it?

[CHEWY]

is the saint stuff even out yet? or does it come out on the 04 bikes?

[sxereturn]

I saw the Saint stuff at the shop-only show up here in Brisbane, and holy shit that stuff is awesome.

New Ultegra stuff is 10 speed, too.

[juzza]

go and get a road derailler. Its a bit more expensive and for some of them you need a new cassete, however it means no more bashing and breaking deraillers on rocks. A worthwile investment and the shifting is just sooooo crisp and clean

[fastrider gus]

Yeah i wnat saint, but i got Deore, do you have saint Gus??Or r u getting it?

i wish! :lol:
i have a mix of LX and 105 (road)

[Ride_Guy]

Heh u can put a saint crank arm in water and it will float .... ther ya go :)