Submitted by
Aaron
a Weekend Warrior
from Incline Village, NV
Date Reviewed: June 1, 2007
Strengths: Light touch, thumb shifting
Weaknesses: Plastic seems a little flimsy (but has held up fine)
Bottom Line:
I love these; prefer the thumb-only shifting to the typical RF setup. Very light touch and shifting is very precise. It doesn't feel quite as solid as the XTR RF's, but I have had zero problems and they have taken a few knocks without mishap.
Bike Setup: Turner XCE, Marzocchi Race 100, XTR RR, Race Face Turbine, eggbeaters, Avid SD, Rhyno Lites.
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Submitted by
Jorgex
a Weekend Warrior
from Almada, Portugal
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2006
Strengths: -lighter and cheapier than shimano XT (in 2000) -new half pipe (u like it or not)
Weaknesses: -with gore ride on or avid flak jackets: NONE -with cheap cables: alot "mis-shifts" -new half pipe (u like it or not)
Bottom Line:
6 years of severe shifting and stil precise gear changes. DO WE NEED MORE? Yes, the shifter should somehow show what gear i'm using during night rides.
Shifters are really apples to oranges, more of a reference thing if perfetionally installed. Always be aware of the reviewer who is the only person that does not like a product, that he installed himself. I like these shifters better than thier half-pipe counterparts due to the fact that the halfpipes like to shift when your are tourqueing on steep uphills. I have no complains these shifters worked great, and I am real rough on shifters and deraillers.
Strengths: Looks, value for money, comfortable durable and grip, snappy shifting, f. derailleur "micro indexing", easy cable changes
Weaknesses: Occasional mis-shifts, not exactly cheap
Bottom Line:
I am reviewing the short grip Rockets, not the long grip version.
I upgraded from Sachs waveys after the spring broke (see review). No way I was using Shimano stuff, though it works. I was surprised to see that the Rockets were cheaper than the Attacks, even though they are newer. Thus far I have been very pleased with the Rockets. Just as good as the waveys, with a similar feel. Shifting is perfect. At first, with such slick new cables, there were quite a few instances of over shifting i.e. shifting two gears up instead of one, but as the cables have gotten grottier, this happens less. It is still a very light action, which can cause mis-shifts out on the trail.
One concern I have is the plastic cable adjusters which are a little flimsy. A bad crash and they could easily snap. Reviewers have noted this with the Attacks, but not with the Rockets…yet. One other worry is the cost of replacing grips and their availability, what with planned obsolescence. However, they seem pretty durable. Other reviewers have problems with the optical gear display, which is gimmicky, but does not cause problems. Nor is the body any wider than the waveys, which didn't have a display.
Overall, I am really pleased with the product and appreciate SRAM for making 8 spd versions compatible with Shimano derailleurs. If you use Shimano derailleurs do yourselves a favour and use the Rocket. I'd give it a high five if it weren't for the odd mis-shift. Simple, reliable, crisp shifting, unobtrusive, durable, maintenance free, but repairable. How many derailleurs can you describe like that?
Similar Products Used: Sachs Wavey, '95 Deore LX thumbies
Bike Setup: Kona '98 Explosif (which kicks butt, including mine), XT levers and derailleurs, 8 speed
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Submitted by
Westy
a Racer
from Peterborough, Ontario
Date Reviewed: June 13, 2001
Strengths: Light, works great!
Weaknesses: mmmm, I don't know of any yet...
Bottom Line:
The Rockets let you get close to the performance of ESP 9.0 while still using the more durable XTR rear Derailer. I use the 8spd version with a 9spd rear derailer on an XT 11-30 cassette, the front is moving a XTR unit over a 22-32-44 chainring set. Both shifters work excellent. There is no hesitation to push the 12-tooth chainring gap and the back shifts smoothly and quikly. I've even shifted while standing on the pedals with great results. These shifters are and excellent alternative to a full ESP setup!
Similar Products Used: Sachs Powergrip Wavey, Shimano XT RF
Bike Setup: Wheeler with XTR and Race Face goods. XTR front and Rear Derailers.
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Submitted by
Andreas Klauser
a Cross Country Rider
from Feldafing
Date Reviewed: June 7, 2001
Strengths: Weight, functionality
Weaknesses: I could do without that clumsy gear display. Keep it lean, when you design it next time.
Bottom Line:
Since my XTR Brakes began to wear and wobble, I put on Magura Quicksilvers instead. These in combination with XTR shifters simply look ridiculous. Having made good experience with the Attacks 8.0 on my other two bikes, I bought the new Shimano-compatible SRAMs Rocket Shorty Shifters. These certainly work on XTR level: precise gear changes, perfect ergonomy, low weight. Perfect in combination with the Maguras, perfect function from both.
Submitted by
johnbuck
a Cross Country Rider
from cleveland
Date Reviewed: March 22, 2001
Weaknesses: The Shorty's a little short on "short."
Bottom Line:
Older Grip Shift users beware: The shifter body on the Shorty is almost a cm wider than on the old 2.0's. That puts an extra cm of shifter sleeve in your hand.
The tethered cable change port is nice, but the Shorty is bulky in other dimensions as well as the body width. And it looks like a space helmet. I wish they could have made the cable changing easier without adding the stupid moving optical gear display and the bulk that comes with it.
For now, I'll stick with the 2.0's, and just always make sure to leave enough room between the brake and the handlebar bulge so that the brake lever can be moved inward enough to allow a cable change (without having to instead take the bar-end off and move the handgrip outward).
SRAM acknowledges that they had to put the optical gear display on there 'cause even XTR has it. Too bad.
