As someone who works in a bike shop that sees tons of repairs, we have 10x more issues with Sram Eagle stuff. Maybe it’s smoother and prettier than shimano, but it’s far less reliable... plus the drop in quality when you go to NX or SX is simply unacceptable, those drivetrains are garbage whereas SLX and Deore are fantastic for the money.
@@TeacherNickoy I think comparing is tough and they don’t always align properly. XT is supposed to be equivalent to GX but I put it a bit higher. I’m good with comparing SLX with GX. GX is lighter than SLX and XT if I recall.
@@Marco-717 shimano durability is actually incredible. It would be very unwise to suggest that shimano is "easy to beat" on an engineering level. Reliability is their forte - alivio is basically indestructible.
I currently ride with SRAM (2 years with this groupset) and am constantly tinkering to keep it shifting perfectly. For the 5 or 6 bikes before this SRAM build I rode exclusively Shimano component sets (XT and XTR, and even 1 with DEORE). Guess which was far less of a headache? If you guessed SRAM, you guessed wrong. My next build will be Shimano XT...best MTB groupset for the money in my opinion. For what its worth, for my road bike I have used the same Ultegra set up for 10 years and has never once let me down. Shifts like pure gold even after all this time. Just sayin...
I'm an endurance rider, sometimes on the bike for 8+ hours. From my experience shimano is much more reliable and is moreso a "set it and forget it" drivetrain, again this is from my experience using both for many hours
I have the same experience with Shimano, i don't have much experience with sram but what i love about Shimano is that you can get away with the lower end tier drivetrains and still have a well working system for a long time, I've been touring long distances for about 7 years now and i am very happy with Shimano. Also worth mentioning that i love their cop and cone hubs, they will keep spinning forever when serviced.
@@HansensUniverseT-A Reliability is very important to me as well. The GX I used mostly and run it on my enduro rig but alsonridden along side friends with the same repeated traits of going out of adjustment and having tension issues and generally very finicky. shimano just works well all the time although I haven't tried their 12 speed stuff with is more comparable. I like the lightness and simplicity of 11. I do like my XTR but yes it's all trickled down nicely over the years and anything slx up is supurb. The only thing I've always had a issue with is snapping der cables I think because the clutch is more agressive until you adjust it down oh and they don't support bike shops and independent retailers but I'm a home mechanic so I'm constantly shopping online anyway
I have a SX and a deore ( both 12x) with the SX I have to make a adjustment now and then so I see what you mean there. The deore I have don’t have to tune it as often. To me I don’t mind adjusting it so it comes down to shifting and feel. Which I feel goes to the SX. Then again I only go out for around 4-5 hours so I do not know how they would hold up there.
Sram Vs. Shimano. Coming from me a bike mechanic, it’s a pretty massive topic. Is one better than the other? I think it’s really up to your personal preference, but on paper Shimano is better. I believe that both are great, I’m running GX on my bike currently and I’ve had zero problems. I clean my drivetrain often and I maybe tinker with it every 1-2 months so im more biased towards sram because Im used to it and im lucky to have it be reliable to me. Factually Shimano is better. Shimano has a more aggressive tighter clutch, better quality components, barings, pulleys and etc… it most importantly has a slim derailleur cage so it’s pretty a sleek and if you crash you’re very unlikely to bend/break a derailleur hanger. The construction of the derailleur and shifter is better, but it varies between groupsets. Yes sickbiker is right that sram is smoother because of their roller bearing clutch and pulley system, but on paper Shimano is better. The cassette coating is really not important, mainly just paint in my opinion. What matters is the metal composition and construction of the cassette. If these drivetrains are cleaned regularly and maintained like they should be both should perform great.
I've had an XT drivetrain on my xc race bike for more than 50 xc races, and about three hundred kilometers a week on average, for more than 4 years of that time, and had that system for more than 6 years and only replaced the rear derailleur after crashing it into rocks on a course in Colorado. Ive worn out three cassettes in that time. All worked fine and never let me down in any races . I kept the drivetrain pretty clean and oiled after most rides and every race. Enough said.
I have been riding bike since I was 6 years old and now I’m 45. I have owned almost all the highest group sets that Shimano and SRAM had sold, from the first Shimano Dx, Lx and Xtr, the First SRAM x9 and x0 to the first xx and newest xx1 and Xtr(this last one is what I have at nowadays installed on my bike) and I have to say that It’s impossible that your SRAM cassette and your rear derailleur have 10.000 kms keeping that shape without any kind of marks of use unless you ride in your dinning room. Sorry but I see this comparison a little bit “peculiar”.
I just got my second bike (eMTB) and it came with SRAM NX DR and SX shifter. It's crap, because it jumps gears going higher. My old bike had Shimano. Much better. My son's new eMTB has Shimano. Much better. Shimano is simply better in the mid to low range.
@@scottamolinari yeah my bike came with full sx components and it's complete garbage. I upgraded to an nx shifter and derailleur and it's much better now. I spent ages trying to tune the sx derailleur and just couldn't get it perfect. I don't know if the derailleur is what causes the garbage shifting or if it's the shifter. I've never tried shimano's mtb components though. I have some old shimano dura ace components on my road bike and they work flawlessly, but that's not an equal comparison to nx lol.
ive been runnning the same shimano XT drivetrain for maybe twoish years now and I've only had to give it one tune up. as a bike mechanic at a shop in a place with drastic climate changes with the seasons, we see lots of drivetrain repairs. i've had to warranty about 10+ sram cassettes that had a tooth or two broken in random spots on the cassette. Sram surely has got 10 fold on shimano in the aesthetics department but looks don't always mean good and reliable performance. Sram makes an amazing drivetrain, don't get me wrong but sram's way of getting a following seems to be much more focused around making the bike look GOOD rather than solely functional. recently my shop had a sram clinic where our regional sale rep came by for 3-4 hours to talk about sram products and such. I brought up shimano at one point and everyone laughed because they see me as the shimano worshipper but eventually i got a legit answer out of the sales rep. he said something along the lines of "shimano has put so much R&D into creating a product that works incredibly well, there's almost no chance of keeping up." so with that said, i prefer shimano but i'm happy to have anything that works.
Since you're a mechanic, can you help me? My XT derailleur gets stuck in 1st gear and I have to pull on it with my hand to get it to shift. The limit screws are properly adjusted and the cable tension is also properly adjusted, since every gear except the 1st works.
@@Fred_the_1996 hard to help without seeing it in person but my xt dereailleur was doing the same things so i replaced the cables and housing and that fixed the issue. could also be a bent hanger. those would be the first things i'd check
@@AllCreaturesCount i never noticed. its just such a chore to adjust any sram drivetrain but it still doesn't really change how it works when its dialed in.
i had a GX group set for 2 years and it never kept true/aligned for more than a few days, i always had to adjust it, though since june i`ve had a shimano groupset and i`ve never had to adjust it, it just keeps shifting as good as day one.
The xtr coating you pointed out is the aluminum cogs. When you compare with srams aluminum 50T it also has chips in the coating. Pretty much the same for the same material.
Cassette coating: seems purely aesthetic but if that’s important to you that’s a reasonable complaint. Materials: like you said, to avoid machining an incredibly complicated piece out of one solid block, they saved cost by using different materials, what’s wrong with that other than aesthetics? Clutch: the clutch is to avoid chain slap on rough trails with big hits, if your multiple shifting and can notice subtle differences in shifting your probably not on a trail that requires the use of a clutch. Smoothness: again, they avoided using a complicated system to save money and improve reliability. I can see where your coming from with some of these issues, but I think your looking at these products as if they have the exact same customer in mind. With XTR your making a few tiny sacrifices here and there for very significant cost savings and, in my experience and in the experience of my shop buddies, increased reliability. If your okay with increased maintenance and cost for the extra bit of smoothness and aesthetic than buy sram, it’s totally fine to prefer it. But I can’t agree with calling it “better”
I've seen more Sram derailleurs smashed by rocks than I have seen Shimano units. Theram units' design leaves more of the derailleur exposed to rocks on the trail as more of the body of the unit is outside the width of the rear axle. I only have experience with 11sp units, and i've never had a Sram transmission shift as nicely as a Shimano unit. Also, Shimano anodizes the cassette cogs, it's not a surface coating. The plating and surface treatments for shifting performance is done at the chain.
The coating on the aluminium is equal, shimano has 3 sprockets plus they are more profiled than sram, so more contact surface for chain to scratch, it's just about visual impression.
one reason but its mainly cuz the clutch is insanely powerful and keeps the bike quiet and the under load shifting is unbeaten, compared to egal axs my xt still does better when your cranking as hard as you can
I switched from Eagle Gx to A XT derailleur and SLX cassette. Where Shimano is superior, to keep it in the same spirit; The Sram derailleur is way more exposed , aka easier to hit a rock. Second; the shifter is light years ahead of the cable GX version. And third, price. For the price of a GX cassette, I can buy 2 SLX cassettes. And fourth; if the bottom sprockets wear out, I can separately replace them. That won’t fly with Eagle, so you have to replace the entire cassette . The downside to replaceable cogs. Is the weight you mentioned. But as a hobby biker, I’ll take that anytime over a bit of weight vs price.
shimano is way better in the budget - mid drivetrains and i will definetely choose the shimano brakes as well , but i agree that sram is better at the high end ones
The XTR derailleur has an adjustable clutch. If you think it is too tight then loosen it. If your SRAM clutch is too loose then good luck tightening a non-adjustable clutch.
