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Submitted by
scottb70435
a Racer
from New Orleans, LA
Date Reviewed: August 29, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Devil's Backbone | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | Nashbar.com | | Strengths: | The feel over Shimano is just better in my opinon. Love the thumb shifting and the layout. Real quick and precise. | | Weaknesses: | I've owned 3 pair over the last 2 years. One pair was my fault due to an endo which Nashbar still replaced. (Love those peoples)The last 2 pair the trigger just got stuck. The bike shop said the first one could not be repaired so I sent it back and got another. During this time I was still using the first X9 replacement and this past weekend it had the same problem but on the right shifter. No biggie for me b/c I'm having the new exchanged pair put on. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano | | Bike Setup: | '07 Titus Racer X. SRAM X.O rear, Mavic Crossmax SL's, etc. | | Bottom Line: | The bottom line is I love these shifters but can't deny that 2 different pair have bummed out on me. (although it has taken several months) If it would have been during a race then you might see flame coming out of these words. Plus Nashbar allows an exchange. If the same thing happens to the new pair then I'll move to the X.0 shifters and see what happens. That's how many bad experiences I've had with Shimano componentry. No offense to Shimano advocates. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jwsb
a Cross Country Rider
from Sta Rosa
Date Reviewed: August 21, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Philippines | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Crisp and shifting, 1:1 ratio, natural ergonomics | | Weaknesses: | reliability, hard to service | | Similar Products Used: | grip shift, xt, deore triggers | | Bike Setup: | chumba xcl, xo, revelation | | Bottom Line: | These are great positive engagement shifters. I prefer the shifting feel of sram over shimano. More precise and faster. zero ghost shifting. You feel more connected to the drivetrain. I believe the problem for my particular shifter is that fine mud gets in the assembly so the bushing stops lubricating. the shifter freezes and the return spring fails to put the longer lever back in place. trying to loosen things up with lubricant from the outside is a worthless effort. complete disassembly is a nightmare but was able to fix it twice over a year until i finally gave up! now the front shifter is doing the same thing. I downgraded to x7 and seems to be working fine for now. maybe bearings are better than bushings in these conditions? nonetheless i am disappointed; and i had been a loyal sram fan. shimano now seems to be making more sense. the shadows look promising and offer more for the money when comparing xo's to xtr. one more breakdown and i'm definitely shifting to shimano. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark B.
a Cross Country Rider
from Ft Wayne, IN
Date Reviewed: September 26, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | the next one | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$130.00 | | Purchased At: | pricepoint | | Strengths: | zero-loss travel WORKS!, clean look on bar, ease of use | | Weaknesses: | no gear indicator | | Similar Products Used: | 7/8/9 shimano triggers, x.7 | | Bike Setup: | Dakar xlt 1.0 w/ nixon, raceface cockpit, avid bb7 8f/7r, hutch spider rubber | | Bottom Line: | so the x.9 doesn't have a carbon cap or adjustable trigger throw...SO WHAT?? it's hands-down the best shifter i've ever used! ONE missed shift in six months, and you know what -- it was due to a bent derailleur hanger i didn't notice yet!! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lande Edmiston
a
from Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 22, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Fernie! | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Downshifting during quick descents. Crisp shifting. Takes a while to get used to it coming from Shimano LX. | | Weaknesses: | No gear indicator. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX, XT. | | Bike Setup: | Rocky Mountain Slayer SXC 70 | | Bottom Line: | Great shifter and I am now a fan of SRAM after using Shimano for the last 15 years! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dano
a Cross Country Rider
from Upstate NY
Date Reviewed: May 27, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | The Jct Mtn Ridge | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$42.00 | | Purchased At: | online | | Strengths: | This is for the 8 speed twister. Shifts as fast as you can think. Looks good on my bars with my SD7 Levers | | Weaknesses: | Doesn't want to cuddle after were done.
