Anyone know?
Are x.9 rear der.s are that much better than x.7's?
- Thread starter PatBranch
- Start date
id say depends on the cage, i cant find any x-7 thats not a long cage, there really easy to bend. if you get an x -9 medium or short cage itll be harder to bend.
As for performance i have no idea.. . . .
As for performance i have no idea.. . . .
I have to have a medium cage or smaller, so I guess it's x9. The new x9's can come with short cages, but they are $100....
I think it was in the Pinkbike SRAM 2007 preview where they mentioned that the older X.0 lineup was turning into the X.9. 07 X.0 was further improved, and X.7 was effectivly taking up the older X.9 designs.
Is it better? I have both and like them both. Better shifters are going to give you an increase in shifting performance moreso than a better deraileur. In terms of durability, as everyone's mentioned, a longer cage is at higher risk of getting bent than a short one, but you need to look at your gear range before getting a short cage. Assuming you have one ring up front, you'll probably be fine.
Is it better? I have both and like them both. Better shifters are going to give you an increase in shifting performance moreso than a better deraileur. In terms of durability, as everyone's mentioned, a longer cage is at higher risk of getting bent than a short one, but you need to look at your gear range before getting a short cage. Assuming you have one ring up front, you'll probably be fine.
It will work with my shimano cassette right? I am thinking of getting the $60 med. '06 X9. I have an '06 X9 shifter.
Cool, thanks! Oh yeah...what was I thinking?? :looney: 
Yes it does. A medium cage x.9 will only take up to a 32t on the cassette, while a long will do 34t. Brand doesn't really matter, but size does.
ive only got to play with the 07 x9 stuff and i can tell you that it isnt as nice as the 06 xo. one thing i wish the new x9 had but doesnt is the distinctive click that my xo shifter has
I've run both 05 X7 and X9 and I do prefer the X9. Seems abit more presice on shifting. What I don't like about both of those is that if you mess em up the whole thing is a loss in most cases. The Xo's definitley look way burlier and I was told that you can take those apart and replace certain parts. For whatever reason I keep destroying both X7's and 9's on my DHR...they keep getting pulled into the spokes...might be a long/med cage issue....so I've locked out the ability to go into the largest cog...not perf but working so far.
ive used several med cage derailleurs with 34t cassettes, no problems...
Hmm...Weird. I have been runing a X.9 long cage on a 2005 Sram Powerglide II (has a 34t big ring, it was free). I finaly got my hands a Med. Cage and it works fine. Rode a week in Whistler and never had shifting probs. in the high gear. A lot of other probs. but no shifting trouble.
I freakin love my short cage X9. Best derailuer I've ever had (compared to XT, XTR, super old sram). Its nice and compact and out of the way, and the shifts are crisp and fast. I haven't run any of the X7 stuff though.
According to Sram you should only run up to 32t on the medium, but if it works it works. I haven't tried this myself, so obviously you know better than I.
I have some of the '07 X7 medium cage deraileurs here, and comparing them to an '06 X9, they appear to be identical. Good to see. Now if more people had the x9 ss cages in stock I would be happier!
i d have to say that they are x+2 times better.....
This is actually a great solution for this type of bike. Most guys that i ride with, lock out the largest cog on DH bikes. That way I have an 11 - 28 cogset, it is all the gearing that i will ever need on this type of mobile.
Suspect..the new X9 is comming. QBP has had all but the ss in stock for a while. I am waiting for the shorties at a 'real' price as well!!
An unnamed distribuitor is holding a case of X9 short cages for me, but various formalities is holding those up. Should be awesome to have reasonably priced Sram deraileurs again, especially at the rate i go through them!
You must eat those things for breakfast. I go through 1 or 2 a season..take me forever to wreck a case.
3 riders with the same deraileur on the DH, 2,4x and XC bikes that get ridden hard all the time will add up to a suprisingly large number of catastrophic failures and an embarssingly larger number of slopped out paralellogram pivots and bent parralellograms. Me and the 2 other riders in question are up to something like 32 broken deraileurs this season. It is just bad luck, like a season where it rains every race, as well are all 3 former bike shop managers who know how to set up deraileurs properly, and we check in with Sram regularly to make sure of it! No one tries to warranty the deraileurs, as there really are a finite number of parts that are allocated to Sram warranty every year, and it is not really fair for fast pros and semi pros to be taking all of those in lieu of less commited consumers....
