SRAM GX or Shimano XT?

[MORNE]

23 minutes ago, lechatnoir said:

I swapped to GX AXS after a thumb injury left me not being able to shift gears. it's nice to shift at the touch of a button, but oddly, from time to time, the #9 cog goes out of alignment and I have to do a micro adjust. then it may be fine for 10 rides, then flips its beans again for a few rides in a row.

I'd ride SLX if my thumb worked properly....

For this purpose it makes total sense. Or even for smaller hands. My wife struggles with longer throw shifters and im sure many kids do too. Mut then you need to be that parent and gooi AXS on your kids 24” spez haha

Edited September 15, 2022 by MORNE

[MORNE]

29 minutes ago, LazyTrailRider said:

I'm very familiar with Christian's explanation of this, but here's the thing: this transmission exists purely to serve sentimentality and nostalgia.

The reality is that the fact that we need gears to start off with is problematic, and gearboxes exist as clunky (pardon the pun) solutions to this problem. The fact that manual transmissions became associated with "the joy of driving" is quite amusing, and I suspect will in 50 years be seen in the same way that we'll think it's strange that for a century us humans came to associate loud internal combustion noises with performance.

The noise, smells, feel….Its part of the visceral experience/act of driving and operating a machine with so much power for many, and I honestly think it will stay like that for as long as electric cars have to take to make driving less like eating blind or without smell 😅

[BaGearA]

There's alot to be said for pairing a high end shifter with a mid tier drivetrain.

 

my gx 11 years ago was flawless but once i paired an xx1 shifter with it , things just improved , tactile feedback and crispness was sky high.

 

Same with xt/xtr shifter paired with deore/slx

[Grease_Monkey]

SRAM for anything AXS (GX, XO1, and XX1) & XO1 and XX1 cable as long as it's used with a XO1 or better cassette.

Shimano for everything else. 

[M L]

3 hours ago, MORNE said:

That new Deore 5100 is 11 speed, fits shimano HG freehub and is 11-51.  And is cheaper than 2x proper mtb tires and a tubeless setup 😅

Wow mind blown. That’s a no brainer. 

[ChrisF]

5 hours ago, MORNE said:

For this purpose it makes total sense. Or even for smaller hands. My wife struggles with longer throw shifters and im sure many kids do too. Mut then you need to be that parent and gooi AXS on your kids 24” spez haha

 

Nice project .... take the best of everything to build a super 24" ....

 

 

That may cost a pretty penny .....

[PappaWatTrap]

Shimano 12 speed, set and forget. Odd cable change but really such a simple setup. 
 

I’ve worked on some of my friends’ SRAM 12 speed stuff, you know cause I have 12 speed “experience “. What a frustrating process. 

[Rainier]

Sram just doesn't work as good as Shimano

[MTBRIDER1234]

59 minutes ago, PappaWatTrap said:

Shimano 12 speed, set and forget. Odd cable change but really such a simple setup. 
 

I’ve worked on some of my friends’ SRAM 12 speed stuff, you know cause I have 12 speed “experience “. What a frustrating process. 

SRAM is amazing if you know how to set it up. The thing is, most people don't and then they have a really bad experience with it.

When SRAM is set up nicely, it feels amazing and is super smooth and quiet, the problem is that 12 speed is finicky and I can imagine how easy it is to get in over your head with it if you are not very experienced with gears.

[ChrisF]

5 minutes ago, MTBRIDER1234 said:

SRAM is amazing if you know how to set it up. The thing is, most people don't and then they have a really bad experience with it.

When SRAM is set up nicely, it feels amazing and is super smooth and quiet, the problem is that 12 speed is finicky and I can imagine how easy it is to get in over your head with it if you are not very experienced with gears.

 

True ... now imagine the levels of frustration when mulriple bike shops cant get GX to run smoothly ....

 

 

 

 

Lifes too short to do this to yourself .....

[MTBRIDER1234]

Just now, ChrisF said:

 

True ... now imagine the levels of frustration when mulriple bike shops cant get GX to run smoothly ....

 

 

 

 

Lifes too short to do this to yourself .....

I am lucky enough to work in a bike shop and this means that I have had access to some really good mechanics who have taught me a lot over the time I have worked there. 

I do all my own bike stuff and find it incredibly satisfying to work on all things mechanical, so I find myself enjoying a lot of jobs that other people dislike. Case in point: setting gears or working on suspension. 

