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SRAM 2000 Rocket

Average Rating 4.28/5
# of Reviews 18
MSRP $ 88.00
Weight
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Description:
  • 9 speed compatible (DI.R.T. / Shimano)
  • 80 mm gripping length (front and rear)
  • Tethered cable hatch
  • Teflon coated cable
  • Grilon composite construction
  • index and micro-adjust front shifter option





  • Submitted by Aaron a Weekend Warrior from Incline Village, NV
    Date Reviewed: June 1, 2007
    Favoriate Trail:Tahoe Rim Trail
    Duration Product Used:2 Years
    Price Paid: $25.00
    Purchased At:Nashbar
    Strengths:Light touch, thumb shifting
    Weaknesses:Plastic seems a little flimsy (but has held up fine)
    Similar Products Used:XTR, XT
    Bike Setup:Turner XCE, Marzocchi Race 100, XTR RR, Race Face Turbine, eggbeaters, Avid SD, Rhyno Lites.
    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.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Jorgex a Weekend Warrior from Almada, Portugal
    Date Reviewed: July 13, 2006
    Duration Product Used:More than 3 years
    Price Paid: $90.00
    Purchased At:LBS
    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)
    Similar Products Used:Shimano cbr, stx-r or something like that.
    Bike Setup:Giant escaper'92 (hardtail), Avid Flak Jackets with deore(f) and XT(r)
    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.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Marty a from Cleveland, OH USA
    Date Reviewed: October 12, 2001
    Favoriate Trail:Who's askin'?
    Duration Product Used:1 Year
    Price Paid: $60.00
    Strengths:high quality, smooth shifting
    Weaknesses:don't come in the color teal
    Similar Products Used:STX, XTR rapid fires, 9.0 SL halfpipes
    Bike Setup:99 Ibis Alibi, Superfly, Raceface, Maguras, King headset. XTR rapid rise rear, XTR front derailler, flak jacket cables, XT cassette
    Bottom Line: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.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Sean a Weekend Warrior from Sydney
    Date Reviewed: July 4, 2001
    Favoriate Trail:Six Foot Track
    Duration Product Used:6 months
    Purchased At:You Can, Tokyo
    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
    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
    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?
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Westy a Racer from Peterborough, Ontario
    Date Reviewed: June 13, 2001
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Purchased At:Cyclepath Peterborough
    Strengths:Light, works great!
    Weaknesses:mmmm, I don't know of any yet...
    Similar Products Used:Sachs Powergrip Wavey, Shimano XT RF
    Bike Setup:Wheeler with XTR and Race Face goods. XTR front and Rear Derailers.
    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!
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Andreas Klauser a Cross Country Rider from Feldafing
    Date Reviewed: June 7, 2001
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Price Paid: $70.00
    Purchased At:hibike
    Strengths:Weight, functionality
    Weaknesses:I could do without that clumsy gear display. Keep it lean, when you design it next time.
    Similar Products Used:SramGrip Shift Attack 8.0, Shimano XT, XTR
    Bike Setup:Trek 9900 OCLV, Manitou SX Carbon, Mavic 521 Ceramic/tune hubs/36 DT Comp Spokes, XTR Gear, Magura QuickSilver
    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.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by johnbuck a Cross Country Rider from cleveland
    Date Reviewed: March 22, 2001
    Favoriate Trail:huckleberry trail, w. va
    Duration Product Used:Tested or demo'ed only
    Price Paid: $60.00
    Purchased At:Perforated
    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.
    Value Rating:2Overall Rating:2

    Submitted by Brandon Brown a Cross Country Rider from Austin
    Date Reviewed: March 5, 2001
    Favoriate Trail:Rocky Hill Ranch
    Duration Product Used:6 months
    Price Paid: $69.00
    Purchased At:Pricepoint
    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.
    Similar Products Used:grip shift 9.0 sl
    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
    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.
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:3

    Submitted by RandyA a Cross Country Rider from Detroit, MI USA
    Date Reviewed: March 5, 2001
    Favoriate Trail:Does it really matter...? ;-)
    Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
    Price Paid: $59.00
    Purchased At:JensonUSA
    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.
    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...
    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.

