|
MountainBikeReview.com's Forum Archives - Everything Drivetrain
|
|
LX, XT, or XTR? 8-speed or 9-speed? (5 posts)
|  LX, XT, or XTR? 8-speed or 9-speed? | A
Oct 16, 2001 8:31 AM | | Hi all, I'm building a bike and am shopping for parts: deraillers, brakes, crankset, cassette. What is the best combination of components with a balance of value and performance? (i.e. XTR front brake/LX rear brake) If I was rich and cost was no object then I would go XTR all around. But unfortunately thats not the case with me. Also I don't justify paying 3 times as much for XTR if I'm only gonna save 7 grams, but I think its worth it if it offers superior performance and reliability. So I was wondering which components are worth spending extra on.
Also, should I go 8-speed or 9-speed?
My riding is XC in all climates, no racing, no extreme jumping.
Thanks in advance, and sorry to the anti-Shimano folks. |
| re: LX, XT, or XTR? 8-speed or 9-speed? | Waide
Oct 16, 2001 9:28 AM | | IMHO, go with LX everywhere on the drive train with the possible exception of the rear derailleur, where I would go with XT. Maybe XT on the shifters as well. You might also look into the prices of a non-Shimano splined BB/crankset combo to save some money, as these seem to integrate fine with the Shimano parts. Shimano Hollowtech cranks are sweet, light, and stiff however. I would get Avid v-brakes such as the SD-7 model. They are simpler and require less maintenance than the Shimano models with their parallelogram linkage, and my Avids work great. |
| oops---forgot to say 9-speed | Waide
Oct 16, 2001 9:32 AM | | Although many said a couple of years back that 8-speed was the best, I have had great luck with my 9-speed setup. Besides, 8-speed parts are very hard to find. I could use an 8-speed LX front derailleur, but I'm not sure where to get one. |
| What I did... | laffeaux
Oct 16, 2001 9:52 AM | | Last spring I built out a bike. Here's my story...
First, I assumed I'd not go below XT, so LX never entered my mind.
Shifters/Brake Levers - XT - XTR costs too much, and has minimal weight or performance advantage. In retrospect I'd go with seperate levers and shifters, not the combo.
Rear Der. - XTR - lighter than XT, not too much more, and it gets used a lot.
Front Der - XT - used less than the rear, and XT works great.
Cranks/BB - XTR - XT is fine (I have it on another bike), but I wanted the larger gearing that XTR offers. XTR is probably not worth the extra money unless you really want a super high high-gear (11 rear / 46 front).
Cogs - 11-34 XT - XTR does not come with an 11 tooth cog, so why bother.
Brakes - Avid - same price as Shimano, but it works better. I've had XT vees in the past and would not buy them again. Avid is unquestionably the better choice.
Hubs - the wheels I bought had Hugi hubs. They're fine. I have a set of wheels with XT hubs and I like them as much (maybe more) than the Hugis.
I went 9 speed. You can probably find 8 speed stuff now, but will you be able too in two years when something breaks? Maybe, maybe not. Play it safe and go with 9. I've used it all summer and have had no issues with it. Works as well as 8 speed, plus with the extra low gear (34 tooth) you can stay in the middle ring longer. I love it.
Good luck. |
| I would go with a Avid brake set... | Metroid
Oct 16, 2001 11:47 AM | | The Avid levers and brakes are much less expensive and argueably better than anything Shimano has. I think the 8 speed XTR drivetrain is Shimano's best work yet. No comprimise, all performance. |
| |
|
|