@@adammikesaliasfreshprince4124 The whole 1x drivetrain revolution was started by Sram... narrow wide chainring, 11 speed, 12 speed, 500% range, non concentric upper pulley wheel on and on. Just ride the drivetrain you like. It is that easy.
I don't think you understand what the clutch on Shimano does! The cage is difficult to move ON PURPOSE! That's the clutch's purpose - to eliminate chain slap! With the clutch engaged, the cage only moves when the derailleur is moved to an adjacent cog. When you aren't shifting, the cage stays put.
I have been a Shimano rider for a couple of decades. The moment we went to 1x 11 and later 1x12 is where SRAM took a distance, I still continued riding Shimano stubborn as I am. At a certain moment I started braking chains and even cassettes on a high frequency. Swapped to Eagle never looked back. One bike with AXS now, comfortable maintenance as practically no maintenance, re adjustments, cables etc.
I've got SRAM Eagle on my new hardtail, but on my road bike and on my full sus, I use Shimano 1x10. The Eagle's not garbage, but I vastly prefer the Shimano. (XT cassette, Zee short cage RD, Saint shifter on the mtb, 105 on the roadie) SRAM always sounds broken even when in perfect adjustment, and the cranks are annoying to service. The Shimano stuff just works more smoothly, is easier to service, and the drivetrain is tucked.
Your points are valid, but I like the Shimano drivetrain better because it isn't as hard to get to work properly. I use XT now, but had to adjust my GX quite often to make it shift right on all the gears.
@@cannondany Yeah but what does that tell you about Sram and there low end stuff still not working great. You can get low end Shimano stuff and it just works. I did try Sram NX and it never worked properly from the start. So i got the new shimano 12speed SLX and its been working fine since i installed it. I would have no fear in getting the Deore 12 speed stuff cause i know it just works.
I have a 2020 GX eagle and a 2020 xt and I like the xt much much better - the xt is much much smoother to shift and when riding. Interesting your perspective - I never would thought anyone would like sram better that owned both.
sram is basically apple, replacements are expensive and most of the time need very specific parts for it to work shimano is like windows, price for replacements etc are bigger and can easily upgrade and can mix most of the stuff up without it having much of an issue sram looks better and is kinda ahead of its time with the wireless shifting but both companies are basically the same
Same here.. I've never ridden these two, but this looks like a great comparison.. although I think in lower price level, XT, SLX and even Deore is much much better than S,N,GX, they're just crap
I have one bike with GX and the other is XT, both 12 speed. Can’t wait to get rid of the GX stuff. XT is much more consistent and the shifting is excellent.
I dunno. My bike came with SRAM and after having all kinds of shifting issues and a faulty shifter that was replaced and didn’t help I slowly upgraded to shimano. A mix of deore Slx and xt and its way better. And just saying the XTR is known to be super fast wearing in the sacrifice of saving weight. Xt and slx work just as well and last way longer
I'd say this was a sponsored video. From personal experience working at a bike shop, sram is harder to tune and is more fragile than shimano. Also the clutch on the shimano has a purpose and you can switch it on or off depending on your needs. Admittedly I haven't had as much hands on with shimano 12 speed since it's relatively new in comparison to sram 12 speed, but I guess time will tell. Also shimano has nicer business practices with their retailers than sram, my boss loathed sram for how they did business. If you love your local shop buy shimano.
Nothing lasts forever, but I have not had any problems with Shimano. The way cable exits from the 12 speed Shimano Derailleur is certainly a flaw and they should address that.
I just gotta pick this video apart a bit. Because I think 3 of your 5 points miss the mark. I have put extensive miles on both XT and XTR 12 speed setups. And, on XO1 sram setups. Much more on GX. I cant say that ive ridden many miles on XX1... but your points are easy enough to compare. First, the cassette: Ill give you the coating on the Sram may be more durable. But what does this really add to the cassette? I dont care what my cassette looks like, I care how it works. And there is absolutely NO question the 12 speed XTR setup is a FAR superior shifting system. Shifting under load is effortless and smooth, multiple shifts up AND down are snappy and quick. Tuning is a breeze. Second, Materials: This is kind of a silly point to make. Does anyone really care what the cassette is made of? I dont... I care how it works. Thats it. I also care about what it costs. And the shimano XTR cassette costs about half of the XX1 cassette. Shifts better and is cheaper... nuff said. Third, Derailleur cable guide. I love the little wheel on the sram derailleurs. I think its a great design. But its an absolute necessity on the sram derailleur due to WHERE the cable is connected. The cable MUST make a nearly 270 degree turn on the sram derailleur. The on the shimano derailleur the cable does NOT make any where near this angle change. A wheel wouldnt even work. So saying the wheel is superior doesnt make sense. I do find it interesting that your cable looks the way it does. I have nearly 1000km on my XTR and more on my XT 12 speed derailleurs. Original cables and NO fraying at all, ZERO. They look nearly new where the exit the housing. I just sold a bike with an SLX 12 speed setup with over 500km and it also had ZERO fraying of the cable. Something with your setup is not right. Fourth, the clutch. Id say your pretty spot on with that one. The clutch on the sram derailleur is better. Though I will say, i have no complaints about my shimano clutch. Its just not as smooth. Ive never dropped a chain... ever. and thats what the clutch is for. As long as it works, its not really a big issue for me. Fifth, the lock on the derailleur. Sram has this nailed. This is a great idea being able to lock the cage forward. Not just for removing the wheels, but also for cleaning the idlers. Why shimano didnt include a system like this on the 12 speed stuff I cant figure.
I have to disagree on shifting. My bike originally came with an 11 speed GX. Being a YT, it has to be assembled a bit. Put derailleur on, tested shifting. No adjustment needed. In fact, it never needed adjusting until I bent the derailleur 2nd year in. Replaced with a GX 12 speed and used the 11 speed cassette. After adjusting limiters, and setting initial cable tension, it ran like a clock. When I replaced the cassette with a 12 speed (overpriced!), again, it is set and forget. And I'm not sure where folks are coming from on rough shifting. I don't experience any of the issues mentioned above. Just smooth easy shifting up and down the cassette. Having run Shimano XT for years, my experience has not been the same. Constant fiddling is required. Get it dialed, go for a few rides, and look, its out of adjustment. Rinse repeat. Maybe the new stuff is better, but I'll never go back. And yes, Shimano brakes are superior.
SRAMs better because your chain breaks when you shift underload, unlike Shimano with hyperglide + that keeps your chain from breaking. Why? SRAMs drivetrains help you practice how to use your chain tool.
@@ClockworksOfGL when have they ever done that? I had to servicea sram red etap group that wasnt shfting. Why? Because of a MINISCULE FUCKING SCRATCH on the shift rap on the chain. We filed it down and it worked. My shimano chains have been through batter you wont believe and they dont even show any sign of wear with a chain checker
sounds like your arguement in favor of sram is that you like weak clutches. shimano wins in that category because i can easily just turn it off if I want smooth
Shimano clutches are absolute rubbish, badly designed and poorly implemented. Take a look at that flimsy c-clip which hold the adjustment lever in place. If it becomes detached, the seal on the lever is broken which will allow water and grit ingress. Re-attaching the clip is impossible. It's the worst bit of design I've ever seen on a bike.
For many years I had NX 11, NX 12, GX 12 and XX1 12. For me, shimano is way better than sram. sram is innovative, and shimano is much more elaborate. but it seems that sram vs shimano is a matter of preference.
I have Sram XO1 on one bike, GX on another, and XT on the other. my XO1 is trouble, my gx is great, but my Shimano XT is amazing. Smoother than all. Also just do a simple search of Shimano vs sram detailers, and you'll see.
I agree with you. The XX1 cassette life is absolutely amazing. I put thousands of miles in a year and only replace it once a year. Gx, xo1, only last about a quarter of that time. I always pair with the titanium nitrate chain and replace about once a month or less depending on ride time.
I changed back to Shimano since they have 12speed. 2 reasons: trigger shifter are much better then SRAM and the Cassette gearing ist much better then SRAM on the biggest cogs - the 51 / 45 / 39 is much much better solved then the 50 / 42 / 36 on the big cogs. I really don't understand that SRAM did not change this when introducing the 52 cog. With this big 52 cog it became even worse. But I agree that the basic SRAM cassette design is superior to the one of Shimano - its such a mess to handle all those separate cogs on a Shimano cassette... And - also agree - disassambling the rear wheel is much simpler on a SRAM derailleur. So, one have to live with compromises....
Video title is misleading. You should have written something like "Why Sram XX1 Drivetrain Is Simply Better, Than Shimano XTR. Because if you compared similarly priced deore and sx you could say that sram is trash and shimano is awesome. Also sram xx1 is 1.5 times more expensive than shimano xtr
I’ve had sram x9 for years and they were very finicky when it comes to tuning the rear derailleur, even the local bike shops hate it. Gear would shift poorly (and often don’t shift at all) between gear 3 and 4 in the big chainring, and the same happened between gear 8 and 9 in small chainring. Other than that, it worked flawlessly. Recently bought a used xt drivetrain and never had that issue. I don’t care if the xt looked crap, but I know I will get to the right gears EVERY TIME when I flicked that gear lever with the shimano xt system
Depends on the conditions where you are riding. My gold XX1 eagle cassette looks worse than yours only after 300km. Next bike would definitely be Shimano again. It just shifts better than Sram
For Enduro/DH, my personal experience shows that SRAM derailleur breaks more often than Shimano. SRAM is smooth and better Cassete for sure, but Shimano is stronger.
