Submitted by
smokey strodtman
a Cross Country Rider
from gilliam MO USA
Date Reviewed: October 21, 2004
Bottom Line:
This is a follow-up to my earlier review of August, 2002. I've had my half-pipes about 2 1/2 years now and have not had any problems whatsoever with them. Maintenance consists of an occasional cable lube and yearly shot of Jonnisnot. They are still a bit stiff on upshifts and make a little noise, but it doesn't bother me. I much prefer that to a shifter that jumps between gears and ghost-shifts. I'll run them till they wear out, then plan on trying SRAM's new thumbshifters. Nothing wrong with twisties, I just like trying new things and they are getting great reviews here.
Submitted by
Brad
a Cross Country Rider
from Canada
Date Reviewed: November 8, 2003
Strengths: Easy to use. Good looking. Very light and well made.
Weaknesses: Hard to come by in my neck of the woods.
Bottom Line:
Outstanding product. Local bike shop is not to keen on them but have been brainwashed by Shimano. Only used 1 week and the bike got stolen. Positive shifting and you can fine tune the front der. for no chain rub which is a big bonus. I would recommend these shifters to anybody out there and I found they had no unwanted shifting in all conditions that I rode in. Numero Uno product.
Similar Products Used: None. Only used xt, xtr rapid fires.
Bike Setup: Switched over a cyclocross bike (trek X01) to flat bar.
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Submitted by
smokey strodtman
a Cross Country Rider
from gilliam, MO USA
Date Reviewed: August 22, 2002
Strengths: ability to shift instantly up or down in any situation. comfortable grip. can drop several gears in an instant if terrain requires it. appearance. durability (several crashes have not damaged them, including a couple of BIG endoes). simple design. good value compared to XTR.
Weaknesses: a little noisy when upshifting. also, upshifts were a little stiff when i got them; a little jonnisnot cured it.
Bottom Line:
i've seen a lot of complaints in here about unwanted shifts when in technical terrain and doing things like lofting the front wheel. this has never happened to me, don't know if it's dumb luck or the way i have them set up. i use oury grips and cut them so the section that is left has enough room for two fingers (or three, if i crowd them a bit). makes it a little tight with bar ends and brake levers on a 580mm flat bar, but it will work. i always liked gripshifters, but these are on a whole new level. they shift VERY quickly, and you can drop several gears on the cassette in a second, if need be. downshifts are so quiet, you sometimes only feel the difference in pedaling, there is no noise. upshifts are another story, they started out very loud, but have quieted down somewhat as they have broken in. still louder than the old style gripshifts and rapidfires, however. having the shifter right in your hand at all times will make you shift more often and take advantage of your gears. in rolling hills, you can gear up going down, then shift back and not have a deadspot of freewheeling when you begin pedaling on the ascent. gripshifts have always been very durable for me, probably because they are tucked in to the bar so well. the only maintenance i do is an occasional cable lubing and a light application of jonnisnot every 6 months or so. i got a fabulous buy on these, they were leftover '01 models. i had originally ordered 7.0 halfpipes, but they were out of stock so bikesource gave me the 9.0 SLs at the same price. thanks, guys!
Favorite Trail: lots of good ones here in missouri
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At: bikesource.com
Similar Products Used: other SRAM shifters, all with shorty grips, shimano rapidfires.
Bike Setup: fisher marlin with lots of mods, all SRAM drivetrain except for front derailleur; shimano LX. oury grips cut so that i can have only 2 fingers on shifter when in real technical situations. performance cycle pro-stix bar ends (cane creek clones).
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Submitted by
shane
a Racer
from philadelphia PA
Date Reviewed: October 15, 2001
Strengths: shifts as good as anything
Weaknesses: well you gots to have a sram derailleur, and they picked out the grip for you
Bottom Line:
these things really shift at least as well as xtr. they may shift better. they're better than the past grip shifters. you can get either two or three fingers on the stationary grip. i think they are overall the most comfortable grip shifter. no accidental shifts on the uphill. no accidental shifts when yer goin fast and flowing. maybe, once in a while, yer going slow in a long rock garden and you stop suddenly while youse got a death grip on the bars you'll have an accidental shift. ...but they shift so good and you never have to think about moving your hand to shift, so you probably won't mind. NOTE: GET SOME FREAKING SUPERGLUE FOR THE STATIONARY PART. it will never come loose. these things are impervious to mud and you don't have to take it off to change the cable. so super glue that thing on. the grip works suprisingly well in the mud and rain, though you need to be wearing gloves.
I just got these shifters in today adn went on one ride. I was a bit weary of Grip shift cuz Rapid fire is second nature to me. I just got the "upgrade" bug and didn't want to spend 125 bucks for XTR shifters when i can get the SRAM shifters and rear der. for the same price. I put them on and fell in love with them. I love the "Popping" feeling when they release tot eh higher gears and the 1:1 ratio DEFINATLY beats Shimano's 2:1. I had no mis shift at any time. with my LX pod and XTR Der. it worked for one day after cleaning the cables and the next if I wanted to go from 7-4 I had to go to 3 and then click one down to 4. Yes I don't knwo how well this system works long term but the ease of shifting, the smooth actuation is VERY nice, just need to ride it more to be come second nature. and the half pipe is nice. Some people have a "Death grip" ont eh bar which was what turned me from grip shift at first cuz it could miss shift when i didn't want it to, but if you have a "strong, LIGHT" grip on the bar, hard to explain, but they work great, no miss shifts perfect shifts everytime. and with the half pipe you get to shift from more positions ont he bar, BUT some may not like this setupa nd want the "Shorty version" which would work best for you? you choose, you won't be disappointed.
