Mountain Biking - SRAM front derailleurs as OE

Why is it that SRAM front derailleurs don’t seem to be popular with Trek, Fisher, Giant and other large manufactures? They use full Shimano or a combination of SRAM shifters / rear derailleur with Shimano up front.

Some bikes are almost completely SRAM products and built with a Rock Shox fork, Avid Brakes, cables and hoses, Truvativ crank and SRAM shifters / rear derailleur but still run a Shimano front derailleur. I would think if someone was going to buy all those parts from SRAM they would get the front derailleur too.

Shimano is HUGE compared to SRAM. Bike companies buy enormous amounts of parts. When they can get 15,000 front derailleurs on the cheap, in less than a week shipped from Japan, why go elsewhere?

That's just my take on it. If anyone cares to add or subtract from that, feel free.

Yah, I get that.

I just find it odd that they use everything SRAM except front derailleurs.

Back in the day, SRAM RDs ran on a 1:1 ratio, when Shimano was something else. I don't know if things have changed, but getting my grip shift to work with an XTR rear derailleur was rough at best.

Front derailleurs are different. They have upwards of 9 clicks for three (sometimes 2) gears. Doesn't have to be as exact.

Once again, if I have a cancerous rectum, someone should step in and say something.

i just ordered a x9 sram fd. :D

screw shimano

gary fisher and trek, and i belive specialized are owned by the same company.
thats what my lbs said.

they said its kind of like buying a Lincoln, a mercury and a ford.

no matter what you buy, your still getting a ford base jsut with added luxury's

I know Trek and Gary Fischer are part of the same company ,but I don't think Specialized is part of it.

trek and fisher are the same company but completely different bikes. Ford and mercury build the same car with different tail lights. They may have the same tires and wheels, but frames are different

Because SRAM fd's are teh suk

Because SRAM fd's are teh suk

I expected to hear that within the first 3 posts.

gary fisher and trek, and i belive specialized are owned by the same company.
thats what my lbs said.

They lied.

I expected to hear that within the first 3 posts.

But really, they seem to be. I've been a mechanic for years, and I definitely know how to adjust a FD. But for some reason, on certain bikes the X.9 FD just does not work. Period. On other bikes, it's fine. The other guys in my shop have noticed the same thing. Throw an XT on and everything works again... its' rather frustrating.

My FD recommendation would actually be Shimano LX. They are lighter than XT, X.9, and even some XTR, work just as well, and costs next to nothing.

I expected to hear that within the first 3 posts.

Fo real

They lied.



i checked, its gary fisher and trek.

so, no they didnt

i checked, its gary fisher and trek.

so, no they didnt

so they lied about the specialized part ;)