The alloy portion of the XTR has comparable wear with the alloy big sprocket @ the Sram. So... Also, the real problem with Sram Eagle is not on their X01/XX1 $1400+ groupsets that cost as much as the average entry bike out there, but their SX/NX which is what the vast majority Sram equipped $2500 or cheaper bikes get, and people are constantly complaining. AFAIK, the 2020 Shimano M6000/M7000 groupsets, are superior in shifting, and ofc are naturally colored Steel (other than the 51T in the SLX), so will see less discoloration ontop. I agree that the clutch lock is genius @ Sram, and the shifter cable pulley is "nice", but if consistency is not there for the majority of consumers, the fact that they did right the "halo" top of the line products but the goods don't trickle down, is too big of a ding for me. Shimano HG+ is far more consistent through the lineup, bringing the entry/mid-range offerings "up", not dragging the top-end down.
I don't know about you, but I love my NX Eagle. There is some coating wear after almost a year since I installed it, but it is only as much as the wear on his new XTR cassette.
@@JustAGlitchFL Wear is typically low and really only cosmetic: SX/NX Eagle cassettes are made out of steel throughout, so they wear naturally slow. What we see on those sprockets, and what I am guessing your cassette has also, is wearing of the coating ("paint") and not meaningful wear of the teeth. It's purely cosmetic. AFAIK I don't care for the black anodized look, be it steel or alloy underneath: the stamped steel sprockets Shimano uses look fine "raw", and I would guess so would Eagle cassettes. I personally have no experience with SX/NX Eagle. My previous bike had 1x11 NX "pre eagle", it was fine. My current M5100/6100 bikes, are easily better, at least when hastily shifting under load. And of course, anecdotally there have to be happy people with SX/NX, but I don't think anyone shopping around and reading buyer reviews, will have issues finding complaints with these groups, and how often people opt for a GX Derailleur/Shifter in order to get consistent shifting.
I don't understand, why Europeans and Americans soo love shimano brakes?! He has a sooooo bad mud protect and bad modulation compared with sram brakes.
I swear Shimano does that on purpose just for fun. Like when Sora road shifters were the only ones in their lineup that had a thumb release lever similar to Campagnolo. Subtle little dig with a wink
@@woduk one of those myths again. Top range/ lighweight doesn't last but performs well, and midrange/heavy parts last long. KMC is pretty solid but very expencive.
I also believe M8000 was much more superior when it comes to drivetrain.. 12 speed is weaker especially, because the chain is narrower. I really like the ide of 9 speed what Box Components came up with. No need to have so many different gears on a Mountain Bike.
I usually find his observations accurate, but in this case he's off the mark. Yes, both manufacturers have pros and cons, but at the end of the day Shimano performs better under load up and down the cassette and is half the price. As an XC racer with two bling bikes, it's a huge oversight for him to not mention race day shifting under load. It’s not just the Shimano shifter, its also the Hyperglide+ chain and cassette design that makes it so smooth and reliable. Shifting hard on Sram is bound to cause a train wreck, so best avoided. I'm a previous Shimano XTR 10s fan and now doing side by side comparison between Sram XX1 Eagle and Shimano XTR 12s. Performance-wise, Shimano wins hands down, I suspect you may see greater longevity on Sram, BUT at twice the cost. Stick with Shimano and you can't go wrong for both brakes and drive train.
I have a supercaliber and I'm changing my drivetrains to xx1 and my brakes to mugara from nx and 501 shimano brakes, do you think he isn't being straight? Do you think I should just go for a shimano xt groupset as I have also considered? I have heard alot of good things about shimano? I'm still on the fence, what I've watched regarding drivetrains is still 50,50, I just want the best of the 2 whatever that might be!
@@letsallgetalong5499 Stick with SRAM for your drive train. And go with Shimano for brakes. I have guides on my bike and while they work, the SLXs I put on my old Kona a few years ago were superior in bite and feel. The guides are just vague.
@@letsallgetalong5499 That Supercaliber is one sweet bike and was on my short list! XC to me is anything from short XCO format 1.5hrs max to marathon XC 3.5+ hrs. In the short XCO format, I find passing opportunities are mostly out of the saddle hammering while accelerating. In those circumstances, Shimano will take more abuse without hard or missed shifts. On marathon XC races or just out with the guys, I think Sram performance is a little crude, but still good enough. It's the cost of those Sram 50t pie plates that turns me off, whereas smaller Shimano cogs are replaceable and an XT 12s cassette is still a reasonable price. Hammering out of the saddle is a big one for me. So personally, replacing Shimano with Sram would be a step backwards
And why Campag is better than both :D 2:54 I used to use an Avid Rollamajig on Shimano mechs back in the day. It worked wonders. Nice to see SRAM incorporate the same technology into the rear mech
i found the SRAM derailleur clutch weak, it does the job on retaining the chain most of the time. but on super rough riding or bike park my chain is still slopping super noisy.
Forget about the way the coating looks. Look at those teeth! They don't even look like they have any wear. No shark toothing, no missing teeth, nothing.
here in Philippine the price of NX = SLX and XT, and best thing in Shimano here at my place you can buy it individually, though of course it may cause you higher but at least you wont shell out large amount in an instant
Depends I have the black on which is basically the same coating the xg1295 If you’d shift hard I will wear out faster ... might be different with the rainbow and bronze and gold idk
Hey, I have gold XX1 on my enduro bike which I mainly use for downhill shuttle runs. The cassette has virtually no wear even though for the first year I had it shifting terrible. But I've had a gold and black XX1 chain and for me the coating come off just washing the bike. Maybe its because I used kerosene to clean but I'm not sure. Maybe 500km of total pedling.
For the cassette, he said he had he has 10,000 kilometers on it, and it barely looks worn. He specifically went over how the coating is very strong on the xx1.
@@JustAGlitchFL a few times a year I degrease my chains. Take them off and soak them in kerosene for a couple minutes. Kero is the onlything ive found to work. The black and gold KMC chains that I have put 10,000km on my road bike the finish doesn't wear off. But for me the XX1 chain coating isn't good. My gold chain just looks goldish silver and my black chain is half black half silver looks pretty trash even though I hardly use. I just purchased a new XX1 chain for a new gravel bike im building. I might not clean as aggressively and ill see how coating holds up
That clutch is not properly adjusted on the XTR Mac, especially since your mentioned it’s 70km old. Mine shifts butter smooth. Got a AXS on my gravel bike and like it a lot. But still prefer the shimano overall. Set and forget 👍
I've never used SRAM mtn bike stuff, but have been using 11 speed eTap for over 20,000 miles....while I love the whole wireless thing and the way the shifting is set up, the shifting itself kind of sucks and have never been able to get it adjusted properly (a few shops have tried, and have had a rear derailleur replaced as well). The batteries also suck too. The little plastic tabs break over time - have broken a good 5 or 6 by now, and I remove the batteries like I'm performing surgery since they're so fragile. Going with Shimano GRX Di2 on my new gravel build.
cool comparison video. i never look at top level components so i didn't know about this. you should do some sort of slx/xt vs nx/gx comparison and see what features are coming up at the mid range. i think that video would be very interesting to watch. i've been pretty partial to shimano for the past several years but i know sram still has a few upper hands and the steel milled cassette you mentioned is still one of them. it doesn't bite into freehub bodies like titanium cassettes do.
Been through 3 XTR derailleurs in the last 2 years. I went through 13 X01 derailleurs a year when I used Sram. Been through 2 Xtr cassettes in 2 years, went through 2 a year with Sram. Sram doesn't last and Shimano shifts SO MUCH BETTER.
@@Fred_the_1996 Mostly Enduro, ups with gnarly downs. 100-120 miles a week and travel from here in CA to OR, WA and Utah. And yes, I religiously clean and lube my drivetrain so if you want the truth on which is better, trust a guy who rides A LOT!
Thank you for the comparison of these high end group sets. For those of us using mid/lower end 12s groups, would you still argue that SRAM is superior to Shimano?
I have to say i strongly disagree with you interms of the clutch, becaus when you are riding an Endurobike a shimano deraleare is quiet, but but the sram one is insanly loud
Been mountian biking since 81. Shimano has Always been better. SRAM did up the game big time with their 12 speed. I have xo1 12 speed on one bike and xt 12 speed on the other. Both are good
Have used the shimano XTR now for the past 2 years in mud, sand and almost every other UK conditions, in the wet and dry and through woodland singletrack and lake district mountains. No adjustments no missed gear changes and next to no wear.
