SRAM V Shimano - the verdict

So having migrated both bikes over from XT to X9, and after months of evaluation the verdict is....

One goes "snick, snick", the other goes "clack, clack"

Tell the truth Don...

But does the one that goes 'snick, snick' go 'snick, snick' any better than the one that goes 'clack, clack' goes 'clack, clack'?

ok..seriously..
I've always been a Shimano man...I prefer the snick to the clack..for the past while i've been using a SRAM drivetrain on the Focus..always let me down..chain dropping misclacking..pain in the arse.
However, Raul had a look at it for me, hes a certified SRAM proffessional.
Big difference...It might be that you need a real expert to set up SRAM..no complaints now.
I'll see how it goes over a couple of weeks.
Shimano may be better for bikethugs like me and SRAM might be for girlies/shepeople but ultimately , if it works !!

SRAM surely works great when set up right but from what other racers say it's not too reliable

Oisin had XX on his race bike put to some serious test and he was very happy to switch back to XTR (2011), he said the shifting was superior with XTR and the SRAM brakes were sh1te (Oscar had similar experiences I believe!).
For next season I'm definitely going XTR, I absolutely love the 2010 group set and I heard the 2011 is way better!

The New 2012 Shimano XT will be on sale here soon, will be just as good as the current XTR but half the price....

Yeah, but the old XTR was never twice as good as XT, Shimano are playing you all for suckers!

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Shimano...-XTR-2012.html

Brakes look cool, similar to this years XTR. The triple crank is ugly though, at least the double looks a bit better!

I'm sorry but if that's the case the people in question must be truly & utterly sh!te at maintaining and setting up your bikes..

I honestly couldn't care less what other people's opinion's are on this matter... I'm speaking from years of experience building, maintaining and fixing bikes with all kinds of gears systems and set ups.. I know exactly what I'm talking about on this matter.. Sram rear mechs are 1000 times easier and quicker to set up & tune compared to any Shimano rear mech.. absolutely no question or doubt about that whatsoever.. and as for reliability.. it just p!sses all over Shimano in every way...

Same goes for brakes... I have Avid brakes all my bikes.. I wouldn't consider anything else for a single second... stopping power is second to none.. blah blah blah..

Its all been said before over and over again as far as I'm concerned... for me and anyone who even has the tiniest inkling of technical ability.. its Sram / Avid all the way... there is simply nothing better...

Agree totally, Sram's coarse adjustement makes it simple to set up, Shimano is like tuning a feckin guitar.

THE ONLY THING Shimano do better is jockey wheels, but that's easilly sorted

One other critiscism of SRAM is there 30T cog on the 13-34 casette, I've bent / snapped 3 of them, just don't have enough meat on them

I know you know your stuff Mac... but... have you tested the new XX in several XC races like the other lads have?
I'm sure there are gems in SRAM line-up, I was only comparing the XX to XTR 2011.

The juicy 7 brakes I have on the Slayer are bombproof, it seems they just fcuked up with their new stuff..

What a load of ****e!!! I've been running SRAM XO all year on my xc bike and it's been 100% perfect all year and much more reliable any shimano stuff I've used before!! I can't compare it to the new xtr as I haven't used it but the previous groupset gave me nothing but trouble, same goes for the current xt!

I haven't ridden the XX properly in anger yet but I have hammered it on a few occasions with no complaints from the mech, cassette or shifter...

For the record I used Shimano on all my bikes for nearly 20 years... I decided to try Sram purely on the recommendation of Al Maxwell in the Bikerack... and I'm glad I did as I was blown away with the clean precise shifting and ease of set up / maintenance... I haven't looked back since and never will.. even after a dodgy experience of breaking both shifters in a freaky accident up Djouce.. shifting still worked perfectly even with both the shifters barrel adjusters hanging off.. Try that with a Shimano set up..!

Ah what do you know... you traitor! :)

Your absolutely bang on with that description big guy....

