Review of Shimano SL-M410 Alivio 8-Speed Shift Lever Set

Shimano SL-M410 Alivio 8-Speed Shift Lever Set
By: Shimano Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 4
More Information

Alivio 8-speed Shift Levers

On: 2010-07-06

I used these shifters to replace old Shimano 8 speed shifters on a Gary Fisher Tassajara mountain bike. They installed with out a problem and shifted perfectly. I would recommend this product for an 8 speed shifter replacement.

Good value and easy to install.

On: 2010-03-18

I dont think these inexpensive shifters will last 10+ years like my last ones, but they fit my 8 speed mtn bike, were a good price and easy to install. Delivery was fast too. Im crossing my fingers theyll last 2 or 3 years. If so, Ill be very pleased. Word.

Got As A Spare

On: 2009-04-04

My sons bike came with SRAM TRX Triggers which I read had plastic gearing inside that others found to be short-lived, lasting only a season or two. I came across these Shimano SL-M410s at a good price, and have a higher end 9-speed version on my own bike that I just love, the SL-R660, so purchased them and was going to swap out the SRAM shifters outright. However, the SRAMs work fine at the moment (although I find their black display hard to read while riding compared to the more visible silver of the Shimanos), so plan to hold off for a year or so, or until the SRAMs break or start skipping gears.

Theres not much choice these days in 8-speed straight bar shifters. It seems the newer offerings are integrated with the brake levers, which I dont particularly like because the upper index-finger trigger only has enough opening for small fingers, and it is not possible to customize the orientation of the shifters relative to the brake levers / grips to fit an individuals hand size and particular riding position. And if a brake lever or shifter breaks, but not both, you have to replace the whole unit. These Shimanos are one of the few separate components available.

Worked good for a year and a half

On: 2008-09-11

These shifters came on my Trek 4500 MTB. They worked great and never got out of adjustment for a year and a half. Then one day, the right shifter broke and I was unable to shift into higher gears without forcing the shifter into my handgrip. I opened them up to see if I could fix it by pure luck, but when a metal piece that had broken off fell out of the case as I opened it, I figured it was not fixable. I did some quick forum searching and gathered that many Shimano shifters are non rebuildable... so if you want a cheap, disposable shifter that works well, this one fits the bill. I gave it 4 stars cause its pretty good for a lower end shifter. It didnt get 5 cause it broke in under 2 years.

My riding consists of weekend rides on fireroads with the family, some light commuting when the weather is bad and I dont want to ride my motorcycle in the rain, and a very rare 10 mile single track loop near the home. I am near the coast and my bike does have rust on many of the screws, so that could have attributed to the premature breakdown.