The Story of XTR Parts 1 to 6

 these vids are great, even if it is their of advertisng xtr, had me doubting some of my x.o for a few seconds!

 My bike has X0 and my girlfriends bike has XTR, we both like the X0 setup better.. as far as shifters/derailleurs... cranks though.. I'll take XTR anyday over a SRAM crank. Brakes.. well XTR brakes were too pricey, but I got a great deal on my Elixir CR, and the girlfriend has Elixir 5s, which we both like the feel of the lever blade more than the SLX and XTR brakes, couldn't complain about stopping power, they're great.

SRAM and Shimano both make awesome products, but SRAM will never have the "class" that Shimano has since they're all made overseas, where Shimano's High End is made in Japan.

 Is Japan NOT over seas anymore???

 SRAM has some great feel indeed, but the X.0 group for me personaly is an overkill in terms of price. At the same time XX price is just plain stupid, there's no justification for the price. X9 is where the price should stop accelerating, it is already above Shimano XT price level. The only exception is the XX cassette, which has amazingly low weight, and that is the only component where price can be justified. Well Shimano has the Yumeya thing, where it goes bullocks too, but these are "addons" not the whole group.

What I mean is that Shimano has much better price/performance increase ladder between different groups. There is a steady gradual increase. SRAM above x9 just goes bullocks. And apart from 1:1 gear actuation which is great in X7 already, it is extremely hard to believe that X.0 is any better than XTR in every other aspect.

 Shimano is based in Japan.. and manufactures in Japan.

SRAM is based out of the US.. and manufactures (everything?) in Taiwan.

Overseas based on headquarters location.

Seriously, at a less than sponsored level... it should be whatever feels better to your fingers, e.g. Shifters/Brakes, and whatever has better durability:weight ratio as far as hubs/cranks go.

I personally find Shimano shifters feel horrible, and the servo-wave brakes offer the opposite for what I look for in braking.. I like a linear feel, so if I panic.. I don't end up locking up my brakes completely.

If there is one product in the biking world I could mention as perfect.. it would have been my Saint cranks that I rode for 3 years, which had an owner before me that rode them also for 3 years.

 mhm...I have completely opposite feelings towards old saint cranks to say the least Not all stuff from Shimano is manufactured i Japan. My 2001 XT rear mech has made in Taiwan written on it. That doesn't change the fact that I had it for 7+ years with very minor play, replaced few parts in it and I look forward to go for 10 year life. Rapidfire feel: I own 2000yr model XTRs and they feel great, bought them used for price of new Deores. They just shift slower than SRAMs. I agree SRAM is superior over Shimano in terms of feel, but that's where it stops. A very short list of advantages especially comparing to Shadow system.

 The Shadow setup is awesome, since the derailleur is tucked in toward the bike more, as well as not clacking off the chainstay like all the old Shimano stuff did. But in my years of riding through rocky rooty trails, I've yet to smash a derailleur on a rock. Also, assuming we are talking about high end parts here... XTR vs X0. I know most of the Shimano stuff is actually made in Taiwan. It may stop at feel.. but comparing my X0 to the girlfriends XTR.. the X0 is much more crisp and precise, and I bought my X0 stuff used, it's an old 2005 model with a new cage, the XTR stuff is brand new.

 PROS: XTR CONS: SRAM

now to explain my opinion,

As a bicycle mechanic of 15 years, as well as an avid rider and racer since I was12, I like to think I know a bit about what I'm talking about. If u look back takeing into account the history behind both products, there is one stand out fact. From its creation XTR has been the pinnacle of mountain bike component groups. Srams first attempts at shift systems were un reliable at best. I cant count the number of broken gripshift shifters I have replaced over the years. Every Year shimano has changed the groupo its been an amazing step forward in all aspects of the parts. They have developed each piece over the years putting in countless hours of R&D to create something special. Sram...they like to buy up smaller companies and use their existing technologies, and slowly build a " better" product. As with there Older shifters Sram Product is still some what unreliable, their derailleurs are weaker and more prone to breakage, and the shifters are made from plastic far too often and break regularly.
then take a look at ten speed , where sram just added a tenth gear on the cassette, shimano engineered a whole new drive train, from the shifters to the derailleurs and the drive train. taking into account the position of current suspension pivot designs, and building it around that to maximise pedal efficiency. Sram, not so much.

 toilet-bowl reader.

 Yes, comparing Gripshifts with XTR... and low end parts with XTR.. great. Both companies make great stuff, end of story.

 u do know that back in the early 90s Srams X-ray shifters were there top of the line shifters...the direct competion for shimanos top of the line shifter...XTR

 Yes and we were also bouncing around on fully rigid bikes with long low stems narrow handle bars and oval chain rings. Palm slaps forehead

 nato, what are u even talking about...this discusion is about shift systems. It has nothing to do with outdated bike design... actually sram is outdated.

 Hey Pruss1, what the H E double hockey sticks is a "toilet bowl reader"?

 If we are not talking about outdated stuff, why are you bringing up X-Ray shifters from the early 90s?

 I totally agree

 not sure what you're trying to say but I'm sure if you mix, you won't like what you end up with

 i have great confidence in what im doing !

 yeah never mind what I said.."blame the Kush" hahaha. I thought you said you were mixing Sram with Shimano....My bad dude.

 errrr really? basing that on their PR video are ya?

 That's exactly why they put this vid out. To try and sell to you that image. The Shimano factory in Osaka has been almost shrouded in secrecy and very few people outside of Shimano were allowed there. Why now? Because they lost the market share and monopoly. One of the best things to happen to mtb technology was Sram developing full gruppo. Shimano have had to up the ante.

 Actually I have lived in Japan for 3 years and I have seen first hand the dedication of Japanese people to all that they do. The little kid who works at a gas station has more respect for his job than the president of any American corporation. I will agree that there are faults to the Japanese system and one of them is actually that there may be too much respect for the process itself (seniority, time taken to embark on new directions being a few) and in that sense I am in complete accord that SRAM has been a boost to the bicycling industry as a whole. However, compare the reliability factor which is what I was commenting about. Rock Shox Totem, I believe are a SRAM product. Loved that 2-step system they developed and love the river of oil flowing out of my fork. My LBS owner/racer says about his boxxers (world cups) - best race fork out there, worst fork out of the box. SRAM is super-saturating and confusing shit in my opinion. Juicy 3, 5, 7 and then 3.5 and then ultimate and 2 weeks later elixir and then now x-0 brakes. I have not run the elixir, but I have an old pair of 08 saints and they are perfect. Perhaps not as powerful as the codes I tried, but way more consistent (again, no production issues) which is why the codes and juicy's are sitting in a pile in the garage - again, was running the carbon sevens and found half way down A-line I had no brakes - apparently you need to do a full bleed right out of the box. Who knew when you buy something brand new you have to pay 40$ an end to get your shop to fix them).
Brakes and totems and boxxers are just three examples.
So, no I am not lapping up one video, I am lapping up an entire lifestyle and culture. If I get 95% the performance (yes, sram shifting is better) but with 100% reliability that is a trade-off I am willing to make for something that I beleive in.

 soon be spring and that money tree gunna be flowering fella

 Yeah, last I checked it was XT=eXtreme Trail and XTR=eXtreme Trail Race. So now we'll have eXtreme Trail Race Trail and eXtreme Trail Race Race.

 Too funny

 congrats!