Differences between Sram and Shimano

JumperSimon14

What are the differences between the two and what makes you go for the brand you have?

xcmtbkingy

Shimano is the most popular mountain biking make i think :S

JumperSimon14

Yes I know but I want to know the differences between the two types and why people choose them

David Lund

xcmtbkingy wrote:

Shimano is the most popular mountain biking make i think :S

Not from what iv seen, i come across and ridden bikes with mostly Sram. mine are Shimano as i already had some kit to use but im thinking about Sram.
Sram is often said to be more clunky in shifting and more precise, i myself cannot realy tell much difference except the louder click but im not the expert.
Dave

Andy B

The main difference is the amount of cable that either brand pulls to make the rear mech move.

Shimano use a 2:1 ratio

Sram use a 1:1 ratio

What this means in real terms is that Shimano gears need more fettling to keep running sweet & are easily buggered up by dirty cables. Sram need a lot less fettling to keep the gears sweet & they do not suffer bad shifting from gunked up cables.

Sram rear mech's do not bounce around as much as Shimano ones, which bang on your chainstay, Sram ones do not do this.

Also Sram use a different shifter style, both levers are thumb operated, meaning you can use your 1st two fingers for braking whilst still holding the bars firmly and changing gear.

Shimano have just started to copy Sram's shifters with their double action shifters, which you can use just your thumbs to change gear or the old thumb/finger way, but they're not as good (in their ergonomics) as the Sram ones, they're a compromise in a bad way.

johnsav

SRAM for the win anyday!
i use X9 and its awesome.

ExeterSimon

I did have a mix of SRAM/Shimano on the Stumpjumper...now it's all SRAM.

Just my opinion but it's better shifting, easier maintenance and better styling (not that that's important ;-)

JumperSimon14

Thanks this helped a lot

Andy_B wrote:

The main difference is the amount of cable that either brand pulls to make the rear mech move.

Shimano use a 2:1 ratio

Sram use a 1:1 ratio

What this means in real terms is that Shimano gears need more fettling to keep running sweet & are easily buggered up by dirty cables. Sram need a lot less fettling to keep the gears sweet & they do not suffer bad shifting from gunked up cables.

Sram rear mech's do not bounce around as much as Shimano ones, which bang on your chainstay, Sram ones do not do this.

Also Sram use a different shifter style, both levers are thumb operated, meaning you can use your 1st two fingers for braking whilst still holding the bars firmly and changing gear.

Shimano have just started to copy Sram's shifters with their double action shifters, which you can use just your thumbs to change gear or the old thumb/finger way, but they're not as good (in their ergonomics) as the Sram ones, they're a compromise in a bad way.

passout

Shimano lasts longer in my experience

hucking_fell

Sram now own Rockshox, Avid and Truvativ so that's shifting, suspension, braking, chainsets, bars, stems, posts and pedals taken care of.

I've probably missed some other stuff too.

Shimano now have, for the first time in ages, a serious rival to compete with.

Good for everyone.

Recently got a bike with x9 shifters and rear mech. Different feel to Shimano which is on the other bikes. I don't prefer one or the other tho.

mattbarnes

I disagree with xcmtbkingy. I used to use Shimano XT rear mechs for their no-nonsense approach but could go through a one in 6 months. I decided on a change and went for the top notch Sram XO - that was 7 years ago and its still going strong. Yes, £150 is expensive for a rear mech but the equivalent money spent on 10+ XT mechs far outways the initial outlay.

Its SRAM stuff for me all the way, Shimano components just don't have the staying power!

Vegeeta

I work with Shimano and Sram components all day every day... and when you put Shimano on a bike it takes 10 seconds and it works perfectly. Put Sram on and your there for 10 minutes and it still doesn't work.

Andy_B wrote:

What this means in real terms is that Shimano gears need more fettling to keep running sweet & are easily buggered up by dirty cables. Sram need a lot less fettling to keep the gears sweet & they do not suffer bad shifting from gunked up cables.

If people knew how to prepare and maintain cables they'd last years and especially if they used high quality ones like Shimano SP41 outer and XTR inners!

Avid brakes cause me hassle and Truvativ cranks always come back after 5 minutes with the left arm crank wobbling like mad even if you use a torque wrench!

Chain wise, people always say they switch to Sram because the Shimano ones rust up... but seriously, take your 'rusty' chain and ride it for 5 minutes.. there, not rusty any more is it?

grumsta

SRAM doesn't feel as precise on the shifters, but seems to be a lot easier to set up and more reliable.

synchronicity

I actually prefer the shimano shifters as you can click down to smaller cogs using your finger as well as your thumb.

Sram's current system is just like the first ever shimano press-button 'rapidfire' shifter that was released in the very early 90's. Anyone remember it? It had two identical little buttons which made it a bit confusing...

nicklouse

synchronicity wrote:

I actually prefer the shimano shifters as you can click down to smaller cogs using your finger as well as your thumb.

Sram's current system is just like the first ever shimano press-button 'rapidfire' shifter that was released in the very early 90's. Anyone remember it? It had two identical little buttons which made it a bit confusing...

Err nothing like those pile of crap.

xtreem

JumperSimon14 wrote:

What are the differences between the two and what makes you go for the brand you have?

I went to SRAM because my bike came with SRAM.
And it's not about who's better or worse, it's about who do you prefer most.
Some feel better with SRAM some with Shimano.