Given that many riders say there are already a few too many cogs on our modern ten speed drivetrains, it came as no surprise that there was a sizeable group of detractors when SRAM let the cat out of the bag concerning their eleven speed XX1 group. The critics cited tight tolerances that might cause trouble down the road, possible excessive wear and the high cost of replacement parts, and especially the group's proprietary components that only function when working together as one. Truth be told, we had similar concerns of our own, especially because our riding conditions often border on what out of towners might refer to as monsoon-like. Yes, our first impressions were impressive: zippy shifting, gravity defying chain retention abilities, and not one adjustment required. But it is the group's performance over the longer haul that would either prove or disprove it as a contender. Five months and 70,000 feet of climbing later, much of it in those previously mentioned monsoon conditions, has shown us what XX1 is really made of. | XX1 Details • Single ring, eleven speed drivetrain • 10 - 42 eleven speed cassette and proprietary XD driver body • Eleven speed XX1-specific rear derailleur w/ Type 2 clutch • Carbon fiber crank arms • X-Sync chain ring design • XX1-specific eleven speed chain • Eleven speed trigger or Grip Shift compatible • XX1 group price: $1449 - $1573 USD |
Group OverviewXX1 Derailleur and Shifter
The group's derailleur has been designed around the unique demands of XX1, and it can't be used with a multi-ring crankset. This is due to its 'X-Horizon' geometry, a reference to how its parallelogram is positioned to allow for movement only on the horizontal plane, whereas a traditional derailleur allows for both horizontal and vertical action in order to keep the upper pulley wheel close enough to the cassette. SRAM has managed to accomplish the same thing via a large offset between the cage's pivot point and the upper pulley's mounting location - as the cage rotates back and the chain becomes slacker, the pulley wheel shifts forward to stay close to the smaller cogs, with the exact opposite happening as you shift the chain up to the larger cogs. The result is a constant chain gap between the upper pulley wheel and whatever cog the chain is running on throughout the entire range. SRAM has also incorporated their Type 2 roller bearing clutch in order to keep enough tension on the chain to greatly limit chain slack and the potential for derailment, as well as their Cage Lock button that holds the derailleur's cage out of the way during wheel removal and installation. Both pulley wheels also use the same X-Sync thick-thin-thick tooth profile as found on the XX1 chain ring. The XX1 derailleur weighed 242 grams on our scale, and it retails for $305 USD.
The 94 gram shifter looks very much like that used to elsewhere in SRAM's group, with both a carbon fiber push lever and carbon top cover, and it is actually a hybrid of their X0 and XX models. We've always been fans of how SRAM has made accommodations for differing preferences when it comes to bar setups and the new XX1 shifter is no different: the push paddle can be adjusted fore and aft by 60°, and there are also two mounting positions for the shifter body that let you adjust where it sits relative to its bar clamp. MSRP $175 USD (w/ Discreet clamp)
XX1 Crank and Chain RingThe $285 USD XX1 cranks themselves are actually the same carbon arms as used elsewhere in SRAM's lineup, but use a different aluminum spider with a more compact bolt pattern that allows for smaller diameter rings to be fitted. Interestingly, the crank spider is also offset slightly to allow chain rings to be removed and installed without having to pull the drive side crank off of the bike. The 513 gram (
175mm, weighed on our scale) crankset is offered with both BB30 and GXP bottom bracket spindles, and in 170 and 175mm lengths. The matching ceramic bottom bracket retails for $210 USD.
The XX1 chain ring design uses alternating tooth profiles; one with a thicker and heavily stepped shape, followed by a more standard looking tooth (shown by the graphic at right). When viewed from above, the alternating teeth match the inner profile of the male and female chain links. The radical teeth work with the XX1-specific chain to limit the chance of it lifting up and off of the ring. Size options will include 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, and 38 tooth rings, with odd ring sizes not available due to the alternating pattern of the X-Sync design. Our 36 tooth ring weighed 63 grams, and retails for $115 USD.
