Shimano Acera Review – Mountain Bike Rear Derailleur

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Do you want to replace your bike’s rear derailleur with a durable, easy-to-tune, and smooth shifting one? With these qualities, you are surely looking for an affordable price. You will find many brands of the rear derailleur.   Some of them may have the conditions which you want. But they are not accessible to you or vice-versa. So, I think Shimano Acera Rear Derailleur will be the best choice. That’s the reason why I am here to discusss Shimano Acera review.

Why am I telling you about Shimano’s product? Because they are trusted, and well-known for the products, especially bike and bike components all over the world. If you do a mid-range budget, you can take this product without any hesitation. This rear derailleur has many exciting features with excellent performance. But before choosing this rear derailleur, you may be thinking about its durability, shifting and material quality, and other functions. Here, I will give you a detailed and vivid description of it.

In this content, you will find the features and the pros and cons and experience-based information. So, why are you waiting? Let’s start with the details.

Shimano Acera rear derailleur review

Shimano Acera  is one of the many series products of Shimano. This rear derailleur comes after Shimano Tourney. Shimano Acera rear derailleur is an entry-level complete groupset. It is quite impressive, aesthetically, and practically.

 Acera derailleurs have a relatively futuristic design and quite gear change than their prior series. Shimano Acera derailleur has Integrated Dual Controls Units. Shimano Acera’s gear changing is not super smooth, but it is better and direct.

Acera Rear Derailleur made up of a combination of aluminum and steel. This combination makes this rear derailleur more lightweight. But it is quite strong. Shimano also uses resign for derailleur body.

With an advanced light action design, this rear derailleur is quite cheap and easy to install. You will find two colors, black, and silver of this model. Both are available on online shop.

Features :

You may be confused, is it suitable for you. Here I am giving you the most useful features of Shimano Acera derailleur.

  • This product has advanced light action and wide link design. These features increase the performance of smooth shifting and durability.
  • It has low-friction fluorine, Teflon coated link pivot bushings, and extension spring, which gives reliable, soft, and light shifting action.
  • Its body made up with aluminum and steel.
  • Resin is used for body plate.
  • This rear derailleur is placed in a medium cage and compatible with cassettes with up to 34 teeth.
  • It is also compatible with 8-speed HG sprockets.
  • Shimano Acera rear  has top normal spring for use with Rapidfire shifters.
  • If you use Rapidfire Plus levers, like Top normal rear derailleurs, you can downshift more gear faster.
  • You can quickly downshift by your thumb.
  • It is quite lightweight.
  • Large 13-tooth tension and guide pulleys to reduce noise and wear.

Specifications

  • Series: Acera M360
  • Gearing: 7-speed & 8-speed
  • Body: Aluminium
  • Plate body: Resin
  • Outer link: steel
  • Inner Link: steel
  • Largest Sprocket: 34 teeth
  • Smallest Sprocket: 11 teeth
  • Overall Capacity: 43 teeth
  • Highest Difference of chain wheel: 20 teeth
  • Derailleur Pulleys: 13 teeth
  • Weight: 340g
  • Mount: Standard
  • Compatibility: Shimano MTB or City & Touring 6,7,8-speed
  • Application: Cross Country, City.
  • Compatibility Chains: HG 7 or 8-speed.
  • Cage Length: Medium or Long
  • Color: Black or Silver

Why I Choose Shimano Acera Rear derailleur 

Easy to Install:

You can quickly install it without any obstacle and don’t need anyone’s help to install it. You can easily install and align by following these five steps, setting the limit screws, Tighten the cable, adjusting the cable tension, shifting it up, and adjusting the B-tension screw.

Smooth Shifting:

Acera derailleur has much better tension than Shimano’s early series. Its shifts are smooth and reliable. You can shift smoothly under heavy load and acceleration. You can also control the shift to lower gears with this regular design and do shifting quickly and accurately.

Durability: 

Its body is made up of a combination of aluminum and steel. This combination gives it more strength. Moreover, it lasts long. If you ride it roughly, you can use it for several years. This derailleur is also lightweight, which will give you an extra benefit.

Perfect for medium trail and country area:

As it is entry-level mountain rear derailleur, you can not go for the hard trail. But you can use it smoothly in a mid-level adventure. And for the country area, it is best.

You can easily fit it on any kind of standard bike. This derailleur can be used universally at modern bikes. Moreover, SGS long case design offers you a more comprehensive gear change.

Pros

  • For medium range, this rear derailleur is best.
  • It is easy to install and operate.
  • Smooth and quick shifting.
  • Fits any kind of standard bike.

Cons

  • If it bears much pressure, it doesn’t last long.
  • As it is lightweight, it can not be used on a tough mountain ride.
  • Medium level mountain bike.

FAQ’s

1. Are Shimano Acera Rear derailleur RD-m360 any good?

Of course! For medium budget and use, you can buy this product without any hesitation. Moreover, it is durable, lightweight, and can do a crisp shifting

2. Will this work on a 6-speed set up?
yes, it will work on it. But at first, you need to make sure that the limit screws are adjusted correctly.
3. Will this fit any bike?

Of course, it will fit any standard bike.  To install this on your bike, you have to tune it after installation.

Last words

I think you have a clear idea of the Shimano Acera rear derailleur. From my point of view, it is the best rear derailleur for mid-range mountain biking. You can also ride it for a long time using this rear derailleur in city or town roads. And the feature of this product is quite useful that anyone will surely feel attraction for this rear derailleur. So, I recommend that you should try this for your bike. And always keep calm when you are driving.