I'll be as brief as I can.

I'm working on a fleet of 34 bicycles for a high school. They are 2023-24(ish) KHS Winslow mountain bikes. They do not know the year, but the bikes are 1-1.5 years old.
RDs are S-Ride, RD-M300C, 9-Speed
Shifters are S-Ride, SL-M300C, 9-Speed
Cassettes are CS-M300C, 11-42T, 9-Speed

https://khsbicycles.com/bikes/2021-k.../winslow-2021/

Of the 34, 16 are trashed; broken hangers, busted RDs, sprockets bent in the cassettes, crimped brake hoses, chain plates are plied apart, etc. Parts are strewn everywhere.

I went into my LBS for parts, I even brought in one of the bikes and the spec sheet, link above. The LBS does not have the spec'd S-Ride RDs or cassettes, they do not even have 11-42T cassette, so I had to get 11-36T (the kids won't notice). LBS sold me:
Altus RD-M370-SGS rear derailleur
CS-HG400-9 rear cassette 11-36T

First, I put on a brand new hanger from derailleurhanger.com, hanger number 206 and it fits perfectly. I even checked it to be sure it was straight using my hanger alignment tool. I only mention it in case someone asks.

Second, this is the main issue, when I mount the new 11-36T cassette and the new Altus RD, using the stock S-Ride shifter , I am unable to adjust the indexing, it will ALWAYS shift up or down the cassette 2 sprockets at a time.

I pulled off an S-Ride RD and cassette from another bike (I was losing my mind at this point), mounted those on THIS bike, the shifting is fine.

I guess it must be the lever throw on the shifter? I would have thought that the distance between sprockets on the S-Ride cassette would be the same on the Shimano cassette.

Thank you in advance.

Not at all familiar with S Ride components, but AI says they are fully compatible with Shimano. Fully compatible should mean mixing and matching shifters derailleurs and cassettes should work.

https://www.s-ridebike.com/s-ride-rd-m300-long.html
https://www.s-ridebike.com/s-ride-sl-m300-shimano.html

their pages say they are compatible with Shimano MTB parts....

NOW... the SL-M300C variant is SRAM, and the pull ratio of SRAM stuff is far longer than shimano MTB ratios....
https://www.s-ridebike.com/s-ride-sl-m300c-9-spd.html

i'd think you may have the M310 Rear derailleurs, originally...... and that shop owes you a big favor, right after they take back the wrong parts and sell you the proper ones..

Son of a...

Well, thank you. I should have looked online myself for the S-Ride, but I had just figured they were some obscure Chinese brand.

Well, I've mounted a RD and Cassette, I'll see if they take them back.

D

The Cassette should work fine, Shimano and SRAM cassettes are the same, if they are HG mount types.

the Derailleurs and shifters are what don't play well together.

took a second and peeked at which SRAM der. should work for 9sp... the newer X-4 model looks remarkably similar to the S-rides... hmmmmm..

the X-3 can be had for under $30 at walmart.com, and a few other places...

the X-4 and X-5 should also work well, but the cost goes up...

search: SRAM 9sp.rear derailleur.

oh, and i spotted the S-ride M300 too... 13 dollars, on walmart... it is the Shimano compatible pull ratio version.
some shopping might find the M310 version.

Thank you Madddog.

I do not understand about the derailleur vs the shifters. The derailleur is not indexed, it moves what ever distance the lever tells it to move, so why would the derailleur not be compatible with the lever?

The 16 trashed bikes should have enough parts to make at least 8 or so good bikes without buying anything.

The shifter doesn't tell the derailleur how far to move, it just pulls a certain amount of cable for each click. The derailleur decides how that cable pull will translate to lateral motion. Older SRAM 1:1 stuff pulls more cable than the equivalent Shimano, so minor changes in cable tension/position have less effect on shifting accuracy.

I work on a similar sized fleet of bikes for our local Cub Scout camp. The Cubs (about 10 years old max) do not trash them to that degree. Most of the trails we ride are traversable (spelling?) by the camp trucks.

They tried bikes on the Boy Scout side of the camp, and they all got trashed in various ways.

So they ended that program. I don't want to say that they replaced the bikes with ATVs because that's not necessarily the best way to look at it, but they did end their bike program and then start up an ATV program. Scouts need to be 14 to ride the ATVs. Those require maintenance too, but they don't get "trashed" because they ride with a lot of supervision.

Sure, that makes sense. But a gym class has about 30 plus students, usually roughly divided in half for the 2 phys ed instructors. As well, then those remaining 25(ish) bikes would be further trashed, reducing the number again.

A lot of the issue was the bikes being assembled by the kids out of the box, so I found things like - both QR centering springs on one side or none at all, stripped QR threads, or busted QR lever, stripped pedal bolts, stripped stem preload bolt (or the star nut completely ripped out), stripped stem bolts, no grease on pedal threads nor seat post, crimped hydro hose. Then after riding them, they'd snap the deraillleur hanger (I had to order 10 new ones from the USA), a number of the chain links were plied apart...for some reason, jockey cage bent, rotors bent, sprockets in the rear cassette bent. Surprisingly, none of the wheels were out of true....well...1 or 2 slightly out of true.