XX1 Eleven Speed Cassette and XD DriverWith a 10 - 42 tooth spread, including a large cog the size of a big chain ring, the group's 264 gram eleven speed cassette stands out prominently. Except for its largest cog, which is aluminum, the entire one-piece unit is machined down close to its final shape (
minus the teeth profiles) from a steel ingot, a process that takes place in a single, labour intensive step. The dinner plate-sized large cog is a separate aluminum unit that is held in place by way of pins machined into the backside of the 36 tooth steel cog that it sits next to, with the entire range consisting of 10 - 12 - 14 - 16 - 18 - 21 - 24 - 28 - 32 - 36 - 42 tooth cogs. SRAM also forgoes using a traditional lockring to hold the $425 USD cassette onto XX1's proprietary XD driver body, with a clever system where the tube running down the center of the cassette features threads on its inboard end that mate to threads on the driver. A standard cassette lockring tool can still be used to tight or loosen the cassette, though, and the XD driver body is now compatible with a number of different wheel manufacturers' offerings.
PerformanceShift ActionWe would be incredibly disappointed if SRAM's top tier component group offered anything other than lightening quick and hiccup-free shifting, which it does in a very seamless manner. Lever action is crisp and positive, just as we've come to expect from SRAM, with a very tactile feel to the shifter that leaves no doubt as to what just happened at the back of the bike, a great attribute for the racer who is often working the shifter paddles in the heat of the moment. Shift speed across the cassette is quite fast, with the ability to jump through five gears at a time if you are looking for a lower option, while dropping down to a harder gear is a one push, one jump affair with the single-release thumb paddle. Moving the chain up to the large 42 tooth cog is slightly slower than through the rest of the range, although that isn't a surprise given the six tooth difference between it and the 36 tooth cog that comes before it. At the other end of the range, dropping down onto the ten tooth cog also felt to take slightly longer than shifting through the middle of the cassette, but this is down to the lower cadence that the rider would usually be turning over when making such a shift.
Surely shift action must degrade over time given that there are eleven cogs stuffed back there? Not anymore than what you'd find of a ten speed drivetrain, with the system requiring only a couple of cable tension tweaks over the last five months, made via the barrel adjuster at the shifter, to take up any slack that developed as the shift housing settled in. We did manage to tweak the derailleur hanger on our test bike a very small amount, though, but it was enough to put the shifting out by a fair bit. While not at all the fault of any XX1 components, it did highlight the need for near perfect alignment as that very negligible twist in the hanger put the group's shifting well out of whack, just as you'd expect it to with any geared setup.
The cassette's gear ratios and jumps felt adequate enough for a rider who gets out on a regular basis, but the key to getting the most from XX1 will be choosing the correct chain ring to pair it with. Unlocking the group's performance for each rider will come down to them being honest with their abilities while choosing a chain ring size that makes sense for both how they ride and the terrain that they spend most of their time on - using too big of a ring will only result in tired legs and a frustrated mind, and going too small will add up to you spinning circles while you go nowhere slowly. So far, the large majority of our time on XX1 has been with a 36 tooth ring, a setup that some might find a bit tall but also
one that mimics a gear ratio that we are familiar with. The result was a range that allowed for some good top end speed when in the smaller cogs, but also an acceptable low selection for tractoring the steepest pitches in our 'hood. Having said that, we would likely drop down to a 34 or 32 if we planned to ride trails that we were unfamiliar with, just in case. While XX1 has been touted as a group for only the fittest of riders, that is actually far from the truth. Fitting the smallest XX1 chain ring, a 28 tooth unit, results in an easiest gear (
28 tooth ring, 42 tooth cog) that is the same as what you would find when using a small 24 tooth chain ring and 36 tooth cog that comes as standard with many triple ring setups. You would, of course, be missing out on some top end range while using a 28 tooth XX1 ring, but when was the last time you spun out while in your large chain ring? So while the group is light and expensive, it does make sense for more than just the pure cross-country thoroughbreds out there.
