sram shifters

hi
i have lx 500 spec on my alpinestars cro mega, was thinking about changing front mech, rear mech and shifters, dont know anything about their product range, would like their equiv to xt, also do they do a front mech for an e stay bike, would like some advice, have heard good things about sram stuff

i went for a modern sram x9 rear mech & shifter 18 months ago and to be honest, i thought it was a lot slicker than any shimano stuff i'd used before (various lx / xt & stx models). I've just finished a clockwork build using the same x9 rear mech, a same year x7 front & a pair of x9 shifters and i love it for a couple of reasons.

1 - looks different to shimano so has a slightly less 'run of the mill' mentality
2 - shifters feel very positive
3 - works well once its setup properly
4 - looks good on the bike

admittedly, the stuff i'm using isn't retro as per the pre '97 divide (i think my stuff is 2009 model year) but if your after functionality over period correctness you can't go wrong! i've no experience of older sram stuff so cannot comment on their earlier parts.

The vast majority of SRAM shifters aren't compatible with Shimano rear mechs due to a different cable pull ratio.
SRAM use a 1:1 ratio while Shimano use a 2:1 ratio.

The front mech and shifter aren't strictly compatible either and although do work to an extent aren't perfect.

Modern Shimano shifters will still work fine with your old 500LX mechs though, and new mechs will work with your old shifters.

For reference SRAM X-9 is the current equivalent to Shimano Deore XT.

I don't think you'll be able to find a SRAM front mech that's compatible with the direct frame mounting on a Cro-Mega frame.

thanks, i thought i would struggle to get a front mech for my bike, i read that i would have to change all parts of the gear system, only looking at sram because they seem to be cheaper than shimano and appear to be of equal quality.
thanks

I've not had any issues with Sram shifters and Shimano front mechs, most of my bikes run that combo

X9 or X7 shifters, X9 rear mechs, Shimano XT front mechs (SLX/XT cassettes & KMC/Sram chains)

Loads of OEMs spec. SRAM shifters with Shimano front mechs. It's only now they've really got their act together with front shifting so just buy Shimano front.