Originally Posted by DogBoy
SRAM and Road Levers aren't exactly friendly are they? I want a mtn bike rear derailleur for my cross-bike also, and the only Shimano 9-sp group that is "high-normal" is deore. I found an older model XTR derailleur that I will use instead. I looked at SRAM, but they have a 1-1 ratio, but the shimano uses 2-1, so you can't use shimano shifters with SRAM derailleurs. SRAM doesn't make a road lever, so that ended my shopping for SRAM. Someone said that only the ESP versions use the 1:1, but at the SRAM website, all the derailleur groups mention that they use a 1:1 ratio.
I'm not 100% sure what the 1-1 vs 2-1 ratios mean, but I think it means that for SRAM, 1 mm of derailleur travel requires 1 mm of cable travel and for Shimano, 2 mm of Derailleur travel requires 1 mm of cable travel.
I remember reading on this forum recently about some kind of "converter" for SRAM 1:1 to Shimano 2:1. I'm probably counting the SRAM option out myself, for the same reasons as you, though. I just want a new rear, not a new rear + gadget + god-knows-what-else simply to "avoid" Shimano and go with SRAM. I'm not into looks; the price is not that big of a deal; and that just leaves maintenance as the only other stated reason - I can deal with that.