Modern "low" end components are simply amazing. Robust and affordable.

Very happy Acera user here 😊 have one on my cross check running 10 speed, wide range double. Cost £15 ( UK). Now I feel vindicated, PLP seal of approval 😊

I’ve worked in high end shops installing the fanciest of stuff, but never did I get more excited than when Shimano would release a new bargain bin group set. It’s always amazing to see how much old school high tech can be squeezed into a sub-$40 derailleur.

"And the reason why this works is because of course I'm using a friction shifter." Tell it Russ.

I think that this is great channel and also 'side' subject, showing people what options there are, and what are their real pros and cons. Well done!

It's great how you keep doing great research and keep coming up with ideas that make so much sense in this sale driven bicycle industry. Please do keep these videos coming.

With all my cheap bike I never had a single problem regarding shifting. This Acera/Alivio drivetrains works so reliably. My guess for them to have a bad reputation might be because all the beginner users who buy entry level components and don't know how to operate or maintain the bike correctly.

*sees blurred image and gets curious* *clicks on vid to find its the same derailleur I just put on my MTB like 2 weeks ago* Yes i can attest that it is a nice derailleur for the price.

One upvote and I’ll put this on a 2020 madone SLR.

Take a look at the microShift Acolyte derailleur as well. I've been running it on my hardtail and it's been bombproof. The cool thing with microShift is that 8-speed Acolyte, 9-speed Advent, 10-speed Advent X, and the new Sword groupsets all use the same cable pull and are mostly interchangeable. Shimano CUES before CUES existed!

I use a 10 speed Zee RD with 11-36 and 40t narrow wide up front. The narrow wide is mounted to a double with a 26t granny gear and front derailleur. 90% is ridden on narrow wide but bailout there for steep stuff. Shifting up front takes a little finessing to go back up but works everytime.

I think this illustrates a point you made a while back: it’s not the rear derailleur that matters most. I admire your boldness in trying weird combinations of component. I hope to pick up an Uno just because, but also to use it to really embrace friction.

After seeing this video, I decided to try this, so I ordered and installed the the Acera RD-M3020 derailler and CS-HG400-8 11-40T cassette on my old hybrid with a 3x8 speed Alivio drive train. What an upgrade! Went from 34T to 40T and that gave me 19.5 gearinches, down from 23 gearinches, and it also shifts better, even with the original 8 speed Alivio shifter!

Almost the same gearing my modified first generation Bridge Club has - 38-24t rings with same cassette. The crank is a Shimano Deore 2x10sp model that's gearing choice disappeared as soon as 2x11 arrived. I'm glad you tested the range of that derailleur. Keep up the good work showcasing harder to find parts.

You had me sold when you said it was "less blingy" ...Bike snobs won't get that, and I like that. Win-Win...Most regular people just want something that works well as a replacement derailleur. Nice job! 😎

Let's remember the clutch was introduced to improve chain retention without a front derailleur...I run a 1(38T) x 9(11-36) w/Altus on my commuter/run-around and after a day of multiple dropped chains riding over the rougher urban stuff, I still have use an old front mech as a chain keeper, which I have no issue with as everything runs fine year round. I run & prefer SRAM on my fast bike but nothing beats Shimano for affordable reliability.

I have a Shimano ALTUS RD-M310. It is also worth a look. I use a 15/18/21 Speed Friction Thumb Shifter Set originally presented by Shimano in the last couple of years, but 'Win Win' is the latest provider of the design, and it is flawless on my 8 speed.

