SRAM Apex 10 speed shifters / derailleurs compatible with Shimano 10 speed cassette

[Magpies]

Can I mix my SRAM Apex 10 speed shifters / derailleurs with a Shimano 10 speed cassette?

My bike is an early Spa Ti Audax, with SRAM 10 speed shifters & derailleurs, using a SRAM 10 sp chain (114 links I think but am not sure), and a SRAM PG-1050 11-34T cassette.

I want to mount it on a Tacx trainer, which will be fitted with a Shimano 10 speed cassette (like the Tiagra HG500 11-25T or 12-28T, or similar).

Will this combination work? Must I switch to a Shimano 10 speed chain to use with the Shimano cassette?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me out! I've searched all the usual websites, including Sheldon Brown, but don't get a clear answer. I've also posted similarly on CyclingUK.

 

[vickster]

Yes. I use Shimano cassettes on my SRAM road bikes. Any chain fine (I tend to use SRAM or KMC)

 

[T4tomo]

yes, shifters and derailleurs must be same brand & speed due to pull ratio's, but the cassette spacing and chain size on Shimano & SRAm 10 & 11 speed is identical.

Ignore anyone who says your chain might be too long. if it works on an 11-34 cassette that contains a 25 /28T cog it will work on 11-25 or 11-28

 

[fossyant]

You can also use Microshift and Sunrace cassettes if you fancy saving a bob or two. Got Sunrace/Mircroshift on the commuter and they last really well, and also a Microshift 10 speed on my 'spare' MTB wheels - shifts just as well as the fancy, expensive and blingy SRAM 1070 on my heavy duty wheels.

 

[vickster]

Or Tifosi cassettes

 

[fossyant]

One thing to note, the Tacx Trainer's hub (and the same goes for different hubs where you have more than one wheelset for your bike) is that it (the cassette) might be in a fractionally different position relative to the other hub. This can affect shifting. You can buy a set of spacers with a a fraction of a mm difference so that you can fine tune the cassette (amazon/ebay)

EG, one hub might be fitted with a 1mm spacer, but with the other hub, you might need to fit a 1.25mm spacer to align the sprockets. Three of my bikes have spare wheels, one hasn't needed a change of spacers, but another has with a slightly thicker spacer (0.25mm) to get the indexing spot on.

 

[Magpies]

Thanks so much, everyone - very helpful information, and just what I was looking for!

Shimano cassettes are the most easily available around here, funnily enough, more so than the TW brands like Microshift or Sunrace.
Noted about the potential need to tweak hub settings on the Tacx with spacers, thanks, Fossyant.

 

[Jenkins]

yes, shifters and derailleurs must be same brand & speed due to pull ratio's, but the cassette spacing and chain size on Shimano & SRAm 10 & 11 speed is identical.

Ignore anyone who says your chain might be too long. if it works on an 11-34 cassette that contains a 25 /28T cog it will work on 11-25 or 11-28

One slight clarification on this regarding SRAM shifters/derailleurs - you can't mix NX/GX shifters with Apex/Rival derailleurs or Apex/Rival shifters with NX/GX derailleurs of the same speed as the NX/GX are X-Actuation while Apex & Rival are Exact Actuation with slightly different pull ratios.

 

[Magpies]

Thanks ! This is the kind of expertise hard to find by googling!