[Closed] Are Sram mechs more breaky than shimano ones?

you'll get two answers. I say 'no'

I say yes.

I was going through SRAM mechs every couple of months (X7 and X9).
I swapped back to Shimano and now it's a bent one every year or so (Shadow was the last one)

I broken loads of Shimano rear mechs ranging from LX to XTR 😉

see!

I haven't broken a mech since I was 14. So I reckon they're both really good.

Without question - certainly the cheaper end of the range. SRAM made of cheese.

Yes.

Well - the last time I saw this question on here several bike shop mechanics came in and confirmed it. Much bigger sample than individual persons' experience.

Can't pretend to have an authoritative answer, but I'm a SRAM fan and still suspect they're a bit breakier than Shimano.

More seem to explode when they get caught in spokes anyway.

SRAM XO is the only mech I've ever broken

I definitely find SRAM mechs more reliable mainly because I used to kill shimano ones by breaking the spring in the pivot that SRAM ones don't have.

I think if you're killing them by rocks/sticking them into your wheel it makes little difference.

SRAM XO is the only mech I've ever broken

Same here, and it wasn't even mine.

Never broken a SRAM one and have had a few (on different bikes).

Not what you asked I know but the only Shimano mech I'm running is permanently falling out of index / getting stuck. Every blasted ride. Intend to swap it to SRAM when I can finally kill it!

A yes from me. Had a SRAM jockeywheel seize, a rear X9 mech get ripped off by a small branch and an X7 front mech spontaneously snap with no evidence of what might have caused this. I only use Shimano now now and have very few complaints. The LBSs around my way pretty much all agree that Shimano make tougher mechs.

BTW off topic I replaced an XT with a SLX shadow coz I couldn't get it indexed after I bent it. I had the same problem with the new mech. I had rebent the mech hanger but obviusly not quite straight. After replacing the hanger the SLX mech shifted perfectly - Check your hanger is not bent (needs only to be slight) before you ditch ya more expensive mech 🙂

general consensus from our mechanics is that SRAM is better, but tends to snap more readily, whereas shimano tend to bend a bit first.

shame as I actuaslly prefer the SRAM when they aren't broken!

I prefer sram. Shimano tend to flex to easily and skip shifting. Where as sram never seems to fail. Maybe it snaps as more stiffer!!

As a bike mechanic for quite a few years now I can say that I have seem plenty of broken rear mechs, both from Shimano & Sram in roughly equal amounts

All good with my SRAM... 3 bikes, no problems.

Never had any Sram mechs but have one to fit this weekend , the only mech I ever broke was an xtr one , talk about gutted.

Same here. I have a SRA mech and shifter to fit on a 1x9 setup. Never had SRAM before, 20 year of Shimano and never any real problems. I look foward to using the SRAM and it busting up then!

Had a few LX rears fall apart because they were worn out.
X9's on my current bike seems to have faired quite well, though there is a bit of play in the rear.

IME X9 mechs are made out of cheese and gave up on them, never had a problem with X7 mechs. But I now just stick to Shimano as never have a problem with them unless I crash it.

My personal experience from my bike, guest bikes and hire bikes is "No, apart from X0". The SRAM ones are arguable cheese but because of that they tend to bend not snap and can be carefully bent back into shape. My X9 has outlived 4 hangers this year and has been totally twisted into the spokes 2 or 3 times but each time it just bends back into shape. I've found that X0 are very snappy, that's stopped a couple of rides last year.

XO mech 6 years old this march. Jockey wheels changed and the alloy bolt for fixing the mech to the bike. Its been on 3 bikes as have the X9 shifters of teh same age.

I may be lucky but I've not had any issues with Sram mechs so far. Death sentence for the mech now.

SRAM X0 here stood up to what appeared to be a stack with full impact on the mech body bit. Bent the hanger (big orange P7 slidy dropout) into wheel, but straightened up and runs as smooth as ever.

I think it is a great mech, but then the XTR may have taken this as well?

I think Shimano is better built. Not only the mechs, but the shifters too, right down to the bottom end is decent build quality. As opposed to SRAMs shifters which are flimsy in the exteme until you get up to X7 level at least. I used SRAM for a few years, just to have some product experience, trashed one X9 rear mech on a small twig and have now stitched back to XT, which works for me. Last branch attack I had broke the mech hanger before the mech - much cheaper to fix! 8)

I'd say no, broke both makes and horses for courses if you ask me 😉

flimsy sram mech jumping into spokes...

i think shimano's build quality is better. they shift better, too.

mate used to run X9 shifters and mech (see video above) but now runs an old XT mech with very old Deore shifters. he much prefers the new set up. i never used to like the feel of the shifters. too clunky and feels as though too much is going on. shimano gives you a similar set-up, but with the option of 2-way release.

Broken a few shimano mechs but not any sram ones, have just had a year old x9 stiffen up though!

Mmmmmm, IGHs...

The only mech I've broken was a Sachs Plasma at Beastway in 98. I must be doing something wrong.

I've had a SRAM x.0, two x.9 snap on me. (all roughly at the same place)&one X.7 twisted. I've went through quite a few shimano's in my time, but I seemed to be going through more SRAM so i switched back to shimano.

I prefer the ease of maintenance with SRAM though

The only real way to quantifiably answer the question would be to have a nice independent Lab test or 2 done…

Every mech breakage anecdote will be different and there are bound to be omissions and exaggerations’ so relying on interweb testimony is a flawed way to even try and figure it out…

I know people who break XOs on a regular basis.

I did for three XT rear mechs myself last year. One was a major trauma so I didn't blame it, the other two were piffling incidents with twigs and I did blame them.

I have an X7 on a steel 456 that is horribly uninspiring but has been clobbered several times and still keeps going after 3 years.

Yes. I looked after a fleet of Giant Boulders at our centre for about 4 years, replaced about 3 Alivio mechs in that time. We're now running Spec Hardrocks with X4 mechs and I've replaced 6 in 8 months.

They haven't snapped though, they seem to twist out of shape, if the bend was in 1 direction they would bend back easily but they seem to bend in 3D so no amount of bending/twisting will get them back into alignment.

They appear to be made of cheese as previously stated!

I would have to say no.

I have destroyed a few XT mechs and made a SRAM mech explode when doing a small drop street riding. It was actually made of plastic tho so I wasn't too surprised.