Which groupset?

ollietatts

i need some advice on which groupset to put on a new 'all mountain' bike, ive looked at XT, XTR and X9, X0 but could do with some user opinions on these sets.
cheers, ollie.

spongtastic

(before everybody else says it). Depending on your budget go for SLX.
Not much heavier than XT, but a whole lot cheaper.

Mickey Eye

The answer is SLX.

Northwind

SLX just makes good sense, you get 9/10ths or more of the benefits of XT at a much lower price. Likewise X9 over X0- personally I do think X9 is worthwhile over X7 but diminishing returns really kicks in past that. Whether you want to use SRAM or Shimano gearing is just personal taste.

dunker

spec up with xtr cables as they really are great and the xtr chains last thousands of miles.

Andy B

My personal choice is a bit of a mish mash...

X9 shifters (way better than X7 for shifting action & I much prefer the shifting to Shimano)
X9 rear mech (cheaper than X0, a little better than X7 in shifting & I much prefer the shifting to Shimano)
XT cassette, lighter than Sram's offerings @ the same price. Will work well on Hope ProII hubs as it has an alloy carrier body for 6/9 of the cogs
KMC or Sram chains, both very good throughout the range, no need for an uber bling chain (IMHO)
XT front mech, great shifting pretty lightweight
I was using a SLX chainset before some scrote nicked the bike it was on, very good bit of kit, now using a Race Face Evolve XC chainset which is pretty damn good too.
Cables: standard outers with Jagwire inners as my bike runs a full outer @ the rear, no need for fancy cables

It's probably cheaper to but a whole groupset, but you lose the options to customise it to the spec you want.

If I was buying a whole groupset it'd be either SLX, or XT & I'd sell the rear mech & shifters & buy X9 to replace them with, purely as I prefer Sram to Shimano.

supersonic

I agree with Andy, Mix and Match and get the best accross the ranges.

I think the extra for XT shifters is worth it over SLX, as have shorter throw and are crisper. Could save 50 quid with a Deore crank. SRAM chain always, and maybe XT cassette.

nicklouse

first question should be which sifting style do you like?

sram or shimano?

The Northern Monkey

supersonic wrote:

I agree with Andy, Mix and Match and get the best accross the ranges.

I think the extra for XT shifters is worth it over SLX, as have shorter throw and are crisper. Could save 50 quid with a Deore crank. SRAM chain always, and maybe XT cassette.

I thought SLX internals were exactly the same as XT? just different materials for the shifter body etc?

supersonic

That's what I thought, but many reports say they feel more like the old LX with the long throw.

The Northern Monkey

ahh fair enough. theres allways a difference between the hyped up marketing bull and how it actually feels.

Steve_b77

On my FS/AM I've got:

SRAM X5 Shifters (I'd liek to upgrade these but CBA)
SRAM X7 rear mech - feels great
LX Front Mech - wouldn;t bother spending big bucks here as they all do the same rough censored job
SLX Crank Set - Superb bit of Kit
XT Cassett - Brilliant
KMC X9.93 Chain - Brilliant
Jagwire fullly sealed cables - 18 months no issues

Personally I think teh SRAM kit with it's clunkier/2:1 ration shifting is more suited to the hammer an AM rig can take as it males the gear shifts more positive

toasty

supersonic wrote:

That's what I thought, but many reports say they feel more like the old LX with the long throw.

Mine are definitely crisper than my ( '08 ) LX, that's what the Stumpy has on. That said, I much prefer the XT for pretty much everything, the cranks are the only very similar part.

I don't like the feel of the shifters as much*, my fingers sit on the XT ones much better.
The brake calipers get air in the system far easier and need a lot more messing around, they're completely different to the XTs.
The brake levers are the same as XT aside from the body being made out of plastic instead of metal, minor difference there.
The rear mech has been faultless though to it's credit.

I'm boring, I like full XT Even more so with '08 ones and onward, best groupset I've owned, big step forward.

*controvertial, I know. Disagreeing with a magazine, I have no idea how they could find the SLX more comfy :?

Johnny Napalm

I too have been looking at something similar.

I've currently got XT front mech (recently replaced my knackered Deore) and XT rear mech, which I am happy with, and I have recently put my old LX shifters on to replace my Deore ones which didn't even last a full year.

I have a Truvativ Firex 3.1 crankset and I have been thinking of upgrading to either an SLX or XT crankset. Would I see an improvement going from the Truvativ crankset to an SLX or XT? My aim is to upgrade as and when required, or when I have a bit of spare cash to do so.

The Northern Monkey

Get the saint groupset

I luurrrrrve it! feels a lot like xt.... although I think shifts are a lot quicker, less of the smoothness!