After the disastrous recall of every single one of its first model of derailleur (the SRAM ESP 900), SRAM boldly stuck with it, slightly redesigning the gear and sorting out the manufacturing process - and the SRAM ESP 9.0SL was the result.

The design of the 9.0SL includes all SRAM’s signature features; the one-to-one actuation, the steeply angled slant parallelogram, the lack of float in the guide pulley and the single sprung pivot design with the top pulley wheel concentric with the sprung pivot (all except one-to-one actuation follow the basic design of the SunTour V GT).

When manufactured using ‘carbon composites’, with sealed bearing pulleys and an aluminium attachment bolt, the result was an extremely light and very capable gear. However, I personally still found it hard to believe that a plastic gear had the integrity of an aluminium design, and I found it hard to shake the unfair notion that this gear was a sophisticated toy.

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1. •Brand: SRAM
   

2. •Country: USA, manufactured in Taiwan
   

3. •Date of introduction: 1997
   

4. •Date of this example: unknown
   

5. •Model no: 600-714
   

6. •Weight: 192g
   

7. •Maximum cog: 32 teeth
   

8. •Total capacity: 33 teeth
   

9. •Pulley centre to centre: 85mm
   

10. •Index compatibility: 8 speed?
    

11. •Chain width: 3/32”
    

12. •Logic: top normal
    

13. •Pivots: two pivots, front sprung and rear unsprung
    

14. •Material: carbon composite (plastic) knuckles and inner pulley cage plate, aluminium parallelogram plates and outer pulley cage plate.
    

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