John Morgan <
[email protected]> wrote in message news:<Pakkc.8648$A27.6901@fed1read06>...
> ...are made of plastic.
>
> But before wishing death to you
I wuz gonna say this, Gianni...
> I am going to tell you that IMO, SRAM makes a fine
> product. I've used SRAM Attack shifters with Shimano
> derailers in the past, and I currently use a SRAM X.O
> system on my hardtail. The attack shifters were good, but
> X.O is marvelous.
I have Attack shifters/XT on my good bike, and they
have been great for the last year and a half. No
adjustments required.
> I also enjoy Shimano XTR dual control levers, but they're
> quite expensive.
When I look at them, I think "damn, if I crash, and snap off
a lever, or something goes 'boing' inside, I really have to
fork over."
> Despite everyone being afraid of "accidentally shifting
> while braking," I stand firm on the statement that this
> has never happened to me in the 11 months I have used
> them. I also hear people say that these levers "allow you
> to shift while braking," but again, I have never done
> this, nor have I ever felt the desire to shift and brake
> at the exact same moment.
I can do that with my GripShifters. Middle finger on the
brake, twist with thumb and forefinger. I also have my
brakes rigged right-brakes-front, so I'm working the rear
der with my primary braking hand. No problems yet.
> If you want a comparison, here you go. The Shimanos shift
> smoother, almost like you can't feel it sometimes, the
> tradeoff being that they aren't always as quick to snap
> into gear as SRAM. With my X.O system, when you click that
> twister barrel you can feel the chain immediately engage
> the selected gear.
I like the fact I can grab a gear three lower *right now.*
> I also like the ability to adjust the front derailer using
> the several clicks in between numbers with grip shifts, it
> allows you to use different gear combos without rubbing-
> if you need to.
Something I do automatically, and now that you mention it,
it is nice...
Must be from my friction-shifting days...
> Some people are not in favor of SRAM components, usually
> claiming the tired old 'accidental shift' BS or claiming
> some issue about the longevity of SRAM components. Don't
> take what that naysayers give you at face value, most of
> them operate only on hearsay.
On the Loon Lake Death March last year, Paladin's buddy
busted his front der GripShifter about two miles in. In the
middle ring, IIRC. Kinda sucked for the climbs we had
coming. They do break, but I have broken Shimano stuff
before, too. I like my old school 9.0SL set-up on my beater.
Works great, looks good. Keep them lubed, and they work a
long time (again, hearsay...)
The real bonus is that you can now have triggers via SRAM,
and can go totally Shimano-free, even on a geared bike. You
just have to find one of those early SRAM front ders.
--
Jonesy