Shifter grips eventually wear out. | | Similar Products Used: | XT triggers, 2002 Centera shorty's | | Bike Setup: | Tricked out Cannondale M500, | | Bottom Line: | I never thought shifting could be this good. I run the 8 speed grippers with a 07 X9 rear Der and a Sram PG 850 11-32 cassette matched with a PC 58 chain. Let me say the 8 speed X9 system is by FAR the fastest and most reliable shifting system in ANY conditions. I have never missed a shift or even hesitated no matter how much mud or goop is caked on it. I have always been a twister fan and the X9 has taken it to a new level. I wish they made XO's in 8 speed even though they wouldn't perform any better. They blow away Shimano so bad it's not even in the same ballpark. I can shift the whole cassette up or down with one twist of the wrist. Man they are fast. When you crest a hill and start to rip down you can be in your highest gear at the speed of thought and then shift at the last second all the way down on a upcoming climb. I would highly recommend to anybody who likes to ride and fix or adjust your bike. Grippers aren't for everybody but once you get used to them I can't see how you would ever go back to triggers. Ohh did I mention you can trim your front derailleur so their is no chain rub. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ivan
a
from Croatia, Europe
Date Reviewed: February 26, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Strengths: | The up-shift with the thumb, and the 1:1 ratio, easy setup. | | Weaknesses: | Maybe hard, noise shiftiig ( I think that shimano is more silent. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Acera, Deore, LX | | Bike Setup: | Sram X7, X-generation, PC-991 Hollow pin, PG 970 | | Bottom Line: | The 2006 X-9 Trigger shifter is the so much better shifter than any other shimano in class of the Acera, Deore or LX.
It's so much quicker, and precise but not that gentle as shimano but so much faster that I don't belive it even now.
Shifting and brakeing (you need only one finger for shifting)at the same time is easy and you can witout problems downshift three gear at once, so no problem with that. So if you looking for more speed and quickness when you are shifting and breaking this is defently the right one for you. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
BigBadWolf
a Cross Country Rider
from ATL
Date Reviewed: December 21, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Shutes - Fruita | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$60.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay | | Strengths: | review for 07 triggers\no gear indicator window. all thumb system, light, fairly clean shifting. | | Weaknesses: | Not as crisp as XT, right shifter is sticking. Seems not to be as easy to service or replace cables as my XT's are. | | Similar Products Used: | Lx, Xt, Xtr | | Bike Setup: | Saltamontes, X9, King, SD7, Thomson, Fox in front and back. | | Bottom Line: | Got these mostly because I was interested in trying the Sram rear derailuer. I've had issues with the XT's knocking the frame on my Titus. Found these a little more difficult to set up. After getting through that, they perform pretty well. I like the all thumbs aspect of them but the Xt's are a liitle more crisp. My right shifter began sticking on me yesterday. It was easy to overcome by shifting the opposite direction one click but not something you want to deal with while chasing down bunnies on the trail. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Léo Cirino
a Cross Country Rider
from Belo Horizonte MG Brasil
Date Reviewed: December 17, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Mingu | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$120.00 | | Purchased At: | Local dealer | | Strengths: | Weight, looks. | | Weaknesses: | Durability, maintenance (lack of!) | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX, XT Sram 2006 X 9 | | Bike Setup: | Epic, Sram X 0 rear, Shimano LX front. | | Bottom Line: | I got the 2007 X 9 trigger for my Epic and moved the 2006 X9 to my second bike, with a new X 9 rear derailleur. From the start I noticed the 2007 X9 was a little harder, not as crisp as the 2006. In 4 months the right shifter began to jam, as if the spring that returns the thumb lever was loose. I opened it but was unable to close - so was the local dealer. It seems, as someone said in another review, it is a disposable product... The 2006 X9 is still working nice in my Trek (over one year without a single problem).
I´ll stay with Sram over Shimano, but I think I´ll get another 2006 X9 or a grip shift. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andy Fla
a
from Derby, UK
Date Reviewed: September 6, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Ease of Use, crispness of shifting | | Weaknesses: | None that I have found | | Similar Products Used: | XT and XTR | | Bike Setup: | Stumpjumper FSR | | Bottom Line: | I tried these on recommendation when building by bike up - they took a ride or 2 to get used to but i didnt realise how good they were until i borrowed the wife's epic with XT on it- i rode for 2 hours and nearly pulled a muscle in my thumb (if that is possible). I have always been happy with XT but after just a few rides I am converted to Sram.
