Mixed groupset question

[NeilR]

Hi everyone, this is my first post and I am after some advice on a bike I am considering buying. It is a Trek Top Fuel 9.7.
It is a demo model from a reputable bike shop.
As far as I can tell it has the shimano group set as per the Trek website except instead of shimano brakes it has a sram DB8 system.
Would having a mixed group set cause anyone to have any concerns?
I think the price is pretty good but if the sram brakes are not up to par with the rest of the running gear I'll have a rethink.

Thanks in advance for any advice.
Neil R

[bychosis]

Can’t see them being bad brakes on a 9.7. That’d be pretty much top spec model wouldn’t it?

Shimano has the current reputation for brakes over SRAM, but doesn’t mean SRAM make bad brakes, just that bang for buck shimano was the winner for a while.

FWIW my Trek remedy has SRAM drivetrain and Shimano brakes and I don’t have any dramas.

Worst case, you can swap out brakes fairly easily if you need.

[Andy01]

I have never used SRAM hydraulic disc brakes, but I have read, and been told by the senior mechanic at a Giant shop that they are pretty useless compared to Shimano hydraulic brakes. I think his words were something like - "Well at least you can stop the bike with Shimano, unlike SRAM".

[g-boaf]

I have never used SRAM hydraulic disc brakes, but I have read, and been told by the senior mechanic at a Giant shop that they are pretty useless compared to Shimano hydraulic brakes. I think his words were something like - "Well at least you can stop the bike with Shimano, unlike SRAM".

I went down many big mountain passes (8-12% downhill for 10km or more) with SRAM just the other week and had no problems stopping the bike.

He was being over dramatic I think. Or wants to shift Shimano equipped bikes they have…

[blizzard]

Pretty common on MTBs to have a different brand of brakes to the groupsets. In the lower end it's common to have Tektro brakes with either SRAM or Shimano drivetrains. Not really a cause of concern, there is nothing wrong with SRAM brakes other than using DOT fluid which is less environmentally friendly and absorbs water compared to mineral oil.

Edit: turns out the SRAM brakes use mineral oil.

[OnTrackZeD]

As far as I can tell it has the shimano group set as per the Trek website except instead of shimano brakes it has a sram DB8 system.

The Sram DB8 are there only mineral oil brake system.

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/sram-quie ... rakes.html

[rkelsen]

Lots of bike manufacturers seem to do that. Almost a full groupset, except for brakes and cranks.

[Duck!]

The Sram DB8 are there only mineral oil brake system.

Their*

I don't know what the DBs are like, but the Level series they replace had a really awful feel, like the pads were made of wood. SRAM do not make reliably good brakes; some sets can work fine for years, others are duds from the start. They're rather like Forrest Gump's box o' choclits - you never know what you're gon' git.

[NeilR]

Thanks everyone for your responses. At this stage I have decided against buying the bike.