Shimano v SRAM

MajesticDonkey

Currently have 105 on my Trek. Looking into getting a Turas RR1.0 with SRAM Force components, which I've heard are equivalent to DA7800 in Shimano terms.

Anyone have any experience or comparisons between the two? Thanks!

Idleater

Try a bike with sram to see if you fit the hoods. I moved from shimano duraace to sram a couple of years ago and never looked back. Have force on the race bike, rival on the commuter/training bike and x0 on the mtb.
The 1:1 actuation is great for smooth shifts and adjustment.

TinyExplosions

MajesticDonkey wrote: »

Currently have 105 on my Trek. Looking into getting a Turas RR1.0 with SRAM Force components, which I've heard are equivalent to DA7800 in Shimano terms.

Anyone have any experience or comparisons between the two? Thanks!

Have used Ultegra and SRAM rival, and there is a practical difference in operation (double tap for SRAM) that you'll either like or not. I love it and wouldn't want to go back, but there's no real performance difference.

MajesticDonkey

Great, thanks lads.

I fecking love the Turas bike...the looks, the components and it weighs something like 7-7.5kgs. Will give it a try before buying anyway, just to check the shifters and so on like ye mention.

ford2600

MajesticDonkey wrote: »

Great, thanks lads.

I fecking love the Turas bike...the looks, the components and it weighs something like 7-7.5kgs. Will give it a try before buying anyway, just to check the shifters and so on like ye mention.

Are you buying Turas so you can race the trek?

MajesticDonkey

ford2600 wrote: »

Are you buying Turas so you can race the trek?

I wish! Changing bike completely. Will probably just get the proper insurance when I start racing.

ROK ON

I have Shimano Ultegra on 2 bikes and SRAM Red on one bike.

Observations:
1. SRAM shifting is smoother,
2. SRAM feels very brittle - it feels as if the shifters will break.
3. Braking seems superior with Shimano,
4. The SRAM red hoods are stupidly small - they are barely hoods at all - there is literally nothing to grip. (my hands are small btw).

Other than shifting and weight it is ergonomically inferior to Shimano IMHO.
It seems to be noisy relative to Shimano.
The weight saving in SRAM leads me to believe that they have cut corners. No hoods and way to brittle.
I will be making the change back to Shimano - simply not for me.

Idleater

There's also a difference in how sram paddles move compared to shimano. Shimano moves straight and sram goes in an arc. This means that if you are going up 3 gears, your finger doesn't stretch further away with each sub-click.
The brake levers are adjustable for reach too and braking and shifting at the same time is fine.
The hoods are also smaller than shimano so you can grip more. Obviously the opposite is true for shimano, so it's down to personal preference and anatomy.
I got used to double tap in probably less than 20 minutes. I do know people who have tried it and switched back to shimano too, so I'm not going on a hard sell. Weight wise I think sram pips the others in each level.

fat bloke

I moved to Sram red last year after years of nothing but Shimano. THe sram is really really nice. When I go back to my shimano training bike the shifting feels really second rate. It's fine like and I get used to it quickly enough but the sram is something else altogether, it's really smashing.

I have big hands and have not noticed the hoods issue at all, at all.

First generation Sram red had a rep for being noisy and requiring constant fettling, the newer stuff, which I've been using, is reputed to have addressed all of those issues, and I've had no problems at all. How well the lower echelon groupsets work I personally do not know,

Seaneh

I've used both Shimano and Sram higher end groups.

I prefer SRAM.

I prefer the shifting system, I find shifting more accurate and more smooth. I like that the reach is fully adjustable and I never found myself running out of fingers when reaching for the breaks or shifting multiple gears at once. And like Idleater I like that you can break and shift at the same time. I have short fingers and big pads and I find that the SRAM ergonomics are a lot better for my hands than Shimano. I won't comment on breaking as I don't really go fast enough to notice the difference in breaking and I find both to do what I need them to, stop me.

All that said, the sram levers, especially then rivel ones, feel very flimsy at times.


All in all, if I was offered Apex or 105, I'd take Apex, if I was offered Ultegra or Force, I'd take force. I don't think I'd bother with Rivel though.

MajesticDonkey

Thanks again lads.

One last thing - a 105 28:11 cassette will be compatible with SRAM Force groupset will it not?

Seaneh

MajesticDonkey wrote: »

Thanks again lads.

One last thing - a 105 28:11 cassette will be compatible with SRAM Force groupset will it not?

Yesh, Sram and Shimano cassettes and chains are interchangeable.

MajesticDonkey

Fantastico.

Seaneh

But really, the best thing to do is try both out and see which you prefer, you might love sram and you might hate them completely.

MajesticDonkey

Will do, thanks. Think I know a lad with SRAM Apex.

Idleater

MajesticDonkey wrote: »

Will do, thanks. Think I know a lad with SRAM Apex.

Just a point on that, rival and apex share components, force and red share components. My rival and force bikes work the same way ergonomically, but the force components feel better and clunk less. More refined in other words.

fago

I've had all the flavours of shimano from tiagra -> dura ace. Never any problems very reliable and from 105 up shifts very well.

