SRAM 8 spd twist shifter

[GusGF]

RE: SRAM 8 spd twist shifter

I have an SRAM 8 spd twist shifter which I want to combine with an 8spd budget (<£25ish) rear derailleur medium cage (for 20in wheels). There seems to be little choice on the SRAM side. Mindful of the cable pull mularkey do I have any options on the Shimano front that someone could suggest?

[LittleWheelsandBig]

SRAM has made different cable pull ratios for 8 speed.
http://blog.artscyclery.com/science-behind-the-magic/science-behind-the-magic-drivetrain-compatibility/ might be useful.

It might help if you identify the shifter model. A picture is worth etc...

[Bolt]

There seems to be plenty of choice on ebay?  Here's one example:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SRAM-X3-Rear-Mech-Derailleur-Gears-Long-Cage-Black-MTB-Bicycle-Bike-7-8-speed/373075743671?epid=1504154533&hash=item56dd0c13b7:g:kbQAAOSwNDdbZboj

[Bolt]

Sorry that's a long cage... yes there does seem to be little choice in medium cage options.  It'd probably be easier and cheaper to go for a Shimano shifter and mech?  Does it have to be grip shift?

[mzjo]

You can find SRAM (or Gripshift etc) twistgrips for SRAM and for Shimano "compatible" (which would be compatible with older generation Tourney mechs). IMHO they are all crap but wondrous pieces of cheap plastic engineering. I have just taken one off the recumbent in despair to put on an 8sp Shimano Revoshift which might only be Tourney level but is in a different class quality wise. Unfortunately it appears that Shimano have stopped making the 8sp Revoshift and so quite a lot of announcers are actually out of stock "reapprovisionement incertain". I got mine frim Deporvillage who are French (being in that part of the world); you might like to try looking in the anglo-saxon world.

Edit: Forgot to say that using the Shimano shifter implies finding a relevant Shimano mech, inconvenient if you already have a good SRAM X3 transmission. I was fettling a Decathlon vtt with an X3 transmission (8sp) with push-pull shifters (like rapidfire in SRAM) and it really worked quite well, better than the Hayes disc brakes!

[LittleWheelsandBig]

I may have a Shimano Revoshift in the garage (free if so!) but looking would be a tomorrow job.

[Brucey]

in a nutshell a SRAM 8s shifter will either pull ~5mm per shift or just less than 3mm per shift. The latter is shimano cable pull and the former is SRAM X-series, so X3, X4, X5 etc will work. I think if you want a medium length cage you might have to go to X7.

cheers

[GusGF]

That's the problem I've been having. Trying to find a SRAM medium cage rear derailleur for 8 spd under £30 seems to be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

I've looked on Ebay for X4 & X5 and all I can see are Taiwanese fakes which will takes weeks to arrive, charge little or nothing in postage but still deliver, manage to be cheaper than local AND will fall apart in weeks.

But I may have a cunning plan. I recently upgraded to Shimano SLX 1x12 and I've got a Shimano XT 9spd, cassette with trigger shifter lying around which I can try out on my target bike with 20in wheels. I'm not expecting it to work as the long cage may be a problem with small wheels. What is there to lose

As suggested I may have to ditch the twist shifter and go Shimano trigger if above fails.

Thanks everyone