Chain RetentionMany riders, us included, couldn't believe our eyes when we saw the early images of the XX1 group being tested on rough terrain without any sort of chain guide system. How the hell was the chain staying on, even with SRAM's Type 2 clutch derailleur? The answer lies in the ring's clever alternating tooth profiles; one with a thicker and heavily stepped shape, followed by a more standard looking tooth. When viewed from above, the tall alternating teeth match the inner profile of the male and female chain links. The radical teeth work with the XX1-specific chain to limit the chance of it lifting up and off of the ring. The design proved to be very effective in the real world, with us suffering from only a single dropped chain during our five months on the group, and that lone derailment happened while we were back pedalling on rough terrain
trying to cause an issue. SRAM doesn't claim that every rider is going to see the same success without a guide, though, especially those that regularly hang it out on choppy terrain, and we would likely recommend at least a minimalist upper slider-only setup if you're using the XX1 group on a Super-D or enduro race bike of any kind.
One of the most impressive, and surprising, attributes of SRAM's eleven speed group is its ability to remain quiet as the bike is getting tossed about on rough trails. We're talking exceedingly quiet, even more so than many downhill bikes out there with full fledged chain guides. Some of this stealthiness will be a symptom of the bike the group is bolted to, but both the sticky X-Sync chain ring tooth shaping and the chain slap minimizing clutch equipped Type 2 derailleur deserve the most credit.
While visually hard to spot, SRAM's X-Sync chain ring tooth shaping plays a big role in the group's ability to ran sans chain guide. The photo on the right shows how the alternating thick-thin-thick teeth mesh with the inner profile of the chain.
ReliabilityFive very solid months of riding, including roughly 70,000ft of climbing, much of it in the rain and mud, have shown that the group can stand up to the elements well. Our main concern boiled down to the intricate shape of the X-Sync tooth profile of the proprietary chain ring - would its chain retention abilities degrade as the teeth wore? The ring's wear rate has been impressively slow given that the chain is on it 100% of the time, unlike a double or triple ring setup where the rings share the work, and we'd say that it will likely last the rest of the season before needing to be replaced. The single dropped chain mentioned above isn't likely down to any wear, but rather a combination of the extremely rough terrain that we were on at the time and back pedalling. The chain itself hasn't failed during testing, and it now sits at .50 on our Park Tool chain checker, meaning that it's time for it to be replaced so as to not cause undo wear of the rather pricey XX1 eleven speed cassette. We've heard reports of increased pulley wear rates on clutch-equipped derailleurs, an issue that would make sense given the increased chain tension that helps to keep the chain in place, but this isn't something that we can complain about with the pulley wheels on our XX1 derailleur - they still look near new.
The cranks might look a little rough after five months of use but are sporting only cosmetic damage. Zero creaks or groans, and the bottom bracket is just now starting to turn rough.
The group has taken its fair share of punches during testing, and it is certainly sporting a few good scars and bruises to show for it. The ends of the carbon fiber crank arms have seen quite a few strikes in particular, with a number of deep gouges where they have made contact with the rocks, and impact marks on both the derailleur's cage and its parallelogram are evidence of direct hits. All of the above has resulted in only cosmetic damage, though, with performance not being affected whatsoever. We're also confident that the impacts have only caused superficial damage, and that none of them will have an effect on the group's long term performance.
We were curious as to how the drivetrain would perform in extremely muddy conditions, especially when the chain was on the small ten tooth cog. Would it skip under load when packed with mud? Would the small cog wear excessively fast? The answer to both of the questions is no. Skipping was not an issue, even when trying to put the power down on chattery terrain, nor did such a problem arise when the cassette was packed full of mud.
IssuesWe've been using our XX1 test group since mid January of this year, with it seeing action on everything from Sedona, Arizona's, dusty and rocky singletrack to backyard epics on our muddy B.C. coastal mountain ranges. Given the amount of abuse that we've heaped onto the components, they have been relatively trouble free. We experienced a seized upper pulley wheel after two months of use, a problem that was solved by first running some thinner lube through the pulley's sealed bearing, followed by injecting a dose of grease, with it continuing to turn smoothly since.
