SRAM vs SHIMANO

[arendoog]

I found tuning a XT on longer chainstays like a DS bike is realy easy ,but it gets a bit tricky on shorter chainstay like a HT .I do the tuning on the other family members X9 on HT too and found it to be easy and stable.Even the cheaper shimano brakes work better than avids .I have both.I would run X9 on HT and XT on DS with XT brakes with ice tek roters

[Capricorn]

mada. glad those X.Os serving you well.

 

But if them avids feel squishy, then need to be bled, a few times, esp if its a pre-2012 avid. By Avids own admission they did hold air well and required good bleeding. but once they working, they are mint. 2012 stuff fixed those problems.

 

But Avid's taperbore vs Shimano's servo wave might have a diff feel to them, so it will come down to user preference. Lever feel also has a large effect on perception of brake performance.

[Capricorn]

meant to ask: those with DS' and shifting issues: how sure are you your chain is of the correct length?

[covie]

mada. glad those X.Os serving you well.

 

But if them avids feel squishy, then need to be bled, a few times, esp if its a pre-2012 avid. By Avids own admission they did hold air well and required good bleeding. but once they working, they are mint. 2012 stuff fixed those problems.

 

But Avid's taperbore vs Shimano's servo wave might have a diff feel to them, so it will come down to user preference. Lever feel also has a large effect on perception of brake performance.

 

Yeah i love my avid breaks havent seen any reason to change them over. Tried a mates bike with magura the other day and it felt like he had no breaks compared to the avids. but havent tried shimano brakes besides the deore ones on one of my earlier bikes. 440's if i remember, its seems to be a personal prefrence due to the way breaks modulate rather than outright stopping power.

[Capricorn]

i cant wait to try SRAMs type 2 rear mech. only thing bout it that hacks the crap outta me is the fact it uses 10spd. meaning ill have to get another cassette as well.

 

but, i am keen on drastically reduced chainslap.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Yeah i love my avid breaks havent seen any reason to change them over. Tried a mates bike with magura the other day and it felt like he had no breaks compared to the avids. but havent tried shimano brakes besides the deore ones on one of my earlier bikes. 440's if i remember, its seems to be a personal prefrence due to the way breaks modulate rather than outright stopping power.

 

If you want to experience a lack of braking power, ride my XCAMHT with the Tektro Auriga Comps. Oh. My. Shattered. Nerves.

 

I had a lower heartrate during the Xterra run...

[Mada3400]

mada. glad those X.Os serving you well.

 

But if them avids feel squishy, then need to be bled, a few times, esp if its a pre-2012 avid. By Avids own admission they did hold air well and required good bleeding. but once they working, they are mint. 2012 stuff fixed those problems.

 

 

I'm not sure which year my brakes are, and if they have actually ever been serviced as i bought them second hand

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

if anyone's avids need bleeding, they may be mine. DH bike hasn't been ridden in 4 months, and it's being stored with levers down (hanging from the rear wheel)

 

Took it down the other day though, and they're still seeming as sharp as before...

[North Shore]

with respect I disagree totally. Always had issues with mud and my shimano, and to tune them properly you need a degree in voodoo, embrace the darkside and sell your kidney to a shammon.

 

SRAM you can tune 100% while on a trail in 5 minutes if need be. Shimano you can do on trail in about 1 hour and if your lucky you will be able to use at least most of your gears.

Thanks for backing me up, have no idea what kind of magic mud his shimono's 2:1 actuation is dealing better with but I've never encountered it, hands down SRAM beats shimano in the mud keeping the full range even when absolutely clogged in mud. Also find SRAM goes much longer without needing gear resets. The shifting feel is quite different and some will prefer shimano but I like that you can drop and gain more gears at a time with SRAM and there is something to that very precise shift that some will love and others hate. I hate the clunky XT shift however solid they may feel.

[EZRider]

 

Thanks for backing me up, have no idea what kind of magic mud his shimono's 2:1 actuation is dealing better with but I've never encountered it, hands down SRAM beats shimano in the mud keeping the full range even when absolutely clogged in mud. Also find SRAM goes much longer without needing gear resets. The shifting feel is quite different and some will prefer shimano but I like that you can drop and gain more gears at a time with SRAM and there is something to that very precise shift that some will love and others hate. I hate the clunky XT shift however solid they may feel.

 

If ever you are up in Tzaneen or Mpumalanga, give me a shout, we will go find this magic mud together. Bring your bike.

I am glad you have the Oracle at your back, he is, after all, a hubber very certain of his opinion.

You may love your equipment, and I have nothing against SRAM, but your claims that my gear does not work beggars belief. My kit works fine, rain and sun, time and again, and there is no vodoo, magic or Shamanism about it. Many, many cyclists use Shimano gear without swearing, skinning knuckles or spending an hour next to a trail trying to figure out an outer limit screw.

