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(Apologies for the long-ish post). 🤓Â
I've been running a mix of SRAM and Shimano 12 speed for several months now.Â
SRAM 'compatible' crankset & chainring. SRAM GX chain. Shimano cassette, shifter & derailleur.
Reason = I wanted a 160mm crankset and at the time, the only option in my price range was the Unite Components crankset which will only take SRAM style chainrings. I already had a full Shimano setup so I switched to the Unite Co crank and changed to a SRAM GX chain (tried the Shimano chain but it did not work nicely with the SRAM type chainring). I kept the Shimano cassette, shifter & derailleur.
This worked flawlessly (imo) for quite a while. I've only done 301 km on it, but recently I've been getting a LOT of issues with grinding. It's winter here and there has certainly been a lot of muddy grit getting up into the drivetrain, but my other full Shimano bike has been completely fine in the mud.
Question: has anyone else been trying the same sort of mixed setup? Is this setup (SRAM chain with Shimano cassette) more susceptible to grit/mud causing issues? the shifting is fine, it's just a loud grinding in most gears. It does mostly go away when I do a very thorough clean and lube. Perhaps the mix only works quietly when new and wears out faster? I've checked the chain with a chain checker and it's fine.
Does anyone know of a sram mounting style chainring (3 bolt) that is fully shimano 12speed compatable? Then I can go back to the shimano chain.
Other than this issue, this issue, I absolutely love the Unite Co crankset. There are zero creaks, and it looks fantastic in silver.🔥
i used a DMR ring on a SRAM crank, with Shimano cassette and chain, it was supposed to work fine and so far has after a few 100 miles so far
I have a SRAM chain on an xt setup due to dropping a quick link thd other day and not finding it. No difference at all from what I've found. Still rides exactly the same
Thanks for the comments.
I found my mixed setup worked excellent for a little while. I think it might have worn the cassette or chain faster than a full Shimano setup , hence the current grinding noises?? But to be clear, the shifting is still OK. The noise goes away (mostly) if I clean and lube the chain, but I don't want to do that every ride. Normally I only lube every 3 or 4 rides (roughly 20-25 kms per ride) and rarely do a proper clean, and don’t have any issues with the full Shimano bike. But the mixed setup pretty much needs cleaning and lubing every ride.
After some research, I've found that Wolftooth do a specific 3 bolt (SRAM style) chainring that is specifically compatible with Shimano 12sp chain. Also, the Hope chainrings are compatible with SRAM & Shimano 12sp chains.
I run a mix of SRAM/Shimano 12 speed, but always match the chain/casette brand. No issues with grinding. If anything I'd say the full Shimano setup shifts nicer than the SRAM cassette/chain but there's not much in it.
i.e.
Bike 1: SRAM XG-1275 10-50 cassette with X01/PG1290 chain (with Shimano chainring, shifter and mech)
or
Bike 2: XT 10-51 cassette with XT chain (with Shimano chainring, shifter and mech)
Â
I had a very noisy drivetrain but it turned out to be the Shimano chain and chainring. The new Shimano chains have narrower sections of their profile to grip the ring better - this works of course and is great when everything is immaculately clean but makes it awful to listen to when things get gritty. My problem was solved by a new chainset and chain and the back end Shimano stuff (Deore) continues to be faultless. I know this doesn't directly relate to your issue but perhaps look at the tooth design on the rings and the chain to see if you can get something a bit more "open". RaceFace ring and KMC Chain worked for me).
The other issue may be chainline if you've changed cranks are they the same offset? Â
thanks barry. Chainline is the same. I noticed the same thing as you did with the shimano chain being tighter on the chainring. I initially tried keeping the shimano chain when I switched cranks. It worked but always made noise with the tighter shimano chain making noise on the sramy style chainring.
You might be onto something there with the "more open" suggestion. Even though the sram chain is wider(?) than shimano, something is still causing noise as soon as the slightest bit of grit gets in there and grinds away. Full Shimano setup was always dead slilent.