Should I switch to SRAM?

[Barrington]

Ive always used shimano gearing. I used to have a crappy shimano acera rear and also an alivio rear in my time, all though they are bottom of the line, they shifted ok, but they barely moved around. I do dh,freeride stuff, so I thought id upgrade, didnt have much money so I got a Shimano deore LX. It does shift really well, but it moves around like crazy and always smashes into my frame on the smallest bumps.

Should I just upgrade again to shadow slx, or xt, or should I completely change everything and get something like a sram x7 shifter and derailluer, thats probably the max I could afford. Would the change be really worth it, or are the slx's and xt's fine, and have their design been fixed (swinging around and smashing into swingarms). Pretty sure the website says the slx has been fixed.

Tell me your thoughts.

 

[Dozer]

Yes, you should switch to SRAM. SRAM is awesome and X7 is better than average components. The shifters feel great and they shift on the money every time.
I have had far too many shitty annoying problems with Shimano overthe years so I refuse to use any of their gearing parts.

Shimano shoes are good though!

 

[merc-blue]

Its hard to deny that Sram have pounded shimano for better derailuer systems for a long time the shimano shadow gear is a big step in the right direction from shimano, but i would put X7-X9 on anything over most shimano gear.
That said. i find sram shifters abit funny, they just never seem to feel as nice on my thimbs as shimanos, they work really well just dont seem to fit my odd hands

The shimano you have ridden on is pretty crap, may cause offence but it is.
Look for a cheap 2nd hand X7 setup that isnt thrashed and see how it goes, maybe try to find a cheap 2nd hand XT or SLX shadow, and compare the two.

 

[BM Epic]

This will probably turn into a sram vs shimano shitfight, but my opinion goes in favour of shimano, only because i do my own tuning, once you can do your own tuning shimano becomes a very good proposition, that said, i am running xtr, if i was to run sram i wouldn't go anywhere but x9 on, with shimano i would start at xt onwards.Bear in mind i have only ever had a small amount of experience with sram and it wasn't good! I am opposite to Dozer and only will ever use shimano, but i do mainly xc, sram seems to be very popular with dh/freeride, so it becomes your choice, they are both very good systems though!

 

[Tazed]

Both have positives and negatives, and most of it comes down to preference now, as Shimano have stepped up to match most of SRAM's features they were lacking (mostly the rear derailleur changed to have front entry cable routing, fixed pivot and lower profile (Shadow)).
Personally, I'm all-SRAM now, haing been all-Shimano for decades before that.
I think they got their MTB stuff dialled while Shimano really just adapted their road stuff initially, then had to up their game once X.0 came out (and the other lines below it were upgraded to similar features).
Go SRAM, you won't regret it.

 

[L.P.]

yeah, i think in the downhill market sram derailleurs still pound shimanos. thats painful for me to say, because every xo ive had has lasted me under a month, and its been an absolute pain to work with. but ive changed back to sram again because the shimanos do move around too much for a dh rig, and the shadow derailleurs are a great step but i find they wear out a lot quicker and get movement in the main pivot quickly.

That said, shimano shifters are a lot nicer to use, and it doesnt feel like your gear just slammed into the next sprocket. for xc use, id go shimano every time.

so, especially in your x7/x9 range, theyre a lot better for dh. the x9 short cage mech's ive seen last years, and shift great.

 

[rgsupergrover]

Go Sram due to the freeriding. The cable doesnt get caught on shit like on the chimano. Moreover they are a good price on torpedo7.com

 

[Reubs]

I went all-SRAM about 7 years ago as i was annoyed with shimano's (then) poor spring tension (i had a big hit, sram didnt smash into the frame) among other minor grevances.
I cant recall ever twisting a sram cage in use unlike every shimano mech i've owned (excluding XTR, that just broke instead).

The new shimano shadow looked tempting but until the new saint gear came out I'd not have bought it. I think the only way I will swap back is with saint. Personal preferance obviously.

 

[ben_rides_a_bike]

http://tbsm.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=10_33&products_id=2021

Great deal and will certainly last.

 

[Welshy]

I switched to SRAM X.9 about 6 months ago, coming from Shimano XTR on my DH bike.

The SRAM shifted better instantly, sharper, quicker shifts, and you were never left with that nasty feeling that it hasn't shifted.

However, in terms of strength, the XTR shat on the X.9. Snapped my first X.9 cage within 2 days, and snapped the second a few weeks later. To be fair, now that I'm used to it, I haven't snapped one since.

The XTR was unstoppable though. Over the time i had it it was scratched and chipped, but still true.

 

[Turner_rider]

It does shift really well, but it moves around like crazy and always smashes into my frame on the smallest bumps.