Close contact with rocks has left the derailleur with some scars. It still functions like new, though, and its clutch system hasn't lost any of its tension.
One interesting phenomenon that we weren't expecting is how the X-Sync tooth profile used on both the chain ring and the pulley wheels seems to pick up more trail debris than a standard setup. It wasn't uncommon to see much more mud than usual packed onto on both during a sloppy ride, and we even found that the ring would grab and hold onto leaves that managed to find their way up onto the drivetrain. This may be a localized occurrence - our singletrack is often wet and littered with trail scraps - and it never caused any skipping issues, but it is worth noting regardless.
Our only other concern boils down to a very strange popping noise that would occur intermittently and only during high torque scenarios, once or twice a ride at most. Talking to a few other riders who have time on XX1 revealed that they too noticed the noise, although none of them, ourselves included, ever suffered from any mechanical issues related to it. The sound only occurs when the chain is riding on the large 42 tooth cog and while powering up a steep incline, leading us to believe that it is a result of the chain interfacing with the thicker and heavily stepped X-Sync chain ring teeth while at the acute range of the chain line. Again, there were no mechanical issues related to it.
Our first ride on SRAM's XX1 took place on Whistler's rocky terrain. The group performed well at the time, and we haven't been let down by it since.
Pinkbike's Take: | It's expensive, it uses proprietary components that only function properly together, and, much to many people's dismay, it adds yet another cog to the cassette to bring the total to eleven. It also functions incredibly well, is very reliable (barring that troublesome pulley wheel bearing, a relatively minor quibble), and has also shown itself to be a remarkably versatile component group - barring freeride and downhill bikes, XX1's performance makes a lot of sense for nearly every type of mountain bike, from hardtail race rigs to 6'' travel all-mountain machines. The $1449 USD asking price for SRAM's single ring super group, while actually less expensive than some other high-end drivetrains out there, means that it simply won't be an option for many riders. That is a shame because we feel confident in saying that XX1 is well suited to how a lot of us approach mountain biking, and it also goes a long way to simplifying our bikes while adding performance. We chose the XX1 drivetrain as one of our favorite and most innovative products of 2012 and, after many months of use, we still stand by that choice. - Mike Levy |
www.sram.com
so to be honest and clear for everyone.. from now on SRAM AND shitmano kan kiss my ass
these companies are looking like governments these days.. giving shit about the little people.. 1500$ for a drive train.. gimme a break..
@ donch15 : thanks for the idea of the 10sp Shimano mech and 9sp sram shifter.. will look into that !
www.pinkbike.com/news/Tech-Tuesday-Inside-Shimanos-Shadow-Plus-Mech-and-How-To-Adjust-.html
My combo is 22x36 front and 9sp 11x34 rear on a SC Heckler wich has no chainguide tabs. No need for 5mm spacer at all.
Am running a chain device up front but am going to try without soon. It does make the whole bike silent. And looks awesome! Would definitely advise to any all mountain trail rider. Has defenetly help up against knocks too. Have a few big gouges out the rear mec and is still running sweet!
Take a look at my set up on the link:
m.pinkbike.com/photo/9234004
m.pinkbike.com/photo/9233970
XX1 is a great option for AM bikes IMO. Anything to get rid of the front der. is a good idea. I personally probably won;t ever run it unless it trickles down quite a bit, and I don;t care about the front ring and specially shaped chain as I prefer guides/guards for my style of riding, but it looks like a good bit of engineering to me.
