Question: Will a Shimano chain work with a SRAM RED cassette and vice versa? I have a PowerTap wheel with a Shimano Ultegra cassette - will SRAM RED work with it? Will a Shimano chain work on a SRAM RED setup?
All my wheels, tools and setups are on Shimano Ultegra/Dura Ace. Want to move to SRAM RED but don’t want to be caught with a bunch of incompatibility issues.
What’s the word?
AFAIK, the only incompatibility is with the derailleurs and shifters; They much match manufacturers. Shimano cassettes and chains will work fine with the SRAM stuff.
all is fine but shifters/derailleurs
You should be good to know.
This is a fantastic resource for the technical specification from SRAM for 2008
Swapping cassettes and chains are not a big problem. Of course mixing derailleurs or shifter levers are an issue. I’m not sure if the Shimano rear derailleur will shift better due to the missing tooth in the SRAM cassettes. I know the SRAM rear derailleurs capatilize on the missing tooth to provide even cleaner shifting.
Most of the Red sponsored riders I know wound up putting Shimano cassettes on their bikes midway through the cross season, after encountering significant problems. Word is that Red works much better with DA or Ultegra cassettes than it does with the Red cassette, which is just not very good.
Feedback I have gotten is that the group is really finicky in bad conditions, really fragile, and really damn light; none of these are really all that important for Tri use, so it’s probably going to go gangbusters in this market.
I loved Mark’s snide commentary in his Katie Compton blog:
"…guy A asks guy B about Sram vs Campy. So guy B says he likes it because it only takes 15mins to rebuild Sram and it takes 30mins to rebuild Campy. Guy A says, ‘so you’ve already had to rebuild your Sram?’ "
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You can use a Jtek adapter to make wheels with Shimano cassettes compatible with the SRAM gruppo and Visca Versa.
Ric
Fredly, do you think this applies to the RIVAL group as well?
Thanks,
Dan
www.aiatriathlon.com
The reason that the CX riders are all swapping out the cassettes, is the solid body does not allow the cassette to shed mud or grass. So after just a few minutes it starts to clog up. Not a problem for tri but not good for CX.
A couple of podium Cat A racers in Ohio were riding Rival/Force mixes with good success this year.
You can use a Jtek adapter to make wheels with Shimano cassettes compatible with the SRAM gruppo and Visca Versa.
Ric
You don’t need the Jtek as the cassettes are spaced the same. The cable pull between the derailleurs and shifters are the difference between Shimano and SRAM.
Okay, a related question for the FRONT derailleur… If you paired a SRAM shifter with a shimano front der, say a triple shifter with a double system, would you end up with more adjustability (being able to trim out the FD to eliminate chain rub), or would you not have that available?
When I initially got SRAM on my road bike I had a big problem with chain rub on the front derailleur, but once I got everything aligned properly the problem went away. It takes a bit more care because of the absence of the trim function but once it is aligned properly it works without a hitch.
Okay, that indirectly answers my question I guess. Thanks.
I used Sram Force/Rival combo on my 'cross bike, but with an Ultegra chain & cassette. Works great. I also have a backup wheel that had a Sram cassette on it, but it didn’t shift as well.
I’ve even ridden a few brand spankin new bikes with full Red drivetrain, and I have to say my 'cross bike shifted much better . The short lever throw on the Red sure is nice. One concern I have about the Red cassette is that there are only two sections where the cassette has ‘teeth’ to contact with the freehub body splines. I bet that will muck up some aluminum freehub body hubs (like Zipp for example).
“there are only two sections where the cassette has ‘teeth’ to contact with the freehub body splines”
Thats one more than shimano or campy 
only the cog that you’re in is engaged…
Ah, excellent point. I was thinking of some Shimano Cassettes where the cogs are pinned together, so when you’re in one cog you still have 3-8 x the contact area (between cassette & free hub body). I’d still like to see an aluminum freehub body after ~1000miles w/Red Cassette, and compare to the same but with a Shimano or Campy cassette. Maybe there’s a difference, maybe not.
“…do you think this applies to the RIVAL group as well?”
Pretty much.
The Rival derailleurs don’t break as easily (or as often) as the Red, but the levers still/also stop working when they get muddy or sandy, kind of mid-way between 8 and 9 speed DA in terms of how easily and how badly, if that makes any sense.
I know a bunch of folks who loved Rival until the weather got bad, and then they weren’t so happy. One of my teammates was testing it early this season, and took it off as soon as he could - hated it, had to change bikes twice as often on the Rival bike.
… in response to another post; it isn’t just the solid construction of the Red cassette that’s a problem, the other cassettes in the line do the same thing. It just looks like it’s really hard to make a good cassette that isn’t a copy of the Shimano, and while the missing tooth thing is fine on the road, it just doesn’t seem to cut it for cross.
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