BikeLite

At first I would pronounce it S-RAM

ypsetihw

after experimenting a bit, yes I was able to adjust it properly. not ham-fisted, as you suggest. the ergonomics of the hoods are very odd to me, and they don't fit my hands. not a troll here, but they do seem awkwardly narrow. while I was able to adjust the FD, there is, in what I can see, no front derailleur trim. (10 speed apex) are we talking about the same thing? because you can't adjust the trim as far as I can see.

higher quality? how so. provide a material example. rules it all? how so?

as to the comment about using some cable measuring device to adjust cable tension?! who the hell does that? like, not what shimano says, but who the hell ACTUALLY does that? nonsense.

edthesped

And I thought it was S-Pam until I saw this video...


But seriously, I run Sram and Shimano and find I like Sram a little better than Shimano, except I prefer a road triple with brifters so when going for a brifter triple I have no choice but to seek out Shimano.

hokiefyd 

My first, and only, experience with Sram is an ESP 3.0 system on my wife's 2006 Trek hybrid bike. I was disappointed to see it when I first bought the bike (used). And cheap grip shifters...ugh...

Turns out, I really like it. It's entry level Sram (X3 today), which is more-or-less the equal to Shimano Acera (which I have on my Trek hybrid). I don't know if it's the shifters themselves, or the longer 1:1 cable pull, but the shifting feel (the movement) is fluid smooth on this bike. I'm not talking about the feel of the chain meshing with the cogs (KMC chain with Sunrace freewheel), but rather the feel of the system when I command a shift. I'm used to trigger shfiters on Shimano derailleurs. You snap the trigger, it shifts. On the 1:1 grip shift, you get tactile feedback through the system, and it's a pleasant feeling. I don't know how to describe it...it almost feels like a more fluid analog action rather than a binary action with trigger shifters.

I presume the longer 1:1 cable pull has something to do with this. Pulling twice as much cable to move the derailleur one cog (as opposed to Shimano) probably also means there's less effort in doing so (mechanical advantage?) compared with Shimano.

I haven't ever used a Sram trigger shifter, or anything higher than X3, but I'm pretty pleased with how the X3 system performs on her Trek.

oldbobcat

I like it too. Just because you and your local mechanics can't figure out how to make it work doesn't mean it doesn't.

Every few years somebody comes out with something new, and rather than approach it with an open mind many consumers and shop mechanics try to deal with it using the old rules and tricks, leading them to conclude the new stuff is just sh*t. Shimano's move from 9- to 10-speed shifting was one of these. Likewise, Shimano's 11-speed and Tiagra 4700. And Doubletap, which hasn't changed for 9 years, except for yaw and quality upgrades, continues to confound.

rydabent

I upgraded my Stratus to Sram7 several years ago. It is without a doubt the best shifting RD I have ever owned. It shifts quickly to all gears almost every time very quietly with no fuss at all. Pretty much what I would call flawless shifts.

JagR

To each their own...opinions are like ********!

Wheever

Oh, the deuce you say! Strawberry is the ONLY flavor I'll eat! Those other two flavors are crap!

(Actually, this is true. I only eat strawberry.)

GeneO 

Have you ever even tried chocolate or vanilla?

fietsbob

Shimano does have a manufacturing city state and a number of other country factories to make components with fully automated machinery .

That's how they make parts by the millions, to fit on very low cost bikes.

They Sued Shimano, to get into the OEM factory builds..

then they bought out Sach of Germany, to take out a Competitor, Unbolted all the Production machinery ,

and put it on a ship to Taipei , now all of their stuff comes out of that manufacturing hub of the bike business.

....

Camilo

Easy to adjust
Good quality at all price points
Cost/weight ratio
Most important, in fact the only important distinguishing point among all brands: Best ergonomics in both hood shape and shifting method (for me).

neamatoad

easy to use, easy to set up, and they don't have a laundry list of dealer restrictions and conditions like shimano does these days...

corrado33

Sorry, no. Doubletap is awful. All it does is complicates shifting.

