Mountain Biking - XO vs XTR

I just bought a new BMC TE-01 hardtail with full XO everything. Being mostly a road rider
needed a diversity in my riding. I hear alot of talk about XX being above XTR and XO being on par with XTR. Then some will say XO is only glorified XT...........BLAH Blah.

I rode xtr and it was flawless in all respects except I did find shifting to be more precise with XO. Braking was the same, awesome.

Thanks for the observation. I'm a closet techno weanie. Can't get caught on the trail admitting that. I can never feel the difference in performance from XT and XTR. Even the weight is minimal. To me its like arguing which Prime Rib tastes better, bone in or bone less.

I've been playing with the idea of going XX only because I have too much time on my hands these days. I should just get some better lights and ride.

Personal decision really. XTR, XT, XX, X0 are all great, and probably overkill for 99% of the people that have them (including me!!). It just comes down to what you prefer. I like SRAM more than Shimano when it comes to drive train components. Solid shifting, cheaper, lighter. On the other side, Shimano brakes rule the brake world in MTB as far as I have experienced.

That BMC with X0 will be hard to beat. Only thing I would do to it would be to throw on either XT or XTR Trail brakes and call it done. :)

On the other side, Shimano brakes rule the brake world in MTB as far as I have experienced.
Shimano brakes are very good, but to say that they rule the brake world in MTB is quite a stretch.

Otherwise, agreed....XTR, XO, XT, XX, X9 are all very good. The setup of the drivetrain is more important. I could go either way - run one bike with X0 and a couple with Shimano(XTR and XT). I do prefer Shimano cranks over SRAM though. Shimano uses a better system IMO.

I just bought a new BMC TE-01 hardtail with full XO everything. Being mostly a road rider
needed a diversity in my riding. I hear alot of talk about XX being above XTR and XO being on par with XTR. Then some will say XO is only glorified XT...........BLAH Blah.

I rode xtr and it was flawless in all respects except I did find shifting to be more precise with XO. Braking was the same, awesome.

Which XTR did you try? 980, 970, 960? Also, what was your question?

^^ Show-off.

mechBgone: Don't know, it was on a new 2011 Spec. epic. Ditto on my question, just venting, perhaps wishing I got XTR.
Although the bike won't be used much and XO is more than enough. Hell X5 would be good.

The 'expert' take on the XTR v. XO has always been "XTR shifts flawlessly...until the drivetrain gets dirty, then you have issues; XO will consistently and positively bang out shifts under most any conditions."

I tend to agree; SRAM triggers are more positive than Shimano's. I've been running X.9 for five years now (same derailleurs and shifters, cables replaced once), and I NEVER have shifting issues.

My caveat to the XTR brake claim: Avid BB7 w/ XTR CABLES is so strong a combo that I feel no need for hydro. Adjustments? Sure, about 2-3x/year, MAYBE! I can one-finger 185 rotors and just about endo (and I'm a Clyde!) 203's WILL put me on my face!

I'm not interested in XX just now; when 9-sp X.9/X.0 is gone and no longer available, THEN I'll indulge. Maybe. Even X.7 comes in 10-sp.

My statement on brakes comes in the wake of using Avid Juicy 7s, Avid Code Rs, Avid Elixir CR SLs, and Formula The Ones. The Avids I hated, all of them, and the Formulas were decent, but compared to the Saints and XTR Trails I run now, the others pale by comparison. I did justify my statement by saying from my experience. So, others certainly may think differently. :)

I will say that my Avid Single Digit 7s, with Speed Dials and Kool Stop Salmon pads are insane. They feel better than my Juicy 7s EVER did...

My SRAM XO Grip Shifts can dump ALL 9 gears either way, on one single turn...which is about 2 seconds faster than any triggers. Plus, XO LOVES dirt!

:lol: Because it's imperative that the fastest shifting on the planet through all gears is the most important aspect of choosing shifters. How well do you do when you come up to a nice kicker and wanna tweak that sucker out in the air? Lot's of "bar english" will cause your GripShift setup to shift. How 'bout a tall bunnyhop where you really need to torque forward on those bars? I'm not moving my hands out and off the shifters just to hop up on a ledge or something.

But saving 2sec on shifting would probably be a benefit somewhere in the MTB world.

My SRAM trigger shifters are pretty quick too. I can get through 9 gears in under 2 seconds. And I never shift them by accident. The last bike I had with GripShift, my hands were never in the right place or the right angle, and I had to think about my hands in order not to shift whenever I was muscling it up a steep section or trying to get it in the air.

Gears?

Gears?

Yup,...gears. A whole set of those things that you only have 2 of (one front, one rear). Some of us weirdos like 'em.

It's like the T-shirt, with Darth Vader:

"Come over to the Dark Side...We Have Cookies"

Gears?Well, sprockets, technically . . . only lots of 'em.

If they were really gears, they'd be helical, straight-cut, planetary or ring-and-pinion :D.

i think XTR is on par with XO. XX is just lighter than XO. Some say the XO is better due to better durability and more adjust ability with things like the shifters etc.