I have a 1999 Raleigh M30 rigid MTB. It came with an Altus stamped crank and Acera front and rear derailleurs. When I had it refurbished/overhauled, I had a new crank put on, so I could swap out the chainrings if I so desired; right now, I'm running a 42/32/22 tooth chainrings on the new Shimano Hyperdrive crank. I run a 7 speed cassette out back with 14-32 teeth; they go 14-26 for the 7th to 2nd cog, and the first cog is 32 teeth, my bailout gear. Since I had a new crank and chainrings installed, the LBS recommended swapping out the cassette and chain as well; this, I did. I still have the original Acera derailleurs, both front and rear, on the bike. I've taken that MTB on some sandy and muddy trails; I've ridden it on miles of fire roads in the NJ Pine Barrens; I've ridden it on canal trails and bike paths; and I've ridden it on the street. Guess what? After 25 years, those Acera derailleurs are STILL doing the job! Who cares if they're not flashy? Who cares if they don't have the right name? They still work, and they still work well. I just hope that, if I ever have to replace either of my derailleurs, that I can get new Acera derailleurs... 😁

For many years, mountain bikers rode derailleurs without clutches and nobody complained about dropped chains. People sure do ride harder today than they did before clutches came out, but I think for most people a clutch is only needed because we've gone 1x.

Ive been running my soma wolverine single speed and have been procrastinating putting gears back on it. This has motivated me to go this route and try it

This was a great review! Thank you for always not promoting the latest, greatest, most expensive products!

Ohh this is really interesting, thanks for highlighting this rd capacity…I’ve got a feeling that this rd would be compatible with all the older and non 4700 7,8,9 and 10 speed brifters…excellent budget build option!

A few years back I managed to make my 2x9 with a mix of Sora and Deore 9S parts. The range is 24/38 and 11-40t. it needed some real finessing to get the shifting right but I'm very happy with it right now. I have had friends who were walking their bikes overtake me while I riding up hills.

I'd like so see it laying on the table next to any older long cage derailleur to find out what exactly Shimano couldn't do for several decades to accomodate bigger cassettes. Because from photos this Acera is identical to, say, T4000 Alivio

I have been talking about that 3020 for years (20€). I run it with a 3x8 system. In the back I use 11x40 Shimano cassette and it works flawlessly. It's also cheap as hell. The setup including the cassete (CS-HG400-8 - 25€), chain (kmc or shimano 7-8 speed chain - 10€) and a new rear shifter (SL-M315-8R - 10-15€) costs 70€ top. And with a 3x (24/32/40) or 2x on the front you are all set. Yep no clutch, but a nice pad on the chainstay does the job. I use it on my hardtail. Cheap reliable what more do you want. And on longer journeys I have a spare, yep for 20€ you can have a spare. And I'm a lot more freeminded as if I brake it it's so cheap to replace.

Durache? I am totally with you on the lower end components. I have an Alivio groupset on my Dawes Galaxy; I've put alt bars and hydraulic disc calipers and used it for all kinds of riding, including gravel. It's quietly and efficiently done it's job and never let me down. And the triple at the front winches me up any hill in Cumbria.

I bought a new budget runabout last month. A Ghost Square Cross with 3x9 Alivio and Accera mix. It was crazy cheap with big reductions only £369 for the whole bike. Was going to upgrade instantly but this channel has made me appreciate that old school and budget setups are good so im going to run it stock. Proberly will have less issues than my 1x mtb and 1x gravel bike 😂

Awesome. Bring on the trickle up. Maybe you could make some small party pace stickers (or something else) to go over the acera logo? That might make it feel even better.

Good find!!! This looks even better than the Alivio derailleur that I’ve installed on my two bikes! I’m able to run a 2x system with an 11/36 and a 40/26 with the Alivio, for about the same price. You may have found my next derailleur.

My mountain bike has a lower end rear derailleur. I've ruined it twice, hit a rock with it, and something else. Less than 50 bucks to replace. My biking buddy had a really nice derailleur, I could replace mine many times over for the cost of his. I'm not always sold on the pricier stuff.

There’s also a less expensive 10 speed variant of GRX RX 400, clutched, (about $75), which has a 41 tooth capacity officially, but works up to 47 I think. I have it on my Kona Sutra 2x 30/46. It came with a 11-36 cassette, which I replaced with a 11-42 XT, giving me a 585% gear range. Runs well, no wolf tooth required. In fact if installed WT will bend the b screw overtime, so better without it. With that said, I do want to go lower on the chainrings for bikepacking in the mountains - Russ’ 40-24 is ideal for that.