Similar Products Used: Shimano Acera up to LX Rapid Fire
Bike Setup: Custom Gary Fisher Sugar 1
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Submitted by
Marcel Frenk
a Cross Country Rider
from Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Date Reviewed: September 18, 2001
Strengths: Works great, light action, grip feels OK
Weaknesses: Don`t like the white colour too much, changing the cable is a bit of a hassle.
Bottom Line:
I like their light action, the SRS system helps to prevent unwanted shifts. Because of the large grip-surface, they really feel like they much less force to shift. With the older models I usually rode with my hands already upon the shifter, so I was already used to not twist my hands whilst riding, unless I wanted a gearchange off course. The tapered form the grip feels good in my hands, no worrying if your grips will slide. Since juli 2000 I only sufferd one unwanted downshift, but that was on the mega-bumpy final descent off the Cristalp Marathon in Switzerland, I believe the locals call this section "The Roman Stairs". Any other problems with shifting were caused by things like a bent derailleur hanger or a faulty cable.
Similar Products Used: Older gripshifts and Sachs Plasma shifters, XT rapidfire shifters
Bike Setup: Specialized FSR-XC S-works 2001, ESP-9.0SL
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Submitted by
Alex
a Cross Country Rider
from Philadelphia
Date Reviewed: August 7, 2001
Strengths: Cool Name.
Weaknesses: thick grips, unpredictable shifting.
Bottom Line:
Ive always loved gripshift and never had a problem moving my hand that extra inch to reach the shifter, so I dont know why I opted for the Halfpipe. What a mistake! The shifting was unpredictable on any sections that involved torquing on the bars(pretty much any kind of mountain biking). Ive never had these kinds of problems with a product before. The good news is that my LBS swapped me a pair of shorties for the half pipes and ive been super happy ever since.
Similar Products Used: other iterations of gripshift
Bike Setup: full esp 9.0
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Submitted by
Puzman
a Cross Country Rider
from Wallingford, CT
Date Reviewed: July 16, 2001
Bottom Line:
For all of you who've had problems with mis-shifts and/or poor grip, try the following: -cut 30mm or so off of the end of the shifter. The grip cover will easily slide off the rest of the mechanism, so... -lock it in place by installing ODI lock on grips (in grip shift size).
Result: smooth, crisp, precise shifting, with no mis-shifts and rock-solid grip on the bars. An awesome set-up, and cheaper than the 9.0 shorty's.
Submitted by
Puzman
a Cross Country Rider
from wallingford, ct
Date Reviewed: June 20, 2001
Strengths: shifts through multiple gears easily w/ very little effort it works light weight can dial in front derailleur position
Weaknesses: mis-shifts grip feels insecure on really technical stuff
Bottom Line:
I'm definitely a fan of twist shifting, and these are a huge improvement over the older x-ray style shifters. The shifting feel is very light and crisp. You can rip through five or six gears without much thought. And therein lies the problem- you occasionally get mis-shifts in technical terrain, and the grip sometimes feels insecure. I haven't tried the Shorty's, but I'd imagine that they really kick a$$.
Similar Products Used: older x-ray shifters, rapidfire
Bike Setup: Titus locomoto
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Submitted by
Marty
a Cross Country Rider
from Cleveland, OH
Date Reviewed: March 8, 2001
Strengths: Smooth as butter shifting with full 9sl drivetrain.
Weaknesses: accidental shifting
Bottom Line:
These shifters have been a real hinderance to many technical and non-technical riders, due to the fact that they will shift when they are not supposed to. when you are going up steep hills over logs and ruts the twisting you do on your grips to get over/around things causes the halfpipes to shift. this can be a real problem. I switched to the shortys.
Submitted by
Damon
a Weekend Warrior
from North Bethesda, MD, USA
Date Reviewed: March 4, 2001
Strengths: They shift to the ring and cog you think you are shifting to.
Weaknesses: They came with the bike and I don't like the color of the housing with my yellow frame. It is possible to make accidental shifts with the half pipe. Haven't tried the "shorty."
Similar Products Used: Antiquated Shimano contraption on my other bike (replaced with SRAMS).
Bike Setup: Haro MX-3, aluminum swingarm, Manitou SX-R shock, Kona stem, salsa headset, race fase low-riser, truvativ 4D crankset, SRAM ESP rear derailer, Shimano XT front derailer, rock shox Super deluxe (sucks), GEAX Beaumont tires
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Submitted by
Matt
a Cross Country Rider
from Altoona,PA
Date Reviewed: November 28, 2000
Strengths: Fast, smooth shifting. Not Shimano-made.