So having migrated both bikes over from XT to X9, and after months of evaluation the verdict is....

One goes "snick, snick", the other goes "clack, clack"

Tell the truth Don...

But does the one that goes 'snick, snick' go 'snick, snick' any better than the one that goes 'clack, clack' goes 'clack, clack'?

ok..seriously..
I've always been a Shimano man...I prefer the snick to the clack..for the past while i've been using a SRAM drivetrain on the Focus..always let me down..chain dropping misclacking..pain in the arse.
However, Raul had a look at it for me, hes a certified SRAM proffessional.
Big difference...It might be that you need a real expert to set up SRAM..no complaints now.
I'll see how it goes over a couple of weeks.
Shimano may be better for bikethugs like me and SRAM might be for girlies/shepeople but ultimately , if it works !!

SRAM surely works great when set up right but from what other racers say it's not too reliable

Oisin had XX on his race bike put to some serious test and he was very happy to switch back to XTR (2011), he said the shifting was superior with XTR and the SRAM brakes were sh1te (Oscar had similar experiences I believe!).
For next season I'm definitely going XTR, I absolutely love the 2010 group set and I heard the 2011 is way better!

The New 2012 Shimano XT will be on sale here soon, will be just as good as the current XTR but half the price....

Yeah, but the old XTR was never twice as good as XT, Shimano are playing you all for suckers!

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Shimano...-XTR-2012.html

Brakes look cool, similar to this years XTR. The triple crank is ugly though, at least the double looks a bit better!

I'm sorry but if that's the case the people in question must be truly & utterly sh!te at maintaining and setting up your bikes..

I honestly couldn't care less what other people's opinion's are on this matter... I'm speaking from years of experience building, maintaining and fixing bikes with all kinds of gears systems and set ups.. I know exactly what I'm talking about on this matter.. Sram rear mechs are 1000 times easier and quicker to set up & tune compared to any Shimano rear mech.. absolutely no question or doubt about that whatsoever.. and as for reliability.. it just p!sses all over Shimano in every way...

Same goes for brakes... I have Avid brakes all my bikes.. I wouldn't consider anything else for a single second... stopping power is second to none.. blah blah blah..

Its all been said before over and over again as far as I'm concerned... for me and anyone who even has the tiniest inkling of technical ability.. its Sram / Avid all the way... there is simply nothing better...

Agree totally, Sram's coarse adjustement makes it simple to set up, Shimano is like tuning a feckin guitar.

THE ONLY THING Shimano do better is jockey wheels, but that's easilly sorted

One other critiscism of SRAM is there 30T cog on the 13-34 casette, I've bent / snapped 3 of them, just don't have enough meat on them

I know you know your stuff Mac... but... have you tested the new XX in several XC races like the other lads have?
I'm sure there are gems in SRAM line-up, I was only comparing the XX to XTR 2011.

The juicy 7 brakes I have on the Slayer are bombproof, it seems they just fcuked up with their new stuff..

What a load of ****e!!! I've been running SRAM XO all year on my xc bike and it's been 100% perfect all year and much more reliable any shimano stuff I've used before!! I can't compare it to the new xtr as I haven't used it but the previous groupset gave me nothing but trouble, same goes for the current xt!

I haven't ridden the XX properly in anger yet but I have hammered it on a few occasions with no complaints from the mech, cassette or shifter...

For the record I used Shimano on all my bikes for nearly 20 years... I decided to try Sram purely on the recommendation of Al Maxwell in the Bikerack... and I'm glad I did as I was blown away with the clean precise shifting and ease of set up / maintenance... I haven't looked back since and never will.. even after a dodgy experience of breaking both shifters in a freaky accident up Djouce.. shifting still worked perfectly even with both the shifters barrel adjusters hanging off.. Try that with a Shimano set up..!

Ah what do you know... you traitor! :)

Your absolutely bang on with that description big guy....