This Acera RD also good for 9&10 speed indexed. It’s compatible with following Shimano indexed shifters range; 9-speed mtb/road and 10-speed road (pre Tiagra 4700) in both DCL and Flatbar style.

I was so excited to get my grubby mitts on a GRX 10spd rear derailleur. Everywhere online, out of stock...and the local shop had it (for around $65ish, I think). Turns out, I hate it. The inline "shadow" whatever means you can't easily remove the rear wheel. The small cogs get caught on the derailleur, plus, when you do manage to remove the wheel, the chain falls off the top pulleywheel, making it more fiddly to put the wheel back in.

I have an Alivio rear shifter on my 2020 Trek FX3, and at first I was really disappointed with it's performance. I decided to try to replace the cables, and that's when I found out that Trek had routed the shifter cable under the bottom bracket through some cheap liner which had gotten all torn up and was causing resistance. After fixing that, it's been pretty good.

The Alivio RD is really nice too. I run one on my 8 speed 90s MTB Dad bike.

Wow, you've hit the hammer bang on again! I have the Acera RD-M360 on one bike and Altus RD-M280 on another, both run fine up to my personal max of 9 index speeds using flat bar shimano / microshift and (incredably) Sensah Ignite drop bar shifters. They last forever and I bought them on €50 seconhand bikes from the 2010´s. Would be nice with a clutch but can't complain at the price!!

In my 1x setup I have a Shimano Deore rear derailleur with clutch mechanism. I was getting dropped chain every 10 miles of riding, specifically while in higher gears. Installed a $20 chain retainer piece over the chainring that solved my chain drop issues

so cool! So much bike tech has been around far too long to not become more efficient and affordable

Two years ago, I decided to upgrade the drivetrain in my folding bike. The only old thing was the rear derailleur, a Shimano RD-M410. I went from 7 speeds to 9 speeds. I paired a SunRace shifter with said derailleur and a SunRun 11-42T cassette. The combination works flawlessly. Recently I decided to buy an 8-speed S-Ride 11-36T cassette for my road bike. I did not change the derailleur, a Shimano Claris RD-R2000-GS medium cage, and it works without any problems. I forgot to mention, the folding bike has a 44T chainring and the road bike has a compact crankset.

Acera and Alivio supported up to 9speed but this new generation Acera only support up to 8 speed. these two are absolutely a good reliable gorup-set and good for all purpose on a budget.

0:15 "Ultegra and Duratshe" 😀 Never before heard it like that. 🙂

Just bought an Acera to use on my old-school Bridgestone 700 that needed more gear range, partly on all the praises you and Grant Petersen poured onto the low-end Shimano stuff. Excited to try it out!

Thanks Russ. I’m just about to build my first bike. Starting point is the Velo Orange Pass Hunter frame, great deal at $599. You have inspired me to build a bike that you can’t get from the big 4 and I’ll give this derailleur a try. Keep up the great work. Enjoy your day.

When I changed my rear cassette to 11-42T and my existing 8 speed derailleur couldn't get into the 42T cog, I did some research on my own and I ended up getting this same derailleur ($20 off ebay). Fun that I came across this video now and feeling even better about my purchase. I use it with the SL-M315 rapidfire shifter with no problem.

I have many bikes; they all use Tourney or Acera or Alivio or Deore. They all shift identical, good shifting...but...the longevity of the Tourney and Acera is short lived, with the spring getting weak and unable to up-shift eventually. The Alivio and Deore have a very long life, so if you are a "real" rider doing lots of mileage a year, the Alivio or Deore will save you money. Also, to get the longest usage out of derailleurs remember to always park your bike in the gear that has the least spring tension; for most bikes that would be smallest chainring and smallest cog.

I've been using clutchless derailleurs on mountain bikes up till 2012 and they were fine. If you have a front derailleur it'll keep the chain on when bouncing around. Clutches are handy for 1x as ride-stopping chain drops happen off the front chain ring. But that still happens. That's why a front chain guide is used. These days the sound of chain slap is the biggest benefit of a clutch. But a foamy Lizard Skin chain stay protector can muffle that too.

