I’m done with SRAM

[outerlimits]

Last 2 bikes have had SRAM 1x11 group sets, and I’m forever having trouble with them. I’ve had Shimano in the past and never had this amount of trouble.
I like the one click shift on the SRAM however. Is this available for Shimano ?
Di2 any good ?

 

[HORSPWR]

What trouble are you having?

I have SRAM 1x11 on one of my bikes and it's great, although it does require precise adjustment to feel sweet. I also have Shimano Di2 on another bike and it is awesome, I don't baby it, shift hard under load and generally abuse it and it is sweet.

 

[outerlimits]

What trouble are you having?

I have SRAM 1x11 on one of my bikes and it's great, although it does require precise adjustment to feel sweet. I als have Shimano Di2 on another bike and it is awesome, I don't baby it, shift hard under load and generally abuse it and it is sweet.

It’s NX and it’s all sorts of trouble.
I replaced the rear mech not long ago and straight out of the box it has heaps of play.
The inner and outer cable also was replaced with the mech. I keep the hanger straight as I have an alignment tool.
B adjustment always goes out, and the cable pulley wheel gunks up all the time. It just shifts terrible and never the same.
Sometimes it goes into the big cog and sometimes not. It skip shifts and goats shifts too. Just never works the same all ride.

 

[HORSPWR]

It’s NX and it’s all sorts of trouble.
I replaced the rear mech not long ago and straight out of the box it has heaps of play.
The inner and outer cable also was replaced with the mech. I keep the hanger straight as I have an alignment tool.
B adjustment always goes out, and the cable pulley wheel gunks up all the time. It just shifts terrible and never the same.
Sometimes it goes into the big cog and sometimes not. It skip shifts and goats shifts too. Just never works the same all ride.

I'm not sure where NX sits in the Sram hierarchy, I usually run X01 or XX which I've found to be faultless but it ain't cheap. I've also run Shimano Zee before and that was great at shifting without any hassles if you were looking at a cost effective switch to Shimano.

 

[HORSPWR]

I have a YT Decoy CF Pro Race. The Di2 it came with skipped under load in Boost mode on the 9 and 10 tooth cog on the 9-46 e13 cassette. Just to be clear, this is not while shifting, this is just pedaling. It was basically unrideable. I swapped it out for a super worn out SRAM GX I had on an old acoustic 26er I keep for sentimental reasons and it worked fine while I was waiting for my I-9 Hydra micro spline hubs to come in so I could go to Shimano XT 12 speed. Within 5 rides, the brand new, professionally installed Shimano XT chain would skip over the 10 and 11 tooth cogs while under load just like on the Di2 it came with. I would avoid Shimano for e-bikes at this point.

So what are you running now?
My Di2 with Shimano cassette is faultless in all regards.

 

[wepn]

So much torque so few e-bike/e-mtb specific groupsets & derailleur options.
SRAM EX1 X-Horizon is made for emtb. Wonder how that performs?
EX1 X-HORIZON™ Rear Derailleur

I have a Di2 Alfine geared hub on a commuter. Works flawlessly.

 

[Al Boneta]

Since I have access to everything in my shop, I have tried everything from SRAM, Box and Sunrace. They all have their drawbacks and I am not going to list them all or say which one I think is better.
I can tell you about my current setup that cost me $100. I figure since Ebikes eat chains and cassettes for breakfast I better find something cheap and durable.
12 speeds doesn’t seem the most practical or useful for Emtb applications, seeing as 50t cog is all but useless on a bike with a motor! Well at least to me it does. A 42t cog has never not been low enough for the super steep climbs I have here in California.
So I run the Microshift Advent 1X9 cassette shifter and derailleur and it works the best for my needs. The 9-speed cassette is 11-42 the same as a typical 11-speed, I get a the gear range I need and a new cassette is $30 if burn through one. I put a new chain on every month, because a new is $12. If I rip the derailleur off in a rock garden I am out $60. But the derailleur is super strong and robust and because it’s only 9 gears it shifts fine even with a bent hanger.
Of course this all anecdotal and based on my personal experience.

