Originally Posted by
jimc101
? Pretty sure they have never made anything for each other, SRAM started out as/with Gripshift as their only product line, and then acquired Sachs, which gave them full groupsets, and where many of the names in current use came from for the road groupsets.
For many years there was 100% compatibility between SRAM and Shimano, but after Shimano when 10 speed with MTB (SRAM wasn't so big into road at that time) the compatibility split, with only cassettes (speed, not the fitting) now being the only real part in a groupset that is 100% interchangeable between SRAM and Shimano.
There have been
some compatibility between SRAM and Shimano, especially on the low end components. Some grip shift and some of SRAM’s trigger shifters were made to work with Shimano and will still work with Shimano’s lower end lines. But SRAM was making shifters…both paddle and grip…that worked solely with SRAM derailers for a long time before Shimano 10 speed came along. SRAM introduced their ESP derailers and ESP grip shifters in 1995. They started making Grip Shift for road bike in 1988 and adapted them mountain bikes in 1991. Shimano screwed up their mountain bike components in 2006.
SRAM didn’t acquire Sachs until 1997. That acquisition may have given them some drivetrain components but they were making their own derailers at that point.
Last edited by cyccommute; 03-20-23 at 08:47 AM.