The cycling world has never been offered much of a choice when it comes to changing gears. Usually people think straight away of Shimano. However in the last few years SRAM has stepped it up and is now producing shifters and derailleurs that are easily as good if not better than their rivals components. Very recently I was given the opportunity to test one of the newest additions to the SRAM line-up, the X.9 trigger shifter and rear derailleur.

Firstly there is one thing I’d like to point out. SRAM’s recent onslaught on Shimano hasn’t been done all at once with a heap of products. They’ve taken it slowly with a lot of R & D to be sure they are making a component that will perform to expectations. Look at the X.O Now this has to be the coolest derailleur ever made. A lot of development time went into this and what came out was a derailleur that shifts perfectly, it’s strong enough yet extremely light that both downhillers and cross country riders are using them, it’s stiff as a big tubed aluminium hardtail and doesn’t develop the dreaded slop that slowly reduces shifting performance.

From what I just said you may think I’m testing the X.O. This isn’t the case, the X.9 owes it’s existence to the X.O and I just happen to know someone that has been running an X.O for the last 2 years.

You could call the X.9 the younger brother of the X.O It shares all the characteristics that make the X.O shift brilliantly but in a cheaper package (I’ll get onto the features soon).  I mean lets face it, we’d all love to have something as cool as an X.O but it’s price tag puts it out of reach for many people. The X.9 is the next best thing.

The other area where SRAM has improved its popularity is with the actual shifter. Previously SRAM’s claim to fame was gripshift especially after they bought out the competition Sachs. If you liked this way of shifting you would run SRAM. However many people including myself prefer rapid fire. This has all changed with the introduction of the trigger shifter.

On first glance the derailleur looks much like the X.O. This is because the X.9 is simply a cheaper version of the X.O. With the removal of exotic materials like carbon fibre and titanium for simple aluminium and steel parts it’s easy to see how they’ve reduced the cost. Strength doesn’t seem to have been reduced which is really good to see. Just an increase in weight.

X9 Mech: Looks like something out of star wars...

It’s really good to see that SRAM are actually addressing many of the little annoying issues associated with the common derailleur. The first and most obvious area is the cable routing into the derailleur. Gone is the horrible loop of cable sticking out the back of your frame and with it the added friction between the inner and outer cable that can reduce shifting performance.

You know that dreaded noise you get when your derailleur smashes into your frame repeatedly on that favourite stretch of downhill. You’d be in pure bliss if it wasn’t for this. Many people get around the problem by padding the frame, derailleur or both. Well with the X.9 there is no need. It can only swing up so far until it hits a stop. No more noise and no need for padding.

SRAM and Shimano shifters and derailleurs have never been interchangeable. A Shimano derailleur has an actuation ratio of 1:2. This basically means that the derailleur moves twice as far as the amount of cable pulled. A SRAM derailleur has an actuation ratio of 1:1. Why am I telling you this? Basically anything that affects your cable is magnified at the rear derailleur with Shimano. Therefore a SRAM drivetrain is less susceptible to gremlins affecting your shifting performance.

I’ve been waiting to use one of these for so long now. Mainly because of the fact that you shift both up and down with your thumb. I think it’s an ingenious idea. I must admit that it was never really a hassle to change down gears with your finger. You’re never braking while changing into a harder gear (well I hope not anyway). However I’m always interested to try something new and this way I can always keep my index finger resting on the brake lever. Yes I like to cover my brakes. It just makes me feel safer.

Inside the X9 Trigger: Simple and elegant with lots of grease... Lovely.

The gear indicators have always been an issue on Shimano shifters. No matter how streamline they’ve been with the bar they’ve always had a tendency to get destroyed. SRAM has tried a different approach with the indicator by incorporating them into the bar clamp. There’s no more flimsy pieces of plastic sticking out and nearly no chance of breaking the indicator, unless of course you somehow manage to break the bar clamp. I’d hate to imagine the crash you’d have to have to do that!

What you all really want to know is how well all this works. The XT derailleur and shifter on my downhill bike were substituted for the X.9 components. This gave me a good idea of the X.9’s performance as it is equivalent to an XT level component.

If you have ever ridden with a properly set up XT shifter and derailleur you’ll know how well it shifts. The X.9 certainly had a lot to achieve in terms of performance. Although as soon as I jumped on the bike I knew this wouldn’t be an issue. The shifts were clean, precise and effortless.

SRAM definitely has its own feeling when it comes to shifting. It’s hard to explain but the X.9 trigger gives a much more solid click when changing gears. It gives you the feeling that it’s going into gear and staying there no matter what. It did take me a while to accustom to changing down gears with my thumb. Often I’d change up instead of down because my thumb would brush the wrong lever. This only seemed to be a teething problem on my part as I’ve been on Shimano rapid fire for my entire mountain biking life. After a solid week of riding changing gears was no issue and happened without thinking twice.

I’ve got a hunch that the X.9 derailleur plays a part in the solid shifts. It’s amazingly stiff. Even my brand new XT had some movement when I grabbed the cage and gave it a wiggle. There was no sign of this on the X.9 and I’m sure this is what helps give it the clean, solid shifts every time.

One of the major issues with any derailleur is that they often develop play in the pivots over a period of time. In fact it had gotten that bad in my last derailleur that it would never stay in the right gear. I’ve been on the X.9 for a while now and I’m happy to report that there is still no sign of any play. I must admit that I haven’t been using it for anywhere near as long as my old derailleur. However I have done my research and felt the stiffness of X.9’s  on the bikes of other riders who’ve been using them for a lot longer than me. Of course the derailleurs didn’t feel as stiff and solid as mine but what can you expect after months of use. None of the them were close to being replaced and everyone said they still had no problems with shifting that wasn’t cable related.

What’s the outcome after all of this? I’m sure you’ve gathered that I like the X.9 trigger shifter and derailleur a lot. First off the stiffness of the derailleur blew me away. I seriously never thought you could make the derailleur that solid. In terms of shifting performance you had a clean and precise shift every time it came to changing gears. Then finishing touches like the direct cable routing and gear indicator incorporated into the bar clamp just finished off the package perfectly. I’ll definitely be running the X.9 stuff for a while yet. I’ve been converted.

8 out of 10

You should be able to get SRAM components at any good bike shop. However Rob Eva has told me that there are still some shops that swear by Shimano and won’t deal SRAM gear. Now this goes for other products as well. If your local bike shop doesn’t want to sell you a component you are after then go do your business somewhere else. They should be there to help you, not sell you something just because they’ve got it in the shop.

 Discuss this article here.