SRAM X.7 or Deore?

Dark Alley Dan said:

We're upgrading my honey's hybrid form the Shimano craptastic lowend running gear it's been saddled with since birth, and it's come down to which derailleur - Do we stick with Shimano and go Deore, or do we try SRAM X.7? She commutes, I maintain the bike carefully, and she's unlikely to ever go off-road with it beyond the occasional dirt path...

Thanks for your input,

Dan

You may want to consider the compatibility of the SRAM X.7 rear derailleur if you have Shimano shifters. According to SRAM's web site ... Compatibility:: SRAM 1:1 shifters(triggers and twisters). http://www.sram.com/_media/pdf/sram/mountain/x7/rd_X0_X9_X7_5_4_3__7_04.PDF

The SRAM X.7 is also a higher end product than the lowly Deore meaning that you can find Deore for less. There's nothing wrong with the Deore grade though. It should hold up for what your wife will use it for. I have Deore shifters and derailleurs on my MTB and they work fine and shift quickly. I don't go off road either.

R. Deore for $26
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=6287

OE pull R. Deore for $25
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/RD507A00-Shimano+Deore+M510+Rear+Derailleur+Oe.aspx

OE pull F. Deore for $5
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/FD507A00-Shimano+Deore+Front+Derailleur+Oe.aspx

EDIT: I just noticed that I provided info for the X-7 and not the X.7.

Here are some reviews of the X.7 rear.
http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Derailleur/product_122810.shtml

Thank you, Doctor - appreciate the input.

The folks at MTB reviews sure seem to prefer the SRAM...

Anyone else?

Dan

Dark Alley Dan said:

Thank you, Doctor - appreciate the input.

The folks at MTB reviews sure seem to prefer the SRAM...

Anyone else?

Dan

Maybe she has a preference for twist or trigger shifters?

Dark Alley Dan said:

Thank you, Doctor - appreciate the input.

The folks at MTB reviews sure seem to prefer the SRAM...

Anyone else?

Dan

A lot of people see Shimano as the Microsoft of bicycle componentry. I remember back when there were quite a few gripes when Shimano went from 8 speed to 9 speed for MTB components and there was a lot of talk about Shimano quite literally forcing people over to the new standards. Of course, much of this is unfounded as there is much more compatibility between the 8 & 9 speed grouppos in a real world sense than is let on by Shimano's press publications & web site. Besides, there is still plenty of NOS 8 speed equip still available. Any hack mechanic can take apart a 9 speed cassette and use 8 speed spacer rings to create an 8 speed cassette. I've done that to create a 7 speed cassette and there were no consequences in shifting whatsoever, so I tend to belive some of the compatibility issues are overrated.

Whether Shimano employ's monopolistic practices or not, there are many who are glad to have a choice for their MTB components. I am and I don't use SRAM. SRAM springs are reported to be much tighter and it is said that they shift more quickly under duress. Also, much of the MTB crowd is kind of anti-establishment (pony tails, goatee's, hemp shirts) and Shimano is a good target for them to vent. Shimano represents "the man." 🙄

Much of the newer SRAM trigger and twist shifters have a 1:1 cable pull ratio which makes them compatible with SRAM only for the rear and Shimano and SRAM compatible up front. There are some trigger (such as the Attack 9 speed) & twist shifters that have 2:1 cable pull ratio for full Shimano Compatibility.

Edit: There seems to be a similar kind of dissatisfaction being expressed about the newer integrated crank/BB spindle setup vs the older seperate Octalink cranksets and bottom brackets. It also happened when square taper was phased out. 😉 I'm sure there is a sizeable Octalink parts cache to keep everyone happy for a while.

Gentlemen:

My honey does indeed prefer the twist shifters. Right now, we're looking at the SRAM low end shorty shifters, as there aren't many others that are compatible with her 7 speed freewheel.

Yep, freewheel - converting to cassette will be too costly for this job. The bike itself isn't great, but until she's ready for something more upscale, we're tarting up the drivetrain of this one to improve useability, hill climbing, etc.

I see no issues, naturally, with the SRAM shifter/derailleur compatibility, but what about the Shimano freewheel? We're going with one of these in the hopes of allowing her to pull any hill. I reckon she'll have no problems if we go with the long-cage X.7.

Am I right, or just sadly deluded?

Dan

Dark Alley Dan said:

Gentlemen:

My honey does indeed prefer the twist shifters. Right now, we're looking at the SRAM low end shorty shifters, as there aren't many others that are compatible with her 7 speed freewheel.

Yep, freewheel - converting to cassette will be too costly for this job. The bike itself isn't great, but until she's ready for something more upscale, we're tarting up the drivetrain of this one to improve useability, hill climbing, etc.

I see no issues, naturally, with the SRAM shifter/derailleur compatibility, but what about the Shimano freewheel? We're going with one of these in the hopes of allowing her to pull any hill. I reckon she'll have no problems if we go with the long-cage X.7.

Am I right, or just sadly deluded?

Dan

The x.7 Rd will handle it, but the inexpensive shorty shifters won't handle the x.7 You need to get your hear around not only sram/shimano compatibility, but also sram esp and non esp compatibility.

Ah, enlightenment...

My LBS tells me SRAM codes systems by letter (ie. MRX) and number (X.7, X.0, etc), and that the two must not mix. As I'm limited to 7 speeds so as to aviod expensive hub replacement, it's looking like the SRAM 4.0 front, rear, and shifters - this is the highest level that runs 7 speeds and is compatible with itself.

I'm still planning on running the Shimano mega-range freewheel seen here:

harriscyclery.netitemdetails.cfmOpen ↗

Should I have any concerns with SRAM 4.0 compatibility with this?

Thanks again for your help.

Dan