whats your choice?
i use shimano mechs and sram shifters but i hear that new shimano are multi use shifters…… hmmmmmmm

at the moment i use sram x7 (they came with my charge duster).had 9 speed xt on my last bike (anthem x2).i think that the sram feels more positive when changing gear,but the shimano stuff is most excellent (might consider going to 10 speed xt some day/when funds allow 🙂

sram everything but shimano cranks

shimano for me.

i have a sram setup on my xc bike but i dont like it and sram mechs are made of cheese.

the shimano 2 way release means you can use their shifters just like a sram shifter.

Shimano all the way. Was very underwhelmed by XX in all respects except the price, where I was outraged.

I’ve been using sram rival stuff on a winter road/cx bike this year – every single bit has failed in under a year. Good warranty but it would be better if the stuff just worked.

i used to run SRAM, but my bike has slowly morphed into having mostly Shimano (Saint) as bits have broken.

After 20 odd years of Shimano, I went SRAM X9 and I love it. X9 cassettes and rear mechs and shifters are easily as good as Shimano and they need much less calibration because of the different pull ratio.

On both main bikes I run X9 rear, X9 shifters, Connex 900 chain, and Shimano XT front mechs and SLX chainsets. I would try SRAM for front mechs also but I’v e never got round to experimenting with front mechs and for the money I paid, the SLX was the better chainset to anything else on offer.

Shimano on all my bikes that have gears for mechs, shifters & cassettes.

MTB’s get RaceFace cranks with KMC chains

Roadie has got FSA cranks with Shimano everything else

Commuter has Shimmano everything

Shimano all the way. Used Sram on an old orange crush and hated it, the parts jsut fell to bits on me after about 4 months. Have shimano on all 3 bikes, works a treat.

shimano looks the one

I wouldn’t judge in this way. I’m heavy on gear, I ride a lot, and SRAM X9 (the only SRAM I have tried) has been as good or better than XT and overall I must feel better, or I wouldn’t buy like for like replacements when the need arises. I haven’t had to change a rear mech at all.

They SRAM don’t wear out any quicker than Shimano in my experience…

SRAM shifters, front mech, rear cassette (and brakes I suppose, BB7s)
Shimano rear mech, crankset and BB

100% Shimano

mix, always tend to go for shimano bits and sram chains

how are you guys using shimano mechs with sram shifters? I thought they were incompatible??

Either way, saint on my big bike (nothing similar available from SRAM), and x7/x9/avid on my xc bike. The road bike will probably get rival when its built, as the reviews seem to rate it way above similar shimano kit, and I can’t afford di2 🙁

Shimano gearing apart from sram chain.

Sram suspension and at the moment brakes but I would like some Hope brakes.

X9 shifters, X0 R mech, SLX double c/set and F mech, Ultegra casette and SRAM chain – all 9 speed.
No problems after 18 months, but have never had transmission problems with either brand of components from Deore to X0 and most points in between 🙂

how are you guys using shimano mechs with sram shifters? I thought they were incompatible??

Any SRAM fromt shifter will work a Shimano front mech and vice/versa

Any SRAM rear shifter with a name (i.e. Rocket and Attack) will only work a Shimano rear mech.

SRAM rear shifters with a number (i.e. X5/7/9/0) will only work a SRAM rear Mech

Shimano rear shifters will only work a Shimano rear mech.

Clear? 🙂

Shimano road/cx/mtb Every time i’ve had Sram the rear mechs fail or incase of the X9 shifter the internals broke 🙁

SRAM every time for me.

Shimano is nice but requires too much attention to keep it that way. Prefer the clunky workmanlike action of SRAM. X7/X9 with full outers requires almost zero maintenance.

SRAM always now, Shimano is only nice if you’ve got time to fiddle, Ive found Sram is much more resilient to wear and tear, doesn’t go out so easily and if it does is a doodle to re tune.

You only need Sram match for the rear as its 1:1 rather than 1:2, I run Sram front shifter with Shimano front mech no probs.

Race Face cranks are the dogs IMHO 🙂

Go Jedi!

Shimano rear shifters will only work a Shimano rear mech.

surely they’d also work with a ‘name’ sram mech?

Shimano XT everything apart from chain (SRAM) and sometimes cassettes.
The lads I ride with that use SRAM always seem to have the most problems, and not just early wear and tear.

They always seem to smash shifter levers and rear mechs when they crash – maybe I’m better at crashing, but XT stuff seems to last forever on my bikes.

Ultegra on the road bikes, hopefully Dura Ace on the next… Shimano just works, faultlessly.

Chains a shite like…

I’ve got Shimano on one bike, Sram on the other. One is clickier, both do the same job of shifting.

Therefore I have no preference.

surely they’d also work with a ‘name’ sram mech?

Er, yes, they would 😳

Mix and match here.

Bike 1 = SRAM X9 mech and shifters, SLX cranks
Bike 2 = SLX shifters, XT mech and SRAM cranks

There isn’t much in it when it comes to shifting, SRAM shifters take a while to loosen up, but they don’t need much in the way of adjustment. My SLX shifters need regular fettling but the multi-release is a real boon too, when using my Shimano bike I tend to thumb shift when sat down and use the finger method when stood over the front end of the bike. The X9 shifters have taken a step backwards in reverting to four grubscrews to retain the shifter covers, instead of the simple chrome dial of old which I prefer.

As for the cranks, Shimano stuff is noticably better. My SLX cranks are lighter, stiffer, cheaper and easier to maintain than my Stylo 2.2 cranks. Shimano BBs are considerably longer lasting too.

[edit] Shimano chains are awful. Mine always rust at the first sign of damp within 100 miles, yet SRAM chains retain their lustre. Best bet is to use neither and go for KMC or YBN.

Mainly sram here x7 shifter / rear mech with slx block and some random 10 speed chain!

I like the fact that even with my level of complete and utter ineptness I am capable of installing and setting up the Sram kit although somone will probably point out that ive missed something now.

Runing Truvativ cranks which seem ok but will be removed once money permits.