Just ordered one for my next build. $39 CAN which is like $28 US. Planning on running a New Albion crankset 42/26 with an 11/34 ten speed cassette.

ahh, just ordered this one last week. the rd-m3020 is interesting. going to pair it with sora r3000

I can't imagine ever actually cycling a 24-42. Generally I get off and walk way before I get that low! 😅 It's hilariously awesome that you can do this with such a "budget" or "low-end" derailleur.

I have a big cargo bike that has been electrified with a high torque motor running an Acera derailleur for years now. It has never once needed an adjustment, creaked, shifted improperly, or really had any issues at all. And this is a bike often carrying +100 lb loads, going up hills, and moving quickly.

I have used the older Acera and Alivio derailleurs with 9 and older 10 speed groupsets with 11-32 and even 11-34 cassettes on road bikes as the pull ratios are the same as 7 and 8 speed systems. These older bikes with 53/39 chainrings paired with an 11-34 cassette now have a similar gear range to modern compact gearing 50/34 and 11-30 cassette. A much cheaper way to upgrade these old bikes.

Microshift M26 rear derailleur. 11-36tooth capacity. Highly recommended.

This is not the only KZfaq bike channel to sing the praises of the Acera. But you did a better job expounding on its merits. Well done

Just a few weeks after I retrofitted my commuter/touring roadbike with an acera rear derailer you post the vid to finally vindicate that decision! Love the vid even before seeing all of it!!

I really miss the Acera RD-M340 with it's Over Sighed Pulley Wheels that every one is now paying thru the nose for on Dura-Ace. I'd love this latest Acera if it had that support for large cassettes and still had the Oversized 15T/13T jockey wheels. It looked so cool.

That's funny to see this right after I pulled the Acera rear derailleur off my old mountain bike and threw it on this mixed build tripple bike when the Ultegra derailleur it came with didn't have the capacity needed to handle the triple and the 11-28 cassette. Just put 30 miles on it and it was smooth as butter.

Running one of these (18€) on my city comuter 1x10 with 11-42 and 42 front with a parts bin tiagra 4600 shifter. Best thing ever.

Nice, we get them as cheap as 15-18€ here in Germany, would be a great derailleur for my new commuter 😊

My head hurts on the numbers. Love the simplicity Russ

Still patiently waiting for shimano to release dropbar levers for their shimano cues

I love your down to earth common sense approach. Thank you so much.

I have Shimano Deore 9 speed rear derrailleur on my road bike setup 50/34 with 11/42 cassette and on my mtb to gravel conversion, 36/24 with 11/42 cassette. The road is setup with 10 speed brifters and the gravel with 9 speed. In order to use the cassettes and not having to add a derrailleur hanger extender is changing the b-tension screws with a longer one. On the road bike I had to move the front derailleur up a bit to clear the 50/42 combination. For both setups this is the maximum the derrailleur can handle in a 2X setup. You can still find new deore for $50 bucks on e-bay. But both setups is like having a 1X hybrid with plenty of gearing when things get steep.

I've run 46-30 and 42-24 with 42-11 with Sora shifters 9 & 11 speed with 105 shifters and bar end shifters. all with Alivio, Sora, STX, XT and 105 rear derailleurs using a hanger extender as well. Indexed road shifters can be used with a multitude of combinations of gear sizes front and rear. If you use MTB rear derailleurs only 9 spd or less will work with indexed road shifters. I find that gear ratios too high that come with bikes as standard these days. Chris Froome I am not, so I've experimented as well. This channel is great, doing the experimentation for us.

This is great. Thanks. I'm so glad you check this stuff out in the Cave of Bad Ideas. If I ever do the bike-touring build, I'll use my Ciclo Uno and a setup like this (except that means I'll have to take the Ciclo Uno off my road bike... don't ask...

