First time out on my new winter trainer today, it came with Sram Apex. Now I know thats pretty low down the range, but who on earth willing buys Sram road gears over shimano. Its not the shifting thats the issue, its the double tap. Horrible, and one of the leavers kept getting trapped behind the bar instead of releasing.

I’m no shimano fan boy, I love sram grip shift on my mtb, but the road leavers just dfeel so less user friendly than shimano. Even my old soras with the switch on the hoods was easier to use!

You get used to it quickly, if the levers are getting caught then you need to adjust the throw, or reach I can’t remember which.

I hate it, my wife loves it. She’s never used anything else though whereas I graduated from down tube shifters to first Campag then Shimano integrated ones so I guess I’m just really used to them.
SRAM stuff is quite light, if that’s any consolation.

I’d rather have MicroShift over Sram.

I’d rather single speed!

I have SRAM Apex on the winter bike and Shimano 105 on the summer bike. Initially I preferred the light shifting of the Shimano, but after a few months on the SRAM I quite like the positive click of the SRAM. Quite like how the brake lever doesn’t move either. It’d be interesting in trying something higher up the SRAM range now to see what it’s like.

I’ve always been a confirmed Campag man on my road bikes, but bought a cx bike with SRAM double tap a few years back and love it. If I was building up a new road or cross frame I’d probably go SRAM.

I hated it. The first time it needed maintenance I used it as an excuse to replace the whole groupset with ultegra.

Seems to be a very marmite thing. I’m new to Double Tap (Apex) myself. So far have found them very intuitive and easy to use. And of course it gives you a very firm brake lever that can’t just jump out of hand.

Hard to say which I prefer so far. Also have 105 on my road bike, and they’re very nice. Just different, so light and nimble. I have had some gears hunting on the Apex, but so far I’m chalking it down to needing fine tuning. The gear lever getting caught on the bar does seem a slight design flaw mind.

I have shitmano and have sram. I like sram more.

I assume you have the lever pulling all the way to the bar and the gear tab is gripping the tape, keeping the lever back.

I have both brands.

Prefer SRAM double tap.

I would like my brake levers not to move away when I use only one finger, but the SRAM hydraulic levers are ugly. So I’m stuck with Shimano.

SRAM 1x really comes into its own for cross. So much easier having just 1 go harder/easier button compared to juggling front and rear mechs in shimano or campag.

Ive got sram force double tap from 2013 i think. Felt better than the apex kit of the same year. But it is a completely different style and feel to shimano very clunky i guess compared to a very smooth shift from shimano. But it does work well next. Id get it again where ill take some persuading to try sram mtb shifting again.

Shimano for MTB SRAM double tap on the road bike. Not tried shimano road kit but have been pleasantly surprised how the SRAM rival has held up over a year of commuting with minimal maintenance.

SRAM 1x really comes into its own for cross. So much easier having just 1 go harder/easier button compared to juggling front and rear mechs in shimano or campag.

my CX race bike came with 2015 Sram Rival, originally as 2x but I converted to 1x. I like the 1x bit, but I would never buy Sram double tap again. As you have to “tap” through an upshift to get to the downshift it’s less obvious how many gears you’ve shifted down with a lever sweep. And their rear mechs are every bit as fragile as every negative comment about Sram has suggested. And they use bearings in the jockey wheels that seize, unlike Shimano’s ceramic bushes that go on forever with no maintenance. Oh, and

SRAM hydraulic levers are ugly

this.

They take a bit of getting used to but are quite nice one you do. Personally I’m a Campagnolo fan myself.

I had Apex on my CX bike before I changed to RS685’s, it was alright but I prefer the smoother Shimano feel.

Nobody else found that when you’re blowing out of your a%*e, and you try for that one last gear that you desperately need, but are already in, instead of refusing to shift, it thoughtfully shifts up a gear instead?

I’ve had both. Yes Shimano are nice and engage and quiet. But the SRAM stuff is clicky, I like click, like Campag. I know the gears changed. My old force just refuses to die.

Just had to change fairly low mileage 5700 105 Levers (non serviceable I might add) on my old X that quite frankly had the spring strength on par with a cheap Biro. Its a common fault.

I also don’t like the brake lever doing 2 things at once with Shimano. Changing into a lower gear approaching an incline/tight bend and braking at the same time.

/\x1000 😆
Pre ‘yaw’ front mech you’d try to trim the big ring and it would drop to the small ring 👿
Red is nice but everything below is hateful plastic sh1te

Coatsey, yes! How thoughtful was that idea,

I’ve got FORCE on my CX and hated it at first, now I really like it, it took some setting up and fine tuning.

I graduated from downtube shifting where you had to guess the amount of throw to SIS, always had SHIMANO on the MTB’s, I had a demo bike full sus the other year and really liked it but went with the M8000 XT and I think it’s is a bit tacky,

Coatesy +1, and that’s EXACTLY what you need on a steep/muddy climb in the middle of a CX race 🙄

OP – Just take it off now and replace with 11sp 105, won’t cost you that much by the time you’ve flogged the Sram stuff.

I have shitmano and have sram.

Is that you Oscar Wilde?

I have had SRAM Rival 10 speed on various bikes since 2011. At the time, I thought it was miles better than those shitty 5700/6700 groupsets.

Ergonomically, it’s pretty good, although the hoods are a bit small and chunky. The double tape is great, the chainsets are great, the rear mechs are perhaps a touch flimsy, the front mechs are great until they stop working for no apparent reason, the BBs are average, the brakes aren’t quite as good as Shimano.

Shimano stuff is good except for the shifters which are hateful. The 6600 series 10 speed stuff with the exposed cables was very smooth, but theres something about the brake levers that makes them difficult to use. Must be the pivot location or something; I have big hands aswell. I don’t think they’ve improved it for the 11 speed stuff either.

You’re best off with Campag Ultrashift though; ergonomically superior to all. Multiple gear shifts in any direction; separate paddles/buttons for up and down shifts; loads of front mech trim positions that actually work; very well put together. Plus you can strip it all down and clean/rebuild if needed.