high end gear systems really worth it?

swod1

Just wondering does anyone else do the same?

What i mean i use higher end gear components with other lower end parts.

I've recently replaced the chain and cassette on my bike and wondered should i bother to buy another fancy cassette and chain as would the shifting be that much worse?

I've got on my bike xtr 10 speed rear derailleur and the matching xtr shifter.

I've recently fitted the deore hg500 11-42 cassette and a kmc x10 el chain. I can't say I've noticed any difference to be honest.

Both were a bargain off Merlin Cycles at 50.49, so in future i might just not bother with the fancy cassettes and just get the lower end stuff as these parts wear out anywhere and need replacing every so often depending on use.

lostboysaint

Both my MTBs now have a majority of SLX gearing (mech, shifter, cassette) as I totaled a couple of XT mechs one winter and thought "why am I paying the price for these". I have found no difference and, of course, also haven't done any damage to the SLXs yet!!

swod1

I don’t mind paying more on the shifter or rear derailleur as these seem to last a long time in my experience.

A mate of mine has sram xo1 and I was looking at new cassettes and they are silly money for you could only get a year out of if riding a lot.

Having a look on eBay it seems over in China a lot of the cassettes are getting copied and look good value, quite fancy a gold one for my bike.

slc123

I think mechanically the mid range and top end components on drivetrain don’t perform that much diffrently. The difference tends to be the weight. I’ve got some low end shimano gearing on my XC bike and it’s mega robust. I’ve smashed the bike through the winter and no problem at all. I’ve just installed the SRAM GX gearing on the new build. We will see how that performs!

dusk

I have 10 speed shimano drivetrains on both my bikes, both have xtr shifters but one has an xtr rear mech and the other has slx. Which one shifts better? The one with the slx mech! They both had cheap chains but the xtr mech equipped bike had a higher spec cassette.

swod1

it's the chain than the cassette i've noticed it more, used to use shimano xt, these stretched too easily. Moved to KMC used x10.93 chains for ages then spent a bit more and got the x10 extra light chain these are much more robust and worth the extra money, some are even ti nitride coated whatever that is.

Shifting is nicer and they seem to be always on offer around 28quid depending on what colour you buy, silver is only 22.99 well was when i bought it a week ago at merlin cycles, its my backup chain and going to rotate to get better life out of cassette.

razorjack

i think SRAM components last less than Shimano. also doesn't make sense to put high-end (X01, XTR etc.) rear mech, as it's easy to damage it. top-end shifter, sure, the rest - more like slx/xt group.

swod1

razorjack wrote:

i think SRAM components last less than Shimano. also doesn't make sense to put high-end (X01, XTR etc.) rear mech, as it's easy to damage it. top-end shifter, sure, the rest - more like slx/xt group.

Yes i see what you mean but I've not managed to damage my xtr 10 speed rear mech. It'll be better now I've taken off the carbon cage and fitted a metal radr cage to it.

Reggie82

Iv been using shimano xt gears for last 6 years and have always been happy with them BUT iv had a new bike which came with sram eagle gx & I can't believe how much smoother & crisp the gears change. But I would not go out of my way to spend x amount on gear systems.

02gf74

I suppose the answer is no, just like is it worth buying a pair of levi or wrangler jeans when a pair from primary will do the job.

The Rookie

02GF74 wrote:

I suppose the answer is no, just like is it worth buying a pair of levi or wrangler jeans when a pair from primark will do the job.

Except they don't, I find the cheap ones like Primark simply don't last as long, and its not like Jean fashion changes much!

Still using my XTR rear mech that I've been using now for about 4 years, it's originally from circa 2009.

thelawnet

Shimano cassettes are all exactly the same in function, you literally pay to shave a few grams off.

An XTR cassette won't shift better than Deore.

The RD/shifters do vary though in function. Best to go for XT, but the XTR shifters may be fractionally better, not sure if the RD is, or just lighter.

cycleclinic

the cassette just get lighter the higher up you go but the rear mechs not only get lighter but seems to last longer.
The shifter may last longer. difficult to tell.