I have decades of working on my own bikes, if I was going to build a new packing bike I would go to the new Acera with friction shifters and maybe a 105 at the front! Pretty much the same build on the video. They're bullet proof! I'm not so keen on the Acera shifter/brake lever combo though. Ps. we rode without a clutch in the rear for decades and didn't know we were missing it. Check out Microshift too! They've come along.

I've had mine for a year on my commuter and I'm completely satisfied. And friction shifters.

You've got quite an amazing niche here - and you're so good at it! Bravo.

I'm old enough that I remember when Shimano first used the model name Dura Ace on a centerpull brake, before they repurposed it for their new, showpiece group that was to compete with Campagnolo. I've always pronounced it as two words, never as "Doorahchay," but I like it! It rolls off the tongue, like the short-lived Santé.

The derailleur clutch isn't a stronger spring. It's a mechanism that adds friction to the derailleur's movement. Shimano has a plastic clamp that adds friction. Sram has a bearing with a nylon bushing. No springs involved.

If you are running 2x you don't need a clutch as much because the front derailleur helps keep the chain on the front chainrings. If you are running 1x, a clutch is needed more as is a chainring with a deeper tooth profile.

Russ is using friction shifters but this 8 speed will happily work on 9 speed index road/MTB. Just ordered 2x Acera’s for my kids bikes. For them it’s an upgrade from Tourney TX. Still no clutch but I’m pairing it with bigger cassette and bigger NW chainring.

Well done, Russ! I love it when you peel back marketing fluff and show me maximum functionality traded for the fewest family fun hours. 🙌🏻

Videos like this are why I love this channel.

Oh i feel i must mention that my previous derailleur was b-twin that came with the bike. I also paired the new derailleur with a set of shimano ef-500 rapid fire brake/shift levers and man i love them! I ride a medium decathlon rockrider100 with a 3x7 setup. Am currently contemplating a new crank set. I am a shimano fan boy. Have been since I was a kid so I tend to stick with that brand. Alternately I would love to get a internally geared or CV rear hub but... I absolutely hate re spoking wheels.🤷‍♂

good that it works well. As it is a 2x8 has really got to be the "entry level" decent range 2x. On a x7 you're limited to like, a 34t with a mega-range freewheel, where as once you hit 8 you can get 40+ cassettes, as silly as that can get for distance between gears. So you'd be wanting a 3x7 or a 2x8 to get the range, unless you have any tips for what to do if you find yourself converting a bike with a freewheel. Other than "don't" or "replace the wheels" of course :P

fantastic solution for affordable groupset with an amazing range. My only worry is that friction shifting is not super handy when in the hoods as I need to move my hand to shift and it's not super close to brakes if I need to engage them.

Someone tossed out an old frame with guess what Mech was on it. I installed the Acera and barely had to make any adjustments. Works amazing on an old Italian Legnano. Its kinda spooky actually. fit like a glove

Dear PLP, thanks for all your patience and effort for making such interesting and educating videos. I appreciate your love and passion for cycling lifestyle! Now, about this particular Acera 3020 RD- if we neglect the fact that it works with 40t cassette, and for example want to use it with 8 speed cassette (32-34t) , will it work better than vintage XTR m900 (m910,950) or XT m737/ 739? In my area, both Acera 3020, and above mantioned vintage XTR/XT (in good condition) are about 30$. Thanks a lot in advance, and best regards from Serbia

I think the one aspect that prob doesn’t get mentioned enough is that before you decide to do the same experiment on your own bike - especially with rear derailleurs - always check and think about how the cable routing from the seatstays or chainstays will be affected… Certain RD’s don’t work very well when the cable exit points are in certain angles/distances relative to the position of the cable anchor bolt. Just because it works well on one particular bike that you see on a KZfaq review may not necessarily have the same result on all bikes….so DYOR

This is the content I come here for! Thanks, Russ. I hope the Catalan Party Pacers make you feel super welcome.

