I’m going to convert my Rohloff to 2×10 derailleurs for racing and was thinking of using X9 with twist shifters probably.
There’s a lot of criticism of SRAM on here. Why ?
I’ve ridden MuddyPuddles bike short distance for test rides. It’s too small for me to ride properly, but it’s got X9 and twisters and it seems fine to me.

So what’s wrong with SRAM ?
Try to be specific;
Reliability, as in wear & tear ?
Reliability, as in getting the right gear every time ?
Speed of shifting ?
Er, what else is there that you want gears to do ?

Their sweet, I think the main thing is its not shimano!

My SRAM X9 rear mech went into the rear wheel changing up the gears!
Sometimes the large thumb shifter will not return on it’s own.
Sometimes the rear mech/shifter will get stuck on the large/ No1 cog on the cassette
Other than that there fab. Lol

Any ideas how to fix this and why it dose this.

Oh I forgot the shifters fit nicely on leavers!

No probs with my 4 yo XO mech… It’s taken a couple of big hits but, as my mech hanger is seemingly made of cheese, it gave way, not the mech…. Will likely look at X9 as and when the XO dies…
HTH

My SRAM X9 rear mech went into the rear wheel changing up the gears! – you whacked it and bent your mech hanger?
Sometimes the large thumb shifter will not return on it’s own. – dirty cables?
Sometimes the rear mech/shifter will get stuck on the large/ No1 cog on the cassette – dirty cables

Never had any problems with Sram…

…or Shimano

I just prefer the positive action of Sram…

…but saying that my new bike is Shimano & it’s ok, it works well enough for now… I guess time will tell how good it really is

Have no basis for comparison, but have X9 shifters and an X0 mech; they shift in a slightly agricultural fashion, but they do work. I’ve had more issues with the Shimano front mech (which managed to chew itsself in half), tbh:

Wore out one set of jockey wheels in <1y but I’d left a chain on far too long (had also trashed the cassette) and my riding is mainly in Pennine grinding paste. Shifting a bit ropey recently but this resolved with new cables (after 18 months).

Only downside is the cassettes; PG970 looks on paper to be X9/SLX but isn’t; PG980 better and has an alloy spider, but will be going with HG80 next time round as Shimano cassettes are meant to be much better.

If it all blows up, I’ll probably go with 10sp XT for a bit of variety (have 105 on y road bike and it’s fine).

Andy

There just isn’t enough clearance between the top of the parallelogram and the hanger bolt, so any twisting in the derailleur means that it will not drop into the highest gears. Sure, for people who want to spend silly money on an X0, they might be OK, but all the other ones sucks ass and a boring old Deore derailleur will outlast them.

Also, after all these years, I really don’t get the Shimano hate. Sure, like pretty any company on the planet they’ve some up with some crap, but it’s not like by buying SRAM Corp you are supporting a guy with a beard and a file working in a shed! Finally, Shimano have a better environmental stance than SRAM (little known factoid).

Hate twist grips – but love SRAM clunkiness. Got SRAM on DH and XC bikes although really like the newer Shimano stuff. Just steer clear of the uber-rubbish X9 ‘normal’ shifters from a few years back that had a bad habit of exploding in a furore of springs and swear words whenever you tried to change a cable!

I have SRAM on one bike and Shimano on the other.

They are different from each other, IMO one is not better not better or worse than the other, just different.

The failure rate for each system is identical (on each) so as far as I have experienced they are as solid as each other.

I could quite happily have either but slightly favour SRAM but this could be because I have SRAM on my main bike so use them more and am therefore more used to them.

HTH

Scam is junk, over priced junk

It’s all personal experience but my X9 9speed was great, the 10speed bent was too easily. I don’t know if I was lucky with the 9speed / unlucky with the 10speed or if something has changed but that’s my experience.

I’m running XT now and it’s been great for the last 2 months.

expensive sram is apparently good

IME, cheap sram (up to x7 at least) is kack – r mechs in particular go sloppy really quickly

twistshifters are great though

Didn’t whack the rear mech just peddling hard, cables might be worth a look but are only a few months old.
Never had that problem with XT but you get what you get with a new bike.

My last four bikes have had SRAM drivetrain fitted, mostly X9, but the odd X0 and X7 part here and there.