Got my first bike with Apex last winter.
3 observations
- shifters seem to take a lot of effort to shift up both in front and rear
- right hand shifter collapsed had to be sent back to SRAM and replaced after ~1000k
- hoods aren't are comfortable as shimano, but that's a personal preference

Lumen

fago wrote: »

shifters seem to take a lot of effort to shift up both in front and rear

SRAM is quite sensible to cabling. I have two bikes with Red shifters and a mixture of Red and Force mechs, and they shift completely differently. One feels nice and light, the other is heavy.

The difference is that the light shifting one uses super expensive low-friction cabling and only gets used in races, and the other uses cheapo crap cabling and gets used all through the winter.

Because low-end SRAM shifter internals are made of cheese, they get killed by high cable tension. I've had no issues with my Red shifters over several years regardless of how well they're set up.

Also, SRAM likes a big ugly loop of cable at the rear mech.

TinyExplosions

Lumen wrote: »

Also, SRAM likes a big majestic swoop of cable at the rear mech.

FYP

-Thank god he didn't ask for a comparison with Campag too!

Smalltom

I agree with previous poster re big ugly loops of cable for rear derailleur. That said I have all SRAM red on the race bike and had ultegra on my training bike and just felt that the shimano lacked the accuracy of the SRAM. I changed the winter bike over to SRAM force and am way happier on it. It's definitely a personal choice but I've crashed and bike landed on left hood in a race and found SRAM resilient enough! I'm on a crusade to convert my club mates to SRAM just to get a rise out of the shimano crew lol. It's actually working he he.

Plastik

I changed from Shimano 2300 to Sram Rival back in 2011 and was blown away by it. Absolutely loved it, as you would expect given the jump in groupset quality. I bought a second hand winter/commuter with Shimano 105 5600 and still, I was in love with the Sram on the good bike. Now though, the novelty has worn off for me. The Sram seems to need constant fettle. It is absolutely fabulous when it is working right, though unfortunately this seems to be less and less of the time. It absolutely breaks my heart, because I really want to like it. I like the shifting, I love the hoods. The 105 on the other bike is nowhere near as nice to use, but has been ultra-reliable in comparison.

I'll be buying a new bike in the next few months and of the three manufacturers I'm torn as to which one to get. I'm actually leaning towards Campag.

MajesticDonkey

Plastik wrote: »

I'm actually leaning towards Campag.

Grrrr

If I wait a few months, will you get back to me and let me know?

dave2pvd

I've used/I use 105, Ultegra, Red, Force.

I like them all.

By anyone's definition, my hands would be classified as large.

Pros for SRAM:

Good ergonomics.
Much more accurate shifting, even when well worn. The 1:1 makes a big difference.
Fast upshifts in a sprint.
You can pull the shift lever back to the bar.
Adjustable reach.

Pros for Shimano:

Good ergonomics.
Robust, with lots of alloy instead of lightweight plastics/polymers. (Old fashioned?)
Typically findable at a lower price point than equiv SRAM.

Cons for SRAM:

Does not like sh1tty or worn cable. In fact the first Red group I bought had Gore cables with Teflon lining. Teflon peeled off and gunked up the cable travel completely. Replacing inners and outers fixed this, but only after a lot of head scratching.
Some people don't like the 'clack' noises. I've no issue with it - it's the result of high spring tension and using lightweight non-metallic parts.
SRAM FDs should have chain catchers. They don't push the chain to the small ring, they slap it.
The ugly RD 'loop'.

Cons for Shimano:

The snapped cable 'umbrella' issue. Some of you will know what I'm talking about.
After riding a SRAM bike, the shift feedback on Shimano feels very vague. This is the one thing I dislike the most on Shimano.

I've only talked about shifting and gears. As far as braking goes, I find them equally good. Pad/rim choice seem to be the only factors that matter in that dept.

Ryath

Have sram rival now on my for over 2.5 years and over 10,000km. Used tiagra for about 6 months before that. Instantly loved the sram double tap literally took just minutes to get used to it. The right shifter has allows been very good quite smooth and accurate and requiring little adjustment. The left not as much few months after getting it it wasn't great, bike shop sorted think it was just the cable stretching and I couldn't get it set back up right. Never any bother indexing the rear.

Right shifter has got sticky and clunky over this winter. Spent most of it in the small ring so it's probably just lack of use and needing a new gear cable.

Still occasionally ride the bike with Tiagra it just feels weird having to use the brake lever to shift. Find myself even dabbing the front brake sometimes when shifting.

MajesticDonkey

Great info lads, thanks.

Seweryn

MajesticDonkey wrote: »

Great info lads, thanks.

Not sure if I can add much, as there was said enough already.

I had Shimano 105 for only two weeks and didn't like it, especially the shifting with brake lever, and the build quality which is not up to scratch comparing with Sram.
I went back to Sram Rival. Love this system. The shifting action is brilliant, you can adjust the brake lever and shifter position independently and the whole system is well built and durable. Have about 29k km covered on my system and I am very happy with it.