 

[outerlimits]

Since I have access to everything in my shop, I have tried everything from SRAM, Box and Sunrace. They all have their drawbacks and I am not going to list them all or say which one I think is better.
I can tell you about my current setup that cost me $100. I figure since Ebikes eat chains and cassettes for breakfast I better find something cheap and durable.
12 speeds doesn’t seem the most practical or useful for Emtb applications, seeing as 50t cog is all but useless on a bike with a motor! Well at least to me it does. A 42t cog has never not been low enough for the super steep climbs I have here in California.
So I run the Microshift Advent 1X9 cassette shifter and derailleur and it works the best for my needs. The 9-speed cassette is 11-42 the same as a typical 11-speed, I get a the gear range I need and a new cassette is $30 if burn through one. I put a new chain on every month, because a new is $12. If I rip the derailleur off in a rock garden I am out $60. But the derailleur is super strong and robust and because it’s only 9 gears it shifts fine even with a bent hanger.
Of course this all anecdotal and based on my personal experience.

I don’t think that I would go down this road, tho as you said it’s good, but I’d like something more mainstream. Now I just got to decide if that’s 10 or 11 speed Shimano

 

[outerlimits]

I have a YT Decoy CF Pro Race. The Di2 it came with skipped under load in Boost mode on the 9 and 10 tooth cog on the 9-46 e13 cassette. Just to be clear, this is not while shifting, this is just pedaling. It was basically unrideable. I swapped it out for a super worn out SRAM GX I had on an old acoustic 26er I keep for sentimental reasons and it worked fine while I was waiting for my I-9 Hydra micro spline hubs to come in so I could go to Shimano XT 12 speed. Within 5 rides, the brand new, professionally installed Shimano XT chain would skip over the 10 and 11 tooth cogs while under load just like on the Di2 it came with. I would avoid Shimano for e-bikes at this point.

I think you may of trashed the Cassette and nothing to do with the rear mech ?‍

 

[HORSPWR]

I don’t think that I would go down this road, tho as you said it’s good, but I’d like something more mainstream. Now I just got to decide if that’s 10 or 11 speed Shimano

Go 10 if the gear is cheaper, shit I only use 6-8 gears of my 11 now anyway!

 

[Al Boneta]

I don’t think that I would go down this road, tho as you said it’s good, but I’d like something more mainstream. Now I just got to decide if that’s 10 or 11 speed Shimano

I didn’t think I would go down that road either, but mainstream parts weren’t cutting it. The next step would be a Rohloff hub, but I figured $100 wasn’t much of a risk for the Microshift stuff

 

[Indigo]

Within 5 rides, the brand new, professionally installed Shimano XT chain would skip over the 10 and 11 tooth cogs while under load...

With Shimano, the smaller cogs 10, 11, 12 tooth can be purchased individually, ask your LBS.

 

[ggx]

No problema with NX set up. Works OK.
Aldo I prefer GX . Its smother .
I prefer Shimano but for me no reason to swap if bike came with SRAM

 

[Zimmerframe]

Would you run a set up where you had to swap out the 10 and 11 tooth cogs every 5 days? Would you buy a palette of small cogs and just adjust your mindset to seeing your cassette as something you have to replace every ride just like putting air in the tires and fork?

I don't believe @Indigo is suggesting you do that, I think they're just trying to be helpful and suggest ways for you to save money with the setup and maintenance of what you have.

Would you run a set up where you had to swap out the 10 and 11 tooth cogs every 5 days?

No body would. No body does. I know this is hugely frustrating, but I think if you search the forum, you'll find that there is a known problem with the gear shifting and some decoys, it's not just because it's a "shimano".

 

[Gemini2k]

I have a YT Decoy CF Pro Race. The Di2 it came with skipped under load in Boost mode on the 9 and 10 tooth cog on the 9-46 e13 cassette. Just to be clear, this is not while shifting, this is just pedaling..

Lots of bad info here. Some of the YT decoy's shipped with bad cassettes. Contact them and they'll warranty it. No big deal.

Within 5 rides, the brand new, professionally installed Shimano XT chain would skip over the 10 and 11 tooth cogs while under load just like on the Di2 it came with. I would avoid Shimano for e-bikes at this point.

Then you're doing something wrong. I have 2 e-bikes with 11 speed Shimano. One of them I broke them frame (Turbo Vado) before I went through the cassette or chain. I'm 6'7" with an FTP max of 320W (aka, I put out a lot of power). That chain had ~2k miles of it and still ran like new. Either something is being installed/adjusted wrong or you are constantly shifting under load and destroying your drivetrain super fast. E-bikes shouldn't destroy chains and cassettes that fast unless you're shifting like a dumb dumb.

