I've been on SRAM for ages now, and always for 12 speed. Have half a plan to re-wire my ARC back to Shimano, Will sticking with a 12 speed SRAM cassette give me any issues? Reading on t'internet I'm advised to choose a non Shimano chain which makes sense. I guess I could change the freehub (Mavic Wheelset) but I'd rather not bother if I don't have to.
I miss the joy of XTR, as good as SRAM is these days (and it's very good) still nothing quite comes as close.
Have always run SRAM cassettes and Chains, because they are lighter and far more durable than Shimano. Zero issues using Shimano mechs and shifters with them. You're right about the chain - Shimano chains and cassettes are designed to mesh together - their hyperglide (or whatever-it-is-glide) shifting - so their chains aren't perfect on SRAM cassettes
There was a question about this in the "ask a mechanic" on Geek Warning last week. The consensus was "why bother". The groupsets these days are pretty tightly bolted down so, whilst your gears will work, they might not be 100%. Depends upon how fussy you are about drivetrain noise and what have you, I suppose.
If it's SRAM T-Type its not cross compatible with earlier Eagle or Shimano 12 speed as the cassette sits in a different position on the free-hub.
The Shimano 12spd Hyperglide chains mesh perfectly with Shimano Hyperglide 12 spd cassettes, as the plates are machined to nestle upto the teeth nicely, they'll work with SRAM cassettes but might be a bit noisier than a full shimano drive train. It's a shame as XTR 12 speed chains are immense in terms of wear and longevity of looks.
If it's SRAM T-Type its not cross compatible with earlier Eagle or Shimano 12 speed as the cassette sits in a different position on the free-hub.
The Shimano 12spd Hyperglide chains mesh perfectly with Shimano Hyperglide 12 spd cassettes, as the plates are machined to nestle upto the teeth nicely, they'll work with SRAM cassettes but might be a bit noisier than a full shimano drive train. It's a shame as XTR 12 speed chains are immense in terms of wear and longevity of looks.
@steve_b77 - I run a GX Transmission groupset with a Shimano XT cassette and chain and it works perfectly.
OP - you could leave your GX cassette on but as someone above said, why bother? Sram cassettes shift terribly compared to Shimano 12 speed ones so you'll not get all the benefits of XTR. Sram cassettes may be a bit lighter, but they are very agricultural. Hence me running Shimano ones with a Transmission groupset.
I ran an XT 12s mech and shifter on a SRAM cassette as an intermediate before changing the hub to 12s Shimano. So:
The indexing worked fine, there's a mm or so difference in the width of the cassette but the XT mech worked fine.
I initially used the SRAM 12s chain which was OK till I fitted new XT 12s cranks on which it ran noisily. I didn't know if it was just that the chain was worn or incompatibility. Anyhow I tried a KMC X12. The X12 chain ran fine on the SRAM cassette and OK on the ring, a little noisy on the chainring on the big cogs.
Then I found a Shimano hub I could build into the wheel from bike-components.de. An XT cassette and XT chain completed the 100% Shimano 12s. It all works better than the SRAM ever did - crisp quick changes and quieter on bad chain lines.
Match chains and cassettes but don’t worry about the mech brand. Also ignore those saying only t-type cassettes work with t-type mechs. I have run both shimano and eagle cassettes with a t type mech without issue. T-type mech with a new shimano cassette and chain is my favourite combo, but the sram cassettes keep their shift performance far longer.
@steve_b77 - I run a GX Transmission groupset with a Shimano XT cassette and chain and it works perfectly.
That's good to hear. I see a lot of cheap unused Transmission cranks on marketplace but assumed i'd need a transmission chain and cassette.
The chainring will be a consideration too. Shimano chainrings dont play nice with Eagle chains. Noisy/grindy.
I've found that Eagle chain rings work "OK" with Shimano chains for a while, but cause issues after a few hundred kms.
As someone else mentioned, Transmission wont play nice with anything else due to the position of the cassette. Unless, perhaps, if you're using the electronic transmission shifter and can re-index the shift points??
I've ran mixed SRAM Shimano drivetrain as well, it works well enough to not notice.
Sram shifter, chain and cassette + Shimano mech and chainring.
I've also mixed 11s and 12s of both brands and it all works well enough for me.
I prefer the SRAM shifter, chain and cassettes. The Shimano rear mech is a bit more robust, cheaper and can re-adjust clutch tension. Best of all worlds to be honest.