SRAM X9 - any good ???

[daveaasmith]

I'm considering SRAM X9 for my Pace, and have seen a few builds on here with it.

I hear that the shifting is second to none - but can it be so much better than XTR (M952 in particular)?

Merlin are selling the shifters and rear mech for £110, which is a huge saving on rrp - I'm tempted, very tempted.

What are peoples opinions on it?

Cheers, Dave

 

[bobo1monkey]

X9

I had X9 on my off the peg Giant and it was brilliant. The shifters and mech are super smooth and accurate. The only thing i would say is if you are going to use them in real gritty, wet conditions then get some sealed cables like Gore as in my experience they are less robust in these conditions and your shifting can seize up completely. Extra cable costs aside, I would higly recommend them.

 

[mtbfix]

I have X-0 kit on my Fisher. The shift is much firmer than light action Shimano, no bad thing IMO. I've had the same cable in there for 3 years now and the shift is still faultless. I'd not hesitate in recommending it.

 

[drystonepaul]

I've had X9 shifters and rear mech on my Orange P7 for over 3 years now. They have been consistently excellent. The rear mech is getting a bit sloppy now though as the pivots are on their way out.
I've got Shimano on all my other bikes but I much prefer the shifting and reliability of my SRAM stuff.

 

[guybe]

I am using SRAM X.9 shifters and both front/rear mechs on my MTB and have to say it's the best I have had so far and prefer SRAM than Shimano stuff, they looked good too.

 

[Andy B]

X9 rear mech & Shifters here (with XT front mech, XT cassette & KMC chain)

The X9 kit is very, very good stuff, superb positive shifting, less issues with cable stretch than with Shimano

The newer versions without the shift indicator window (the ones on MerlinCycles) are almost as good as X0 & a lot cheaper

 

[dirtjumper_dmr]

takes me way longer to wreck sram mechs than shimano ones... my last x9 rear mech got a proper pasting before i had to replace it including lots of 'bashing with a rock' trailside repairs...
i use x5 now tho when i'm running gears on the T'star as its abit cheaper to replace when things go the way they tend to, works great too, bit more plasticy but same feel. good stuff

 

[bigdavevw]

Sram pi55es all over shimano, fingers are for braking and thumbs are for shifting. Also the sram rear mechs have higher spring tension so there is less chain slap. but my x9 rear mech is an arse to index. takes ages and is really sensative

 

[Agency_Scum]

Excellent drivetrain though few sustantive differences ( in quality and weight ) between even X5 and X9. That said, the 1:1 ratio means they're a giggle to set up and have lovely crispy changes.
They're quite prone to wear on the mech springs ONLY IN EXTREME CONSTANT RIDING so leaving them parked or stored for long periods in yop gear ( least amount of tension on the spring ) is a good idea.
If you come across an X mech with a knackered spring that won't pull to top gear simply placing a 1mm washer between the mech and the frame will fix it for another 2-3 years.
Hope this helps.