I think the whole line does. They just aren't made to look like weaved carbon via stickers like the X0s.
sorry to say it but i'm over sram mechs.
i never had a problem with shimano mechs failing on me, i go to sram and do about 6 in 6 months, theres just not enough movement in them to jump out of the way of rocks/stumps etc. y'know the stuff you get on every downhill course
admittedly i was running the medium cage x9, i am not stupid enough to spend £150 (about $300?) on a short cage xo, but to me the design is wrong full stop .. ive gone back to my £25 shimano road mech and haven't had any problems since, despite beating the living **** out of it on our local trails.
i never had a problem with shimano mechs failing on me, i go to sram and do about 6 in 6 months, theres just not enough movement in them to jump out of the way of rocks/stumps etc. y'know the stuff you get on every downhill course
admittedly i was running the medium cage x9, i am not stupid enough to spend £150 (about $300?) on a short cage xo, but to me the design is wrong full stop .. ive gone back to my £25 shimano road mech and haven't had any problems since, despite beating the living **** out of it on our local trails.Shag, I think Shimano derailleurs are more durable as well. I almost never have problems with my 105 but everyone I know with Sram has problems smacking it on stuff and it's harder to fix the pivots like on Shimanos.
It's too bad they shift so nicely...
It's too bad they shift so nicely...
yea they do work nice but reliabilty for me is a small price to pay, at fort william last year my sram decided to give up on my qualifying run and tear itself a hole in my back wheel, aswell as ripping out the threads in my non replaceable hanger. i raced one of the roughest tracks there is with a new mech zip-tied to my frame! it was either that or i didnt race and waste all that time and money getting up there just because my mech wasnt up to the job. sram mechs suck..
ok, so not to turn this into a shimano sram battle to the death, but i have a deore der and an LX shifter that are both smashed up and dying. I would like to replace said parts for under $150 (and I'll probably throw on a new chain while i'm at it).
what would you buy?
what would you buy?
like 06 x.9 versus hone w/xt shifter or something
How about a Shimano 105 derailleur with an LX or XT shifter or if you can afford it Saint shifter? 105s last forever and are a decent price (but you have to run a road cassette), and the LX/XT/Saint shifters are all good.
For chains I don't like to skimp, I go for the Dura-ace every time. They just last forever and don't break. I just use a Sram Powerlink with mine so it's easy to get off.
For chains I don't like to skimp, I go for the Dura-ace every time. They just last forever and don't break. I just use a Sram Powerlink with mine so it's easy to get off.
It's not a race only bike, so I think i want a 32t granny.
Notice the lower link/cable pinch bolt.
The X.9 is aluminum and reinforced. The X.7 is steel and bends if it hit's a rock. When it bends, it bends into the linkage and locks up the derailler.
x.9 is the only way to go.
As for shifters, the x.7 shifter is still solid, but don't skimp on the der.
Also, for those of you looking at shimano right now. Beware of rapid-rise. It's a love/hate thing. Most hate it. I know two people who love it. It shifts really, really well, but I just can't stand the backwards shifting.
A rapid-rise derailler, with Grip-shift shifter would work slick I'm sure.
A rapid-rise derailler, with Grip-shift shifter would work slick I'm sure.
Thats why I went back to Shimano. I went through probably 8 X-9 rear der. this year. I'm not made of money and I'd rather spend money on trips. I've had the same old Ultegra road der. for years. SRAM's quality is lacking.
I have been pretty open minded and almost looking forward to switching to SRAM next year. All my experiences riding SRAM on other's bikes have been pretty awesome in terms of performance.
BUT, in the last week I have seen too many SRAM ders. getting destroyed. They have all been XO or X9s. And they have all been the cages getting messed up. The XO cages are replaceable, but retail on them is like $100. And the X9 apparantley can't be replaced.
Shifting my be just okay with Shimano, but I have had like three failures from them in like ten years. And when they do fail, you can often just pull a cage off another derailleur because all of them are replaceable.
I mean I don't know SRAM. There are so many things that make their derailleurs supperior, but there is just one GLARING weakness.
BUT, in the last week I have seen too many SRAM ders. getting destroyed. They have all been XO or X9s. And they have all been the cages getting messed up. The XO cages are replaceable, but retail on them is like $100. And the X9 apparantley can't be replaced.
Shifting my be just okay with Shimano, but I have had like three failures from them in like ten years. And when they do fail, you can often just pull a cage off another derailleur because all of them are replaceable.
I mean I don't know SRAM. There are so many things that make their derailleurs supperior, but there is just one GLARING weakness.
But you can bend the x.7 back with a pair of pliers and it will keep working. I did this and rode the d until I broke the spring that returns the cage. It lasted many months this way. Then replaced it with an x.9...
But listen to what you said...
You bent a cage.
Your spring broke
then something else broke that caused you to replace it
it lasted only months
In my mind that is unacceptable.
I will not deny that SRAM shifting is superior, but SRAM's quality is pitiful compared to Shimano.
I don't understand how people wreck so many derailluers. In 2 years I have broken 1, and that was only because a stick got caught in my spokes and dragged the der. in. A ride later I realized the limiter screw was gone, causing the derailluer to get pulled in again under full compression ripping out a couple spokes. Other than the limiter screw it was still going strong until the next day I ate **** causeing the x.0 (which was zip-tied on SS due to a stripped derailluer hanger on my DHR)
Are certain bikes more prone to breaking them? Because with long cage 2005 X.0's I have had no problems whatsoever.
Are certain bikes more prone to breaking them? Because with long cage 2005 X.0's I have had no problems whatsoever.