zx108

which one do you like/ride.

i noticed that specialized bikes are with sram now.

J-McKech

I vote rohloff.

norcodirtjumper

Whatevers on sale but reliable. As long as it works good, and its somewhat cheap, I dont care what goes on my bike as far as driveterrain. But, if i could choose without money being an issue, Id choose Shimano probaly.

valbowski1980

I have a Deore/LX mix on my current bike. I might give SRAM a shot next time around to see if I like it better.

cryptid01

Shimano, because SRAM doesn't offer low normal derailleurs.

InchesOfEvil

If SRAM wins the popular vote can Shimano still be named victorious due to an archaic voting system?

never

I voted SRAM because I am really happy with my recent X.9 upgrade but I don't have a problem with any of the Shimano stuff on the bike or the other two bikes. If there was an option for either, I would have picked that.

snoopz666

sram for sure. i had shimano and switched, ill never go back

erhan

It's interesting... SRAM users are mostly the ones who switched from Shimano for some reason, including myself. But I don't know anyone who used SRAM first, and then switched to Shimano. Anybody?

Raiyn

Thank [insert religious deity of choice here] !
The only thing that should be "Rapid Rise" is yeast.

I like my pre Rapid Rise LX and XT drivetrains, but I'll be going to SRAM for the next build

Matt Gaunt

I found it hard to vote on this one fellas. I have SRAM Attack 8's on the very retro MTB and they are something else compared to Shimano's offerings of late which are double the price or more.

However, I don't like the way SRAM mechs are nearly all plastic, sorry, "Composite", when I can have a shiny XT one which is clearly stronger and looks nicer for roughly the same price.

Swings and roundabouts, hence I've got a mixture of the two.

Raiyn

One piece doesn't make it "all plastic" mate even if the X.0 uses a carbon pulley cage on it's short and medium models

Matt Gaunt

True. I wasn't referring to the latest ones to be fair, though. I don't have a problem with it per se, I just prefer the XT one. Sorry for offending anyone though

Brian

I'n my less than humble opinion, current Shimano is just shyte. Their new LX-XTR stuff is fugly, and doesn't work as well as SRAM gear. Their low end stuff is huge, bulky, and cheap looking. SRAM seems to improve their products to make them better. Shimano just makes it different each year so that the same fools get sucked into "Upgrading". If Shimano still made their older XT 8 speed stuff, there would be no contest.

I have seen the future, and it's not RR, it's 1:1.

Raiyn

No harm no foul. I'm all about the facts, and just wanted the correct info out there.
I don't know I think my last gen M570 and M750 parts are rather nice looking

Brian

The M750's are ok, but 8 speed performance is still better than 9. The only chain I ever broke was a 9 speed one. The M760/765 are revolting.

Raiyn

I disagree. Also the only chain I ever broke was an 8 speed Shimano. 9 speed SRAM chains have never been an issue

Brian

Let me clarify. The only chain I ever broke was a SRAM 9 speed.

LowCel 

My vote goes to SRAM. Unless one day Shimano decides to go to 1:1 ratio SRAM will be my only choice as far as shifters and rear derailleurs go. I am still using Shimano front derailleurs and cassettes though, hopefully SRAM will eventually put out some light weight cassettes and front derailleurs so I will be able to go completely shimano free.

the wonginator

what's this rapid rise and 1:1 thing?

Brian

Rapid Rise is Shimano's latest effort to get everyone to replace their drivetrain with something they haven't needed for the last 100 years or so.

1:1 is the cable actuation of SRAM's better equipment. Your MTB will shift smoother between service intervals, and under poor conditions, far better than Shimano.

LowCel 

1:1 thing. SRAM uses 1:1 cable pull, Shimano uses 1:2 cable pull. This basicly means that SRAM needs the cable to be pulled twice as far to shift the gears, however this is not noticed when shifting. It also means that the cable has to be out of adjustment twice as much to start getting ghost shifting and other bad shifts. This means that you can go much longer between tune ups and enjoy many more hours of problem free shifting by using SRAM. It really is a great thing to be able to ride for months without having a mis-shift or a ghost shift.

It's hard to believe that I was actually hesitant to switch over to SRAM. I just didn't see the reason to make the switch. I had grown accustomed to the problems I had been having with Shimano for years and just learned to live with them. When I built up my Truth I decided to go ahead and give SRAM a shot. Once I made the change I couldn't believe the difference. I built up my Enlightenment a couple of months later and I never even gave it a second thought, I immediately ordered SRAM for that bike too. It would have been much easier to just use the Shimano drivetrain I have setting on my shelf but I would honestly rather pay for SRAM then use Shimano for free.

the wonginator

ok that explained nothing.

Dannihilator

Option 3, non of the above.

cryptid01

Perhaps this will help:

Rapid Rise is Shimano's term for a low normal derailleur. This means that the spring is the opposite of the derailleurs you're probably accustomed to, which pull the derailleur toward the smallest cog (highest gear) when cable tension is released. A RR derailleur pulls toward the spokes at rest (lowest gear normal is how I remember it). This means the triggers are also reversed, and pushing with your thumb takes you down the cassette into a higher gear. Pull with the index finger and the chain moves up the cogs into a lower gear. Less effort is required at the shifter with RR.

I have ridden them both and from my experience, RR allows smoother shifting under pedal loads. Also from my experience, the people who don't like RR are either 1) bike mechanics who get frustrated when they can't use their normal routine for adjusting derailleurs or 2) stubborn people who are too inflexible to relearn their shifting process.

Hope this helps.