Submitted by
Brandon Brown
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin
Date Reviewed: March 5, 2001
Strengths: Ease of shifting "throttle like". Great for quick shifting through the trees.
Weaknesses: Here is where they go bad. If you encounter any type of conditions other than say perfect, expect to have to retune before your next ride. They seem to have a real problem with shifting in any wet or slight mud conditions. When your cables seem to not be lubed up alot then the shifting becomes very tight and slow. Also if you are going to be riding fairly intense then these shifters tend to shift when you encounter rough terrain.
Bottom Line:
If you are looking for great shifting in all conditions and ride fairly extreme then I would recomend to go with the rapid fire system instead. These shifters are good quality but lack the durability and fit for mountain bikers.
Bike Setup: 98 Fisher Hoo Kooe Koo Sid XC, XTR (Rear) XT (Front) Derailers, XT Splined Cranks, Spinergy M2 wheelset, thomson stem w/ Easton Monkey Riser Bars (Carbon), XTR v-brakes and levers, Kore Lite 2 seat post and Italia Ti Gel Saddle
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Submitted by
RandyA
a Cross Country Rider
from Detroit, MI USA
Date Reviewed: March 5, 2001
Strengths: (I have the Rocket "shorty" version) Just like the other GS's, this was very easy to setup. I also liked the shorty grip length. I couldn't get into the half-pipe config, and reading all the gripes about it made me stay away from it. I was glad SRAM went back to the shorter length.
Weaknesses: Well, if you condsider this a weakness... The SRS feature is kinda cool. It does makes shifting effort easier, but I do prefer the "regular" feel of the ESP 7.0 installed on my Dean Colonel.
Bottom Line:
I have always preferred GS to RF, so when I bought my Sugar4 last year I made plans to "upgrade" from the Deore RF that came stock. I took the opportunity to at least try the RF for the year. But this winter I had the time and $$, so I made the switch. Now, my Sugar is sweet.
Similar Products Used: I have Deore RF (spare lying around) & SRAM ESP 7.0 (on my Dean)
Bike Setup: The Rockets are on my Sugar4: Avid 2.0 brakes & levers, SRAM 9.0 Ft Der, XT Rr Der, TruVativ Stylo crank, UN72 BB, XT/Mustang wheelset, Manitou SX (w/ Englund Internals), and other things...
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Submitted by
Damon Ladson
a Weekend Warrior
from North Bethesda, MD, USA
Date Reviewed: March 4, 2001
Strengths: As a kid in California we used to make BMX bikes with light motorcycle parts before there were BMX bikes. The frames would bust regularly, but the rims and handlebars held up well. Fast forward 27 years and I buy a mountain bike -- with rapidfires. Hard to adjust and I could never remember what to click when. My full suspension bike came with a SRAM 9.0 SL setup so I made the swap. Cycling is now a pleasure. I built up a similar VooDoo bike for a friend and she swears by the Rockets too. Having been out of biking for 27 years, I figured grip-shifts were for sissies. I was wrong. I'd use them on anything.
Weaknesses: Before you get used to the half-pipe, accidental shifts are easy. After a while you develop the touch. Although they are much easier to setup than the crappy Shimano shifters the bike came with, it does take a little time if you want the rings and cogs to correspond to the number indicators on the shifters.
Bottom Line:
At my skill level I see no reason to ride anything else. Five chilis.. check that, five (5) HABENEROS!!!
The bike I own came stock with rapidfires. I have never ridden rapidfires so I decided to give them a try, but after a week or so I came to the conclusion that SRAM gripshifts are much more precise, take a lot movement/energy to shift, and are lots faster. I am not trying to put Shimano down, but probably the main reason I like SRAM better is because I am accustomed to gripshift and rapidfires don't come naturally for me. I would recomend that anyone buying shifters that hasn't ever ridden either system try both rapidfires and gripshifts before making their decision. Five flamin' chilis because these are the best shifter's I have ever used.
I think the halfpipe grip is too long. I tend to hammer down and lunge the handlebars over stuff when climbing. That will cause shifting when I least want it to. I find this really annoying. I also have difficulty with fine tuning the shifter with a XTR rear derailleur, the chain is always skipping over the 2nd largest cog. Too bad you can't trim down the grips.
Bike Setup: read all about it at http://www.geocities.com/wrenchgrrl
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Submitted by
Steve
a Weekend Warrior
from Mountain View CA
Date Reviewed: June 22, 2000
Strengths: Tremendous leverage. Snappy shifting.
Weaknesses: Hard grip Expensive
Bottom Line:
The longer grip is nice, however, the grip material is quite hard. There are some nice changes over the older attack model, such as permanently attached cable end covers, and press-fit cable end holders. I can't say they shift the cogs any better than the attacks, but the rocket shifters seem to do a better job shifting the chainrings.
While these shifters work fine with standard cables, a set of Gore cables really makes them spin like a top. Overall, I would recommend these over the attack model, but what I would really like to see is something with a gripper that's longer than the attack (using the same soft compound), but shorter than what is used for the rocket shifters.
Bike Setup: Full Xt/Mavic I2K Limited edition I Drive GT
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Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Boca Raton
Date Reviewed: May 14, 2000
Strengths: spot on shifting
Weaknesses: cable stretch
Bottom Line:
They shift much better than my xt' & xtr's. Cable stretch the first few uses kind of sucks, but it's easy to fix. The whole setup process took less than 30 min, a one armed monkey could do it. I will admit it does take some getting used. I have shifted in the wrong direction a few times, but in time it will second nature. This is my problem but XTR brake levers don't fit as close to the shifers as I would like but it is in the acceptable range. That is the biggest demerit I give them. If you have thought about upgrading give them a try. I would pick them over XTR any day!
