[mtcowen]

Just got my new steed - came with Sram X-O rear derrailleur. I've been riding xtr forever and am not too sure I dig the action on the Sram's. Is it me or do others find the Xtr to be smoother. The Sram just feels chunky and clunky. Should I get the thing off and replace with Xtr or am I just insane?

 

[L4NE4]

Shimano = Smoother
Sram = Snappier

I prefer Sram. They don't swing forward what so ever.

 

[mx_599]

Just got my new steed - came with Sram X-O rear derrailleur. I've been riding xtr forever and am not too sure I dig the action on the Sram's. Is it me or do others find the Xtr to be smoother. The Sram just feels chunky and clunky. Should I get the thing off and replace with Xtr or am I just insane?

i would give it a chance.

mx

 

[Hand/of/Midas]

i used to ride xtr, then i got a bike with X-O, now all my bikes are sram. ive got xtr just sitting in boxes in my garage. chi-town represent.

 

[oilerfan30]

haha, you have now opened possibly one of the biggest 'can of worms' on MTBR (aside from the debate about Specialized). This could get interesting. I say give it a chance, I find when you're riding a rougher, bumpier trail, I like the 'clunky' feel of SRAM because I get better feedback that a gear shift did actually occur.

 

[used2Bhard]

mmmmm worms..

In all seriousness, I find XO to just be different...not better not worse...just different. It's all personal preference.

 

[oilerfan30]

I wish everyone that debates drivetrain would be like you.
Instead I find people are all "No way, I ride (SRAM/Shimano) and (SRAM/Shimano) is just soooo horrible, I don't know how anyone could ride it."

 

[used2Bhard]

Mix

I wish everyone that debates drivetrain would be like you.
Instead I find people are all "No way, I ride (SRAM/Shimano) and (SRAM/Shimano) is just soooo horrible, I don't know how anyone could ride it."

I can cover just about every base in the Burmuda Triangle of worm filled cans...In the past few years I have run....Juicy 7's, Juicy Ultimates, XTR Brakes, and old set of XTR dual control, XTR rapid rise der , XTR "normal"der, XTR rapidfire, XO rear der, XO shifters, XTR 960 and 970 cranks, XT cranks, Nior Cranks, Raceface cranks, Fox forks, RS forks, FS, HT, 29'er, SS, tubeless, tubes,....... Whatever. I find there are things I like about all of 'em and things I do not like. Nothing out there is perfect, and anyone who makes that claim is a moron.

It's just small details that fit my needs, and what was available when the credit card was flung out. My only true preference lies in Shimano chainrings. I like the shifting performance of the cassettes and cranks more than anything else. from there...it's a tossup.

 

[MrEconomics]

I've ridden both and stuck with XTR because they have the new thumb shifting capabilities, smoother shifting and lighter. XTR can be moody sometimes, but no biggie. SRAM is a great system so I'd give it a chance.

You can't go wrong with either.

 

[sprocketjockey9]

I was a total XTR fan until I got SRAM on a bike 3 years ago.
Both have their pro's and cons. I prefer the xtr '04 dual control with the rapid rise over rapidfire and low-normal xtr. I've yet to try the new stuff. I really enjoy how you can shift a large chunk of gears under torque and not mis-shift. I think the brakes have great modulation, last season I was still running my 04 xtr on one of my bikes.

As far as SRAM, I've got X0 thumb shifters and rear der. I like the 1:1 ratio of SRAM and the snappiness of the der, I rarely get mis-shifts or find the der out of adjustment.

I definitely prefer SRAM chains, but cassette's, for me atleast don't really matter.

 

[mtcowen]

That's swell!

O.K. seems like it's just my inexperience with different gear..... ride on!

 

[Gatorback]

haha, you have now opened possibly one of the biggest 'can of worms' on MTBR (aside from the debate about Specialized). This could get interesting. I say give it a chance, I find when you're riding a rougher, bumpier trail, I like the 'clunky' feel of SRAM because I get better feedback that a gear shift did actually occur.

You forgot the 29er v. 26er debate. We could also throw in egg beaters v. SPDs (but that debate usually isn't quite so intense).

 

[serious]

Ride on indeed !!!

I loved the dual control, low normal Shimano setup. I found Dual Control cleaner for XC and low normal always made more sense to me.

But now I have SRAM (X9 front, X0 rear) on the Superfly. Humans adapt to such changes and sure enough after a couple of rides I hardly miss the low normal action. At least now my road bike and mountain bike are both high normal.

And I always have the singlespeed to get a break from gears.

 

[zrm]

Both work fine. You'll get used to whatever you use.

 

[akashra]

It's all personal preference. I've grown to be really happy with XTR, though I've got some X.9 stuff sitting in the box of spares. I like XTR enough that I'm just very reluctant to swich the XT drivetrain over, though I must say I hate the new shadow mechs - which I'm told are similar to SRAM.

 

[Sheddingskin]

I was interested to find that I have a Shimano cassette with a SRAM screw piece at the end (sorry, I don't know the correct terminology). I've only ever ridden Shimano equipped bikes, so I look forward to trying one with SRAM.

Quick question, where are both made?