Mountain Biking - sram or shimano?

For drive trains, what seems to be the better company?
Whats the pro's and cons of sram and shimano.

what part does one company make better, I.E. cranks, cassets, shifters, Derailures.


What combos seem to work..

Yes, this is leading up to my next statement,

My drive train needs to be rebuilt, I'm throwing some cheaper parts on now to just get rolling.

:deadhorse2:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, dead horse...get over it.

After years of running Shimano, lusting for XTR, I saw the new X.0, and was intrigued; couldn't handle the sticker shock, though. A couple years later, had a chance to get X.7, and LOVED IT! X.9, which I'm running now, is the best I've ever encountered! The ONLY Shimano I'll run on my bike now is XTR...cables. Maybe a front derailleur here and there.

X.9 has 90+% of the performance of X.0, for half the price; shifts are more positive, no ghosting, it's just a louder SNAP! when it shifts. Golden.

Never had any ghosting or phantom, or aparitions with XT. EVAH!!

The new Shadow is showin the love on every ride.

I'd rather have XT than XTR. More durable, brah.

I've had durability issues with X.9s main pivot bushing. Wiggle, wiggle.

For a "weekend rider" though...the X.7 system I installed for my friend has been working like a champ. Good entry level stuff.

For a "weekend rider" though...the X.7 system I installed for my friend has been working like a champ. Good entry level stuff.

And here I am thinking Alivio's entry level...:D

I'm particularly fond of how XTR deraillieurs shift, not a fan of the loud hard shifts you get from XO. Some may say sram shift crisply and quickly. With just giving a bike with XO a thrashing, I found that while quick ****ing yes, it was hard to shift and too loud for my likings.

Some say poe-tay'-toe; others say puh-tah'-toe - - either way, they're good baked, fried and hashed. My personal preference is toward SRAM; but many others will like Shimano all for very valid reasons. When the time comes for you to upgrade, cheeto, vote the combo of availability and your pocketbook.

Once I went to grip shift I have never looked back.

I'm very happy with my current set up:
X.O grip shifters with X.O rear derailer
XT crank with XT front derailer.

Once I went to grip shift I have never looked back.

I'm very happy with my current set up:
X.O grip shifters with X.O rear derailer
XT crank with XT front derailer.

I haven't tried them, but I hear the X.0 Grippy's are pretty stellar.

I like SRAM shifters and Shimano dérailleurs. Bit of a tradeoff really.....

Got X.7 shifters and X.9 rear dir on my bike right now. Shifts when I want it to shift and seemingly easier to tune than the Shimano I used to run (less sensitive to small changes, with a wider range of "in tune"). I always had a problem with my Shimano trigger shifters accidently triggering upshifts when I'd reposition my hands on the bars. No such problem with the SRAM's thumb shift only shifters. And they give a nice firm satisfying SNAP when you hit the button. Not the somewhat vague feel from the Shimano.

I think it's more a matter of preference. If you like smooth you'll like Shimano. If you like crisp you'll like SRAM. They both work and that's what matters.

I have a xtr cassette xtr rear derailer xt front derailer, and just recently switched my newly purchased bike to sram grip shifts. I love the combo its the best shifting i have ever had.

they's all good....

i have XO gripshift and der., XTR triggers and rear der, and XT triggers and shadow r.d. it all works great!

sram front derailleurs....jury's out.

I run XT, LX, x7, and x9. They all work flawlessly when set up properly.

The only definite winner is SRAM chains vs. Shimano b/c of the Powerlink. The rest is just opinion and preference.

I've been looking at Epics and they seem to be all SRAM except the FD. Why is that?

SO crisp=sram smooth=shimano
Whats better lol? I want smooth and fast lol.

ok, heres a better question.
Value wise, Whats better because I dont have 150-200 to spend on 1 derailure.

Cheeto, you will not be able to figure out the difference. Search and read.

Currently I am running a mix/match of Shimano and Sram. Sram chain and PG990 cassette, LX shifters and ders, XT crank. Each part was chosen based on price and level of quality (LX stuff was OEM).

I tried to seach, at the time I posted this some "500 error" thing poped up everytime I hit search.
My internet hasnt been working right since the storm. My wireless for some reason doesnt work at all.
sorry for teh dead beat topic, just wondering as I have a race comming up and I';m moving up a class, want to have all my weak links replaced.

Are you doing the work yourself? If so I would not make all these changes prior to a race. Give yourself plenty of time to work out the kinks.

If the LBS is doing the work then you should talk to them and find out the best deal. I like the pg990 cassette (despite some poor reviews here) and sram chains. Other than that I still plan on going XT everything else when the time comes. The XT crank has been great to me. LX shifters and derailleurs are still holding strong after 2 seasons of racing.

I started out with LX rear derialleurs, moved to XT...took a hiatus...got back in with alivio moved back to LX...moved over to x.7 and x.9...back to XT...blah, blah, blah.

I was a firmy about XT cassettes. I took time away from XT cassettes and tried out SRAM PG950's, 970's, and a 990...I'm back to XT to stay. I've flirted with XTR derailurs for a few stints, but moved back down to XT.

My fav's sem to be XT derailleurs, XT cassettes, SRAM chains, XT-level cranksets.

As I said before though...the X.7 RD and shifters that you can buy on clearance usually through Jenson or Pricepoint are wonderful for the pennies that you pay. I'd totally run them on a secondary.

I've run both and went back to XTR because I like triggers. With that said, I do use the new XTR shifters which have the thumb shifting both ways. I only use the thumb paddle option now. Never made a conscious decision to use that option, just came naturally.