I cannot recommend them enough - they have gone through a British winter and they are as crisp as when I bought them.
I have a mate with X7's and he is as happy as me- so you pay your money and pick the right level for you | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom
a Weekend Warrior
from Yucaipa, CA
Date Reviewed: August 20, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Santa Ana River | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Price Point | | Strengths: | Up-shifting with the thumb is great. The leverage ratio make more sense. | | Weaknesses: | NOne experienced yet | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX,XT,XTR | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Enduro Pro, Juicy 7 brakes | | Bottom Line: | There are 2 very good reasons that I think that these are superior to Shimano. The up-shift with the thumb, and the 1:1 ratio. I use one finger on the brake lever, I can shift without taking my finger off of the brake. On a side note, the rear derailleur has a direct cable route, no need to loop the damn thing around the corner. Short, sweet, and less friction. With the Sram components, there is no need for Shimano...at least on my bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan
a Cross Country Rider
from Charlottesville, VA
Date Reviewed: July 31, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Flag/Bear/Deadman's in C. Butte | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$60.00 | | Strengths: | Shifted well while it lasted, especially right shifter. | | Weaknesses: | Replacing cable sometimes works easily, sometimes doesn't work at all.
Upshifting left shifter requires pushing pretty far with thumb (hard to do) | | Similar Products Used: | XT trigger shifters, x-7 grip shifters, old LX shifters | | Bike Setup: | Yeti Kokopelli | | Bottom Line: | These work fairly well, though in the words of SRAM tech support "they are not servicable."
There is a little hole to replace the cables. Sometimes the cable gets stuck and you can't get it through the hole. I unscrewed the shifter to push the cable through, and I had trouble getting it back together. I called SRAM to ask where I could find an exploded view to get fix it, and they were extremely unhelpful.
They have no information or help for customers in this situation, and their advice if this happens is "to go to a bike shop and replace it."
In short, they think this is a disposable shifter.
I'm very disappointed with SRAM. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Fredrik Hammarlund
a Weekend Warrior
from Uppsala, Sweden
Date Reviewed: July 7, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Can't choose one | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Came with bike | | Strengths: | You can brake and shift a gear at the same time. | | Weaknesses: | You can't downshift more than one gear at the time. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano XT thumbshifters, Suntour thumbshifters, Shimano RapidFire, Sachs twisters, Sram twisters | | Bike Setup: | F.A.T FXC 0.4 frame (fullsuspension) with Rock Shox Recon 327 U-Turn fork and Fox Float R shock, Sram X.9 trigger shifters and rear derailleur, Shimano LX front derailleur and crankset, Mavic CrossLand wheelset with Schwalbe Racing Ralph tires, Magura Julie brakes and... | | Bottom Line: | The shifters came wrongly (I ordered it with twisters) with the bike when I bought it over the net.
I've never liked Shimano trigger shifters so I've always stayed away from triggers. Twisters have always been my cup of tea.
As the bike came with triggers I should at least give them a chance and I must say that I got suprised in a good way. It was quite easy to (re)learn how to shift and you can shift a gear and use the brakes at the same time. That can't be done with twisters.
One bad thing is that you only can downshift one gear at the time. With twisters you can downshift as many gears as you want, well almost any way.
If I have to pick a favourite between triggers and twisters I still have to go with twisters but triggers are just right behind and have almost caught up.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rico Mundy
a Cross Country Rider
from Angwin, CA
Date Reviewed: July 6, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Annadel | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Performancebike | | Strengths: | Less expensive than XTR. I liked the thumb action for shifting to a smaller chainring on the front shifter. | | Weaknesses: | Many... see Bottom Line below | | Similar Products Used: | 2000 XTR shifters. They lasted 6 years and 8000 miles. They actually still work better than the brand new SRAM. | | Bike Setup: | 2000 Santa Cruz Superlight | | Bottom Line: | Review is for the 2005 X-9 Triggers. I actually bought these shifters because of the positive reviews here on MTBR.com and because Shimano seemed to be abandoning the trigger market... Here's my usage stats
Time on bike: 4 months
Miles ridden with them: 200
Overall I think these shifters are terrible. Right out of the box they felt mushy. I'm using them with a new 2005 XO rear derailleur and XT cogs, SRAM chain. With all Shimano shifters I have always felt a very positive "click" when moving to a bigger cog on the rear as well as the action with Shimano is very light. Not so with SRAM!
