Shimano upgrade to SRAM

[JackHenry]

Has anyone upgraded their 9 speed MTB from the Shimano Deore to SRAM X.9 rear derailer?

If so, what are your opinions on the upgrade.

Was it worth it? What benifit do you think you got? Was it a reasonabley straight forward installation? What else did you upgrade at the same time?

Thanx in advance

[tinstaafl]

I ride a Trek with 9 at the back.
What are you trying to get from an upgrade?

Robert

[europa]

That was my question too - why are you upgrading? Is it because your current stuff is worn out and while doing the change, you thought you'd try something different? Heard reports? Want to be different?

Richard

[JackHenry]

You know how it is in any hobby. You want to personlise your bike in someway. I figured better shifters would be a nice place to start, while I can get them at a good price. The X.9 look like a nice setup. As my wife would say, 'I'm a male so I don't need an excuse to spend money on a hobby'

And I thought Europa of all people would understand that philosophy

[europa]

That's cool mate, just wanted to make sure you were sane

As for the do's, don'ts and benefits of the change, I have no idea. Just go ahead and do it, then tell us all about it (it'll help me as I build my offroad tourer )

Richard

[JackHenry]

Thanx Richard

What are you building up for offroad touring. I live in the Adelaide Hills near Hahndorf and ride a lot of the back roads. Any info I get about other peoples experience is well worth reading.

John

[Mulger bill]

The budget would only allow X7, but I went the whole hog, F&R mechs, X7 shifters, SRAM 11-32 cluster, SRAM PC chain and BBB Roundabout rings.

Installation and setup was easy, it just took a little bit of tuning to get the front mech right. (went from topswing to regular)
In use, these things rock! Shifting is almost totally intuitive, barely stroking the paddles gets you there smoothly and quietly. Maintenance is straightforward, and the system seems a little more impervious to dirt entry at the cables.

Having used X gear for almost 15 months now, I would happily recommend it.

[rider06]

My GT Avalanche came with X9 shifters and rear derailleur and i have bashed the absolute crap out of the bike and it still shifts just as crisply as it did on day one. The only shimano i have ridden in the bush was an ancient SIS system on a steel framed repco so can't compare those properly but it is definitely worth trying the sram - worst case scenario you don't like it and sell it to get another shimano setup...

[tinstaafl]

I guess that I must be missing something. I change gears maybe five times during an average ride and although it is slightly stiff to change up I can't believe that flash gears would be of any benefit to non racers.

Robert

[JackHenry]

I live in the hills, so change a lot of gears. There is something to be said at times for any benifit no matter how slight.

[Mulger bill]

Not to mention the performance boost any new bits give to the scoot

[europa]

I guess that I must be missing something. I change gears maybe five times during an average ride and although it is slightly stiff to change up I can't believe that flash gears would be of any benefit to non racers.

Robert

You are probably working harder that you have to Robert. Your gears are there to help you control your effort and cadence (rate of spinning your pedals).

The most efficient cadence is around 90 - this varies from person to person and apparently lowers as you get older. I aim at maintaining a cadence in the mid eighties (seems right for me) and use the gears to do so while maintaining a fairly even effort. This means that while my road speed varies, the speed of the engine (me) doesn't and the result is a more efficient use of my body ie, it hurts less and goes longer in the process.

It's also interesting to note that the only time I've had sore knees after a ride was a ride where I let the cadence drift down to the 70's and stay there for about 30km before climbing a big hill - it was the hill that did the damage (a good 2km of mashing bottom gear) but considering I've climbed that hill before without pain (after such a lengthy ride), I believe that the extra strain on my knees of riding too slowly prior to the hill was the real cause of the problem.

On any sort of ride, I'm making gear changes all the time, though fewer on flat or steady slopes. The better the gear change mechanism, the smoother and faster the changes are. On my Trek (a mix of Ultegra, 105 and DeoreLX), you don't really notice the gears changing , they are that smooth and fast and, during hard climbs or very tight situations, where you want the right gear NOW, they shift cleanly everytime - that is the benefit of paying a bit more.

Richard