Reliability wise I have only ever had problems with the shifters. I have had at least four X9 shifters (non twist shift) where this has been an issue (2 front, 2 rear). Basically when you press the shifter to shift up in gears (pulling the gear cable) then the shifter ‘gives’ & will not shift up.

Sometimes this has happened on a relatively new shifter (one lasted about 4 months), but I’ve also had it happen on a shifter after about 2 1/2 years trouble free use.

Oh and if you need to replace the jockey wheels on the rear derailleur, then they are more pricey than it you had a shimano setup.

I stick with SRAM gear as I prefer the shifting action.

I’ve got X.0 on one bike and apart from the rear shifter failing twice, and being replaced on warranty twice, it has been 100% trouble free for the last 3.5 years.
X.0 is ace.

SRAM mechs are ok, not as good as Shimano, but they’re ok.

SRAM trigger shifters are horrid horrid things. Cheap, plasticky, clunky and the buttons work in the wrong direction.

SRAM twist shifters are ok if you must have twist shifters. But really, things have come on massively since 1995 and the SRT-800 was the must have shifter of the year!

Oh, and there’s no 10spd twist shifter that I know of yet (though I may just not have been paying attention, so you’d have to stick with 9).

Get a Shimano 10spd setup, might take you a couple of rides to relearn trigger shifters, but you’ll be used to em in no time…

Like others, I’ve SRAM (X9) on one bike and Shimano (SLX/XT) on the other.

My X9 bike is built burly as an AM bike, so the slightly agricultural but precise shifting is spot on for it. It never needs adjusting and never misses a beat.

My SLX/XT bike feels like a well oiled watch in comparison, but needs regular adjustment which is a pain. The SLX shifters feel a little plasticky and numb in comparison to X9 though.

I’ve got an X0 mech on my DH bike that’s been battered for nearly 5 years. It looks a right mess, but it keeps on going. Brilliant.

I have X9 10spd on my little bike, the rear mech is fine, just like my experience of SRAM, However the X9 shifters are really cheap and ‘plasticy’. The X0 feel the same 🙁

I’m tempted to try the new XTR, but I will have to modify the levers a bit, I like the double thumb shifters of SRAM, and I hate the excessively big downshifter lever on Shimano – if you run the levers close to the brakes, it really gets in the way.

I’ve never experienced the ‘regular adjustment’ people talk about with shimano, but since you usually have a barrel adjuster on the shifter it takes seconds surely?

I’ve got X9 at the moment, was pretty unimpressed once I discovered the price of SRAM spares, and at how quickly the mech bent. BUT it bent back very easily and continues to shift fine, so can’t complain.

I have SRAM XX and I hate it. A lot.

I hate the way that you try to change gear, hit a bump and it changes twice. I hate that is such an expensive pile of crap. Compared to shimano
it feels looks and acts cheap. SRAM is the worst I’ve ever had on a bike.

In fact OP, your post has wound me up about how much I hate SRAM…AAAAARRRGGGHHH!!!!!! AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

I’d happily swap my 1 ride old rear X9 medium rear mech and Shifters for XT

SRAM is shit and Shimano are doing their best to catch up

I’ll swap you your XX for my SLX/XT if you feel that strongly about it 🙂

I’ll swap you your XX for my SLX/XT if you feel that strongly about it

….

Now if that was XT/XTR I would. I had an XTR setup before. It was superb.

I have used both SRAM X7 & X9 and Shimano XT & XTR & SLX and although i wouldn’t say any of it was diabolically pish i much prefer shimano.

SRAM feels very positive though a bit clunky at times. Shimano for me runs much smoother and shifts easier under pressure.

I’d also say you get far more for your money going with shimano.

My mate recently put on a new cog and SRAM chain and it has broken numerous times since he put it on.

Shimano for me in the future.

ruscle – Member

Their sweet, I think the main thing is its not shimano!

I can’t believe that they can stand up to your charging over all those rockgardens on the Q’s without exploding.

MTGraham – I will probably be selling a SRAM X9 2×10 drivetrain brand new off a bike shortly.

Email in profile if interested.

My X9’s have been fine for years, nothing has needed replacing.