I gave both physed instructors some guidance on how to close a QR, proper tire inflation, urge no jumping, do not lay down on the RD side, etc. I'm afraid though that a number of the students simply will not care. This is a rural high school and ATVs are the allure and smashing up a bike is entertainment.

Ah, I see now, a different ratio of movement from the shifter to the RD. Thank you. So I SHOULD be able to use the Shimano cassette with a SRAM shifter and SRAM RD?

Yes, the spacing is the same for SRAM and Shimano 9 speed cassettes. I prefer to use SRAM cassettes and chains (based only on personal bias) and they work fine with Shimano shifters and derailleurs.

Link at Gopher Sports about PE teacher trying to incorporate bikes into school curriculum

Your school suffers from the challenges of incorporating the bikes into the gym class (I've never heard of anyone successfully doing this), combined with some combination of poor, inadequate, or unqualified/undertrained supervision.

I teach music, and the challenge of kids that smash stuff up for fun is real. I've had to teach guitar class to middle school students that preferred to detune the strings, strum like gorillas until something broke, and drop pics into the bodies of the guitars.

In any school setting, you simply need to back up to some level of experience that you can control. This might require in your case a written safety and bike operation quiz. Put tape on the gym floor with a course. Use scrap lumber or other material to build some (low) obstacles for them to ride over or across. The carrot is that when they can handle themselves in the gym, they can go outside to say a course in the parking lot, then more. Offenders could sit with the other teacher.

I'd also add that you are putting yourself near the vanguard of a push to incorporate bikes into school physical education curriculums that try to emphasize life fitness in addition to sportsmanship and competition. Pickleball is succeeding. Bikes not so much - for all the reasons mentioned, plus others. Bike manufacturers, gym teachers around the world, and probably many here are rooting for you and your school to succeed.

In my line of work down the hall in the music department, an analogous struggling effort might be handbell programs (One leading manufacturer here). The initial investment is quite high, but the equipment allows people of all skill levels to work together in groups of various sizes to make beautiful music without a lot of training or particular physical attributes required.

Keep us updated!

Pull RATIO, governed by the Cable Reel size inside the different Shifters.
think of it as bigger and smaller gears, only inside the shifters.

SRAM shifters use a larger front "gear."
that larger "gear" pulls a Shimano MTB derailleur too far, with each click.

My LBS easily exchnaged the Shimano RDs for SRAM X-5, but they do not have in stock and had to order.

ScottCommutes thank you for the advice. But I will not be teaching any kids, I do not have kids, I know nothing about them, and avoid them at all cost. That said, I am mentoring a 13yo at a local community bike shop. He's a good kid, does exactly what I tell him, but he is starting to get teenager brain and pushing some boundaries, normal.
The Phys Ed instructor asked if I would do a talk on how to treat the bikes - nope. I did say I would show her, and she can pass on.

first lesson: never Drop the Bike on the Right side... this will save derailleurs from some damage
second lesson... how to use a Quick release lever.. it is Not a wing nut, and should be tightened by hand only.
third lesson: if you leave a bike out in the rain all winter, expect it to Not Work Well in the spring.
fourth lesson: AIR UP THE TIRES TO A NORMAL PRESSURE before every ride, using a pressure gauge. that pressure is usually about 3/4 of the Maximum pressure shown on the tire sidewalls.
fifth lesson: Lube the Chain, but NOT the Brake track on the rim, or Brake Disc, as applicable!!!!! Cardboard makes a great temporary overspray shield...

Thank you maddog34 that is, pretty much, the advice I gave the Phys Ed instructor, as below. But I did not include anything about tire air pressure

Recommendations:

• I suggest some instruction on how to properly close a QR skewer.
• Some instruction on how to use both brakes combined with transferring weight over the back wheel is wise. I noticed more brake pad wear in the rear than the front.
• Do not touch the brake rotors with your hands, oil from your hands can affect braking. Avoid getting oil on the rotors. Do not use a spray lube.
• Do not use a spray lube on the chain, use drip only. The bike does not have to be drowned in lube, one drop per roller on is all that is needed.
• No jumping. These entry level suspension forks, although they bounce, are nothing but a marketing gimmick. Keep doing that you'll bend wheels.
• I would suggest not fiddling with the adjusting knobs on top of the fork, they do very little to affect fork performance (a few were snapped off)
• They can certainly do all the wheelies they want.
• Do not lay the bike down on the drive-side; the derailleur side, particularly on uneven ground. In particular, do not drop the bike, especially on the drive side. That is likely why the hangers are broken. The hangers are designed to break to protect the derailleur and frame. Lay the bike down on the NON-drive side.
• All bikes will need the seat post greased and the pedal threads greased. If left as is, the corrosion will weld the parts together. I can do this later if you folks purchase the grease as indicated in the spreadsheet.

I wouldn't do bike teaching in a gym, because if/when the bike falls over, the pedal, or handlebars, or axle, will gouge the expensive varnished wood floor. Some gyms have rubbery floors, better, provided nothing will slice that. If you must teach inside, pad all places on the bike that could impact the floor. Also, the wood floor is smooth enough that the tire can slip out in a hard turn, most especially if a drop of any liquid, like sweat, is on the floor.

And don't use industrial drive chain lube like the previous owner of one of our trikes apparently did. That took a lot of cleaning, a long chain and lots of tubes. TBF the chain was in good condition under the sticky mess.