The sub 100 quid challenge
Marcus Farley Tuesday, Sep 9, 2008 12.27pm
Sram X9 - worth the extra? (SRAM)
I got really excited when Matt said that it’s about time that I started some product testing – a wish list of Turners, Yetis, Ventanas and Lapierres came to mind, but Matt soon brought me back down to earth by suggesting that I set my sights lower. So, we hatched a sub £100 challenge.
The list will be
made up of those products that will make a change to your riding, as well as
pre and après ride, without blowing apart your wallet as the credit crunch
looms on the horizon. Matt and I will
beg, borrow, and steal noteworthy products from
But, first, I’ll start with a few from the memory bank to get the ball rolling. The first of which stems from:
My very own Disaster Move:
It was back in June that I last tried to pull one of those ‘look at me, aren’t I cool’ moves where our brain perceives that we are better than we actually are, with only our tired bodies holding the actual reality: Attempt to ride up vertical hump, holler “look at me” to your mates, then run out of speed and skill, don’t disengage feet in time and have comedic fall sideways, then down, said hump. Comedy then turns to disaster as you realize that the attempted move has resulted in a very bent rear derailleur with a fair few miles still to get home.
I run an almost totally Sram X9 set up (having Shimano XT cranks only). I almost had heart failure when I saw that a new 2008 Sram X9 rear derailleur would be £64.99, with some shops even selling it at £69.99. This was worsened by the news that the 2008 Shimano XT equivalent is only £54.99, albeit incompatible with my Sram X9 shifters. As money is tight, I therefore had no option but to go for the Sram X7 rear derailleur at £39.99 instead.
I contacted the Sram importers, Fisher Outdoor Leisure, as the X9 is designed to be the functional alternative to the Shimano XT. But, for those of us on a tight budget, and especially with the credit crunch looming, why is it £10-£15 (dependent on where you get it) more expensive than an XT rear derailleur?
Product Manager Kevin Nicholson explained that from 1st July the price of the X9 rear derailleur has dropped to a more competitive Recommended Retail Price of £59.99, which for me makes the price gap between it and the Shimano XT easier to accept, as I prefer the feel of the X9 over XT anyway.
But, I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised with the functionality of the X7 out on the trail. Sram are renowned for allowing the lessons learnt from their top end components trickle down to the less expensive products. As Kevin Nicholson explains: “Essentially the only difference between an X9 and an X7 is the materials used. An X9 weighs 230 grams, an X7 270 grams. Both derailleurs have the same 1:1 actuation ratio and direct route technology. In fact, brand new on the bike there would be very little difference in feel and response. The X9 however, because of the superior materials used, will be a lot more durable and will maintain a higher level of performance for longer.”
So, it’s a little heavier, but at 16 stone I don’t think a rear derailleur a few grams heavier makes that much difference to me. What’s more, it’s got me to thinking as to why any of us non-racers choose to have super expensive rear derailleurs in the first place. Sure, they look bling, but they’re probably the next most likely component to break in a crash (a close second to the rear mech hanger, that is designed like Swiss cheese for a purpose) and, as such, are expensive to keep on replacing.
As Kevin suggests, the cheaper X7 may be less durable and performance problem free longer term, and I’ll report back if this is the case. However, if I keep pulling my Disaster Moves out on the trail I won’t have it on the bike long enough to find out!
User Comments
There are 11 comments on this post
Showing 1 - 11 of 11 comments
-
magicmopman
Posted Wed 10 Sep, 4:08 pm UTC Flag as inappropriate
I've been running an X7 shifter for around a year now after previously having a full X9 Setup.
After a year of abuse the shifter's display is no longer readable and shifting is slightly less fluid than it used to be, but for the price.. it represents very good value.
When not using gloves I do miss the feeling of metal shifters though as the plastic does seem a bit naff!
-
marcus Farley
Posted Wed 10 Sep, 8:53 pm UTC Flag as inappropriate
nicer on colder days though i guess?
-
magicmopman
Posted Thu 11 Sep, 10:35 am UTC Flag as inappropriate
Yeah your right, on cold days I suppose its more comfortable to go with the plastic!