    Minus 1 flame for the higher price, tho...
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Damon Ladson a Weekend Warrior from North Bethesda, MD, USA
    Date Reviewed: March 4, 2001
    Duration Product Used:6 months
    Price Paid: $59.00
    Purchased At:Performance Cycle (Web)
    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.
    Similar Products Used:Shimano stuff the bike came with. Anyone want them?
    Bike Setup:'01 Hoodoo AL, Manitou SX-R, Easton Monkey lite carbon, Easton CT-2 carbon post, Kore stem, Chris King headset, Shimano Deore derailers, Spingery spox M1 wheelset, Bontrager jones tires, Avid brakes, sunringle juju pedals, truvativ crankset
    Bottom Line:At my skill level I see no reason to ride anything else. Five chilis.. check that, five (5) HABENEROS!!!
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Pawel Szafruga a Racer from Pullman, WA
    Date Reviewed: January 21, 2001
    Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
    Price Paid: $80.00
    Purchased At:B&L Bicycles
    Strengths:Percise shifts
    Compatible with Shimano
    Weaknesses:umm...?
    Similar Products Used:SRAM 7.0, 5.0, Shimano LX Rapidfire
    Bike Setup:2001 Gary Fisher Sugar 3 with Bontrager Race flatbar, 9.0 levers, Rocket shifters
    Bottom Line: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.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by wrenchgrrl a Racer from usa
    Date Reviewed: August 14, 2000
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Strengths:crash resistant, easy to install
    Weaknesses:shifts when climbing hard
    Bike Setup:read all about it at http://www.geocities.com/wrenchgrrl
    Bottom Line: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.
    Value Rating:2Overall Rating:2

    Submitted by Steve a Weekend Warrior from Mountain View CA
    Date Reviewed: June 22, 2000
    Favoriate Trail:Henry Coe
    Duration Product Used:6 months
    Strengths:Tremendous leverage.
    Snappy shifting.
    Weaknesses:Hard grip
    Expensive
    Similar Products Used:Sram 8.0 Attacks, LX-Rapidfire
    Bike Setup:'00 Shimano XT with LX cranks
    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.
    Value Rating:3Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Doug Daniele a Cross Country Rider from Paramus NJ
    Date Reviewed: June 19, 2000
    Favoriate Trail:Porcupine rim
    Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
    Strengths:Super easy and Quick shifts--Nice looking also
    Weaknesses:The grips are too dam FAT!
    Similar Products Used:Old Grip Shift,Sachs
    Bike Setup:Full Xt/Mavic I2K Limited edition I Drive GT
    Bottom Line:I recomend them for anyone with long fingers,when they make thinner grips they will work for everyone!
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Dave a Cross Country Rider from Boca Raton
    Date Reviewed: May 14, 2000
    Favoriate Trail:Markem Park
    Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
    Strengths:spot on shifting
    Weaknesses:cable stretch
    Similar Products Used:XT & XTR
    Bike Setup:99'Stumpjumber PRO, SID, XTR brakes
    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!
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:5

    Submitted by Rob a Weekend Warrior from Cleveland, TN
    Date Reviewed: May 1, 2000
    Favoriate Trail:Climmer trail, Ocoee TN
    Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
    Strengths:Large grip area, Precise shifts with XTR derallieurs, sharp looking, effortless shifts
    Weaknesses:accidental shifts
    Similar Products Used:X-Rays, 8.0 Attacks, XTR rapidfire
    Bike Setup:Kona easton frame, Judy race, XTR deraillleurs. TEKTRO QUARTZ BRAKES!! King headset, syncros and Kore also...Hutchinson python golds
    Bottom Line:These shifters are really nice. They work very well with Shimano derailleurs. I liked the installation alot, i'm a mechanic, and these are very easy to set up. Gripshift is cool, because it's not limited to a certain spot on the shifter like rapidfire, it gives more room to play with cable pull, which is good in accident situations. my only complaint is the superlight touch that it takes to make these shifters shift, i noticed when jumping and pulling up, the shifter would move into a different gear, but usually in the landing it would find the right spot again. I'm still testing them, only time will tell the outcome. Very good stuff though.
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by Andrew a Racer from Austin,TX,USA
    Date Reviewed: February 27, 2000
    Duration Product Used:Less than 1 month
    Strengths:So far so good. Very positive shifts, much better than the old stuff. Bigger gripping area is a great idea. Easier to adjust the front derailler than Shimano.
    Weaknesses:None so far.
    Similar Products Used:older grip shifts, XT
    Bike Setup:Dean softtail
    Bottom Line:Highly recommended. I'm running an XT 9 speed cassette and haven't missed a shift yet. I haven't raced on them yet, but preriding next week's track I had no problems.
    Value Rating:4Overall Rating:4

    Submitted by David a Cross Country Rider from Washington
    Date Reviewed: February 21, 2000
    Duration Product Used:3 months
    Strengths:Excellent shifting, light feel.
    Weaknesses:Shifting a tad too light?
    Similar Products Used:99 plasma, 99 9.0 sl, XT 9sp pods.
    Bike Setup:WildHare, XTR ders.
    Bottom Line:These shift beautifully. The cable moves in spurts, more like rapidfire. You get the great shimano shift quality AND the ability to downshift more than one cog at a time.

    The shifting is quite light and I have inadvertently shifted a click while doing a maneuver bit it always happen with my left hand and hasn't resulted in a shift. A stiffer click would be better bit I still like them better than anything else I have tried.
    Value Rating:5Overall Rating:4






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