The biggest cause of poor shifting that goes under the radar is commonly a bent derailleur hanger. You won't believe the look on people's faces when they tell me that they have spent hours trying to get their shifting right, then I discover that their hanger is bent, straighten it and then the shifting is prime after a few tweaks.

[Steady Spin]

Top tip with 12spd SRAM: b tension is rocket science. Use the guide once and then turn that ******* screw in and out until it gets hot enough to start a fire. Then… it will still have issues. 

Something I learned when setting up the Forbidden Druid. Turn the b tension in until the chain hangs loose. Then turn it in out until you’ve taken up the slack + 1 more turn. Crisp shifting! 

[lechatnoir]

15 hours ago, PappaWatTrap said:

Shimano 12 speed, set and forget. Odd cable change but really such a simple setup. 
 

I’ve worked on some of my friends’ SRAM 12 speed stuff, you know cause I have 12 speed “experience “. What a frustrating process. 

<insert Bauke Mollema/SRAM>

[dave303e]

22 hours ago, LazyTrailRider said:

I'm very familiar with Christian's explanation of this, but here's the thing: this transmission exists purely to serve sentimentality and nostalgia.

The reality is that the fact that we need gears to start off with is problematic, and gearboxes exist as clunky (pardon the pun) solutions to this problem. The fact that manual transmissions became associated with "the joy of driving" is quite amusing, and I suspect will in 50 years be seen in the same way that we'll think it's strange that for a century us humans came to associate loud internal combustion noises with performance.

I think there is also a lot of a sensual overload that puts your head in the right space. We used to start 20 per row at the Offroad bike harescrambles. Nothing quite compares to the scream of 2 strokes, roar of 4 strokes. The smell of 2t oil burning and the dust smoke and dirt flying everywhere as 20 of you all gun for the same corner at the same time. It is a sensory overload that really puts your mind into race mode. I battled when I moved to mtb and it was just silence and the clicking of gears off the line. No aggression, no sensual onslaught. Just click in and start breathing. It really took me ages to get around to it. Back on motorbikes my heartrate was 140 before the start just with anticipation and excitement. MTB races I need to warm up properly to get it to 120bpm before the start.

22 hours ago, MORNE said:

That new Deore 5100 is 11 speed, fits shimano HG freehub and is 11-51.  And is cheaper than 2x proper mtb tires and a tubeless setup 😅

Tell you what, For a training bike I see this as a no brainer.

14 hours ago, MTBRIDER1234 said:

I am lucky enough to work in a bike shop and this means that I have had access to some really good mechanics who have taught me a lot over the time I have worked there. 

I do all my own bike stuff and find it incredibly satisfying to work on all things mechanical, so I find myself enjoying a lot of jobs that other people dislike. Case in point: setting gears or working on suspension. 

The biggest cause of poor shifting that goes under the radar is commonly a bent derailleur hanger. You won't believe the look on people's faces when they tell me that they have spent hours trying to get their shifting right, then I discover that their hanger is bent, straighten it and then the shifting is prime after a few tweaks.

Bent derailleur hangers are the worst, like 0.5deg bent and good luck getting anything to work. I have also seen someone say no the bike shop straightened the hanger but it is still not shifting right. It is a bit like a putter, rotate the grip on someones putter just by like 3-4degrees, they will have a mare the next time on the course.

[LazyTrailRider]

2 minutes ago, dave303e said:

I think there is also a lot of a sensual overload that puts your head in the right space. We used to start 20 per row at the Offroad bike harescrambles. Nothing quite compares to the scream of 2 strokes, roar of 4 strokes. The smell of 2t oil burning and the dust smoke and dirt flying everywhere as 20 of you all gun for the same corner at the same time. It is a sensory overload that really puts your mind into race mode. I battled when I moved to mtb and it was just silence and the clicking of gears off the line. No aggression, no sensual onslaught. Just click in and start breathing. It really took me ages to get around to it. Back on motorbikes my heartrate was 140 before the start just with anticipation and excitement. MTB races I need to warm up properly to get it to 120bpm before the start.

Yes, but only because you were conditioned that way. That's my entire point.

[RiverInTheRoad]

When considering value, performance and durability, Shimano SLX is by far the best.

I have a full XO1 Eagle setup and am extremely happy. I have ran it for more than a year without touching it. Really high quality. But extremely pricey so should be.

I have had NX Eagle before and it was terrible. With SRAM you need to pay to play. Their entry level brakes and gears are garbage.