Sram X3 Dérailleur TOAST. what's a good substitute ? thanks, Franco

franconuevo · Jun 28, 2017

I don't work a whole lot with MTN bikes, but I sold this beeeeeautiful Giant Revel to this great young kid a few weeks back. He lends bike to cousin..BAM..jams der into curb , it'a all bent and sideways and screws pulled out of the PLASTIC' HOUSING.. :doh:

7speed rear. 21 speed bike.

So.. s3 derailleaur, I look it up, maybe it's not made anymore..or something.who knows, i.what is a decent substitute for this part that wont break the bank...this kid used all of his birthday money just to buy this bike, none of my parts derrailleaurs would do the trick...

Suggestions gang??
thanks
Franco

user 135 · Jun 28, 2017

It needs to be replaced with a SRAM derailler to maintain the 1:1 pull ratio on the cable. New X3's are $20-30 bucks. If you have a bike coop nearby, you should be able to find something for $5-10

franconuevo · Jun 28, 2017

cman said:
It needs to be replaced with a SRAM derailler to maintain the 1:1 pull ratio on the cable. New X3's are $20-30 bucks. If you have a bike coop nearby, you should be able to find something for $5-10

thanks Clancy. that's not a bad price I thought they might run higher..no bike co-ops unfortanately, only LBS shops, and I get
a nosebleed when I walk into the local Bike Shop. So, we'll go online and order...
:happy:

franco

Bicycle808 · Jun 28, 2017

Some points to consider:
-if you get another X3, it will still be pretty much all plastic, with a steel inner link.... so it may fail similarly pretty quickly; that's just how kids ride... But at least it will be 1:1
-it is important to remember that not all SRAM derailers run "1:1." Any SRAM rear derailer that is for 7-, 8-, or 9-speed WILL be 1:1 (the actual ratio is 1.1:1), and work with your set-up. SRAM 10-speed (road or mountain) and SRAM Road 11-speed are "Exact Actuation" (1.3:1) and SRAM Mountain 11-speed is "X-Actuation" (1.12:1).... I think that your best bet would be to find an x7 or x9 from the 9speed era, as they'll be light, precise, and less plasticky, but also maintain the 1:1 actuation. You can still get SRAM 9 stuff pretty cheaply. I think SRAM might even still produce them; they still list them on their website. https://www.sram.com/sram/mountain/...r-derailleur#sm.0000tul17mi7rekkzfw1yy1d258l9 FWIW, most online retailers sell those for $20 to $30 less than the MSRP.... ou can probably find'm much cheaper used, but used mtb derailers can be a bit of a crapshoot....

HTH

franconuevo · Jun 29, 2017

Bicycle808 said:
Some points to consider:
-if you get another X3, it will still be pretty much all plastic, with a steel inner link.... so it may fail similarly pretty quickly; that's just how kids ride... But at least it will be 1:1
-it is important to remember that not all SRAM derailers run "1:1." Any SRAM rear derailer that is for 7-, 8-, or 9-speed WILL be 1:1 (the actual ratio is 1.1:1), and work with your set-up. SRAM 10-speed (road or mountain) and SRAM Road 11-speed are "Exact Actuation" (1.3:1) and SRAM Mountain 11-speed is "X-Actuation" (1.12:1).... I think that your best bet would be to find an x7 or x9 from the 9speed era, as they'll be light, precise, and less plasticky, but also maintain the 1:1 actuation. You can still get SRAM 9 stuff pretty cheaply. I think SRAM might even still produce them; they still list them on their website. https://www.sram.com/sram/mountain/...r-derailleur#sm.0000tul17mi7rekkzfw1yy1d258l9 FWIW, most online retailers sell those for $20 to $30 less than the MSRP.... ou can probably find'm much cheaper used, but used mtb derailers can be a bit of a crapshoot....

HTH

That's good information right there, thanks so much
this is the second one now..another one was on a Schwinn..supposedly a high end dept store Schwinn you know looks OK on the outside but inside it's falling apart..(kinda like my life.. :bigsmile:

)
I'm pretty sure it was the same dérailleur....with the same problem...screws through plastic mounts and housing..plastic everywhere. OH yeah..and those oversized jockey wheels look pretty awesome too.

I have my older 90s mtn bikes and cruisers out every day working on them.they fall over get mashed into the driveway at times, and nothin' ...not even a scratch, although I did have a rear der. on my 80s Columbia go into the spokes yesterday..it was wobbly to begin with so when I really yorked on it, it finally gave out...
BUT..
i'm gonna check out the suggestions you gave here. thanks again
:happy:

Franco