Look at many of today's high-end bikes and you'll find single chain ring, eleven speed drivetrains in place of the double and triple chain ring cranksets that you would have seen only a few short years ago. And while they can't claim to have invented the concept, it is arguable that SRAM is the one company that developed the single ring approach to the point where it's both very useable for the average mountain biker and accepted as a viable alternative to the earlier status quo. That feat is all the more impressive when you consider what SRAM was up against in those early days twenty plus years ago, which was a very David versus Goliath scenario that saw the brand and its CEO, Stan Day, having to go toe-to-toe with their Japanese competitor in order to challenge how business was done. A number of familiar brands are under the SRAM umbrella nowadays - RockShox, Truvativ, Zipp, Avid, and Quarq - and the company has grown to the point where it holds a substantial market share in both the OE and aftermarket aspects of the cycling world, and there's no better person to tell the story of SRAM than Stan Day himself. Unlike a lot of industry veterans, Day wasn't immersed in the cycling world from an early age, instead coming from a business school background and with a history of working in the electronics industry. Go back two generations in the Day family tree, though, and it will reveal a grandfather that ran a bicycle and motorbike shop in the early 1900s, so you might be able to say that planted some small subconscious seed into the bloodline that manifested itself into the soon to be SRAM chief executive officer spending a lot of time cycling around Chicago. ''The idea that led to Grip Shift came to me in 1986 when I was riding my bike over Chicago's pothole littered streets while training for a triathlon," Day says of having to take his hands off the bars while on those rough roads to reach for the down tube mounted shifters. Those rides spawned the idea of a twist shifter on the handlebar, and it wasn't long before he was sitting down to sketch out ideas. Fast forward a few years and Day and his team were pounding the streets hard to get shops to carry their product, and while there was obvious resistance to trying something different in the conservative road cycling world, installing the new Grip Shift setup on pro racers' bikes was slowly changing people's minds. Somewhat unexpectedly at the time, Grip Shift found far more acceptance with those who rode their bikes in the dirt. The company has had strong success with their mountain bike drivetrains ever since, and judging by the first impressions of their new X01 DH group, that looks set to continue. | • SRAM founded in 1987 • Cadence Control, Purejoy, and Ollo were early considerations for the company name before SRAM was adopted • SRAM is an acronym consisting of its founders' names: Scott, Ray (Ray is the middle name of company head Stan Day), and Sam • Company badges misspelled as ''SCRAM'' at first tradeshow • Grip Shift conceived in 1986 • First production ESP rear derailleurs in 1995 • Offices and manufacturing in U.S., Europe, and Asia • Acquired Sachs in 1997 • Acquired RockShox in 2002 • Currently employees 3000 people |
The idea was that we could leverage our bicycle industry knowledge and multiply our effort and money by providing bikes. This was the equivalent of an industrial revolution to the students, health care workers and entrepreneurs who were otherwise living their lives walking.- Stan Day |
There are times we have moved too fast, and our recent hydraulic road brake recall is one of them. Balancing one's desire to move at a faster pace versus one's sustainable output is just as important in product development as in bicycle racing.- Stan Day |
I was wrong on road bikes, and cyclists have demonstrated that a meaningful portion want electronic shifting. Our job isn't to change their minds, but to deliver a simple, lightweight high performance system, and those developments will materialize when the time is right.- Stan Day |
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I am currently running XX1 but there is certainly room for improvement. Ran XTR 10 speed before that and X0 9 speed before that, XTR 9 speed before that, etc, etc so am not biased in any way to one or the other.
IMO you buy SRAM because the innovation they provide (e.g. XX1) is unmatched- i.e. the only thing on the market to do what it does. Or you value aesthetics and light weight.
You buy Shimano if you can lose a little on looks and weight but want the most reliable and problem free drivetrain. Of course you must also be happy with a narrow range 1x drivetrain, happy with third party mods to go wide range 1x or are happy with 2x. I was not so am on XX1 regardless of the faults.
On SRAM,the chain jumps of the pulley wheels when muddy (snapped an inner cage in this way) and XTR just generally performs better in the mud. XX1 pivots are temperamental going either stiff or sloppy quickly, spring tension is far too weak and cables need a lot of attention in muddy rides. XTR you get thumb and finger shifting which I miss. XTR brakes are the best brakes I've ever tried. SRAM feels wobbly and plasticy, Shimano solid and crisp. Cagelock and Type 2 are awesome though (so long as the damned clutch keeps its tension!). In terms of design I love SRAM but Shimano win out for execution.
As I say, I love XX1 but can see room for improvement. If Shimano would get off their ass and make a decent 1x11 drivetrain they'd clean up... but they'll make silly 2x11 elec shifting instead Also, if SRAM could spend less on marketing and more on materials/ build quality/ reliability then I'd never need to consider anything else. As it is, it is all about compromise between the two and what you value most
I personally prefer SRAM for product feel, perforamance and innovation
Sheman-oh have the OE market nailed, the SLX and Deore groupsets are fantastic performance/price offerings. More performance than most weekend warriors would ever appreciate
The Zee offering beats the above if you play rough and Saint for DH.
All of that is a massive market share
However when it comes to trail riding. ‘Enduro’ or whatever fap you wanna call it SRAM are currently boss. Completely overshadowing XT and XTR. This market is where the moneys at and its growing exponentially in SRAMs favour.
Also, I no understand why Sheman-oh make an adjustable clutch. Why would you make it less clutch-ie!!! SRAM’s cage lock widget is the best unsung hero of current drivetrain development. Makes maintenance and wheel swaps a joy.
I see it as the other way, in wanting to add more tension over time. The material in the clutch can creep over time meaning the clutch effect gradually gets lost. Cage lock is awesome but I'm reluctant to leave it on for long periods of time since the clutch could creep even more and lose even more tension (no saying it does, just being OCD). Plus, people have preferences between shifting quality and chain retention, so actually I like the adjustability of Shimano clutches.
Absolutely agree about Shimano nailing the lower end of the market and OE. Deore is so ridiculously good for the money (or for even more money really!). I mean a brake that performs as well as the other Shimano offerings for £35 an end is just insane!!!
SRAM = it should work ?
Both bikes have been ridden in extreme muddy conditions ( had to change my shimano spd pedals to Time due to mud issues). Can't complain about the reliability of Sram or Shimano in this price range, BUT the x07 triggers I used prior to the x0 were plain shit compared to a pair of 2009 slx triggers. Shimano lower price range Groups are far superior.
I'm not saying that Shimano is bad, it was just my personal decision to choose Sram!
it's like ford / Chevys , they're basicly the same with minor differences , but SRAM seems to be more
About bring on new tech. Or at least trying ,way easier to work on than shimano IMO
Last thought : rapid rise blows
Ironic that the gripshift is the part of XX1 with the greatest reliability issues! Nothing like the quality and feel of old, despite being heavier and more expensive
Latest SRAM chains seem to be struggling for reliability and the XX1 chains now seem to have solid rather than cut out links which seems to have sorted most problems along with adding two more links to the chain in addition to big-big plus 2. Not really a fan of SRAM chains but it seems to be doing ok.
Thank goodness SRAM cassettes are light years better than they were in the 9 speed days though!!!
m.pinkbike.com/forum/listcomments/?threadid=154516
It is apparent now that they came up with one of the worst brake designs ever, and then stuck with it for way too long as the warranties piled up over the years. Then they recently made a similar mistake with their road bike brakes, putting marketing priorities ahead of adequate engineering and testing, and it also blew up in their face.
I'm curious about their Asian factories they use, if they are in one location or spread out throughout different parts of Asia which would make supervision and qualitycontrol more difficult to supervise. I like that Shimano is all in one location, at least for their high-end parts, and knowing its in Japan means it is less likely slave like conditions that many Asian factories have.
But SRAM is always innovating and improving, and Shimano seems to be sitting on their hands or spinning fishing reels in the drivetrain dept. I admire anyone who is a hardcore commuter, and I like this guys team-management philosophy.
watch how its donne! www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=765227363496784&set=a.765227300163457.1073741848.282678971751628&type=1&theater
never had a major problem with them , Imo the pad adjustment alone is enough to keep me with avid , and the triggers are for easier to work on
The rear mechs are so much nicer , just in the way the cable is routed on a SRAM rear mech compared to a shimano , straight through
, not wrapped around the screw ,
Must admit that SRAM product looks great but just like women it's not always the best looking ones that give the best ride
One request though - can you de-bulls*!t your press releases? Love SRAM innovation, but I swear of every four paragraphs of a SRAM press release, only one actually contains relevant information.
SRAM is nice don't get me wrong, nothing shifts like an xtr at proper cadences, if SRAM had the same lever abilities, I would have xo1 on my bike. But I like the rapid fire.
I also think they have to make something about and release a 1x grouppo. They have the money, engineers, WC riders, R&D department, etc. etc. to do it, but for some reason they think it's not the moment.
Simple people need simple drive-trains. XTR is to advanced -- ENJOY!!! And peace
Year two, I could not get my brakes to stop dragging on the rotors. I showed up at their tent on Thursday (before the madness ensued), and no one would even acknowledge my presence. Came back the next day after practice, with 3hrs before qualifying, response to asking for support: "Haha! No way we're gonna get that back to you until tomorrow man."
Dumped their crap for Saint and Ultegra cassette after the race and worked like a charm. Problems simply disappeared. Imagine that...Don't even get me started on the Argyle that can't seem to keep its oil or feel better than a turd.
Also it will have a greater range because it has less revolutions and pedal effort than the sram.
Even in a double configuration it will be lighter than the sram.
And that's the version #1
The other one? lets just say: It will rise the bar very high !