First, from the very first the rear shifter felt mushy and full of friction. I had just installed new cables with the system so there was no friction problem from that. I finally chased the problem down to the bend the cable has to make around the plastic glide on the back of the derailleur. When I detached the cable from the derailleur and moved the shifter, the action did indeed feel light and positive, but as soon as I reattached the cable to the derailleur there seemed to be 10 TIMES the amount of force needed to shift to a bigger cog!! I don't know what SRAM was thinking with a design like that. I know this is a derailleur complaint, but it is tied in with the shifters too.
Second, the barrel adjusters on the shifters are not nearly as easy to turn nor as positive in their clicks as Shimano has always been. When I try and adjust them while riding, they do not turn smoothly and positively, but mushily turn with kind of a harsh snapping feeling.
Third, the plug caps that seal the hole where the cables are inserted into the shifters are made of cheap plastic that reams out with hardly any resistance. I used a full size phillips screw driver and still they reamed out instantly. I had to resort to using the plugs from my XTR shifters to close the wholes so mud and water wouldn't enter the shifter that way.
Fourth, the optical gear indicators are cheap, inaccurate and prone to easily breaking. When I got to the point of disassembling the shifters as seen below, I saw what a cheap and frail system it is. The front shift indicator was broken within a month, this in contrast to my XTR indicators which lasted 6 years and still work perfectly.
Fifth, as other reviewers have mentioned, the ergonomics are not perfect. I didn't have issues using my thumb on the small lever to go into small chainring/cogs. I actually really liked it, even better than Shimano. I did find on the rear shifter that occassionally when mounting my bike I would accidentally click it and put myself in a harder gear than I wanted to be in, but I loved the action in the front. My main problem was that the big paddle lever for going into bigger cogs/chainrings, was awkwardly shaped compared to Shimano and required my thumb to stretch farther. On the rear I could not change as many cogs in one push either as I could with Shimano.
Sixth and most importantly, after only 4 months my FRONT SHIFTER COMPLETELY BROKE. I did a moderate endo, at low speed. When I got back on the back, I wasn't hurt at all, the front shifter was broken. The big paddle lever swung freely in a 360 degree circle without moving the derailleur to a bigger ring. I could only shift down to my granny after that! I disassembled the shifter and found that a tiny cast metal part had broken. Doing some research on Google I found that this part has broken for others too, it's fairly common. I even found a site that described machining your own part out of steel to replace the crummy SRAM part. I couldn't believe SRAM has such a poorly designed part in this high end of a shifter. It makes me wonder if they used the same design in '06 XO. Anyway, I suppose SRAM may warranty the shifter, but I certainly never want to use it again. I could only imagine if it broke out the middle of nowhere.
I'm going to give SRAM the lowest chili rating since everyone else seems to rate it so highly. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan Fitzgerald
a Weekend Warrior
from Washington, DC
Date Reviewed: June 29, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1800.00 | | Purchased At: | Came on my GF Paragon 29er | | Strengths: | Accuracy and ease of shifting; ability to shift multiple gears without effort. | | Weaknesses: | As others have noted, the smaller shift trigger is easy to hit accidentally, causing unwanted shifts, especially when you're gripping the bars during braking or obstacles, which can be a real pain. I'm hoping I'll get used to it; I may just need to move the shifter farther in on the bar. Also, you have to swing your thumb a little awkwardly around the big trigger, though this is a minor complaint. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Deore LX | | Bike Setup: | Stock GF Paragon 29er. | | Bottom Line: | These are obviously quality shifters, but I'm not feeling the love re: ergonomics. I hope I'll adapt over time. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Daniel Smith
a Weekend Warrior
from Payson, Utah
Date Reviewed: June 26, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Blackrock in Idaho | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$51.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay | | Strengths: | Shifts Great and works excellent. Not a problem. | | Weaknesses: | Hard to work right if not professionally put on | | Similar Products Used: | SRAM X.7 trigger shifters, SRAM 9.0 Sl grip shifters | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Stumpjumper XC Pro, SRAM 9.0 sl rear derailler | | Bottom Line: | These are great shifters and they work perfectly. I tried to put them on and since it was the first time that I had put a shifter on, I messed up with the cable length making the shifters work right but hopefully they will work right after they get adjusted.
