MTB Groupset Hierarchy

Slow Downcp

Thinking of getting an MTB for around £500 for messing around on and taking the kids round the local trails etc (all riding is road at the moment). What's the Shimano and Sram groupset equivalents of each other (i.e. is Shimano XT=Sram X7 etc)?

whyamihere

There's not perfect correlation really. I'd rank them like so:

X0 - out on its own
XTR
X9 - Nearly up with XTR
XT
X7 - Nearly up with XT
SLX
X5
Deore
X4

I'd say that SLX and X5 or Deore and X4 are nearly equal, if not completely equal.

Slow Downcp

So does LX no longer exist?
I guess then for £500 I should be looking at X5 or SLX?

whyamihere

LX was repurposed into being more of a touring group. SLX was created to be a mix between Hone and LX, so more of an aggressive XC set, strong but light.

X5 or SLX will be good on a £500 bike, yes. MTB manufacturers tend to mix groupsets up a bit, so don't be put off if you see, for example, a Deore front mech on a bike which is mostly SLX.

Banned!

i use sram x5 shifters and theyre just as smooth as thier shimano equivalent but theyre a little heavier and bulkier and dont have the same strength.

its not a huge difference and its not something you would ever notice, so if you want to save a few quid, go for sram

dave_hill

Personnally I prefer Sram - the shifting is a little more agricultural but I think it's more positive and I like that.

Slow Downcp

Cheers - I'll have a look round to see what there is, although the usual suspects (Boardman, Carrerra, Specialized etc) all look pretty much the same to me.