Re:IEDM 2022: Did We Just Witness the Death of SRAM?
by LeifCarrotson on Thursday December 15, 2022 @11:08AM
(#34001625)
If it's been forever, SRAM might be worth reconsidering. Shimano and Campagnolo are both hundred-year-old companies, SRAM is much newer. SRAM is twice as big now as it was 10 years ago, they've improved by leaps and bounds compared to what you likely remember.
9 speed was already almost too much for a 'casual-enthusiast' [0].
But in general, Shimano or Campy is my preference for drivetrain [1] and Avid/Shimano for brakes [2].
[0] - I've blown out 9 speed cassette in less than 1k miles due to my riding style (skipping gears). NEVER had a similar problem on the 8 speed cassettes or 5 speed freewheels I would roll on.
[1] - Ok so I had a SRAM grip-shift break in a way it shot plastic in my face which was a terrible first impression. But also I've had 'issues' with a lot more SRAM vs Shimano when building/maintaining bikes. And then there was the Truvativ 3 speed road crank that could never get adjusted right (FWIW, I got the same 'model' as a double for a tandem and it was bliss... but that is my point about QC.) Also, that mess that was 'power spline'. Tore that up before in less than 500 miles.
[2] - In the day I was all about Speed-Dial 7s[3] for levers and BB7s for brakes (Very adjustable, none of the pains of fluid based disc brakes) and Shimano had a bad habit of trying to make things proprietary (center-lock disc hubs).
[3] - SD7s are the best retrofit-bike thing on the planet, because they can make all sorts of old/new brake combinations work with a consistent set of levers!