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I still
have a SRAM Gripshift on my trusty Trek 2000. Come to find out, that was
SRAM's intro into the bicycle component marketplace in
1987. For this
test, I put the top of the line PG-970 11-23 9 speed cassette on my Orbea. Since
I was being lazy, I left my Shimano chain on to see if there were any
compatibility issues. According to SRAM, their chains are Shimano and Campy
compatible while their cassettes are Shimano compatible. I didn't
have any trouble using the SRAM cassette with my Shimano components. Shifting
was constant and I could run up and down the gears without any jumps or throws
off the cassette or front rings. There was no difference detected when I used
the SRAM chain. Shifting was precise and there was no hesitation. The
hollow pin chain is lighter at 270 grams. It seemed to me that it didn't make as
much noise as the Shimano. I am concerned about gunk building up in the holes of
the links and foresee taking more time to clean it. The nickel plating will
prevent corrosion.
The SRAM
PG-970 11-23 cassette was noticeably light. The chrome plating made it stand
out. An unusual feature was the orange colored translucent spacers between the
gears. The mating of the plastic spacers to the gears was very refined and
tightly assembled. The entire unit had a high level of quality from the main
gear block down to the lock ring. There is only one visible rivet which is
recessed. It consisted of 11, 12,
13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21 and 23 teeth gears. There were
numbered stampings indicating the amount of teeth on all but the 14 and 15 teeth
gears. As I mentioned above, both
chain combinations worked flawlessly with the PG-970
cassette.
Shifting
was consistent throughout the big and little rings and going between the rings.
I tried to make it jump off by applying power from the big ring but it
held. I know
SRAM quality will stand up as my Gripshift is still going strong. Their
components have also stood up in a little race called the Tour de France! I'm
sure stage winner Tyler Hamilton and CSC teammates found them to work well. I
appreciate SRAM as a company also. They are sponsors of national teams to
regional and local racers. You can find them at road races and single track
events. Their philosophy of making bicycling better holds true. I like the niche
SRAM has made for itself. They seem to make specific products that do the
job. Buy the
SRAM products online: SRAM
PG-970 cassette (previously called R9) 
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