Weaknesses: More mis-shifts with the half pipe than the old SRT400's I had.
Bottom Line:
Well, when I went to upgrade my old C-dale to SRAM 9 speed, I got a deal on the 9.0 derailler and 9.0SL shifters in a package. Being that I ride the SuperV alot more, I pulled the 9.0 shifters off of it and threw the SL's on. When I bought the 9.0s, the SL's were $5 more, but I didn't get them. It's not worth it unless you're a weight weiney and I couldn't even tell the difference to hold them.
They shift exactly like the plain 9.0s. Fast, smooth, and accurate. The only problem is getting onto the 11 toother from the one before it. Sometimes it goes, sometimes it doesn't. Oh well, I don't use it that much anyway-an 8 speed would be fine.
The only problems I've had are mis-shifting when jumping because of the half pipe size, and the little grips used to slide off. A set of Coda Paquita bar ends fixed the grips sliding off as well as gave me another place to put my hands.
Bottom line, not a good upgrade from regular 9.0s, but if you can get them for the same price as the 9.0's and want to upgrade, pick the color that goes best with your bike :-) Four chillies for value since they cost more than the 9.0 and work exactly the same. 5 chillies for overall because it's another quality SRAM product that works great.
Similar Products Used: SRAM SRT400, '99 SRAM 7.0, '00 SRAM 9.0, alot of Shimano junk
Bike Setup: '00 C-dale SV500, air lockout on 80mm Fatty, Avid mech discs with Speed dial levers, Mavic 223 discs, SRAM 9.0 rear with 9.0SL shifters.......
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Submitted by
Chad
a Cross Country Rider
from Mass
Date Reviewed: October 28, 2000
Strengths: I found that this product performs beautifully in almost any situation as well as being easy to adjust on or off the trail. I was using XTR before and loved that, but the sram is always right on and very quick and smooth.
Weaknesses: I have not found a weekness yet, but will keep you pasted
Bottom Line:
I Love the Sram 9.0 shifter with the Rocket shifter. I think XTR is one thing and The 9.0 ESP is quicker and smoother! I recomed this setup for anyone who rides everyday and is willing to get the biggest bag for theor buck.
Similar Products Used: Used XTR with Grip Shift. Used Xt with Xt rapid fire.
Bike Setup: 2000 Specialized Enduro Expert. Sram 9.0 with Sram rocket Shift levers. Hayes Discs, Race Face Cranks and front chainring. Protaper handle bars, with ODI lock grips.
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Submitted by
Rick Morgan
a Cross Country Rider
from Seattle, WA
Date Reviewed: October 22, 2000
Strengths: easy shifting reliability of shift convenience weight
Weaknesses: seems to shifts just slightly slower than XTR, but is *always* dead-on.
Bottom Line:
I weigh 205 and sometimes I ride like the broken hulk of a battleship ramming a coral reef. I have very little natural finesse, but I really enjoy riding my bike. Under my mass, (and load) I tend to have trouble shifting well and get lots of ghost shifting due to tiny misalignments.
When I discovered SRAM 9.0SL Shifters I was pleased as Rosie O'Donnel when they announced a new flavor of Ice Cream. These are such a GREAT product. I love the fact that I can "micro-tune" each gear combo to completely eliminate chain noise in ANY gear. Also, thanks to the spring loaded shifting, I can even stop my bike completely still, shift a couples gears down, and just take off already in the new gear without even pedaling. I had concerns about braking while shifting, but now I cant imagine how I ever worried about that.
The half-pipe shifters are so natural that after a month I was no longer even conscious of them. Just a flick of the wrist and its shifting smooth as olive oil on a hot slab of marble. I was so impressed I bought sram hubs and a derailleurs as well.
In my opinion, a better product does not exist yet. If something comes out I'll definitely buy it, but for now my clear choice is Sram 9.0SL
Similar Products Used: Avid, Shimano XTR, Shimano XT RF
Bike Setup: Rocoky Mountain Element Race. Race face cranks, BB, and stem, velocity synergy wheels on sram 9.0SL hunbs, moneky lite handlebars and Magura Louise Hydraulic Disk Brakes
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Submitted by
Peter
a Cross Country Rider
from San Francisco
Date Reviewed: August 21, 2000
Strengths: smooth shifts
Bottom Line:
Can you say lawsuit? SRAM knows how to build a smooth shifter but they completely missed the boat on this one: the grip ends slide off the bar and the half pipe shifter makes steering on downhills a b*itch. The so-called half-pipe is actually more like a 3/4 pipe since the grips are only small enough for a child's hand. As for the grips sliding off the bar, I thought the diamater of my bars was too small and so I ducttaped the bar and then slide the grips on with some hairspray. This worked. But then I read the reviews on this site and discovered that I wasn't hallucinating; my bars are fine and the grips are terrible. Maybe SRAM will fixed these two serious product flaws and recall the ones out on the market before they get taken to the cleaners in court by an inexperienced rider who falls and seriously hurts themselves. RI-DICULOUS PRODUCT!!!