These work great!!!!!!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve
a
from Los Angeles, CA
Date Reviewed: May 31, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Work competently | | Weaknesses: | Seem to require more force to shift
Poor strength and durability | | Similar Products Used: | XT 8-speed shifters
old X-ray gripshifters | | Bike Setup: | Turner RFX, Fox DHX-air, 36RC... | | Bottom Line: | I've used these shifters for about 6 months. Frankly, I do not believe that these shifters live up to the hype they seem to be receiving. The shifters do shift competently, and if that is all that you require of your shifters, the X.9's will not disappoint. Where the X.9's fell short for me was feel and durability. I feel that the shifters require considerable more effort to shift than my old 8-speed XT shifters.
Durability is also an issue with these shifters. The cast shift levers are apparently very susceptible to bending. After a minor crash into a bush (don't ask how), I found I had difficulty shifting into the largest chain ring. It turned out that the long shift lever had been bent by the crash. I think the length of the lever, it's exposed position on the bar, and weak casting of the lever arms make these shifter more susceptible to bending than my old XT's and probably the X.O.'s.
Again, in my humble opinion, while X.9 shifters do work competently, they are not without fault. I would love to try the X.O.'s or the new 2006 X.9's. But as it stands, I'm not sure that I would be able to recommend the current X.9 shifters over Shimano XT trigger shifters (at least the old 8-speed shifters). I just don't believe these shifters live up to the near faultless hype that SRAM seems to be riding lately. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: April 19, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | none in CO | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | came with bike | | Strengths: | Positive shift action | | Weaknesses: | Brittle parts | | Similar Products Used: | LX, XT, XTR rapid fire, 9.0 & 9.0SL grip shift | | Bike Setup: | X9 shifters and RD X-GEN FD, XT cranks, Avid Ti levers, XTR brakes & wheels, Minute 2 fork | | Bottom Line: | They are nice shifters from the get go. Good feedback. I felt dialed in with my RD. One of the thumb levers on my right shifter broke on a very mild crash. I was going uphill at about 4mph. The front indicator went out about a week later. It still works fine it just doesn't tell me what gear I'm in which isn't a problem on the front. They are good shifters just not very durable. I went back to a 9.0 half pipe I had layin around. Now there is a high quality item. Bought it in '99 and still works great. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pablo
a Cross Country Rider
from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 6, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Strengths: | Somewhat accurate shifting, does not need much force to turn the lever. | | Weaknesses: | The lever has the worst design ever (see below), feel rough and noisy as hell, fragile. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano dual control levers and rapidfire shifters. | | Bike Setup: | KHS 904r Team. Sram x.9 drivetrain, avid sl, wtb wheelset, fox fx100 and rp3, truvativ cranks. | | Bottom Line: | I'll start in the lever. The person who designed the lever obviously didn't ride and specially raced. The tip of the lever is so pointy that in a race in which you are handling technical terrain and moving the handlebars, you won't be able to avoid touching that tip with the base of the thumb. After every race my hand will be bleeding. I thought maybe it was too close to the grip but after moving them my hands will go closer again to reach the shifter and it would happen again.
The feeling of the shifter is not good and it's far far away from a shimano. It is rough and sticky but anyways it does it's job. Every shift is really noisy as well and the worst part is that sram feels proud about it.
Finally after a year of use, the right shifter completly broke in a crash. I am not saying that it was the fault of the shifter but it sure is fragile as the impact was not bad at all. My friend had the exact same issue with his x9. When I tried to get spare parts, they didn't sell the required part as a spare so I threw the shifters and the derrailleur (that does not work in mud by the way), and put some lx dual controls and xt rear d. Now it is a real bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brooks
a
from Moab
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: |
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$ 69.00
