How long should an X9 rear mech last?

Not SRAM bashing in general, I like the drivetrain stuff and it seems more resistant to knocks than shimano mechs. I like the shifting too.

I’ve been running a SRAM X9 rear mech for about 18 months, and it is now so badly worn on the pivots that it is adversely affecting the shifting.

the play seems to be evident at all the pivot points and at the much hanger mounting point, but most noticably at the join between the plastic and metal parts of the cage.

Anyone running a long lasting X9 mech or do they not last more than a year or so? For £65 rrp I would like them to last a few years at least!!

lets not get started on the jockey wheels 😉

I think sloppy pivots are pre-installed on SRAM mechs

Mines lasted just over 2 years but I have 2 bikes so a year’s worth of heavy use really. It’s been mangled in the spokes twice during that time and is certainly looking a bit the worse for wear but I can’t complain really. Doubt any other mech would have faired any better.

My last one lasted 2 years ish before the play got to bad. though when i took it off the amount of wear on the cage from where the chain passed on the jockey wheels i was supprised it never snapped.

Mine lasted 1 week before it fell apart at the main pivots.

The replacement lasted 3 months before failing in the same way.

They replaced the mech & shifters with XT and everything is running sweet 2 and a bit years later.

No more SRAM for me.

how long is a piece of string?

twice as long as half its length?

which is half as long as twice its length

it’s had reasonable use but not huge miles (I’m a slow and steady kind of pub stop rider). Just dissapointed its not lasted well. The jockey wheels seem slightly less resistant than shimano ones if that’s possible 🙁

I have used XT mechs for years and they do not wear like that !

My jockey wheels don’t seem to last 5

Bear in mind that a little bit of play at the mounting point is a design feature… its a compromise but it needs to be there.

On a shimano RM the top jockey wheel has a little bit of ‘float’ to aid in smooth shifting. They have the patent on this and so the Sram needs to run a solid upper jockey wheel (at least when new – they do get sloppy over time) and so the float is built into the mounting bolt.

Obviously over time this wears and they do get floppy, the new ones are much better than previous incarnations but they do seem to have a useful lifespan less than that of there Shimano counterparts. However i usually find i pringle them on a rock well before this stage 😥

Shimano is where it’s at for rear mechs.

If only they did 1-2-1 cable pull ratios.

had my x9 2years now lots of miles even bent a few dropouts its been attatched too its still fine

Mine was tight when new, but is borked now, the play seems to have developed suddenly as shifting was good until recently. Think I may bodge a simano set up 🙁

To much riding recently Mr Paice, you are getting faster 😉

2 x9 mechs lasted two rides.

plastic is cheap sh!te IMO and reverted to an CRC flood sale X5 mech to avoid further waste of cash.

Slight hijack but how do people find XO compares…mine seems very sloppy, looks ace and light as hell but I think the lifespan seems less than Shimano

I have or used an x5, x7 ,x9 and X0. In terms of when you are riding you cannot really tell what mech you are using so I think I would replace with a cheap one when it fails.
They last fine IMHO. My X0 is solid as (2005 model) and has been re built once due to being FUBAR(so bad a crash it actually snapped the bottom jockey wheel in two !!!and removed the bottom jockey wheel cage from the top cage -I never did find the spring). I fixed with a vice and a universal adjuster (hammer) and it still works fine/perfectly. I doubt many mechs would have recovered from this – still no real play in it. That said they are pricey but 1:2:1 shifting is nice and I like the cluckiness of the gear change.
Would NOT have the carbon cage model though if you gave it to me just got to brake at some point.
Personal choice really but Shimano are cheaper overall… whether they last longer will just be personal opinion doubt any real scientifc research done on this so no real opinion. Certain parts on your bike just wear out so when they do replace.

My daughter’s new X9 lasted half a lap of the ‘Puffer last year. It never worked properly again.

I’ve had an X9 for 3 years on my do it all bike. Its been used, abused, bent out of shape & back into shape & its still going strong.

Also had an X0 on my DH bike for nearly 3 years & that is also going strong, despite the abuse it gets.

I’m happy with my choice, I have tried others, but they require a lot more fettling to keep running sweet, mostly due to cable pull and the UK’s wonderfull weather. Historically, the design has been better to stop mech slap on the chainstay, and even the Shadow mech’s don’t compare IMO, having tried one.

However, you pay your money & make your choice 🙂

I have been using x9 since they came out. I have 3 bikes with them on and they all get ridden all year round to various degrees.
The newest one is an 07 model the others are significantly older. All are working fine.
I ride 2/3 times per week every week in the lakes/Dales/N Yorks Moors various trail centres etc.
The lower jockey wheels wear faster than the top and need to be replaced every 18 months or so.
The oldest one is probably more than 4 years old.
I have trashed 2 mechs but in circumstances where I dont believe any would have survived.
Cheers
Steve

One alps trip

been running x7’s and x9’s for years on 3 different bikes. Never had any real wear issues but my general obsevations was when they were looking knackered wobbly and shocking they still changed as well as shimano did new.