SRAM vs Shimano for Gravel: How to choose the best drivetrain for your type of riding
Let’s get one thing out of the way: it’s hard to go wrong with any of the competing drivetrain choices the two giant component manufacturers are offering gravel riders. There are certainly design and functional differences between the gravel groupsets offered by either company (which is the point of this post), but in terms of quality and reliability, the mid-tier and high-end groupset offerings from SRAM and Shimano are very evenly matched, and these factors should not generally be considered major comparison points (with a few minor exceptions).
One major difference between SRAM and Shimano gravel groupsets is gearing range, especially when it comes to single ring (1x) setups. Coming from a mountain biking background, I don’t shy away from taking my gravel bike on some rowdy singletrack and going up silly grades to enjoy the plummet down on the other side, and for this kind of riding the advantages of 1x are many, including increased ground clearance, a huge bailout gear for the steepest of climbs and no finicky front derailleur complicating shifting. For these reasons I find myself leaning toward 1x systems, and this is where SRAM shines. SRAM’s widest range cassette option with 1x is the 10-50T Eagle cassette paired with its drop-bar eTap AXS gruppo. While Shimano does offer a 1x system within its GRX groupset range, the official cassette specification tops out at 11-42 (unofficially, it plays nice with up to 46T cassettes form Shimano’s mountain biking groupsets). This is plenty enough for many riders, but the much wider low-end range SRAM offers really increases the “go anywhere” capabilities of any gravel bike.
On the other hand, if your rides have paved and unpaved sections in relatively equal measure, a 2x drivetrain might be the more versatile choice, and this is where Shimano’s GRX 2x offering can make more sense. Shimano’s front derailleurs just seem to be generally more reliable, and have a more instantaneous and positive shifting action, than their SRAM counterparts. This is especially important on bikes that will be ridden in less-than-ideal conditions where fussy front derailleurs can be problematic.
It goes without saying that there are a number of key differences between SRAM and Shimano's groupsets besides gearing range, and these include price, aesthetics and component weights. Ultimately, the factors with the most direct relevance to the riding experience when it comes to gravel is the gear range and ergonomics (i.e. SRAM DoubleTap vs ShimanoShimano STI). Your decision should be informed by the type of riding you do most often, the nature of your home terrain as well as personal preferences when it comes to the subtle differences in form and function.