 

[AZCN]

What is the bad info? I swapped out the cassette that it came with and I didn't have this problem with an old worn-out SRAM that I replaced it with. Then the problem came back when I switched to a brand new professionally installed Shimano XT 12 speed. The shifting is not the problem. The problem is that the chain skips forward a while pedaling (not shifting. not even touching the shifter) in the 10 and 11 tooth cog in boost mode. It is unlikely, although possible, that through pure bad luck I got two cassettes/chains that were outside of manufacturing tolerances. I do not know if the components are bad or the bike is bad or what. Hopefully, I will have my new SRAM stuff soon and I can report back if I am having the same issues. There are other people on here with Shimano components having the same problem and some that don't. Here is another example of Shimano skipping on an e-bike. This is a 2018 pivot shuttle spec'd with Di2 and 11-46 xtr cassette. You can hear it if you go to 7:39 and he talks about it. Sounds like it happens again at 12:07 and 12:33.

 

[outerlimits]

I just want milk that tastes like real milk ?‍


.... and only 2% fat ?

 

[Tamas]

I started with GX on my Meta Power but it's cheaply made and even the grass could bend the cage. After bending two GX rear mech I switched to 11 speed XT and no problems since. The Shimano 'Shadow' rear mech tucks in more than SRAM, makes it less exposed. I'm running the cheapest (11€) PC1110 chains and get ~2000km out of one.

 

[ryturn]

not happy about the nx crapping itself but ok to the X1upgrade , the b adjust screw is probably the most important bit for good shifting.

 

[DrStupid]

What is the bad info? I swapped out the cassette that it came with and I didn't have this problem with an old worn-out SRAM that I replaced it with. Then the problem came back when I switched to a brand new professionally installed Shimano XT 12 speed. The shifting is not the problem. The problem is that the chain skips forward a while pedaling (not shifting. not even touching the shifter) in the 10 and 11 tooth cog in boost mode. It is unlikely, although possible, that through pure bad luck I got two cassettes/chains that were outside of manufacturing tolerances. I do not know if the components are bad or the bike is bad or what. Hopefully, I will have my new SRAM stuff soon and I can report back if I am having the same issues. There are other people on here with Shimano components having the same problem and some that don't. Here is another example of Shimano skipping on an e-bike. This is a 2018 pivot shuttle spec'd with Di2 and 11-46 xtr cassette. You can hear it if you go to 7:39 and he talks about it. Sounds like it happens again at 12:07 and 12:33.

I just read that if an old chain skips on a new cassette... the chain is worn.

If its Sram chain (maybe other too), make sure the master link isn't upside down. I did this, and it skipped on the small cogs everytime the master link rolled through the cassette.

 

[Al Boneta]

Lots of bad info here.

Bad info or info you just don’t agree with?
Or is it bad because that hasn’t been your experience?
Just because something works for you doesn’t mean it will work for someone else, or vice versa.
There other elements in sharing one’s opinions besides fact.
Personal bias and preferences can skew opinion one way or the other regardless of what the actual experience of the product was.
This is why I finish my opinion and recommendations with:
“Of course this all anecdotal and based on my personal experience”

 

[Zimmerframe]

“Of course this all anecdotal and based on my personal experience”

He did get slapped by his wife when he said that. ..... sorry Al.

 

[Rich-EMTB-UK]

Ran my codes on my TL today wet muddy day, squeal at first puddle and silent afterwards. Usually rotors that need cleaning or truing if brakes squealing SRAM, SHIMANO, whatever brand.

 

[dar23]

I absolutely feel your pain my friend

 

[dar23]

What trouble are you having?

I have SRAM 1x11 on one of my bikes and it's great, although it does require precise adjustment to feel sweet. I also have Shimano Di2 on another bike and it is awesome, I don't baby it, shift hard under load and generally abuse it and it is sweet.

On the 2018 Levo comp carbon 27.5, straight away (and forever after) found the rear mech to drift out. While I never had the chain snap, the ‘19 Sworks soon made up for it. Not appreciating that I couldn’t ride this bike like the company carbon, I had easy 30+ chain snaps. I did the cassette no favours at all in the process.
At 2500miles I’ve replaced the cassette, the carbon inner cage ‘gave’ on the mech, 4th chain (I think).
All like for like.
The early days of snapping the chain on every outing are well behind me.
Reliable though, consistent even, SRAM will never be.

 

[dar23]

I had my levo only 7 days when my sram NX derailleur disintegrated while just cruising along on a gravel road, sram replaced it under warranty with an X1 unit View attachment 21099

An X0 will give you a rear mech that doesn’t have the carbon inner cage, also prone to disintegrate on the XX1.
I’ll dig mine out and take a photo