Sram always confuses me. They make the best high end but also make the worst low end. Even their mid range GX leaves allot to be desired but its serviceable unlike their low end.
ye like the sram x7 it's a 10s but with no clutch but with shimano they have the m5120 it's also a 10s but with a clutch so Sram is for good for high end rich people and shimano is the perfect brand for people with budget set ups
Sram is not inferior only if we compare their top rear derauliers and casettes. Everywhere else sram is worse. Brakes, from levers to calipers. Shifters, sram has no double release. Shimano has better brake rotors as well. And the whole mid price range is owned by shimano.
I have used SRAM X01 (11 speed) previously and now have Shimano XT/XTR (12 speed). SRAM was a nightmare to keep shifting smoothly and you nearly had to sell your house to afford the replacement cassette or derailleur. I ended up going to Gabaruk for replacement cassettes that were half the price of SRAM - though I broke 3 of them before I ended up with one that didn't break. I now have Shimano XT cassette and XTR derailleur, and while the shifting is a little more pronounced, it is so much better in terms of maintenance as I have hardly touched it to keep it shifting well. I also prefer a more pronounced shift on rough terrain as it signals that the shift has occurred. I haven't needed to replace anything on the Shimano yet but looking at the replacement prices for cassettes and derailleurs, they are almost half the price of SRAM. At this stage, I'll never buy a SRAM-equipped bike again.
I've had bikes with Shimano for many years, but the last two bikes had Sram X01 11-speed and X0 2x10-speed. All systems have been fine, but I had trouble getting the X01 11-speed to shift great. Changing two bikes to GX Eagle was great upgrades; the shifting was silent and effortless. I also never thought 3x or 2x was a problem, but 1x is awesome. The new Shimano 12-speed looks very nice, but slightly different spacing than Sram and no original 11-51 12-speed, makes it less tempting to buy a bike with it, upgrade the other bike we have (with Slx 3x10) or change a bike with Eagle to it. If I'd go with Shimano I'd choose SLX cranks, XT-shifter and the rest could be Slx or Deore. The Shimano cassettes are a bit heavy, but steel cogs are durable; the X01/XX1 cassettes are beauties (including construction), but expensive.
The ridiculous thing about shimano derailers is you can get 20$ tourney TY500 that comes equipped with a better cable routing system than a 280$ flagship xtr derailer.
I had 6 (six!) hydro rival levers replaced due to unstoppable leakage and wrong assembly of left/right parts. Two rival calipers replaced with unstoppable leakage. The rival rear derailleur failed at the cable bolt, the aluminium just turned into cheese. The back of the quarq powermeter is made of plastic and if the chain touches it (chain drop to the inside) the powermeter breaks. And it wasn't only me, I have quite a few friends with the same issues. SRAM is actually simply the worst!
i always wonder about people who actually like sram garbage. up and down the line, the sram stuff is pure junk; without the appeal of the oem 12 speed eagle before shimano 12 speed stuff was out, i'm sure the company would have folded by now with rockshox spun off. the worst thing about the sram 12 speed cassettes is the actual gear ratio, with the new 10-52 cassette even WORSE than the original; the shimano 33-39-45-51 is so much better.
I run Shimano Tourney on my Rocky Mountain slayer over the AXS Wireless system I got, because you’re truly right. Shimano is superior. SRAM is garbage that doesn’t work. Shimano tourney is the best high end drivetrain I’ve ever experienced.
The gold coating appears to show signs of use too. I'd say even more than the shimano one if you look closely. The only problem is looks better as a whole is because the contrast between black/gray and gold/silver is huge. Take a close look at the smallest cog on the sram cassette. You'll see it is quite scratched but you barely see it because of the contrast.
Sram мы Shimano pretty hot topic as usual. I had Sram XO1 derailleur and cassette on my new bike. Before I had Shimano on my previous bike. So I decided to test Sram transmission. And I found that Sram clutch is weaker than Smimano's because I constantly heard the chain slapping with Sram. Shimano clutch is rock solid. Yes, you lose in the smoothness of shifting, but for me, it's not so important as chain tension and security of my rides. And you can always adjust the Shimano clutch. Also if the Sram clutch fails you couldn't service or replace the clutch mechanism. But you can do it with the Shimano clutch. P.S. Shimano costs less by the way 😉
I have the same experience (SLX 12X vs NX 12X). In this case Sram is way better in shifting performance and durability! In therms of brakes Shimano is lightyears ahead - just my experience.
As someone who works in a bike shop that sees tons of repairs, we have 10x more issues with Sram Eagle stuff. Maybe it’s smoother and prettier than shimano, but it’s far less reliable... plus the drop in quality when you go to NX or SX is simply unacceptable, those drivetrains are garbage whereas SLX and Deore are fantastic for the money.
Seems the middle cogs with SRAM always a problem at one time or another.
Is SLX = NX? I though SLX=GX.
@@TeacherNickoy I think comparing is tough and they don’t always align properly. XT is supposed to be equivalent to GX but I put it a bit higher. I’m good with comparing SLX with GX. GX is lighter than SLX and XT if I recall.
Lol what kind of issues? You mean abusing your gear and not maintaining the gear? You don't know what you're talking about
@@Marco-717 shimano durability is actually incredible. It would be very unwise to suggest that shimano is "easy to beat" on an engineering level. Reliability is their forte - alivio is basically indestructible.
I currently ride with SRAM (2 years with this groupset) and am constantly tinkering to keep it shifting perfectly. For the 5 or 6 bikes before this SRAM build I rode exclusively Shimano component sets (XT and XTR, and even 1 with DEORE). Guess which was far less of a headache? If you guessed SRAM, you guessed wrong. My next build will be Shimano XT...best MTB groupset for the money in my opinion. For what its worth, for my road bike I have used the same Ultegra set up for 10 years and has never once let me down. Shifts like pure gold even after all this time. Just sayin...
Found the Xbox vs Playstation of the biking world
🤣🤣🤣
Sram is xbox shimano is ps4
lol
@@d1stackzjct no other way round
@@archiemorgan1194 I respect your opinion but I like Shimano more
I'm an endurance rider, sometimes on the bike for 8+ hours. From my experience shimano is much more reliable and is moreso a "set it and forget it" drivetrain, again this is from my experience using both for many hours
What drive train do you have?
@@JitinMisra XTR 11 speed w/e13 9-46 on XC. GX eagle on enduro
I have the same experience with Shimano, i don't have much experience with sram but what i love about Shimano is that you can get away with the lower end tier drivetrains and still have a well working system for a long time, I've been touring long distances for about 7 years now and i am very happy with Shimano. Also worth mentioning that i love their cop and cone hubs, they will keep spinning forever when serviced.
@@HansensUniverseT-A Reliability is very important to me as well. The GX I used mostly and run it on my enduro rig but alsonridden along side friends with the same repeated traits of going out of adjustment and having tension issues and generally very finicky. shimano just works well all the time although I haven't tried their 12 speed stuff with is more comparable. I like the lightness and simplicity of 11. I do like my XTR but yes it's all trickled down nicely over the years and anything slx up is supurb. The only thing I've always had a issue with is snapping der cables I think because the clutch is more agressive until you adjust it down oh and they don't support bike shops and independent retailers but I'm a home mechanic so I'm constantly shopping online anyway
I have a SX and a deore ( both 12x) with the SX I have to make a adjustment now and then so I see what you mean there. The deore I have don’t have to tune it as often. To me I don’t mind adjusting it so it comes down to shifting and feel. Which I feel goes to the SX. Then again I only go out for around 4-5 hours so I do not know how they would hold up there.
Sram Vs. Shimano. Coming from me a bike mechanic, it’s a pretty massive topic. Is one better than the other? I think it’s really up to your personal preference, but on paper Shimano is better. I believe that both are great, I’m running GX on my bike currently and I’ve had zero problems. I clean my drivetrain often and I maybe tinker with it every 1-2 months so im more biased towards sram because Im used to it and im lucky to have it be reliable to me. Factually Shimano is better. Shimano has a more aggressive tighter clutch, better quality components, barings, pulleys and etc… it most importantly has a slim derailleur cage so it’s pretty a sleek and if you crash you’re very unlikely to bend/break a derailleur hanger. The construction of the derailleur and shifter is better, but it varies between groupsets. Yes sickbiker is right that sram is smoother because of their roller bearing clutch and pulley system, but on paper Shimano is better. The cassette coating is really not important, mainly just paint in my opinion. What matters is the metal composition and construction of the cassette. If these drivetrains are cleaned regularly and maintained like they should be both should perform great.
thanks for the info
I have an XT drive which I have been trashing for about 5 years now. And it is realiable as ever and does not cost a leg.
I've had an XT drivetrain on my xc race bike for more than 50 xc races, and about three hundred kilometers a week on average, for more than 4 years of that time, and had that system for more than 6 years and only replaced the rear derailleur after crashing it into rocks on a course in Colorado. Ive worn out three cassettes in that time. All worked fine and never let me down in any races . I kept the drivetrain pretty clean and oiled after most rides and every race. Enough said.
I have been riding bike since I was 6 years old and now I’m 45. I have owned almost all the highest group sets that Shimano and SRAM had sold, from the first Shimano Dx, Lx and Xtr, the First SRAM x9 and x0 to the first xx and newest xx1 and Xtr(this last one is what I have at nowadays installed on my bike) and I have to say that It’s impossible that your SRAM cassette and your rear derailleur have 10.000 kms keeping that shape without any kind of marks of use unless you ride in your dinning room.
