Anyone know their Shimano's?

[Gazzab]

I am looking to replace my Avid Juicy 7's, they have been fine apart from the usual issues with changing pads, and also the LX shifters on my FSR Stump Jumper with Shimano XT. I have quite large rotors (which I dont think is an issue) at 203 and 185mm but cant for the life of me work out what all the shimano marketing means (just not familiar with them) and therefore which model of brakes and shifters (9 speed) to buy (or where is reasonable value to buy them from).

I am thinking this:-

http://www.merlincycles.com/shimano-xt-m785-disc-b... (but the shimano website has two or three models)

and this...

http://www.merlincycles.com/shimano-xt-m770-9-spee...

Having had new hubs and wheels, new bushes, new chain/cassette/rings, new jockeys, new dérailleur etc I might as well go the whole hog. The Avids have sticky pistons and one of the LXs is pretty worn so I might as well change them both.

I still want a new bike but would rather have this as a workable back up bike rather than stop spending on it.

[walm]

I am not a pro but I have done something similar to my bike.

Merlin always seem good value to me - but obviously check the usual sources: CRC, Wiggle, Ribble, etc...

Whether the brakes fit directly on your rotors will depend on the shim set up on the Avids, which sets the distance from the centre of the wheel to brake pad - which obviously needs to be right for the pad to be clamping on the right thing!
Someone else will be able to tell you whether it is a direct swap. If not - LBS for shims I would think. Not a deal breaker.

Slightly confused that your shifters are "worn" - not sure what that means.
But as long as you stay Shimano for Shimano and same speeds then you will be fine.
(SRAM use a different length of cable to shift each gear so won't work - "cable travel per click". And 10 speed chains are narrower than 9 speed so also don't work IIRC.)

AASHTA
http://sheldonbrown.com/speeds.html
http://sheldonbrown.com/drivetrain-mixing.shtml

[Gazzab]

Thanks for that :-)
My LX shifters are about 7 years old. The down shift on one has got a rubbish 'click' now which means the gear change can be a little less sharp that I'd like. the chap who services my bike suggests I replace it. So I might as well replace both.

[ccr32]

Gazzab said:

Thanks for that :-)
My LX shifters are about 7 years old. The down shift on one has got a rubbish 'click' now which means the gear change can be a little less sharp that I'd like. the chap who services my bike suggests I replace it. So I might as well replace both.

Might be an obvious question, but have you tried a new gear cable?

Only once in, what... 25 years of riding various bikes with Shimano gears, has a shifter failed on me (an LX one come to think of it! Front mech shifter, though...) - most gear shifting issues it is the cables causing first, and as they're the cheapest part in the system, you may as well try replacing them first

[walm]

I am with you.
Replace the shifters.

IME replacing a gear cable never did anything for me. They just stretch a little over time and need tweaking - I have never fixed an indexing/shifting problem with a cable change.

However, I have put on a new derailleur and new shifters which were night and day vs. the ancient ones from my 2007 $500 specialized MTB.

(Although in fairness I only changed the shifters because I failed to notice that the brake levers were integrated into the shifters so when I put new brakes on I needed new shifters too - doh!!)

[HereBeMonsters]

I've had 6-7 different Shimano shifters fail on me over the years - and some from second hand bikes, so it's not like I'm the problem!

[ccr32]

Fair enough! I must have got lucky!

[Gazzab]

Thanks chaps. Have bought from Chain Reaction... slightly cheaper. Think my bike has a nearly grands worth of parts and labour in the last 12 months :-) It will hopefully be pretty damn perfect for the winter now (and only a slight movement in the front shock when locked out on my OCD mind).

[Gazzab]

All fitted. Two major improvements 1. The avid caliper pistons didn't properly retract so I had rubbing which slowed climbs, so now climbs much easier. 2. Shifters are now precise have a very snappy change :-)
Brakes need bedding in, currently don't feel as strong as juicy 7s or as easy to modulate (?) the braking.
Rear rotor is a 185 with avid adaptor so think I'll need to get a 180 shimano rotor and adaptor.