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Submitted by
Pritch
a Weekend Warrior
from Bristol, UKDate Reviewed: June 5, 2004
Strengths: Cheap (they are now anyway)Weaknesses: Just about everything else.Bottom Line: I worked on these loads when I was a mechanic for a large UK retailer. One actually snapped apart when I was fitting it, which just made us all laugh. They would come back in their droves on customer's bikes, nearly always the cable had just sheered straight through the plastic pulleys inside and the thumb trigger was just shifting air. They weren't cost-effective to re-build as they took about twice as long as Shimano shifters owing to the awkward design. I tested bikes with these loads - they flexed when shifting and felt horrible. They set-up OK but soon came out of adjustment, even on little-used cycles.
If you're going to buy Sram stick to the top of the line stuff, anything below at least 5.0 plus these is simply horrible. You're better off with a cheap Acera grouppo than this bag of cr*p.
Duration Product Used: Tested or demo'ed only
Purchased At: n/a
Similar Products Used: Shimano - which actually works for the most part.
Bike Setup: Various models I built and sold a work.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Neil M
a Weekend Warrior
from WinnipegDate Reviewed: December 26, 2002
Strengths: more reliable than my right hand and left foot in the firebirdWeaknesses: cable changingBottom Line: These are the best shifting components made hands down. All you bashers need to get a grip...and I don't mean grip shift. They aren't designed to be set up like old school shimano crap, they have to be dialed in. Most importantly the placement of the shifter on the bar. Try them so the bottom of the housing is facing backward 80-85 degrees from the ground and they're a few mm's inward from old school placement. As for being plastic, with my triple clamp fork it doesn't matter how the bike lays down or gets thrown, the shifters don't touch the ground so they could be made of aluminum foil and still rock lol. These things haven't missed a shift since day 1 and the impulse technology just plain smokes anything out there for smoothness and accurate shifting.
Favorite Trail: any
Duration Product Used: 2 Years
Purchased At: pricepoint
Similar Products Used: shimano
Bike Setup: 9.0 triggers, 9.0 rear, sram chain, sram cassette, lx front
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
toby friend
a Weekend Warrior
from kansas city k.s.Date Reviewed: September 4, 2002
Strengths: i you find one let me knowWeaknesses: very brittle breaks at the slightest bump against it
i like the techcnology but not the quality of the product
my frontshifter striped out after 2 months and the back bustedBottom Line: this product is not worth the mony go get some shimano shifters.
Favorite Trail: stadium
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Purchased At: pricpoint.com
Similar Products Used: nothin that crapy
Bike Setup: xt components and an sxr
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
J Bell
a Cross Country Rider
from Eastern VA, USADate Reviewed: February 23, 2002
Strengths: Push the lever, and the chain moves to the next gear...Weaknesses: All the bad reviews are scaring me!!Bottom Line: Wow, I must have picked up the only good set of Gemini 8spd shifters (I only use the right side, grip shift on the left). No complaints do far. If they stop working, I'll submit another review.
Favorite Trail: the next one
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At: Jenson
Similar Products Used: many Shimano types
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Stankmo
a Weekend Warrior
from MassachusettsDate Reviewed: February 4, 2002
Strengths: Not shimano, I guess the color is ok. 8-speed is cool.Weaknesses: big, ugly looking (even if colored well), trashy internals, awful ergonomics...just plain BAD.Bottom Line: trash trash trash...my first bike ever had gripshift, and it was cool. But then I got triggers on my next bike, and I just liked the feel better. Then, when I started building up the Iron Horse, I decided to replace the busted yet functional shimanos with the cool new SRAM stuff, remembering how I liked the grip shifting action. These were also the only 8 speeds I could find. Big mistake. The triggers are totally in the wrong spots, the angle is wrong for shifting...the thumb push is so long that you have to take your hand off the bar to use it. there is no reassuring click when you shift, and sometimes it just plain doesnt work. SRAM is a good company. If you dig gripshift, then by all means check them out. But if you like trigger style stay the shimano course.
ya heard
Favorite Trail: The Stinky Pinky (really, at northfiled mountain)
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$33.00
Purchased At: JensonUSA.com
Similar Products Used: Old Shimano Deores...used for two years...I broke the casing in a fall and they still worked
Bike Setup: Iron Horse w/Fatty Components soon to be Gary Fisher X-Caliber (hell yah)
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Redshift
a Cross Country Rider
from Lansing, MIDate Reviewed: January 3, 2002
Strengths: 8 speed!Weaknesses: They're crapBottom Line: Boy I really wanted these to work out. Continuing 8 speed support is really welcome and desired.
Unfortunately I have to echo what others have said.
The left pod stripped out after just a couple weeks of riding and probably no more than 30 shifts. A minor endo caused the right pod to literally disintegrate - a crash that my Shimano shifters have survived many times. Plus these things are just way too bulky.
These are without a doubt the worst designed and manufactured components I've ever used. I just hope that SRAM can make it right.
Favorite Trail: Burchfield
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At: speedgoat
Similar Products Used: Shimano XT (96,97,98,00 - all still working)
Bike Setup: Fully tricked Proflex 957
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Rob
a Racer
from NS, CanadaDate Reviewed: November 16, 2001
Strengths: Nice shiftingWeaknesses: Nice shifting for a VERY short time
Cheap Internals.....terribly durability
Big and uglyBottom Line: This review is of the Gemini, 8 speed shifter.
The throw on the front shifter is very long...long thumbs or extra effort are required. The front shifter failed after one week. I put on an old SHimano becasue returing both shifters would have meant downtime on my bike...cant have that.
The rear shifter is nice and smooth, going up or down. It's a push-push type shifter, like early Rapidfires. The rear shifter failed after 2 months.
These shifters are not able to stand up to any sort of intense riding. After riding Shimano Rapid Fire for the past 8 years I decided to give these a try, just for yucks...they're garbage, plain and simple.
Nice try SRAM, but your reputation will take a big hit if you keep putting products like this on the market.
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At: jensonUSA
Similar Products Used: Shimano LX, XT
Bike Setup: Devinci Chilli Pepper, 8 speed
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Johnathan Boreas
a Racer
from Macroft, CADate Reviewed: September 2, 2001
Strengths: The 9.0 ESP system rocksWeaknesses: Sounds like the Gemni shifter doesn't.Bottom Line: Ok, why is everyone here reviewing the crappy Gemini shifter when the picture is of the 9.0 shifter? The ESP system rocks, it always has, Shimano deraileurs are trash. If you are going to buy SRAM don't chicken out, go to ESP and don't look back. 1:1 ratio is the way to go. If you want a $150 XTR deraileur that breaks off the first time you hit a log, by all means stick with Shimano.
Duration Product Used: 1 Year
Similar Products Used: SRAM 9.0 Shorty
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Mark
from Crystal Lake IL USADate Reviewed: August 7, 2001
Bottom Line: I originally said I would submit a follow up review at the end of the season (when ever that is), but I can`t. I sent these back to Speedgoat and asked for an exchange. If the average Joe Schmoe can`t replace the cables himself then that`s trouble. I also noticed the shifting losing its smoothness only after a short while. I contacted Sram and they said that they are retooling for next years models to make cable replacement more human. I really wanted these things to work. I like trigger shifters and I like to buy US products whenever I can. Lets hope that Sram will come out with durable,user friendly trigger shifter in the near future. As of now I`m waiting for a set of XT`s from Speedgoat, who by the way treated this exchange wonderfully. I think everyone should buy from Speedgoat. How many of the big closeout online dealers would do an exchange like I did with a product that was actually working, but was going to cost me money everytime I wanted to change cables. I think none. I`m a speedgoat customer for life becouse of this. BUY FROM SPEEDGOAT.
Favorite Trail: John Muir WI
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$70.00
Purchased At: Speedgoat
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Crash Lee
from Los Alamos NM USADate Reviewed: August 6, 2001
Bottom Line: This product is much to fragile for real trail use.
I started out with the gemini shifter( yes I submited the abovve review.) which boke on the first ride out after a very gentile upset. Waiting for about a month for a warrenty part it arrives it is the pro model while installing it I test it and it wil not shift properly Looking closer i notice the the shift indicator has separated from the housing save your money If you must buy SRAM stick with their Grip shift line if you want triggers STAY with SHIMANO.
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At: Adrenalin bikes
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Aaron
from Golden, CODate Reviewed: July 18, 2001
Strengths: affordable, new design (like old rapid fire)Weaknesses: cheap internalsBottom Line: When installed worked great, except a long throw in the front, until 3 trail rides, then the rear would get held up down shifting, only way to keep in correct gear is to up shift, then down shift. Then 5 rides later shifting in the rear held up in the middle gears, had to tap the unit a couple times, then it would release to lower gears. Will try and grease the unit and adjust the tension in rear derail. and see if it helps.
Favorite Trail: Potowatami
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At: performance
Similar Products Used: XTR, XT, LX, X-ray 800
Bike Setup: Specialized S-works, XTR ft/rear derail, XTR brakes, speed-dial levers, XTR hubs/Sun 0, sid race fork, race-face hs
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
jarred
a Racer
from boston, ma, usaDate Reviewed: July 4, 2001
Strengths: noneWeaknesses: front shifter seized after 10 shifts, the rear shifter refuses to shift down properlyBottom Line: I'd like to first point out my qualifications before slamming this product. I worked as a bike mechanic for 4 years, eventually managing the service end of a shop at my university. I now have an M.S. in mechanical engineering and work intimately with the design, management, and production of consumer products.
That said, I have one word for these shifters: LEMONS. I bought these along with a brand new 9.0 rear derailure, new xtr front derailure, and new cables and housing all cut to the proper lengths. The front shifter seized after 10 shifts on the road, and the rear shifter refuses to downshift consistently. The rear shifter will work correctly only if the thumb/upshift is pulled all the way back to its rest position; a position it often refuses to return to on its own. This seems to be consistent with other reviews regarding wimpy internal parts. If SRAM ever built and tested prototypes that worked, they certainly are not testing what comes off of their product lines.
I have not contacted SRAM yet with these issues, judging by other reviews I expect that SRAM will be resposive to my complaints. This was my first attempt at purging my bike of Shimano shifting components and I sincerely hope that SRAM's trigger shifters will become a viable alternative after the kinks are worked out. After all, these are the first shifters they've designed which utilize more than three moving parts.
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$75.00
Purchased At: cambria
Similar Products Used: shimano XT trigger shifters
Bike Setup: ellsworth, white bros. fork, race face,xt, xtr and, wilderness trail, blah blah blah
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
jim
from grand rapidsDate Reviewed: July 3, 2001
Strengths: great idea
works with most brake levers
Weaknesses: NOT COMPATIBLE WITH ANY SRAM BRAKE LEVERS!!!
Sram is aware of this and is working to remedy the situation.
Bottom Line: i just got off the phone with a Sram rep from Chicago. He was following up on my complaint that my 9.0 composite levers and new shifters were not compatible - the lever's clamp bolt limits the travel of the triggers to the point of inoperability - at all. He admitted that this was a huge oversight and he is sending a set of Rocket shorty's (for an XTR der.) out right away to help make things right.
The compatibility issues stem from having design teams in more than one place and he says that they are working to coordinate things better in the future.
Zero chilis for the issues.
Five chilis for the service.
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Similar Products Used: XTR
9.0SL
Bike Setup: 2001 Santa Cruz Heckler
1998 Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo (steel is real, baby)
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Broke
a Cross Country Rider
from BoulderDate Reviewed: July 1, 2001
Strengths: comes in 8 speed for the old farts.Weaknesses: immediately broke. note: was installed correctly...
actually shifter is very large and bulky, takes up to much cockpit room.Bottom Line: 2001 Trigger Pro:
I wish I had more time on these to make a better judgement, but I didn't even get of the driveway before they croaked. Thankfully the lbs has good service and we'll see how the second pair comes out. Till they get ALL the kinks worked out stay away from these, you might get stranded in the middle of nowhere.
Duration Product Used: Tested or demo'ed only
Price Paid:
$85.00
Purchased At: bike shop
Similar Products Used: lx, xt, & xtr pods, esp9.0
Bike Setup: steel rig w/ it all.
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
mtbmark
a Cross Country Rider
from Crystal Lake IL USADate Reviewed: June 27, 2001
Strengths: Shifting is smooth and clean.The price is right on.Weaknesses: Changing a cable was difficult to do.Front shifter would`nt shift to the small ring a couple of times.Bottom Line: The jury is still out on these. One month is not a fair amount of time to test Sram`s Gemeni shifters. My first reaction when I used these was crisp, clean, and smooth.Like a fine brew.The front shifter works flawlessly with a definite click, and on to the next gear. The front shifter is a step above my old LX shifters in smoothness but I`m a bit concerned about the couple of times they refused to shift into the small ring. I`ll recheck the set up. You have to be carefull how you set the shifter pod up in relation to your brake levers. So far I like these shifters. I do believe that their home will be on the XC trails.If these hold up they will give Shimano a run for their money. Also give yourself some time to get used to the thumbs only shifting.I`ll resubmit a follow up at the end of the season.
Favorite Trail: The one I`m on
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$70.00
Purchased At: Price Point
Similar Products Used: LX
Bike Setup: Schwinn Homegrown, Marzocchi Z2 Atom 80 Thudbuster,XTR rear, LX front, Truvativ crankset
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