Sorry but I see this comparison a little bit “peculiar”.
I thought exactly the same thing. 10,000? No way!
oh wait hes an xc rider that explains it😂
Sram might look better, but Shimano works better, especially when shifting under load.
Sram's top product might be better than Shimano's, but it's mid and lower budget groups aren't even close.
I just got my second bike (eMTB) and it came with SRAM NX DR and SX shifter. It's crap, because it jumps gears going higher. My old bike had Shimano. Much better. My son's new eMTB has Shimano. Much better. Shimano is simply better in the mid to low range.
@@scottamolinari yeah my bike came with full sx components and it's complete garbage. I upgraded to an nx shifter and derailleur and it's much better now. I spent ages trying to tune the sx derailleur and just couldn't get it perfect. I don't know if the derailleur is what causes the garbage shifting or if it's the shifter. I've never tried shimano's mtb components though. I have some old shimano dura ace components on my road bike and they work flawlessly, but that's not an equal comparison to nx lol.
ive been runnning the same shimano XT drivetrain for maybe twoish years now and I've only had to give it one tune up. as a bike mechanic at a shop in a place with drastic climate changes with the seasons, we see lots of drivetrain repairs. i've had to warranty about 10+ sram cassettes that had a tooth or two broken in random spots on the cassette. Sram surely has got 10 fold on shimano in the aesthetics department but looks don't always mean good and reliable performance. Sram makes an amazing drivetrain, don't get me wrong but sram's way of getting a following seems to be much more focused around making the bike look GOOD rather than solely functional.
recently my shop had a sram clinic where our regional sale rep came by for 3-4 hours to talk about sram products and such. I brought up shimano at one point and everyone laughed because they see me as the shimano worshipper but eventually i got a legit answer out of the sales rep. he said something along the lines of "shimano has put so much R&D into creating a product that works incredibly well, there's almost no chance of keeping up." so with that said, i prefer shimano but i'm happy to have anything that works.
Since you're a mechanic, can you help me? My XT derailleur gets stuck in 1st gear and I have to pull on it with my hand to get it to shift. The limit screws are properly adjusted and the cable tension is also properly adjusted, since every gear except the 1st works.
@@Fred_the_1996 hard to help without seeing it in person but my xt dereailleur was doing the same things so i replaced the cables and housing and that fixed the issue. could also be a bent hanger. those would be the first things i'd check
It's not about the top end. Slx and deore are wayyy better for their price than sx and nx.
@@AllCreaturesCount who asked man
@@gile4782 i did
@@gile4782 he's just adding the conversation man
@@AllCreaturesCount well the only difference between nx and gx is the materials so maybe it was badly tuned when u used the nx
@@AllCreaturesCount i never noticed. its just such a chore to adjust any sram drivetrain but it still doesn't really change how it works when its dialed in.
i had a GX group set for 2 years and it never kept true/aligned for more than a few days, i always had to adjust it, though since june i`ve had a shimano groupset and i`ve never had to adjust it, it just keeps shifting as good as day one.
My sx derailleur broke in half after 1 month and not say I never crushed my bike in that period and it broke on flat
Talking to people that work at bike shops who service a lot of bikes, they all say SRAM have more problems and are noisier.
The xtr coating you pointed out is the aluminum cogs. When you compare with srams aluminum 50T it also has chips in the coating. Pretty much the same for the same material.
After 70 vs 10000 kms, see the point that was made
Kinda pointless should compare similar milage and used in similar conditions. Any cassette will go 5000km easy if you keep it maintained
@@niteryder50 a Shimano cassette wouldn’t get close to those distances 🤣
sram is great when works, sadly its not that often, shimano for reliability
Sram is good as long as you care for it and look after it where as shimano is basically set and forget
Cassette coating: seems purely aesthetic but if that’s important to you that’s a reasonable complaint.
Materials: like you said, to avoid machining an incredibly complicated piece out of one solid block, they saved cost by using different materials, what’s wrong with that other than aesthetics?
Clutch: the clutch is to avoid chain slap on rough trails with big hits, if your multiple shifting and can notice subtle differences in shifting your probably not on a trail that requires the use of a clutch.
Smoothness: again, they avoided using a complicated system to save money and improve reliability.
I can see where your coming from with some of these issues, but I think your looking at these products as if they have the exact same customer in mind. With XTR your making a few tiny sacrifices here and there for very significant cost savings and, in my experience and in the experience of my shop buddies, increased reliability. If your okay with increased maintenance and cost for the extra bit of smoothness and aesthetic than buy sram, it’s totally fine to prefer it. But I can’t agree with calling it “better”
It's better because it's gold.
If maintained shimano will shift better under a load.
The xtr Clutch is more serious about its job then xx1.
I've seen more Sram derailleurs smashed by rocks than I have seen Shimano units. Theram units' design leaves more of the derailleur exposed to rocks on the trail as more of the body of the unit is outside the width of the rear axle. I only have experience with 11sp units, and i've never had a Sram transmission shift as nicely as a Shimano unit. Also, Shimano anodizes the cassette cogs, it's not a surface coating. The plating and surface treatments for shifting performance is done at the chain.
I have had SRAM disappear into the back wheel and end up wrapping everything around the chainstay and eating spokes. Scary stuff.
The coating on the aluminium is equal, shimano has 3 sprockets plus they are more profiled than sram, so more contact surface for chain to scratch, it's just about visual impression.
It's simple everyone loves Shimano cause it's affordable...
one reason but its mainly cuz the clutch is insanely powerful and keeps the bike quiet and the under load shifting is unbeaten, compared to egal axs my xt still does better when your cranking as hard as you can
I’ve also found that Shimano parts are generally easier to work on, especially brakes
Sram NX and SX are affordable
And. It flat out works. Sram drivetrain suck
And I flat out works
I switched from Eagle Gx to A XT derailleur and SLX cassette.
Where Shimano is superior, to keep it in the same spirit;
The Sram derailleur is way more exposed , aka easier to hit a rock.
Second; the shifter is light years ahead of the cable GX version.
And third, price.
For the price of a GX cassette, I can buy 2 SLX cassettes.
And fourth; if the bottom sprockets wear out, I can separately replace them. That won’t fly with Eagle, so you have to replace the entire cassette .
The downside to replaceable cogs. Is the weight you mentioned.
But as a hobby biker, I’ll take that anytime over a bit of weight vs price.
Same here... GX Eagle is made of cheese (NX, SX even worse) and not comparable to SLX and/or XT. I also upgraded mine to Shimano.
1:33 in and i've heard enough! This guy has no Idea!
Yep!!!
shimano is way better in the budget - mid drivetrains and i will definetely choose the shimano brakes as well , but i agree that sram is better at the high end ones
I agree but mid range derailleurs and shimano vs sram brakes are debatable.
The XTR derailleur has an adjustable clutch. If you think it is too tight then loosen it. If your SRAM clutch is too loose then good luck tightening a non-adjustable clutch.
But he said that in the video lol
No the new XX1 derailleurs have an adjustable clutch. It just takes a screw
@@buildtestflyrepeat9428 And there they go, they are copying Shimano every time :D
@@adammikesaliasfreshprince4124 The whole 1x drivetrain revolution was started by Sram... narrow wide chainring, 11 speed, 12 speed, 500% range, non concentric upper pulley wheel on and on. Just ride the drivetrain you like. It is that easy.
I don't think you understand what the clutch on Shimano does! The cage is difficult to move ON PURPOSE! That's the clutch's purpose - to eliminate chain slap! With the clutch engaged, the cage only moves when the derailleur is moved to an adjacent cog. When you aren't shifting, the cage stays put.
I have been a Shimano rider for a couple of decades. The moment we went to 1x 11 and later 1x12 is where SRAM took a distance, I still continued riding Shimano stubborn as I am. At a certain moment I started braking chains and even cassettes on a high frequency. Swapped to Eagle never looked back. One bike with AXS now, comfortable maintenance as practically no maintenance, re adjustments, cables etc.
I've got SRAM Eagle on my new hardtail, but on my road bike and on my full sus, I use Shimano 1x10. The Eagle's not garbage, but I vastly prefer the Shimano. (XT cassette, Zee short cage RD, Saint shifter on the mtb, 105 on the roadie) SRAM always sounds broken even when in perfect adjustment, and the cranks are annoying to service. The Shimano stuff just works more smoothly, is easier to service, and the drivetrain is tucked.
Love shimano. Takes a beating and keeps going. Tried sram but found the derailleurs too fragile.
I disagree I use both but the shimano derailleur can last long or break fast
Lower end SRAM rear mechs are very fragile.
And, what is it with SRAM chains!? I've only ever snapped two and on both occasions SRAM.
@@nickkent7164 Had the xo and still felt it was finicky. The switch was the best decision I could make.
Try to break an XO1 and then we'll talk!
@@raheemgahelable I don’t have to try. The xo was finicky as hell to dial in. Absolutely no issues with xt.
Your points are valid, but I like the Shimano drivetrain better because it isn't as hard to get to work properly. I use XT now, but had to adjust my GX quite often to make it shift right on all the gears.
I have this problem on NX and SX drivetrains only.
