The rest of the thread is gonna go something like this:
1) a whole lot of sram d*** sucking
2) A couple guys who swear by shimano and shimano road derailluers
3) Someone is gonna post the comparison video of the two derailluers
4) Someone is gonna dispute the validity of said video
5) The thread will then devolve into complete brand whoring with no comments based on experience or knowledge, just talk of what Sam Hill rides
I had a SRAM XO...it constantly needed adjustment and eventually broke in half. Since then I have had a shimano XT. It's loud but has worked flawlessly since then and even through crashes.
yeah, my sram was just set and forget. got it out this season and rode a bit and the barrel adjuster was all the way out. backed it in and retightened the cable and it shifts like it did when i put it on last year.
none of my xt D's have been that nice, but they have still worked nice
I had experience in both SRAM and SHIMANO transmission.
SRAM X-9, and SHIMANO SAINT.
I'd say I like X-9 a lot better.
It's lighter, shifter feels more "clicking", and sounds more "clicking".
Deraileur is tighter, and less sensitive to cable tension generated by suspension movement.
The springs in Shimano dérailleurs are weaker than SRAM's resulting in worse shifting. I have yet to feel a Shimano dérailleur that shifts as well as my X.9. After an entire season of riding last year, I only had to adjust my dérailleur once because I had to replace my shifter. The shifts are flawless. I have never been able to achieve that with and XT or XTR derailleur. Like Will said, if you setup your dérailleur correctly (maybe not necessarily Shimano), you shouldn't have to adjust it.
Aside from the weak springs, the main part of Shimano derailleurs is pretty high quality. However, the shifters are a piece of cra* compared to SRAM. They are cheaply designed, expensive, and break really really easily.
I had no issues with my XT or XTR shifters. I still have a set of super old school XTR 8 speed shifters (and matching cranks and derailleurs) with who knows how many miles. Needed some tweaking from time to time. Shifting was limp compared to my current x9 setup though.
Hell, I didn't even have problems with my Deore shifters. Really... how often do you ram shifters into the ground? I cracked the display... that was about it.
Well...without going into the plethora of knowledge that there is (Choofoo is seriously right there), I will chump in my simple and basic 2cc worth [Considering I have the XO 08Rr Mech, Shadow XTR/ XT and past Shimano incarnations like XSL_Will]. Both Sram and Shimano are great products with both good and bad as well as negative and positive aspects.
But then again, the Shimano's 09 Saint Rr mech will smack this design to the back burner for many, due to its size, weight, aesthetics, material, profile and function...triggers are another matter.
But I will not sell my XO though...
The Shimano boys should be sending that new Mech in for some play time though. It wont be coming off though...
Shimano does not have a great design. I have yet to find a Shimano der. that does not make contact with the frame on a "normal" suspension design. A bike with the elevated chainstays will not have this issue, but any bike I have they hit. The der hits the frame when it swings up over big hits, sometimes small ones too. For this reason alone, I don't like shimano. Also, with SRAM, the shifting is much smoother with the 1:1 ratio. I run SRAM on every bike that needs a derailure/shifter. Just a personal preferance.
I ran Shimano Mega 9 shiftes (circa' 2005) with Shimano XT rear. Without much knowledge at the time, I rode that stuff into the ground, and eventually it broke. Chain snapped, derailer snapped in half. In Shimano's defense, I never, EVER cleaned that drivetrain, and rarely lubed that stuff.
So, I switched to SRAM just to try something new. And I love it. The shifting is notchier (in a good way) in that you really know when you've fully shifted into a gear. It's also very easy to setup. Again, in Shimano's defense, I've never set up the new Shimano stuff, and rarely do I setup the older Shimano stuff (pre-2007).
Either way, both work great. I must say I've heard better things about Shimano's road stuff almost every time. But as far as mountain goes, I'm a SRAM guy through and through.
I've sworn by SRAM drivetrains, particularly the X.9 Line for many years, but Shimano is stepping their game up. The new Saint, XT, and XTR's derailleurs could earn a spot on my rig.
My previous experience with Shimano, mostly the XT series, was really harsh. It seems like they've improved however.
Personally I like my XT derailleur. (I've used Sram X9 to compare)
Old Shimano has it's advantages with that extra pivot, when a rock or root bashes the derailleur from the bottom, the Shimano derailleur will pivot and save itself while the Sram will probably bend or break, nevertheless the Sram will have a bit more precise shifting and will be much quieter. IIRC, the difference in ratios is not THAT big, I remember that Shimano is a 1.8:1 real and Sram is a 1.4:1 real ratio or something like that.
Newer Shimano stuff has the same ratio as before but many features similar to Sram derailleurs such as direct cable mount (no cable loop) and they made that second pivot fixed.. I think they are stepping things up dramatically and they seem to be much more stronger and stealthier (Shadow mounting)
Shimano does not have a great design. I have yet to find a Shimano der. that does not make contact with the frame on a "normal" suspension design. A bike with the elevated chainstays will not have this issue, but any bike I have they hit. The der hits the frame when it swings up over big hits, sometimes small ones too. For this reason alone, I don't like shimano. Also, with SRAM, the shifting is much smoother with the 1:1 ratio. I run SRAM on every bike that needs a derailure/shifter. Just a personal preferance.
i Havent run SRAM but ive had 2 XT r-mechs first one was spot on till i smashed it to bits on a rock when i went otb.... new one took me 10 mins to install and has worked great ever since. If i break this one i may try some X0 stuff just for a change of brand, but im real happy with my XT
I'm curious, has anyone else noticed how fragile SRAM der's are? Mine get bent way easier than any Shimano ever did. I can even straighten the cage by hand (running X-7 or X-9). I love the shifting but the soft material is killing my wallet. I'm going to give the new Shadow a shot, maybe it'll shift better than older versions...
Never had an issue. My x9 medium cage saw it's end when I came off a drop funny and the derailleur landed on a rock. It twisted the parallelogram a bit. Still shifted fine, just has trouble dropping into the 11t. I twisted it back and used it for another 3 months while waiting for the new style x9 short cage to be stocked. The short cage uses a dupont composite.
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