I had lower end SRAM which was prety cack but now I’m running 9 speed X9 shifters and an X9 mech and they feel really nice. Nice and precise and you can tell that it’s changed gear. I don’t have to adjust it once the cables have bedded in, either. I am using an XT front mech though and that’s also great but I appreciate that it isn’t a direct comparision.

Haven’t tried any 10-speed, all my 9-speed SRAM has been spot on though. Did have one with a weak return spring but all it needed was to be left in the highest gear between rides a few times and it sorted itself out.

The front mechs I think still aren’t as good as Shimano though, glad they’re interchangable.

Honestly I think Shimano are better value if you want to look at it objectively, but subjectively I like how SRAM shifts more. Though, my antique Saint rear mech is pretty nice too.

Lower end SRAM is pretty cack IME.

For what it’s worth, my X9 shifters have clocked four years and five cable changes with no problems at all. My old shape X7 shifters fell apart in 18 months.

Not really a majority decision one way or the other then.
I’d pretty much decided on 2×10, so it’s a bit of a disappointment to find there’s no twist shifters. I’ll give triggers a go and see how I get on with them.

Chakaping, email sent.
I’ve been thinking of this for a while, it’s finding out recently that I can use my existing triple chainset that has motivated me to get on and do it. I thought I would have to buy a new double chainset.

walleater – Member

There just isn’t enough clearance between the top of the parallelogram and the hanger bolt, so any twisting in the derailleur means that it will not drop into the highest gears

This is the truth ^^^

Had an X9 rear on my last bike and convinced myself that despite it’s faults, it’s performance in crap conditions was better than Shimano.

Have an XT shadow rear now on the new bike and not had a single problem, or had to adjust it once.

X0 out back has worked flawlessly for two years – same cable and the odd tweak of the barrel adjuster. Taken a beating from lifting bike over stiles and bending mech hanger, and a good few rock strikes.

X9 front mech is toss. It works, but only because I replaced the allen key bolt which clamps the cable with a sturdy nut and bolt. The original fitting stripped within two months and it’s now a PITA to get a spanner where it needs to be every time I fit a new cable….

Isn’t this just a discussion about getting what you pay for?

Spent the last 4 years riding SRAM X9 shifters, rear mech and X0 Cassettes. Worked great, but this weekend I just changed to Shimano XTR Shadow Plus rear mech with XT cassette (2×10).

The Shadow plus is a break through. I can’t comment on longevity, but it shifts amazingly and there is zero… yes zero chain slap in any gear. Yesterday I actually tried to lose the chain and couldn’t!

The XO rear mech on my Soda is the only one that’s lasted more than a year. It’s now 4, possibly 5 years old and still works perfectly. I’ve changed cables maybe twice in that time and had to tweak the indexing very, very rarely indeed.

I ran XTR 970 shifters/Saint mech on my big bike for a year and hated it. The Saint went sloppy in half a dozen rides, and the shift was just too light and vague to be able to tell whether you had actually shifted 1, 2 , 3 or possibly even no gears at speed. It constantly needed adjustment too. If conditions were bad, several times a ride.

Needless to say, the big bike is now on XO too. I think it cost me about £120 for an XO carbon shortcage mech and XO triggers off the classifeds.

I’ve found X9 mechs, both 9 and 10 speed, to go really baggy and loose within a year, basically developing a bit of play in all the rivets.

Are SRAM derailleurs really that bad ?

yes, they’re terrible.

i’ve got several brand-new, SRAM derailleurs that don’t work.

the pivots are so stiff that the internal spring can’t overcome the friction, you can ‘set’ them by hand, and they’ll hold position, even off the bike.

then, it seems, within about 12mins of being on the bike the pivots become loose, and you need to buy a new mech.

the ‘sweet spot’ that a SRAM mech actually works for, probably lasts around 3mins…?

total toss (expensive toss, too)

the shifters are nice though.

i just wish i could get shimano 9-speed*, with 1:1 cable pull.

(*or even better; 8 speed)

^^^^^ nice balanced reasoning! 🙄

Are SRAM derailleurs really that bad ?

XO here, it’s fantastic kit. Consistent accurate gear changes. Totally reliable. And I think it looks spiffy.