@@cannondany Yeah but what does that tell you about Sram and there low end stuff still not working great. You can get low end Shimano stuff and it just works. I did try Sram NX and it never worked properly from the start. So i got the new shimano 12speed SLX and its been working fine since i installed it. I would have no fear in getting the Deore 12 speed stuff cause i know it just works.
I have a 2020 GX eagle and a 2020 xt and I like the xt much much better - the xt is much much smoother to shift and when riding. Interesting your perspective - I never would thought anyone would like sram better that owned both.
do you ride xc?
What model is the SRAM drivetrain? If you are comparing NX to XT, of course the XT is going to be better.
@@JustAGlitchFL I have a NX and a GX and 2 XT 12 speed & 2 XT 11 speed - I had the NX and GX first this year - tried XT and never went back.
@@solomonnackashi1592 Trail and XC
sram is basically apple, replacements are expensive and most of the time need very specific parts for it to work
shimano is like windows, price for replacements etc are bigger and can easily upgrade and can mix most of the stuff up without it having much of an issue
sram looks better and is kinda ahead of its time with the wireless shifting but both companies are basically the same
Srapple vs Shindows
they arent the same in the low end, you cant get a reliable groupset from sram for the price of alivio, acera or even the entry tier deore
I means Sram is nice and all but i prefer shimano
Same here.. I've never ridden these two, but this looks like a great comparison.. although I think in lower price level, XT, SLX and even Deore is much much better than S,N,GX, they're just crap
Kill sram
@@hans4579 mate nx is not crap, I installed it beginning this year on my bike, zero problems and fast shifting
Shimano more like shitmano
SRAM more like shitram
I have one bike with GX and the other is XT, both 12 speed. Can’t wait to get rid of the GX stuff. XT is much more consistent and the shifting is excellent.
I am in the same boat XT all the way - the GX is too rough in shifting
@@NS-zv9qf know any shops with cranks in stock? I’m hearing March/April. 😞
@@tinshield www.aliexpress.com/item/4000323991144.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.5dbd4ffcKqF1cJ&algo_pvid=ec9b4df5-0f79-4229-bb2d-d5a31d2ca9e1&algo_expid=ec9b4df5-0f79-4229-bb2d-d5a31d2ca9e1-6&btsid=0b0a556c16083312064326274ebe07&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_
@@tinshield I always go ali express when I can - I have a ton of stuff from them no issues.
@@NS-zv9qf nice thanks. I need boost spacing I’ll have to dig into it and see.
I dunno. My bike came with SRAM and after having all kinds of shifting issues and a faulty shifter that was replaced and didn’t help I slowly upgraded to shimano. A mix of deore Slx and xt and its way better. And just saying the XTR is known to be super fast wearing in the sacrifice of saving weight. Xt and slx work just as well and last way longer
Stronger clutch actuation will prevent chain slap during hard off road. Shouldn’t you just turn it on when you need it?
no the chain shifts weird especially when downshifting if u do that
Keep in mind that XTR groupset can be bought for 577 euros. Comparable Sram XX1 groupset costs 784 Euros. You get what you pay for...
I love sram and Shimano, got them installed on 2 different bikes but for the pricing I would go for Shimano anytime. It's not over pricing like Sram.
I'd say this was a sponsored video. From personal experience working at a bike shop, sram is harder to tune and is more fragile than shimano. Also the clutch on the shimano has a purpose and you can switch it on or off depending on your needs. Admittedly I haven't had as much hands on with shimano 12 speed since it's relatively new in comparison to sram 12 speed, but I guess time will tell. Also shimano has nicer business practices with their retailers than sram, my boss loathed sram for how they did business. If you love your local shop buy shimano.
Nothing lasts forever, but I have not had any problems with Shimano. The way cable exits from the 12 speed Shimano Derailleur is certainly a flaw and they should address that.
@@sandykavor8434 yeah it needs work. I'm excited for what revisions will come to future generations. Sadly shimano was late to the 12 speed game.
Is that so we keep coming back to waste our money on cheap substandard tat? By cheap buy twice. Stick to sram.
I just gotta pick this video apart a bit. Because I think 3 of your 5 points miss the mark.
I have put extensive miles on both XT and XTR 12 speed setups. And, on XO1 sram setups. Much more on GX. I cant say that ive ridden many miles on XX1... but your points are easy enough to compare.
First, the cassette: Ill give you the coating on the Sram may be more durable. But what does this really add to the cassette? I dont care what my cassette looks like, I care how it works. And there is absolutely NO question the 12 speed XTR setup is a FAR superior shifting system. Shifting under load is effortless and smooth, multiple shifts up AND down are snappy and quick. Tuning is a breeze.
Second, Materials: This is kind of a silly point to make. Does anyone really care what the cassette is made of? I dont... I care how it works. Thats it. I also care about what it costs. And the shimano XTR cassette costs about half of the XX1 cassette. Shifts better and is cheaper... nuff said.
Third, Derailleur cable guide. I love the little wheel on the sram derailleurs. I think its a great design. But its an absolute necessity on the sram derailleur due to WHERE the cable is connected. The cable MUST make a nearly 270 degree turn on the sram derailleur. The on the shimano derailleur the cable does NOT make any where near this angle change. A wheel wouldnt even work. So saying the wheel is superior doesnt make sense. I do find it interesting that your cable looks the way it does. I have nearly 1000km on my XTR and more on my XT 12 speed derailleurs. Original cables and NO fraying at all, ZERO. They look nearly new where the exit the housing. I just sold a bike with an SLX 12 speed setup with over 500km and it also had ZERO fraying of the cable. Something with your setup is not right.
Fourth, the clutch. Id say your pretty spot on with that one. The clutch on the sram derailleur is better. Though I will say, i have no complaints about my shimano clutch. Its just not as smooth. Ive never dropped a chain... ever. and thats what the clutch is for. As long as it works, its not really a big issue for me.
Fifth, the lock on the derailleur. Sram has this nailed. This is a great idea being able to lock the cage forward. Not just for removing the wheels, but also for cleaning the idlers. Why shimano didnt include a system like this on the 12 speed stuff I cant figure.
I agree with all your points bud...also the wheel on sram clogs up with dirt. Scroll through my post maybe I missed something
I have to disagree on shifting. My bike originally came with an 11 speed GX. Being a YT, it has to be assembled a bit. Put derailleur on, tested shifting. No adjustment needed. In fact, it never needed adjusting until I bent the derailleur 2nd year in. Replaced with a GX 12 speed and used the 11 speed cassette. After adjusting limiters, and setting initial cable tension, it ran like a clock. When I replaced the cassette with a 12 speed (overpriced!), again, it is set and forget. And I'm not sure where folks are coming from on rough shifting. I don't experience any of the issues mentioned above. Just smooth easy shifting up and down the cassette.
Having run Shimano XT for years, my experience has not been the same. Constant fiddling is required. Get it dialed, go for a few rides, and look, its out of adjustment. Rinse repeat. Maybe the new stuff is better, but I'll never go back.
And yes, Shimano brakes are superior.
SRAMs better because your chain breaks when you shift underload, unlike Shimano with hyperglide + that keeps your chain from breaking. Why? SRAMs drivetrains help you practice how to use your chain tool.
SRAM makes an objectively more durable chain than Shimano, so....
@@ClockworksOfGL when have they ever done that? I had to servicea sram red etap group that wasnt shfting. Why? Because of a MINISCULE FUCKING SCRATCH on the shift rap on the chain. We filed it down and it worked. My shimano chains have been through batter you wont believe and they dont even show any sign of wear with a chain checker
@@ClockworksOfGL there both made by kmc
It's like Toyota vs Ford. You know both are okay. But one is undeniably more reliable than the other.
sounds like your arguement in favor of sram is that you like weak clutches.
shimano wins in that category because i can easily just turn it off if I want smooth
Shimano clutches are absolute rubbish, badly designed and poorly implemented. Take a look at that flimsy c-clip which hold the adjustment lever in place. If it becomes detached, the seal on the lever is broken which will allow water and grit ingress. Re-attaching the clip is impossible. It's the worst bit of design I've ever seen on a bike.
I love Shimano because it’s durable, reliable, and just works. I also much prefer the thumb/index finger shifting over the SRAM thumb/thumb shifting.
i use thumb/thumb on Shimano
this
Index finger is for breaks. Only thumb shifts gears.
For many years I had NX 11, NX 12, GX 12 and XX1 12. For me, shimano is way better than sram. sram is innovative, and shimano is much more elaborate. but it seems that sram vs shimano is a matter of preference.
I have Sram XO1 on one bike, GX on another, and XT on the other. my XO1 is trouble, my gx is great, but my Shimano XT is amazing. Smoother than all. Also just do a simple search of Shimano vs sram detailers, and you'll see.
Opposite for me, Sram has been wonderful, while Shimano has been troublesome, probably just depends on how lucky you get with the product.
I agree with you. The XX1 cassette life is absolutely amazing. I put thousands of miles in a year and only replace it once a year. Gx, xo1, only last about a quarter of that time. I always pair with the titanium nitrate chain and replace about once a month or less depending on ride time.
I changed back to Shimano since they have 12speed. 2 reasons: trigger shifter are much better then SRAM and the Cassette gearing ist much better then SRAM on the biggest cogs - the 51 / 45 / 39 is much much better solved then the 50 / 42 / 36 on the big cogs. I really don't understand that SRAM did not change this when introducing the 52 cog. With this big 52 cog it became even worse.
But I agree that the basic SRAM cassette design is superior to the one of Shimano - its such a mess to handle all those separate cogs on a Shimano cassette...
And - also agree - disassambling the rear wheel is much simpler on a SRAM derailleur.
So, one have to live with compromises....
Video title is misleading. You should have written something like "Why Sram XX1 Drivetrain Is Simply Better, Than Shimano XTR. Because if you compared similarly priced deore and sx you could say that sram is trash and shimano is awesome. Also sram xx1 is 1.5 times more expensive than shimano xtr
Price matters. You can buy 2 XTR cassettes for the price of one XX1 cassette. The disparity is even larger with the lower end stuff.
@@pavmentsurfer13 I didn't say that it doesn't
@@pavmentsurfer13 Seems like the sram cassette is usable for a very long time tho..
Na, the guy is wrong. Shimano is way more reliable and significantly less expensive.
Where I live the grade changes mid climb quite often so the Shimano hyper glide is worth it
Sram Gropuset and Shimano XTR shifter would be the best of both worlds. And it works fine, it seems that both share the same ratio
1:25 - coating quality is pretty the same... Compare aluminium sprockets on both
I don’t think the comments agreed with you
I’ve had sram x9 for years and they were very finicky when it comes to tuning the rear derailleur, even the local bike shops hate it. Gear would shift poorly (and often don’t shift at all) between gear 3 and 4 in the big chainring, and the same happened between gear 8 and 9 in small chainring. Other than that, it worked flawlessly. Recently bought a used xt drivetrain and never had that issue. I don’t care if the xt looked crap, but I know I will get to the right gears EVERY TIME when I flicked that gear lever with the shimano xt system
Depends on the conditions where you are riding. My gold XX1 eagle cassette looks worse than yours only after 300km. Next bike would definitely be Shimano again. It just shifts better than Sram
For Enduro/DH, my personal experience shows that SRAM derailleur breaks more often than Shimano. SRAM is smooth and better Cassete for sure, but Shimano is stronger.
Running sram gx never had a problem shifts quickly and quietly all day long
10.000km and look like that... the number are clearly manipulated.
He said 10.000 but perfectly he could have said 288.000
The alloy portion of the XTR has comparable wear with the alloy big sprocket @ the Sram. So...
Also, the real problem with Sram Eagle is not on their X01/XX1 $1400+ groupsets that cost as much as the average entry bike out there, but their SX/NX which is what the vast majority Sram equipped $2500 or cheaper bikes get, and people are constantly complaining. AFAIK, the 2020 Shimano M6000/M7000 groupsets, are superior in shifting, and ofc are naturally colored Steel (other than the 51T in the SLX), so will see less discoloration ontop.
I agree that the clutch lock is genius @ Sram, and the shifter cable pulley is "nice", but if consistency is not there for the majority of consumers, the fact that they did right the "halo" top of the line products but the goods don't trickle down, is too big of a ding for me.
Shimano HG+ is far more consistent through the lineup, bringing the entry/mid-range offerings "up", not dragging the top-end down.
I don't know about you, but I love my NX Eagle. There is some coating wear after almost a year since I installed it, but it is only as much as the wear on his new XTR cassette.
@@JustAGlitchFL Wear is typically low and really only cosmetic: SX/NX Eagle cassettes are made out of steel throughout, so they wear naturally slow. What we see on those sprockets, and what I am guessing your cassette has also, is wearing of the coating ("paint") and not meaningful wear of the teeth. It's purely cosmetic. AFAIK I don't care for the black anodized look, be it steel or alloy underneath: the stamped steel sprockets Shimano uses look fine "raw", and I would guess so would Eagle cassettes.
I personally have no experience with SX/NX Eagle. My previous bike had 1x11 NX "pre eagle", it was fine. My current M5100/6100 bikes, are easily better, at least when hastily shifting under load.
And of course, anecdotally there have to be happy people with SX/NX, but I don't think anyone shopping around and reading buyer reviews, will have issues finding complaints with these groups, and how often people opt for a GX Derailleur/Shifter in order to get consistent shifting.
Sram is better in there high end groups, Shimano is better with low end groups and brakes
I don't understand, why Europeans and Americans soo love shimano brakes?! He has a sooooo bad mud protect and bad modulation compared with sram brakes.
whar are u talking xt and xtr are amazing bro.
@@T800-p7p im running xt myself, but it wears out so much quicker than sram gx, xo1 and xx1
@@mattiasvanoverbeke1831 weird. there are many fake shimanos out there
@@T800-p7p i’m 100% sure im not running fake shimano stuff
SRAM looks better, Shimano works better. What kind of rider are you?
I would always go with sram for racing works so much better
Sram works better if you set it up as intended. Shimano is cheaper and easier to set up to work good. Not great
@@georgehliston agree..from tourney to xtr is same shifting perfomance..garbage perfomance sometimes working sometimes not..
@@ontheway7335 did you test xtr and tourney deraileurs?
ironically 15 $ shimano tourney does have the wheel..
I swear Shimano does that on purpose just for fun. Like when Sora road shifters were the only ones in their lineup that had a thumb release lever similar to Campagnolo. Subtle little dig with a wink
I had the same thought😂
shimano xt 11spd is the best value for money, performance and durability. 3 years on my scott spark 910 works like new.
Haha bro I agree with you I have same drivetrain on my 2017 mission pro and till now it runs PERFECT.
Just don’t use shimano chains stretch too easily. Used kmc extra light or super light chains for years last ages.
@@woduk one of those myths again. Top range/ lighweight doesn't last but performs well, and midrange/heavy parts last long. KMC is pretty solid but very expencive.
@@AndreZoiaum Say what? Man, think before you write.
I also believe M8000 was much more superior when it comes to drivetrain.. 12 speed is weaker especially, because the chain is narrower. I really like the ide of 9 speed what Box Components came up with. No need to have so many different gears on a Mountain Bike.
I'm currently running on a SRAM drivetrain and Shimano brakes. I'd say both is good whatever purpose they serve.
I usually find his observations accurate, but in this case he's off the mark. Yes, both manufacturers have pros and cons, but at the end of the day Shimano performs better under load up and down the cassette and is half the price. As an XC racer with two bling bikes, it's a huge oversight for him to not mention race day shifting under load. It’s not just the Shimano shifter, its also the Hyperglide+ chain and cassette design that makes it so smooth and reliable. Shifting hard on Sram is bound to cause a train wreck, so best avoided. I'm a previous Shimano XTR 10s fan and now doing side by side comparison between Sram XX1 Eagle and Shimano XTR 12s. Performance-wise, Shimano wins hands down, I suspect you may see greater longevity on Sram, BUT at twice the cost. Stick with Shimano and you can't go wrong for both brakes and drive train.
I have a supercaliber and I'm changing my drivetrains to xx1 and my brakes to mugara from nx and 501 shimano brakes, do you think he isn't being straight? Do you think I should just go for a shimano xt groupset as I have also considered? I have heard alot of good things about shimano? I'm still on the fence, what I've watched regarding drivetrains is still 50,50, I just want the best of the 2 whatever that might be!
@@letsallgetalong5499 Stick with SRAM for your drive train. And go with Shimano for brakes. I have guides on my bike and while they work, the SLXs I put on my old Kona a few years ago were superior in bite and feel. The guides are just vague.
@@letsallgetalong5499 That Supercaliber is one sweet bike and was on my short list! XC to me is anything from short XCO format 1.5hrs max to marathon XC 3.5+ hrs. In the short XCO format, I find passing opportunities are mostly out of the saddle hammering while accelerating. In those circumstances, Shimano will take more abuse without hard or missed shifts. On marathon XC races or just out with the guys, I think Sram performance is a little crude, but still good enough. It's the cost of those Sram 50t pie plates that turns me off, whereas smaller Shimano cogs are replaceable and an XT 12s cassette is still a reasonable price. Hammering out of the saddle is a big one for me. So personally,
replacing Shimano with Sram would be a step backwards
And why Campag is better than both :D
2:54 I used to use an Avid Rollamajig on Shimano mechs back in the day. It worked wonders. Nice to see SRAM incorporate the same technology into the rear mech
i found the SRAM derailleur clutch weak, it does the job on retaining the chain most of the time. but on super rough riding or bike park my chain is still slopping super noisy.
have you tried installing the STFU chain stay guide? It really helps and I ride heavy Black diamonds here in AZ for fun.
My Sram is solid! I love it.
Forget about the way the coating looks. Look at those teeth! They don't even look like they have any wear. No shark toothing, no missing teeth, nothing.
here in Philippine the price of NX = SLX and XT, and best thing in Shimano here at my place you can buy it individually, though of course it may cause you higher but at least you wont shell out large amount in an instant
I personally think that shimano has without a doubt the better budget range of drivetrains. but when you go up in price does sram run away
One question that i wonder about: how long last the golden surface on the cassette and chain?
