[maddog17]

so i'm thinking of changing out my shifters and brakes. what i have right now are Shimano XT shifters, not sure on the model. to up shift you press down on the brake lever and down shift with another lever. and the brakes are obviously XT hydro's. the reason for the change is i'm not crazy about them, i prefer grip shift twisters. i think shifting is faster with grip shift. so i know that i want those shifters, and i'll have to match up with a sram rear der. so my questions are:

what is the difference between med cage rd to long cage rd? i believe right now i have a long cage, just curious if there is a reason to stay with the long or go to a med.

for the brakes i'd like to stay with hydros so i'm looking for suggestions on which brand to get. what should i be looking for in terms of features?

and my last question is i'd like to get a bash guard. how do i pick one? how do they work? i've noticed that there was a maker that made 2 types. one replaced the big ring the other went over it. since i haven't used the big ring at all, would it make sense to get the one that replaces it? again, any suggestions on which brand to get and should i get one that's plastic or metal?

thanks for the info

 

[MMcG]

XT Hydros - If you are interested in a trade for some Hayes Mags - PM me.

YOu can or should still be able to get SRAM Attack or Rocket shifters and those will be compatible with an shimano rear derailleur.

If you don't use the big ring - put the bashguard in place of it there. XT cranks? 4-bolters? If so, I have a bashguard you can have for a few bucks.

Cheers,

Mark

 

[warthog]

The long cage derailleur takes up more chain. Since you are going to replace the big ring with a bash guard, you might as well get a medium cage since you won't need as long of a chain. Unless as MMcG points out, you get a Shimano compatible Gripshifer and keep your XT derailleur. Also, you could replace the Dual-Control shifter/brake levers currently on your bike with seperate Shimano brake levers and keep the XT brakes you allready have.

 

[maddog17]

thanks for the info guys, great help. MMcG... actually have Truvative Stylo cranks, but they are 4 bolts. so it seems i have quite a few options to go with. i like the idea of still using my current rd, but i'm wondering if the cheaper sram twisters will last. i don't mind spending the extra $$ as long as the parts will last longer. keeping the brakes would be ok, but if i get rid of the shifters then selling them off might be a bit more difficult. i'd rather sell them off complete. so i need to figure out a plan of attack.

 

[warthog]

The cheaper models of 2:1 Shimano compatible gripshifters (Centara and MRX) are not 9 speed anyway, only the Attack is, and it is plenty durable.

 

[sanjuro]

so i'm thinking of changing out my shifters and brakes. what i have right now are Shimano XT shifters, not sure on the model. to up shift you press down on the brake lever and down shift with another lever. and the brakes are obviously XT hydro's. the reason for the change is i'm not crazy about them, i prefer grip shift twisters. i think shifting is faster with grip shift. so i know that i want those shifters, and i'll have to match up with a sram rear der. so my questions are:

First of all, you have Shimano's Dual Control levers, which you shift with the brake levers, similar to road bikes. Many Dual Control setups also use a low-normal derailleur, also referred to Rapid Rise. This derailleur works in reverse of normal derailleurs, which is it springs to the largest cog, not the smallest.

The way you can tell if you have a low-normal on a dual control is if you shift to the smallest cog by pushing down on the right lever.

With that said, it is a huge pain to switch to a separate shifter/brake combo, because not only do you need to replace the brake levers and the shifters, you should replace the rear derailleur so your bike shifts normally, but you don't have too. Just the gear shifter will shift opposite than normal.

what is the difference between med cage rd to long cage rd? i believe right now i have a long cage, just curious if there is a reason to stay with the long or go to a med.

for the brakes i'd like to stay with hydros so i'm looking for suggestions on which brand to get. what should i be looking for in terms of features?

and my last question is i'd like to get a bash guard. how do i pick one? how do they work? i've noticed that there was a maker that made 2 types. one replaced the big ring the other went over it. since i haven't used the big ring at all, would it make sense to get the one that replaces it? again, any suggestions on which brand to get and should i get one that's plastic or metal?

thanks for the info

If you are going with a bash guard, you can switch to a medium cage derailleur. Long cage takes up the extra chain slack if you shift to the big chainring/big cog.

Medium cage shifts slightly better and is slightly lighter.

There are a lot of brakes out there. I use XT, Hayes Mags, and Juicy Ultimates. They all seem to stop fine, although there will be lots of argument about what is the best brake.

I think XT is the easiest to bleed, Hayes the hardest.

As for bash guards, the replacement for the big ring is the most durable. The ones that sit outside the big ring are really just pants guards, and will not survive a log or a rock.

I don't have a favorite, but E13 makes the best plastic guards I believe. I use a metal one, but they are pretty standard.

 

[MMcG]

doh - I didn't read too carefully - Sanjuro is right you have the dual control set up it sounds like.

Stylos are good cranks and yep - plenty of options for bashguards out there.

 

[maddog17]

thanks for the info Sanjuro, i knew they are the dual control, what i meant to say is a specific model # like XTR rapid fire SL-M970's. i do have the low-normal rd. i don't mind changing out the rd, my thoughts are going toward the sram XO's or X9's and i know i'd need the sram rd since it's a 1.1 ratio for the shifting. i'm more worried about the brakes. plenty of models to choose from, just not sure which direction to go in. good to know who bleeds easier i've never done it and have no idea on how to. any thoughts on fluid choice? should i look into brakes that work on DOT or oil? the bash guard i figured on going with the 3rd ring replacement version since i haven't used the outside ring ever and i can go with a smaller cage for the rd.

so thanks again for the help guys