[Closed] Bling shift: help me decide...? SRAM XX/X0 vs Shimano XTR

in the opposite camp used X0 for years
Never had any issue with them*.
Not used grip shift so no real comment

Doubt you will go wrong with either tbh
Sure you mean XX is XO is only 9 speed iirc

* a carbon cage broke once but XX is alloy so not an issue iirc they stopped doing carbon

Help you decide?

Shimano=good
SRAM/=good

How's that?

Xo been 10 speed a while
Your choice is down to grip shift or not
I'm a huge fan and love my gripshift
But either will work well

Have you tried the XTR shifter? It's bloody horrible- vague and disconnected, and the doubleshift is far too easy to hit (partly because the first shift is so vague). I genuinely would rather have Deore- I thought the first one I tried was broken.

XT is nice though, and the current Saint is the best Shimano I've used- mostly because it so blatantly rips off the 9-speed X9. (my Saint/XT combo on the hardtail feels almost identical to the X9 9-speed it replaced...) Weightwise it's not so different from XTR either.

I'm unconvinced by the current SRAM, it just doesn't feel that well made, but I've not had the chance to properly test it.

Junkyard - hopefully I'm not mistaken with the 10speed X0 ... Wiggle/CRC et al appear to stock

Shimano by a country mile. I'd go with XT and save a big bag of cash.

tbh If I was wanting a bling 1x10 type setup, I'd be looking at XX1.

Okay BR, you're correct...but my stealth buying will be in jeopardy if I went for proper XX1 bling!!

I personally prefer the more definite 'click' you get with SRAM shifters. I have X0 shifters and love them. The rest of my drivetrain is just X7, but I definitely think the shifters is an upgrade worth doing.

Thanks all - I reckon SRAM it is! Pics of build to follow in due course...

[i]Okay BR, you're correct...but my stealth buying will be in jeopardy if I went for proper XX1 bling!! [/i]

Eh? Just make sure the new frame is the same colour as your old one - she'll never notice.

And XX1 is cheaper, as you don't need a front mech/shifter 😉

And I know it's been done before but £300 for a cassette.

Nope. Not quite that daft.

Ukrainian bloke on eBay is doing them for far less!

Shimano for my money, I don't find it as bad as Northwind says, although I know what he means on the vagueness. Still feels far nicer than Deore IMO!

Northwind - Member
Have you tried the XTR shifter? It's bloody horrible- vague and disconnected

Nope, I don't think so. I've gone from the m970 style (9spd) to m980 (10spd) shifters and they feel very similar to me. I kind of know where Northwind is coming from - I find the downshifts creamy smooth but I guess some people might interpret that as 'vague'. Certainly I don't see it as a bad thing - and I've never shifted accidentally / too far etc.

If I could have only one XTR component on my bike, it would be a shifter.

If I had to have one XX component on my bike it would be the shifter. I've not had an issue in 3 years, and with decent sealed cables, I haven't had to change a thing. I had the X0 10spd trigger shifters on another bike at the same time and would say the XX has a much lighter feel - but still SRAM mechanical clunk and needs less looking after. I may just have been lucky.

i have m970 and m980.

the m980 10 speed xtr is certainly "lighter" than the m970.

but X0 is definitely more "snappy" but I was always a shimano fan........however........

i have pulled the trigger [no pun intended] on trigger style XX1 for my nicolai so will soon know if i've chosen correctly...my mate has gone for the grip shift XX1 option.....it is lighter....but i wanted to chose grips rather than elext for the sram grip[s]

I run 1 x 10 on my Five.

XT rear mech with XTR shifter. They have required no adjustment in over a year and I love the double shift on the shifter. I find it precise and I have never mucked up a shift.

Northwind - Member

XT is nice

I'm unconvinced by the current SRAM, it just doesn't feel that well made, but I've not had the chance to properly test it.

+1

Really didn't like SRAM 10s (despite loving SRAM 9s), shimano XT is now nice and clicky.

One of life's certainties has always been that xtr shifters are fantastic. Have they really **** them up ?

No.

I've just fitted a set of XTR shifters to my bike last week and they're fantastic. Quite easily the best shifters I've used.

scaredypants - Member

One of life's certainties has always been that xtr shifters are fantastic. Have they really * them up ?

Some people probably do like the super-light feel, so it's not so much *ed up- just at the extreme of how a shifter can feel, unlike XT etc which are more middle of the road, and will suit pretty much everyone.

Personally I think it's horrendous, feels like it's not attached to anything... I think the main point of my rant is just to say it divides opinion and therefore worth trying before you buy if you can.

I used to run X0 9 speed, they were really lovely, positive but still light. Went to Sleepless in 2010 and lost count after a lap how many accidental double shifts I'd had when i was tring to click down just one more gear on the field edges about a third of the way round the lap....it was so infuriating! Nonetheless they were lovely shifters.

I went 10 speed last year and treated myself to a pair of XTRM980 shifters and can safely say I won't be going back to SRAM in a hurry. The XTR are wonderfully positive without being light and wooly, love marrying them to my M780 brakes on one mount as they are in the perfect position for my hands. The two way, multi release cable release paddle is a god send.

Personally I think it's horrendous, feels like it's not attached to anything... I think the main point of my rant is just to say it divides opinion and therefore worth trying before you buy if you can.

I disagree on this, especially when used with a shadow + rear mech, they don't feel too light at all

Has to be XTR for me

Yup I'm running M966 Dual Control XTR on the other bike and it has been impeccable.

But inclined to go XX/X0 on this new build ... gripshift beckons!

Do you have less than 15% bodyfat

Do you have an FTP over 250

Do you earn over 60k a year

If you can answer yes to any two....you can get a high end groupset. If not you'll have to make do with slx/x9 like the rest of us.

They still make gripshift? 😯

Brake or change gear? Decisions, decisions...

Hmmm FTP?
File Transfer Protocol
---- the Police

?

They still make gripshift?

They've just reintroduced it for 10 (and 11) speed.

FTP = functional threshold power

I find gripshift absolutely fine on my commuter. That said, there's only got 3 gears to choose from.

FTP makes more sense now. Who knows? Strava tells me 510W over 5mins; 405W over 10mins...theres a lot of climbing around here for a 45yr old.

Strava makes numbers up. FTP over 250 isn't very high though, so the criteria for being able to use a decent groupset aren't too stringent!

I didn't want to set the bar too high....

Wise, nice that folk can aspire.

sram work well for 10 minutes. too fragile.