Depends I have the black on which is basically the same coating the xg1295
If you’d shift hard I will wear out faster ... might be different with the rainbow and bronze and gold idk
Hey, I have gold XX1 on my enduro bike which I mainly use for downhill shuttle runs. The cassette has virtually no wear even though for the first year I had it shifting terrible. But I've had a gold and black XX1 chain and for me the coating come off just washing the bike. Maybe its because I used kerosene to clean but I'm not sure. Maybe 500km of total pedling.
@@KurtisPape Why would you use kerosene on your bike?
For the cassette, he said he had he has 10,000 kilometers on it, and it barely looks worn. He specifically went over how the coating is very strong on the xx1.
@@JustAGlitchFL a few times a year I degrease my chains. Take them off and soak them in kerosene for a couple minutes. Kero is the onlything ive found to work. The black and gold KMC chains that I have put 10,000km on my road bike the finish doesn't wear off. But for me the XX1 chain coating isn't good. My gold chain just looks goldish silver and my black chain is half black half silver looks pretty trash even though I hardly use. I just purchased a new XX1 chain for a new gravel bike im building. I might not clean as aggressively and ill see how coating holds up
XX1 user here, wish I went with XTR.
Nuff said.
why ? i'm in process to buy one of the two , please tell why
@@stratoskatsipidis9395 Probably because it's not made by SRAM. Does that answer your question?
Hey, should the SHIMANO Tourney users be allowed to have discussions in this comment section?
I love my tourney, give it all the crap you want for it’s shifting speed, but those things could survive a nuclear apocalypse
@@No-ti2sn Just a nuclear apocalypse? I would go as far as saying they would survive a supernova
That clutch is not properly adjusted on the XTR Mac, especially since your mentioned it’s 70km old. Mine shifts butter smooth. Got a AXS on my gravel bike and like it a lot. But still prefer the shimano overall. Set and forget 👍
I've never used SRAM mtn bike stuff, but have been using 11 speed eTap for over 20,000 miles....while I love the whole wireless thing and the way the shifting is set up, the shifting itself kind of sucks and have never been able to get it adjusted properly (a few shops have tried, and have had a rear derailleur replaced as well). The batteries also suck too. The little plastic tabs break over time - have broken a good 5 or 6 by now, and I remove the batteries like I'm performing surgery since they're so fragile. Going with Shimano GRX Di2 on my new gravel build.
cool comparison video. i never look at top level components so i didn't know about this. you should do some sort of slx/xt vs nx/gx comparison and see what features are coming up at the mid range. i think that video would be very interesting to watch. i've been pretty partial to shimano for the past several years but i know sram still has a few upper hands and the steel milled cassette you mentioned is still one of them. it doesn't bite into freehub bodies like titanium cassettes do.
Recently upgraded to nx groupset 😊 shifting is quite smooth so far much better than my previous deore xt.
Been through 3 XTR derailleurs in the last 2 years. I went through 13 X01 derailleurs a year when I used Sram. Been through 2 Xtr cassettes in 2 years, went through 2 a year with Sram. Sram doesn't last and Shimano shifts SO MUCH BETTER.
Holy cow, what kind of riding have you been doing?!
@@Fred_the_1996 Mostly Enduro, ups with gnarly downs. 100-120 miles a week and travel from here in CA to OR, WA and Utah. And yes, I religiously clean and lube my drivetrain so if you want the truth on which is better, trust a guy who rides A LOT!
So shimano if you wana ride trails.. thankyou
@@mtnmyke damn, those derailleurs must have become really familiar with trees and rocks 😅
@@Fred_the_1996 If that were the case then neither would have survived. The clutches on Sram are just garbage compared to Shimano.
Thank you for the comparison of these high end group sets. For those of us using mid/lower end 12s groups, would you still argue that SRAM is superior to Shimano?
The one scram derailleur I owned was trash. I've ridden shimano ever since and never had an issue
scram 🤣🤣🤣
@@T800-p7p lul
I have to say i strongly disagree with you interms of the clutch, becaus when you are riding an Endurobike a shimano deraleare is quiet, but but the sram one is insanly loud
100% agree with you. One ride on my new bikes eagle drivetrain and I can't take the noise.
Yup , I really like the push / pull option shifting of the Shimano
You are living in a fantasy world.
Do a tension camparison between shimano and sram clutch.
And a noise test in rough terrain.
Been mountian biking since 81. Shimano has Always been better. SRAM did up the game big time with their 12 speed. I have xo1 12 speed on one bike and xt 12 speed on the other. Both are good
Have used the shimano XTR now for the past 2 years in mud, sand and almost every other UK conditions, in the wet and dry and through woodland singletrack and lake district mountains. No adjustments no missed gear changes and next to no wear.
Sram always confuses me. They make the best high end but also make the worst low end. Even their mid range GX leaves allot to be desired but its serviceable unlike their low end.
ye like the sram x7 it's a 10s but with no clutch but with shimano they have the m5120 it's also a 10s but with a clutch so Sram is for good for high end rich people and shimano is the perfect brand for people with budget set ups
20.000 km on my GX and 3 cassettes...Still working butter smooth
Yep whole year on my gx over 1000miles offroad inc winter , still have not had adjust cable tensions or anything, really pleased with sram gx
Sram is not inferior only if we compare their top rear derauliers and casettes. Everywhere else sram is worse. Brakes, from levers to calipers. Shifters, sram has no double release. Shimano has better brake rotors as well. And the whole mid price range is owned by shimano.
10000k I dont believe you
I have used SRAM X01 (11 speed) previously and now have Shimano XT/XTR (12 speed). SRAM was a nightmare to keep shifting smoothly and you nearly had to sell your house to afford the replacement cassette or derailleur. I ended up going to Gabaruk for replacement cassettes that were half the price of SRAM - though I broke 3 of them before I ended up with one that didn't break. I now have Shimano XT cassette and XTR derailleur, and while the shifting is a little more pronounced, it is so much better in terms of maintenance as I have hardly touched it to keep it shifting well. I also prefer a more pronounced shift on rough terrain as it signals that the shift has occurred. I haven't needed to replace anything on the Shimano yet but looking at the replacement prices for cassettes and derailleurs, they are almost half the price of SRAM. At this stage, I'll never buy a SRAM-equipped bike again.
I've had bikes with Shimano for many years, but the last two bikes had Sram X01 11-speed and X0 2x10-speed. All systems have been fine, but I had trouble getting the X01 11-speed to shift great. Changing two bikes to GX Eagle was great upgrades; the shifting was silent and effortless. I also never thought 3x or 2x was a problem, but 1x is awesome. The new Shimano 12-speed looks very nice, but slightly different spacing than Sram and no original 11-51 12-speed, makes it less tempting to buy a bike with it, upgrade the other bike we have (with Slx 3x10) or change a bike with Eagle to it. If I'd go with Shimano I'd choose SLX cranks, XT-shifter and the rest could be Slx or Deore. The Shimano cassettes are a bit heavy, but steel cogs are durable; the X01/XX1 cassettes are beauties (including construction), but expensive.
The ridiculous thing about shimano derailers is you can get 20$ tourney TY500 that comes equipped with a better cable routing system than a 280$ flagship xtr derailer.
Still Shimano>Sram
I had 6 (six!) hydro rival levers replaced due to unstoppable leakage and wrong assembly of left/right parts. Two rival calipers replaced with unstoppable leakage. The rival rear derailleur failed at the cable bolt, the aluminium just turned into cheese. The back of the quarq powermeter is made of plastic and if the chain touches it (chain drop to the inside) the powermeter breaks. And it wasn't only me, I have quite a few friends with the same issues.
SRAM is actually simply the worst!
sad but true
i always wonder about people who actually like sram garbage. up and down the line, the sram stuff is pure junk; without the appeal of the oem 12 speed eagle before shimano 12 speed stuff was out, i'm sure the company would have folded by now with rockshox spun off. the worst thing about the sram 12 speed cassettes is the actual gear ratio, with the new 10-52 cassette even WORSE than the original; the shimano 33-39-45-51 is so much better.
I run Shimano Tourney on my Rocky Mountain slayer over the AXS Wireless system I got, because you’re truly right. Shimano is superior. SRAM is garbage that doesn’t work. Shimano tourney is the best high end drivetrain I’ve ever experienced.
The gold coating appears to show signs of use too. I'd say even more than the shimano one if you look closely. The only problem is looks better as a whole is because the contrast between black/gray and gold/silver is huge. Take a close look at the smallest cog on the sram cassette. You'll see it is quite scratched but you barely see it because of the contrast.
We get it you love SRAM
Sram мы Shimano pretty hot topic as usual.
I had Sram XO1 derailleur and cassette on my new bike. Before I had Shimano on my previous bike. So I decided to test Sram transmission.
And I found that Sram clutch is weaker than Smimano's because I constantly heard the chain slapping with Sram. Shimano clutch is rock solid. Yes, you lose in the smoothness of shifting, but for me, it's not so important as chain tension and security of my rides. And you can always adjust the Shimano clutch. Also if the Sram clutch fails you couldn't service or replace the clutch mechanism. But you can do it with the Shimano clutch.
P.S. Shimano costs less by the way 😉
having both, shimano and sram, i would disagree. I prefer shimano, now they are pretty much on par (except for brakes. avid brakes suck)
I have the same experience (SLX 12X vs NX 12X). In this case Sram is way better in shifting performance and durability!
In therms of brakes Shimano is lightyears ahead - just my experience.