Being an AVID racer, I am always looking for ways to make my bike as efficient as possible (I didn't say faster, that's my bodies job). I did not experience any significant differences between the two brands. Anybody who says there is a HUGE difference is basing that on personal preference choices (grip vs. trigger) not on function of the drivetrain...or they did not have the drivetrains set up properly.

Unless you race, ALOT, don't bother with XO or XTR. Get the XT series or X.7 or X.9.

I'm curious to try the group that's replacing LX.

I'm curious to try the group that's replacing LX.

LX is going away? Say it ain't so! :eek:
I just completed an 8-to 9-speed conversion and upgraded from Alivio to Deore LX dual-control shifters (think brifters for a MTB) and an LX rapid rise derailleur. By the way, I love the new set-up!

Shimano XT deraileurs and SRAM Attack shifters. Works primo!!

LX is going away? Say it ain't so! :eek:
I just completed an 8-to 9-speed conversion and upgraded from Alivio to Deore LX dual-control shifters (think brifters for a MTB) and an LX rapid rise derailleur. By the way, I love the new set-up!
Yeah I think I read that LX was going to be the Trekking Gruppo, and would be replaced with SX? Maybe.

I have a goofy little setup. X.9 in back and Deore LX in front. It Works though, controlled by some good ol' grip shifts. To long though, they go over like half the bar.

Yeah I think I read that LX was going to be the Trekking Gruppo, and would be replaced with SX? Maybe.

SLX

OP: for most people the practical differences b/w sram and shimano are subtle and lie in the shifting.

1. sram uses a 1:1 ratio - think of it as: the shift lever moving as much as the cable does.
2. shimano's uses a (2:1?) ratio so the lever moves a relatively shorter distance in order to pull the same cable length.

Sram's shifting is "crisp" because the 1:1 ratio means any imprecision in setup at the shifter is only mutliplied x1 when it reaches the derailleur. Shimano's is not as "crisp" because that imprecision is multiplied x2 by the time it reaches the derailleur. The difference in leverage ratios also means it requires less force to pull the shimano shifter than it does on the sram shifter. This results in the sram shifter feeling precise to some but harsh to others, and the shimano shifter feeling slack by some and forgiving to others.

However, the "play" in shimano's system allows it to be slightly imprecise yet still shift correctly, as well as being easy to tune when the shifting starts going astray. Sram's requires more precise setup and when it goes astray, requires more attention to get it back.

Oh ok, now I get it a little more, Thanks Chicken!

Shimano FD, SRAM everything else.

OP: for most people the practical differences b/w sram and shimano are subtle and lie in the shifting.

1. sram uses a 1:1 ratio - think of it as: the shift lever moving as much as the cable does.
2. shimano's uses a (2:1?) ratio so the lever moves a relatively shorter distance in order to pull the same cable length.

Sram's shifting is "crisp" because the 1:1 ratio means any imprecision in setup at the shifter is only mutliplied x1 when it reaches the derailleur. Shimano's is not as "crisp" because that imprecision is multiplied x2 by the time it reaches the derailleur. The difference in leverage ratios also means it requires less force to pull the shimano shifter than it does on the sram shifter. This results in the sram shifter feeling precise to some but harsh to others, and the shimano shifter feeling slack by some and forgiving to others.

However, the "play" in shimano's system allows it to be slightly imprecise yet still shift correctly, as well as being easy to tune when the shifting starts going astray. Sram's requires more precise setup and when it goes astray, requires more attention to get it back.

I'm pretty sure you've got it backwards. Shimano is 1:2, not 2:1 (cable to der movement, not lever to cable.) This means that if Shimano gets a little off, it goes south a lot faster, since any misadjustment in the cable is multiplied x2 in the der movement.

SRAM, on the other hand, seems to be amazingly tolerant of neglect. When I first got my bike (with SRAM), I didn't adjust the der. cables for 6 months. When it finally became obvious I needed to tighten the cables, it was only because I couldn't get into the lowest gear on the back. All the other cogs were still perfectly lined up with the indexes despite the stretch.

People think that SRAM is crisp because of the feel at the shifter when a gear is selected. It makes a clean "click" sound and feel.

In either SRAM or Shimano, the shift always occurs after the gear is selected once the cassette rotates and allows the chain to move up/down the ramps. They both shift the same, but have different feel at the controls.

People think that SRAM is crisp because of the feel at the shifter when a gear is selected. It makes a clean "click" sound and feel.


SRAM tunes their detents a lot tighter than Shimano. That's the click. You're 100% right on the speed of the actual shift. FWIW, I like the more pronounced detents of the SRAM systems.

I heard shimano was working on a telepathic shifting system..
Its called Shimano Interactive Telepathy Shifting and like most shimano systems it will be known by its acronym (Sh.I.T.S)

I heard shimano was working on a telepathic shifting system..
Its called Shimano Interactive Telepathy Shifting and like most shimano systems it will be known by its acronym (Sh.I.T.S)

SRAM is also making the Continuous Actuation Shifting Trigger Activated Total Integration On-Board Nature System.


Or, CASTRATIONS.


I can do it too. Ha. Ha. Haaaaa....

ok so I gather theres no huge, major difference.'
I think I'd like the feel of the srams crispness better.
IDK... which ever one is cheaper when the time comes...
=)

what about chains i saw one for sram but anybody else?

I'm curious to try the group that's replacing LX.

I run a 2006 XTR with a 2007 LX cassette, chain, and shifters, and no matter what anyone says it works like a gem, aside from a tad i bit more of a snap then my friends XTR cassette/ derailleur/ shifters, theres no difference (and i really mean a very small snap, its very smooth still).