Sram upgrade

DannyUK

Hi all,

If anyone can help I would appreciate it.

I am looking to upgrade my Sram gearing.. I am looking to put an x9 rear mech on my Boardman Team FS 2012. Where I have come stuck is on the listings they state "long cage" and "medium cage". I apologise about my poor knowledge, but I have no understanding at all what this is?

Any guidance would be appreciated..

nicklouse

it is covered in the faqs.

it depends on what your gear set up is.

Chunkers1980

What's wrong with what you've got? Better places to spend some money if it works

DannyUK

Thanks for your replies..

I have tried to search the FAQ.. I am sure the info is there, and I will have another look now..

The set up is 2 x 10, FSA Comet 42/27T.

The main reason I plan to upgrade is I am happy with my other upgrades and now feel this is an area I would like to be smoother..

Thanks again..

cooldad

You need to check the range of the mech - (big chainring minus smallest chainring) plus (big cog minus smallest cog) = range.
Short cage will have a lesser range. The ad for the mech should state the range or look on Sram's website.

cooldad

But as mentioned, I doubt you'll be able to tell the difference between mechs without looking.

nicklouse

DannyUK wrote:

Thanks for your replies..

I have tried to search the FAQ.. I am sure the info is there, and I will have another look now..

The set up is 2 x 10, FSA Comet 42/27T.

The main reason I plan to upgrade is I am happy with my other upgrades and now feel this is an area I would like to be smoother..

Thanks again..

viewtopic.php?f=40073&t=12546123

The Rookie

The only real difference between X7 and X9 is about 50g in weight......cheaper ways to loose 50g!

DannyUK

I'm really not worried about weight at all if I am honest... rather just lose some body fat

What I am looking for is a smoother gear change, I am more than happy to pay for that...

The Rookie

But the rear mech will make little difference, the smoothness is almost impossible to change as the rear changes on one tooth (effectively) from one ratio to the next, only way to make it smoother is get a closer ratio cassette but then you loose range!

DannyUK

Ahhh I see.. this is all helping me understand a lot more.

Maybe worth sticking with the SRAM X7's for now then...

Might be worth using the money (and more) to upgrade the rear shock..

felix.london

I went from an old 9sp Deore LX with a 11-34t cassette to a 10sp XT with a 11-32t cassette and shifting is way smoother especially across the middle sprockets but I presume this is down to the closer ratios there.

Although I think the XT does give a better shift than the old Deore kit did but I reckon that's down to the shifter rather than the mech

The Rookie

A different mech may make the shifts happen faster, but if you think about the mechanics of it, there is no slippage or anything so the shift sharpness is almost completely down to the percentage ratio change and whether the rider is putting torque through the cranks at the time or not, although a full susser will add a buffer layer.