As above really, the type 2 mech that came on my bike in September has developed considerable play in all the cage bushes. Shifting is Er.. erratic at present even with new cables. I'll admit the conditions haven't been the best for it, but I've not worn a Shimano one out in 6 months before. Is this usual?
Not worn out the pivots that quickly but the jockey wheels last half a dozen wet rides max before they wear out, seize completely or both.
GB
jockey wheels do need changing every now and then, but the X9 on my 2006 Meta 5 is still going strong
Ta. Jockey wheels are fine, it's the cage itself that's gone. I'll have a word with the bike shop
SRAM mechs are made of cheese.
Yep those bushes are a weak point, my mate had his warrantied after 4 months, must be a known fault as he had no snags getting a replacement.
On the old 9-speed ones they went baggy and loose almost immediately, but weirdly it didn't seem to affect shifting at all, more like float than slop if that makes any sense.
My mates needed physically moving to get it to shift or it would lose tension. He was having to get of the bike and move it by hand after one or two too many muddy rides. His was a type 2 if that makes any difference. I had my first random jra exploding zee mech this winter after a good 18months hassle free hammering of a few of them, on a spinny easy climb, bang, gone! So far so good on its replacement........touch wood.
Sram is crap replace the lot for Shimano it will work out cheaper in the long run. I have a bike shop and avoid buying bikes with Sram on it's that bad IMO.
SRAM much more pleasurable shifting but slightly less robust than shimano, X9 type 2 here replaced 1 jockey wheel in 8 months. If it's bad take it back sounds like a warranty problem that early.
I have a bike shop and avoid buying bikes with Sram on it's that bad IMO.
My mate runs a shop and most of his kit is SRAM with most of his customers opting for it on new bikes, even swapping Shimano groupsets out as new (except the brakes of course)
I know some people prefer Sram's shifting feel but Shimano is more reliable, I fix bikes all day every day and I just hate the stuff X0 is good but the rest of the range is made a putty, my spares box is full of dead sram shifters and rear mechs and you will struggle to find a shimano thing in there. But this is just my opinion!
My X9 mech lasted for about 2.5yrs then it developed the Sram wobble , not surprised with the amount of times i've knocked it about putting it in the car!
my last and final X9 lasted about 8 months till it got unreliable,
if you keep it in the fridge it may last longer 🙂
Northwind - Member
On the old 9-speed ones they went baggy and loose almost immediately, but weirdly it didn't seem to affect shifting at all, more like float than slop if that makes any sense.
This is what I've found. At first it was alarming how much they 'wobble' around but when I realised that it made burger all difference to how it worked I stopped bothering about it. My oldest is about 6 or 7 years old and still shifting fine. Can't comment in the type 2 variant.
My old 2005 X9 rear mech is still going strong...it's a bit floppy but still shifts fine. It's been on loads of bikes including a couple of DH bikes.
My Type 2 seems to be lasting well although the jockey wheel bearings did get grumpy after a really wet ride (just peeled off the seals, flushed the gunk out and regreased them and they've been fine since). My only complaint is that the clutch isn't quite as effective as the Shimano version so there is still a bit of chain slap.
Big thing for me is the shifting feel...I really like the clunky shift but have had issues with X9 shifters not lasting. My X0 shifter seems much better though.
I've an X9 of 2005 vintage that's still going strong, albeit with a few tweaks along the way. The jockey wheels always wear quickly as do the bearings but I've regularly stripped and re-greased.
When I first moved to SRAM the shifting and maintenance were a revelation, however Shimano have really upped their game and my nine speed XT and SLX kit stays sweet for longer. My remaining SRAM bike is being replaced with XT as soon as the cassette and chain wear out - I've a ten speed XT drivetrain on order.
SRAM X9 2004 pre-production here, still going strong. I strip and re-grease it once a year and its still on all its original parts.
The SRAM X9 mech that is a hand me down on my commuter has lasted me years and thousands of miles.
Don't see why they wouldn't last indefinitely?
Jockey wheels wear but other parts either work or fail in a fairly obvious way.
Don't see why they wouldn't last indefinitely?
Non replaceable bushings/pivot areas - same with all mechs once they wear you get play in the wrong direction. Everything else can be fine but the looseness can make it rubbish.
To answer the OP's question. A fortnight I think
My Type 2 mech has been on since last summer and been ridden a fair amount and crashed on. It's been through dust and some real slop and still seems fine.
People seem to intimate that Shimano stuff never dies, but there do seem to be a fair few people suffering with Zee mechs that disintegrate.
I've never had an issue with Sram mechs other than the newer jockey wheels. I've not used modern Shimano stuff apart from on demo bikes and thought the shifting action was too light.
Yup. Same problem for me though it took weeks and not months. Jockey wheels seize after wet rides too. Also managed to snap teeth on the cassette! As for the Avid brakes, they take unreliabilty to a new level........overall, the quality isn't as good as older SRAM kitchen by a fair margin.
I used to always choose SRAM as it was just so much better to use- I forgave the fact it was made worse, because it was better conceived. But now that Shimano have cunningly ripped off all the good things from SRAM (their cable actuation ratio and their CLUNK) I think it'll be a while before I buy SRAM kit again. The current Saint shifter is the most flattering homage to 9-speed X9 feel I can imagine 😆