When I used to work in a bike shop it was quite frequent to see a jammed or broken X9 shifter in for repairs, never did see the same for an X7 though.. strange.
-
wann
Posted Thu 11 Sep, 3:13 pm UTC Flag as inappropriate
i'm using sram x-9..i'm using for 2 years... for me this sram x-9 is more suitable than others...
and my second bike i'm using sram x-0....
-
salsarider79
Posted Thu 11 Sep, 11:52 pm UTC Flag as inappropriate
I go XC/AM biking with friends who ride £2-3k bikes, some of them use Deore rear mechs. If it breaks, it costs £15ish to replace. No point in spending money on something that you'll break so easily. I went singlespeed so have nothing down there to break. I still fall off tho...
-
marcus Farley
Posted Fri 12 Sep, 7:37 am UTC Flag as inappropriate
great to see i'm not alone on this one...any suggestions for other sub 100 quid challenges? £5 quid bottle cages instead of carbon ones comes to mind...and basic spds...
-
nathj07
Posted Fri 12 Sep, 8:26 am UTC Flag as inappropriate
What a great challenge - test a bunch of stuff most of us can scrape together the cash for. I only really get to buy stuff around Christmas and Birthday and with four months between the two I normally sit on cash between them to get together a bigger stash. So tips how to get more bang for my buck are great.
I tend to commute and go XC riding and with no crashes yet I'm really lucky but I'm always aware what a big crash could cost. I think 'a broken bone that will mend and my companies health plan will see any major issues sorted privately but fixing the bike that would have to wait cash is tight.' That for me is always this biggest risk.
-
BOYDIE
Posted Fri 12 Sep, 11:17 am UTC Flag as inappropriate
I think alot of us tend to replace items within our price range,Ive seen many expensive bikes running cheaper cranks etc after a crash.You just wonder with all there buying power how much bike builders are getting the mechs/parts for?I mean I paid £1350 for my Trance 2,try buying all those parts on there own from a local bike shop and see how much it costs.
Bloody expensive hobby!
-
marcus Farley
Posted Sat 13 Sep, 12:15 am UTC Flag as inappropriate
keep 'em coming...myself and Mr. Skinner are thinking through a top 10 credit crunch list...ideas welcome.
-
astrochicken1980
Posted Sun 19 Oct, 12:12 pm UTC Flag as inappropriate
Great idea. Most will respect that whilst a new fork, frame or wheelset will make big differences, the huge amount of small things that connect it all together (including the things connected to you) will collectively have just as significant an impact. I'd love to see the up and down comparisons in families of products, as well as brand comparisons at a given level, eg easton bars EA50 through to EC90.
Sub £100. hmmm. plenty of scope:
Shoes
Pedals
Brake pads
The normal collection under the 'components' list - saddle, post, stem, bars, shifters, grips, headset (for some), etc
What about the upgrade options too?:
Disc rotors
Jockey wheels (ceramic?)
Cables and hoses (worth the extra?)
Carbon bling - brake levers, mech plates, etc
Go for it i say. The more experiences people have that they can share, the better, makes better riding for all. GGGN (greatest good greatest number) all the way.
-
astrochicken1980
Posted Sun 19 Oct, 12:13 pm UTC Flag as inappropriate
Great idea. Most will respect that whilst a new fork, frame or wheelset will make big differences, the huge amount of small things that connect it all together (including the things connected to you) will collectively have just as significant an impact. I'd love to see the up and down comparisons in families of products, as well as brand comparisons at a given level, eg easton bars EA50 through to EC90.
Sub £100. hmmm. plenty of scope:
Shoes
Pedals
Brake pads
The normal collection under the 'components' list - saddle, post, stem, bars, shifters, grips, headset (for some), etc
What about the upgrade options too?:
Disc rotors
Jockey wheels (ceramic?)
Cables and hoses (worth the extra?)
Carbon bling - brake levers, mech plates, etc
Go for it i say. The more experiences people have that they can share, the better, makes better riding for all. GGGN (greatest good greatest number) all the way.
- 1
Post this story to: