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Strongest mech

PB Forum :: Downhill
Strongest mech
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flag sykesy
Posted: Nov 5, 2007 at 2:08 Quote
i just snapped my new lx mech on it's first ride, after destroying another shimano mech before then, are sram mechs actually any better?
flag jooocke
Posted: Nov 5, 2007 at 8:52 Quote
3 sram rear mechs have broken this season for me, I think they seems to be pretty weak!

Saint has to be the strongest rear mech, it's made for downhill and everything and shimano writes at there site that it's much stronger then the others.
I'll test it next season, hope it is as strong as they say because it's very expensive to buy new rear mechs often!
flag sykesy
Posted: Nov 5, 2007 at 8:55 Quote
yer, especially when your mech goes mental and takes out 4 spokes in the process!
flag shacabahalla
Posted: Nov 5, 2007 at 8:58 Quote
i don't know about sram mechs being any stronger
but a good alternitive is the shimano 105 road mech http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=2654 its isn't stronger proberly weaker but because of the super short cage it should be harder to break of because it is out of the way, and if it does break its only 20 quid to replace, the downside is that you will have to run it with a road cassette.

EDIT:saint is proberly the best bet for strengh though
flag DavidMakalaster
Posted: Nov 5, 2007 at 10:29 Quote
Well if you want to know what the strongest mech is then the answer is easy. Saint. I have a Saint on one bike, X.9 on another, and a road mech on my ht. The Saint is a little touchier to adjust but is easily the strongest. I burned through X.9 stuff and hangers for a while. Saints are no problem for me.
flag andrewrider
O+
Posted: Nov 5, 2007 at 11:59 Quote
i run xo on my race bike and x9 on my ht i havnt had any problems with either off them and trust me i have tested them. I snapped off my mech hanger in a crash and my xo was a good as new. I also bent my shift lever on my xo shifter bent it back and it worked perfect. Sram is the best imo. I touched my mech to adjust it once this season and that was when i broke off the mech hanger. Im a sram man I road XTR last year and had nothing but problems.
flag frolosophy
Posted: Nov 5, 2007 at 12:05 Quote
well generally speaking shimano mechs tend not to last very long. my friend blew up his last two. but sram is a better choice anyways because of their 1.1 actuation ratio meaning smoother shifting
flag mikeyboy
Posted: Nov 5, 2007 at 12:06 Quote
I've had my 200lbs cousin STANDING on my Saint mech, in a weird crash and it's still functioning. It might not have the X0 feel, but it is definitely stronger.
flag unclemofo
Posted: Nov 5, 2007 at 12:13 Quote
You're better off to just buy cheap mechs if you tend to go through them.
flag badluckbiker
Posted: Nov 5, 2007 at 12:15 Quote
Well, I used to run a 105 on my old bike and in terms of quality and durability, it's a fantastic little piece of kit, especially at that price.
Although I did switch to SRAM a season ago, and the shifting feels alot crisper and more definite. I also noticed the mech moves alot less than a shimano one (The old Faux-bar problem of it smacking the chainstay off a bump/drop is now gone).

Personally, I'd go for a short cage SRAM, purely because having compared the pair, I'd say the feel is alot better and the strength is equally as good as many Shimanos, if not better.
Although switching an entire drivetrain is NOT cheap by any stretch of the imagination. So maybe a 105 would be the way to go for now.
flag dmrbikerboy
Posted: Nov 5, 2007 at 12:17 Quote
if it took out your spokes, you obviousely cant set your stops correctly, never broken a rear mech and ive had some horrendous crashes and mechs being dragged along in ruts ect.

Sram X9 or XT or if your cheap old STX mechs are indestructible.

All are roughly the same strength these days though go as cheap as possible if your crashing or bailing alot unless you have a fat wallet to burn.
flag DavidMakalaster
Posted: Nov 5, 2007 at 12:32 Quote
dmrbikerboy wrote:
if it took out your spokes, you obviousely cant set your stops correctly, never broken a rear mech and ive had some horrendous crashes and mechs being dragged along in ruts ect.

Sram X9 or XT or if your cheap old STX mechs are indestructible.

All are roughly the same strength these days though go as cheap as possible if your crashing or bailing alot unless you have a fat wallet to burn.

If your hanger or mech is bent or broken the stops won't keep it out of the spokes.
flag w-e-w
Posted: Nov 5, 2007 at 14:39 Quote
sram, sram, sram, sram... unless you are riding road or very light xc with no rear suspension.

Saint might be strong, or even stronger, but they will still shift like sh*t compared to sram for any abusive riding or long-travel bike.

Put shimano anywhere else on your bike.. cranks, chain, cassette, whatever... but run a sram mech... i promise you will thank me.
flag DavidMakalaster
Posted: Nov 5, 2007 at 14:50 Quote
w-e-w wrote:
sram, sram, sram, sram... unless you are riding road or very light xc with no rear suspension.

Saint might be strong, or even stronger, but they will still shift like sh*t compared to sram for any abusive riding or long-travel bike.

Put shimano anywhere else on your bike.. cranks, chain, cassette, whatever... but run a sram mech... i promise you will thank me.

I promise I've been riding a long time and if you have either set up right they work great. I beat the crap out of my bikes in some of the nastiest conditions imaginable and saint works great. The thread is asking for the strongest mech. That is CLEARLY saint.
flag w-e-w
Posted: Nov 5, 2007 at 15:18 Quote
Sure, if we wants a really strong mech and doesn't care whether or not it actually shifts well, then Saint may be the answer.

I was assuming that ultimately he's looking for a reliable, tough, trouble free mech... which would be Sram.

And trust me, i have been riding a long time too.. and i've got a bin full of busted Shimano mech's to prove it. You can also trust that i know how to set up a derailleur.
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