I have upgraded with two ceramic pulleys (11t and 13t, had to dremel a bit, possibly it can take 15t),using a 11-40t cassette/ very good derailleur

Actually, all the modern "low end" shimano (altus, acera, alivio) rd can all reach up to 40-42t without any goatlink. Sometimes even the old ones. I got an on older altus (the one in silver and black with a large pulley wheel) on my folding bike and it can manage up to 40t pretty easily. I also have an older deore rd (9 speed) that can also go up to 40-42t. All hail the lowend shimano's!

I agree that clutches on gravel bikes are not always necessary. I’m running a retro m952 rd and I’ve had no issues with chain slap even going down trails

Shimano are always massively conservative with the maximum sprocket size their rear mechs. I use similar set up but with current R7000 105 rear mech which gives 11 speed for under £60 - My set up is 11-40T 11 speed cassette and 30-46T up front (crankset is ultegra triple set up as a subcompact double)

Great video! I love to hear about great, affordable gear that just gets the job done!

Russ if you get a chance, check the SunRace RD-M10. It's a 10$, steel, friction-only derailleur that even Riv sells. According to them: "Frictions up to 8, Wraps 35 teeth, Max rear cog, 28t, Wt: 255g"

The Shimano Acera group set was originally on my 3 X 8 Diamondback Mountain bike with a 42/32/22 front and 11-32 cassette and fell for the 1X 10 hype with the Shimano Deore derailleur 38T up front and 11-42 cassette. I had the Ultimate range and never had problems with it. No chain drops and I reduced the chain slap noise by cutting an old inner tube and wrapping the chain stay with it. The bike does look better and is lighter with a 1X though.

I just splurge on the M7000 SLX for loaded dirt touring. 24/32 x 11-46. (gonna change that big ring to a 36 someday) Shimano says you can't run a double with 11-46T but mine hits all the gears no problemo. I'm on flatbar shifters though.

Thanks for every thing . In a world where the top quality is always the most expensive one, you show something else. Can you do a video With Shimano triple Sora

My fairly humble 5120-SGS is a great way to get a huge range. It’s 1x and 2x compatible with both 10s and 11s. Shimanos specs are weird but it’s identical to the m7000 SLX rd that is 1/2x 11s but I just replaced the 5120 with the 7000 and they’re 100% cross compatible and even visually look nearly identical.

Awesome tips for side stepping component compatibility issues, reducing costs, extending riding options, great content thanks ……………subscribed and liked

Your 2x setup is sick and looks good too!

May be a dumb question but why not use a long cage 9speed Advent Derailleur with the friction shifter? it has a clutch and supports 42tooh and I believe up to 46tooth.

This a good setup if you feel like going up walls.

After my XTR broke the prices had jumped , I couldn't justify the cost on a child carrier bike. This works great for road style STI shifter up to 10 speed (not the Tiagra 1:1 exception). I tried it with a 105 and now I have it working with a Sensah Phi 2x10 setup.

Yikes. Durachez. Love it. How many takes did you need to deliver that without cracking up?

Love the low key mad-scientist-in-the-lab vibes, Russ

Alivio is similar and now has a clutch

I've been running Claris level components on a gravel bike set up for a couple of years. It is really old school 3x8. But, I get a huge range, over 600 percent. The components don't shift as cleanly as my Ultegra stuff, but they shift just fine. Russ makes the point of no clutch and chain slap. Clutches are great. However, people rode mountain bikes on the gnarliest of terrain for at least 20 years without clutches. Chain slap was just a nuisance that everyone lived with.

I was also pretty stoked to find Shimano released an affordable rear derailleur with such a large max cog. Better yet, one that’s backwards compatible! However, having seen their entry level derailleurs after moderate use, I am disappointed by the durability and build quality of these latest derailleurs. I often see these derailleurs (and other Acera / Altus models) coming into the shop with large amounts of play on the parallelogram as things wear. The indexing soon becomes inconsistent and unreliable, and the derailleur needs replacing. This is less of an issue with friction shifting, of course, but if running indexed shifters, I wouldn’t rely on this derailleur if you use your bike regularly. As Russ mentions, I’d like to see this type of max cog size find its way onto more premium models. A touring grade version of this would be wonderful!