Shimano chain with SRAM cassette

Richard has a Shimano XT derailleur with a Shimano chain running on a SRAM cassette, but he is having problems with the chain slipping and wants to know what could be causing it. This is what we hope will help:

Question:
I experienced my gears slipping on rear cassette. I took it
to my local bike shop who replaced my rear cassette with a SRAM
cassette. The other components are XT. The rear derailleur is Shimano
XT. I still have the problem of gears slipping even after replacing
the chain also. Is SRAM compatible with Shimano…?

Hi Richard.

Yes, a Shimano chain is compatible with a SRAM cassette and many bike manufacturers fit them together as standard. Also the Shimano chain will run very smoothly with SRAM equipment, some shop prefer this set up.

Check that the chain and the cassette are both 9 speed or 10 speed or whatever it should be as this will make a big difference to the running of the chain on the cassette. Did you replace the chain at the same time as replacing the cassette? They both become worn, but normally the chain wears more quickly than the cassette, so changing the chain more often makes the cassette last longer.

Make sure that the rear derailleur is perfectly adjusted, starting with the small adjusting screws. Make sure the chain won’t come off either side of the cassette. Once you know that this setting is correct you can start checking the fine adjustment with the cable adjuster, if the gear changes perfectly between the first and second gear and the others should be OK also.

Make sure the chain and cassette are clean and oiled as any stiffness or dirt on the chain will not help it run. Go through all this and I hope you sort it out.