Shimano vs Sram

[bikeworkshop]

View attachment 901009

@SDGshox setup reminds me of a historical battle.
At the time we thought shimano were designing their brake levers to make them awkward to use with gripshift by moving the pivot towards the centre of the bar.

Sram levers of the period never really took off round us, felt a bit horrible and plasticky in comparison.

And where's gripshift now?

 

[FluffyChicken]

SRAM is alive and well, gripshift are introducing youngster to mountain biking. Dia-Compe used their nice SS7 style brakes and extended them to stay fine with GripShift or pretty much integrate with GripShift. It's a shame when Marin specced them that they chose to use the PC7's with their terrible Marin Lite cantilevers and not something that worked.

They're still there at all levels, it's just that the electronic shifter has the limelight and an electric button or two or even no feel touch pads are the 'best new thing'. And the way auto shifting is coming along, there be none at all for most users.

https://www.sram.com/en/sram/mounta...-shifters?filters=&sort=PriceHighToLow&page=1

 

[bikeworkshop]

It's not that gripshift doesn't exist, it's just that having a couple of dozen bikes through the door every day, i can't remember seeing any lately.

i see more di2 and fixies

 

[Imlach]

Shimano

Next

 

[bikeworkshop]

At the same price point, revoshift feels nicer, and seems to have held on a little better.
Cold hands are a problem

 

[Imlach]

Shimano made the gripshift good.

 

[Titiritero]

I was not aware of twist shifters still existing in SRAM line. Are you sure they are not discontinued? I have 2 kids, plenty of children bikes passing around with twist shifters, and the only ones with SRAM are those 8y old or older... They have discontinued IGH, even though they had the technical lead when they bought SACHS back in the mid 90´s, and they were mostly activated with twist-shifters.

Problem with SRAM is that they have focused so much on the top level (and Campagnolo even more extreme) that there's no entry level bike with their components. Which Shimano, and now Microshift and Sunrace have been quick to use to their advantage. And nobody mounts twist shifters on top level bikes unless personal preference or physical limitations.

Doing a $300 derailleur well is easy. Doing a good $20 derailleur that still works after 20 years is something where Shimano still has the upper hand.

When I look at buying a used bike and it has old grip shifters, I pray I don´t have to swap cables... Such a nightmare job, makes me think they manufactured them to be disposable with each cable change...

 

[trailstar82]

Og suntour for the win ;-)

Never liked SRAM btw

 

[minor_LEGEND]

Twist/Grip shift is dreadful.
I repaired a 24" wheel budget MTB last week with 15sp indexed Shimano & Gripshifts. I could barely twist the shifter to change gears on either mech, nothing seized, stuck or broken. Quite how a small child (girl in this case) is supposed to operate the gears is beyond me. Nevermind having cold or wet hands. One of those instances where you can sell the product as a solution to a problem you didn't know you had but in reality it's actually creating many of it's own. I won't mention changing cables.............

 

[CassidyAce]

SRAM still sell twist shifters: https://www.sram.com/en/sram/mounta...twist-shifters?filters=&sort=Relevancy&page=1. I guess I'm in a minority but I like them a whole lot more than rapidfire and I can't say I have a problem with them being unduly stiff or difficult to twist in the rain or even in the snow. As for rapidfire, I just can't see the attraction or any advantage.