SRAM parts (never had them)
 

Good day everyone,
Getting back in to mountain biking and I am looking to upgrade from my current Trek 4300. I am looking at a bike that has a Sram 7 front derailleur and shifter, and a Sram 9 rear derailleur with Sram cassette. When I was in the sport Sram was not around, so I am asking , if any, what do these components compare to in Shimano or any other, and are they good. The type of riding I do is alot of singletrack (inter, advanced) at my areas local parks 10-20 miles at 10-15 MPH. I am 210Lbs at 5'11". thanks for the help..

about lx/slx-xt level

My bike is equipted with Sram 5 twistgrips and a Sram 7 rear derailer. The shifting is almost flawless, far better than anything that I have had before. The bike came with Sram componets, and I too had never heard of them before. Now I fully recommend Sram.

You can mix and match cranks and chain rings I.e. Shimano and Sram but not shifting components. Sram derailleurs w/ Sram shifters, Campyw/Campy, and Shimano w/ Shimano due to the difference in pulling ratios. While you may get them to work, but working smoothly will be another story without the help of an adapter. Then with the extra cost of the adapter, $35.00, you could have gotten the correct component

What bike are you looking at?

Usually manufacturers are smart enough to spec bikes with components at least as good as the frame deserves. You'll rarely buy a new bike and quickly discover all the components suck. (Disc brakes are a possible exception.) The real question is - what suspension fork does it come with? There are still a lot of junky ones floating around on bikes that are pushing $1000.

SRAM components work.. their factories located where most bikes are made,
so wholesale transport to the Frame/bike making factories is also low cost.

NB the particular items fitted are chosen to hit the target price point.

I'm looking at the 2012 Motobecane Fantom Trail, it comes with a rockshok TC 30 (100mm) with lock out, FSA Gamma drive cranks and Mage EXO BB, Avid elixir 1 Hyd Brakes, Ritchey stem and bars. Asking price is $799.00

Yeah, I hear what you're saying, but...SRAM as Gripshift has been around since 1988. SRAM's derailleurs and hub gears did not spring from the ground fully formed. In 1997, SRAM bought Sachs, which as Fitchel&Sachs had been in the bike components business since 1895. In 1990 Sachs bought Huret, which had been making bicycle components since the 1930s (hmm - double check this date before you bet a beer on it). Sachs, Huret and SRAM have all made their mark at the highest levels of international cycling competition over the decades.