DrIsotope

In my very limited experience-- made that much less valuable by how niche my setup is-- DoubleTap beats the snot out of Shimano. Shifts up better, shifts down better, never ghost shifts. Shimano does not believe in a cog bigger than 32T on a road bike, so their components don't want to play that game. Nothing against Shimano-- I had zero complaints about 5700 or 6700 when I used them both extensively. Shimano just doesn't make parts to do what I want to do, and SRAM does. So for me, right now, SRAM is better. People need to know that it's okay to like more than one thing.

RubeRad

That's just crazy talk. If that's okay, then how can I say that what I like is RIGHT and what you like MAKES YOU HITLER?

edthesped

Rosy?

Fett2oo5

Just my 2 cents.....

SRAM should fix their levers and hoods to be more ergo (contact points are important!), and short throw.

Shimano should put interchangeable batteries on the derailleurs and shifters. The entire point of going wireless, is to go wireless. I don't want an octopus of power cables inside my frame.

BOTH of them need to bring down their MSRP considerably.

cellery

OP, I think you want to rephrase your question as "why in the world would you buy sram 2x".

In the 1x world I don't see how one could even compare the Shimano stuff to sram's superior offering at every price level. Shimano doesn't even make a road shifter that is compatible clutch rear derailleur, or vice versa. Even the long cage road shimano stuff tops out at what, 32t? and it is still chainslap city unless you buy a bike with knobby tires and flat bars.

The two companies are doing different things. For the most part they appear to be targeting different markets. Shimano has got the 'top tube bags make your bike slow' crowd covered. and Sram has cornered the market that thinks front derailleurs look ugly. And I appreciate those options. Never had a problem, mechanically, with sram. But for the most part, both companies components work fine. Both have warranty issues from time to time. I have had two shimano shifters explode on me. Yes, doubletap can be frustrating sometimes - if you ride your bike once a month.

Darth Lefty 

I like their ratios on the 8x11-32 cassette better than Shimano.

They just came out with an Eagle 12x version of GX. Only $200 for the cassette! The hell with that.

JagR

??

cellery

I do agree the xd driver cassettes are way, way overpriced. I struggle to understand the pricing on a wear/tear item - the xd casette have been around for years. You'd think economy of scale would have brought the price down by now; even the 11 speed replacements cost an arm and leg.

sweeks

I've used SRAM chains on my mountain bike for several years. They are reasonably priced and I've had no problems with them. I like the master link.

(Disclosure: I've used Wippermann chains on my road bike and KMC chains on my folders... and haven't had any problems with them either!)
Steve

Harhir 

I don't know much about the newer SRAM components but I have a Fichtel & Sachs 3x7 on my 23 year old daily commuter. This is basically the predecessor of the SRAM Dual Drive after Sachs was bought by SRAM.
This hub now failed after 23 years extensive use. Probably because of uneven tension through the spokes. I replaced it with another old but unused Sachs 3x7 which I found online. I love the concept of combining derailleurs with internal hubs. Especially for city driving since you can switch while standing and I am not sure if any other manufacturer has a similar product.
I just don't know how the new SRAM Dual drive compare to the older Fichtel & Sachs 3x7 quality wise. But the older internal hubs from Fichtel & Sachs are more or less bullet proof.

DrIsotope

Before getting into riding more regularly, I had an '03 Cannondale Adventure 1000, which had the DualDrive on it, 3x9 with a 38T single ring up front. I loved that shifting setup. All shifting done with one hand, and the 3-speed hub never gave me a single problem. If the frame had actually fit me worth a damn I might still have it.

trailangel

SRAM couldn't get their front derailleur to work right so they took it off and claimed 1x was the way to go!
Friends Don't Let Friends Ride SRAM.
SRAM used to be on department store bikes.