If the only issue you have is it hitting the frame, then get a lizard skin or wrap part of an old tube around the frame.

This is also a lot cheaper than buying any new gear, try it for a while before you think about changing to SRAM.

 

[Barrington]

If the only issue you have is it hitting the frame, then get a lizard skin or wrap part of an old tube around the frame.

This is also a lot cheaper than buying any new gear, try it for a while before you think about changing to SRAM.

I tried bubble wrap, didnt do anything, then i tried soft foam stuff, didnt do anything, next thing il tyr is some proper rubber foam stuff. Im just worried that regardless of what I put inbetween the derailluer and the swingarm, the derrailluer will still snap off during a dh run. Im going riding this weekend, first time in like a year, I just want everything to work well enough.

I guess I will change to sram in the next month or two, have to save up. Also, Is there alot of difference between a cheap shifter and a half decent shifter?

Thanks heaps for the opinions and suggestions! keep em coming

 

[evObda2]

Maybe more thought on why its hitting the frame rather than the old sram vs shimano debate is needed..

What frame is it? Can you take a pic?

Im not familiar with the current LX mech, but i use the current saint and have found it to be quiet good on my dh bike (it is on an Orange though so has no chance of hitting swing arm). Shifting is good and has had a fair few knocks. Saying this i use sram XO on my 4x bike, quicker shifting, lighter etc.

When you say hit the frame, what part is hitting it? The cage or main body or?
Have you tried tightening your chain a bit by removing a link or two? sometimes this can bring it out more adding a bit more tension. Hard to say without seeing what is actually hitting.

 

[Barrington]

Maybe more thought on why its hitting the frame rather than the old sram vs shimano debate is needed..

What frame is it? Can you take a pic?

Im not familiar with the current LX mech, but i use the current saint and have found it to be quiet good on my dh bike (it is on an Orange though so has no chance of hitting swing arm). Shifting is good and has had a fair few knocks. Saying this i use sram XO on my 4x bike, quicker shifting, lighter etc.

When you say hit the frame, what part is hitting it? The cage or main body or?
Have you tried tightening your chain a bit by removing a link or two? sometimes this can bring it out more adding a bit more tension. Hard to say without seeing what is actually hitting.

heres some fotos, not very good, http://www.rotorburn.net/forums/showthread.php?t=191563

The main body hits the underside of the swing arm, and I have already taken out 4 links

 

[evObda2]

aah i see.. its different to the shadow mech shimano now use and sits quiet high even with more chain links out due to the hanger position.
id say try going for a saint or sram mech as they sit a bit differently to this, or deadening it with stick on velcro (the fluffy side).

sorry i couldnt be of much more help.

 

[Tombstone]

I run full SRAM X9 on my freeride bike and full XT on my XC bike.

I find Shimano easier to fine tune but as others have said, even the XT stuff still slaps your stays and moves around way more than the X9.

Since I shifted to full outer cabling, the XT stuff is much better as it seemed to get out of tune faster due to dirt build up.

I find the X9 is quite workmanlike in it's shifting but is super stable and very reliable, so saying I find it harder to fine tune but that's just more due to my limited capabilities than any fault of the gear

I still reckon I'd have the same set-ups on both bikes tho, XT is great for cross country stuff while X9 is perfect for freeride and downhill.

 

[KALBO]

I'm running SRAM X7 shifters and SRAM X9 rear mech and they are smooth as butter. Though I've used Shimano before with no problems... I highly recommend SRAM components. I think they are also less bulky than Shimano shifters. SRAM it mate!

 

[Turner_rider]

I tried bubble wrap, didnt do anything, then i tried soft foam stuff, didnt do anything, next thing il tyr is some proper rubber foam stuff. Im just worried that regardless of what I put inbetween the derailluer and the swingarm, the derrailluer will still snap off during a dh run. Im going riding this weekend, first time in like a year, I just want everything to work well enough.

I guess I will change to sram in the next month or two, have to save up.

A few layers of rubber from an old tube should do the trick nicely.

The movement in the derailleur is not a bad thing other than the noise. Its not going to break from hitting the frame.

Save yourself the expense of doing an upgrade you don't need and just put the rubber in the right spot.

 

[Barrington]

Save yourself the expense of doing an upgrade you don't need and just put the rubber in the right spot.

Thats probably the only thing i can do at the moment as I will be saving up for a month or two to get sram stuff.

 

[s_govers01]

i too asked the question whether or not to switch to SRAM and i decided to however due to financial difficulties i am having to sell the cassette and chain and shifter without even using it. but IMO you should make the switch.