 

Covie is an expert on XT though the only brakes he has ever used from Shimano are Deore, what kit have you used for any length of time in the mud?

I get the self justification needs of a purchase but it doesn't make everybody else wrong.

[covie]

If ever you are up in Tzaneen or Mpumalanga, give me a shout, we will go find this magic mud together. Bring your bike.

I am glad you have the Oracle at your back, he is, after all, a hubber very certain of his opinion.

You may love your equipment, and I have nothing against SRAM, but your claims that my gear does not work beggars belief. My kit works fine, rain and sun, time and again, and there is no vodoo, magic or Shamanism about it. Many, many cyclists use Shimano gear without swearing, skinning knuckles or spending an hour next to a trail trying to figure out an outer limit screw.

 

Covie is an expert on XT though the only brakes he has ever used from Shimano are Deore, what kit have you used for any length of time in the mud?

I get the self justification needs of a purchase but it doesn't make everybody else wrong.

 

Your one funny chap, but comming from tzaneen who can blame you. Yes my opinion is based on riding various XT/XTR groupo's for many many years, vs my experiance on SRAM now, Its also based on the opinion of all my mates that use to ride Shimano and now converted to SRAM. It is at the end of the day an opinion and based on experiance, seems to me that my experiance aligns with most other peoples as well.

 

And why did i never try XT brakes, because they were **** prior to 2010, and my current avids have served me very well over the last 3 years, so no need to change till they break...... if they break one day.

 

And no need to rip out your handbag for a bitchfight mate, if you love your shimano groupo then im happy for you. Truely i am.

[North Shore]

 

 

If ever you are up in Tzaneen or Mpumalanga, give me a shout, we will go find this magic mud together. Bring your bike.

I am glad you have the Oracle at your back, he is, after all, a hubber very certain of his opinion.

You may love your equipment, and I have nothing against SRAM, but your claims that my gear does not work beggars belief. My kit works fine, rain and sun, time and again, and there is no vodoo, magic or Shamanism about it. Many, many cyclists use Shimano gear without swearing, skinning knuckles or spending an hour next to a trail trying to figure out an outer limit screw.

 

Covie is an expert on XT though the only brakes he has ever used from Shimano are Deore, what kit have you used for any length of time in the mud?

I get the self justification needs of a purchase but it doesn't make everybody else wrong.

I was up that side couple weeks ago for the mankele challenge and will be at Clarens this weekend, hopefully to much less mud than last year. It's obviously all individual preference man. I run full xt on my training bike (except for the brakes which I've got 2012 elixir 9's on) and my race bike is a smattering of XO and X9 components.

 

In general I am just much more comfortable with SRAM shifting, but there's nothing wrong with XT and there are some things they're better at (front mech, cranks, longevity etc). Recent thread about xt brakes vs the new elixir's, both absolutely fantastic sets and yet completely polar opposite feels, ultimately it's what setup makes YOU comfortable.

What SRAM systems have you been on for extended periods may I ask?

[North Shore]

 

And why did i never try XT brakes, because they were **** prior to 2010, and my current avids have served me very well over the last 3 years, so no need to change till they break...... if they break one day.

 

I've run the old elixir CR And R's happily but I can honestly say the new elixir 9's (2012) with the new taperbore and warble free rotors are legions better. Looking for an excuse to throw some formula's in there sometime this year though.

[covie]

Yeah the upgrade slush fund is ready and waiting, now i just need to destroy my current setup so i have a good excuse to dive into it

[Cycle Factory]

From a shop's point of view:

 

They are both great. What's even better is from X5 to X0 and SLX to XTR you get good performance, feel and reliability. Which means if you don't have the money or weight is not the biggest concern you can go cheaper and not suffer like in the good old days. You'll notice that I've left XX out as it's sometimes tricky to get it working 100% on some bikes.

 

Which one do we have to work the most on? Shimano. Without a doubt. Needs frequent TLC to keep it happy and a lot more customers suffer with Shimano with CT's winter mud, sludge and rain than SRAM. Ride what you like and can afford all the way, just know that we don't work on or own 1 or 2 or even 5 bikes. We see more than that on any given day go though our workshop.

 

There's a very good reason why SRAM outsell Shimano AM.

[Mojoman]

I just have the cheapish stuff on my bike, Deore cassette, Deore FD, Deore shifters, Deore crank, XT RD and SRAM 971 chain. And it all works perfectly. I use Tektro Augria Comp brakes, in fact I have bought another set as my are a little worn but take the abuse (after plenty of K's). Partners bike is all Alivio and that also runs fine! I have no problems tuning either bike's gears either on the stand or on the road.