First they came with a Sram cassete version with an adapter replacing the first 4 cogs with 25-29-34-40T reviewd here in pinkbike:
www.pinkbike.com/u/mattwragg/blog/First-Look-General-Lee-Wide-range-Cassette-Adapter.html
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271216037463?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
Now they have just been released the Shimano version with 28-33-40T
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271216037463?ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1561.l2649
and they have more,,, as Shimano didn't come up, they DID IT ! 29-35-42T
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271217436481?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
And no, if you have a properly shimmed drivetrain that was set up by a competent mechanic (or yourself, if that's the case), then there is not one single chain management issue in the world that the clutch system or a good chainguide can't PERMANENTLY fix.
Short of destroying your bike, there's not much you can do to disrupt a truly taut 1x10 or 1x11 drivetrain on a good bike.
All of those compromises just to save a little weight of the front mech and to avoid having to click your front shifter one time at the top of the climb and then at the bottom of the downhill....not worth it for my type of all-day, all-around trail rides.
It's not about little weight saving - It's about reliability, front mechs do not shift well, I had XTR and XT on XTR shifters and I am yet to find a front mech that shifts well enough to cope with terrain I have around. Then chain retention is a problem, no matter what you use.
Now XX1 needless to say, is a bloody luxury - With 36t chainring you can do anything anywhere, and about the downhills, I have nothing more to say but the fact that most DH pros run 36t chainrings.
As someone wise said some time ago - "if I can't uphill on 1:1 ratio or close, I'd be faster walking" I have that thought with me anytime a terrain runner passes me by, when I spin circles like a sissie
Regardless if you like it or not, it is lighter, faster, and for the competitive riders.
In my honest opinion, those who dont get on this train will be getting passed up and down by it.
I am using my grandma gear less and less and its becoming more of a CrUtCh to rest.
@Protour keep riding longer, harder, and faster. You will get stronger and you wont need that TiNy bit of extra ratio.
Waki, you are dead wrong about your claim that spinning that fast on a fireroad climb would cause you to wheelie out. These types of claims make me wonder if you actually ride a mountain bike, no way are you gonna unintentionally do a wheelie while spinning up a steep fireroad climb. And with a plush full suspension bike it doesn't matter if you are on asphalt, the shocks smooth out the roughness of the road and allow you to spin efficiently in your granny gear.
This thread reminds me of the time Waki claimed nobody needed long travel dropper posts cause it's not necessary for him. Meanwhile, nearly EVERYONE I ride with has a long travel dropper post and uses all of it. Any more stupid claims, Waki?
Although they can provide an all over body workout, single speeds have limitations. I look forward to progressive bike designers who introduce very wide ratios with limited cog counts; four, say.
Sram released clutch so fast after Shimano did their, so they must have worked on it before Shimano released their. You can't R&D, produce and market such product in a year after you saw that your competition made something you want to "copy".
I went down the street and borrowed my neighbors carbine, equipped with xx1 and took it up the hill. WOW, all I can say is that I am blown away. It went from uphill pedability(without any chain grinding) to downhill appropirate gearing with such precision. Now that doesn't mean I need to have 11 gears, its just that it works so damn well. I mean they really pulled this idea off. Ya the price is high and I can't afford it but none the less, it is still awesomely smooth. Sorry about the jumbled thoughts, I should be going to bed
Yes yes I jest and am looking forward to SLX or X9 price levels as the tech trickles down to us plebs.
It's not worth it to me, but of course, I'm the guy who says give me a climbing, a cruising, and a descending gear and I'll be happy. A 3 speed gearbox in the BB and I will go without a mech in the back at all. KISS principle keeping my bike awesome for years.
@mtb4matt - I'll put it this way, yes there are situations where the front mech helps, like being overweight, if due to fat or muscle mass, irrelevant. But for majority... If I can do it on my trails, anyone can.
@gomers - hes, pic taken in spring 2010, days before I got myself 1x10 drivetrain. Way to go A-hole!
I will happily take my front mech everyday of the week versus all the compromises of the 1x set ups. At least 4 or 5 people on this thread have admitted they have had to hike instead of pedal up because of the inadequacies of their 1x gearin, I thought the point of having pedals on a bicycle was to allow you to pedal it???
The whole 1x thing is just a fashion trend, a way for trail riders to make themselves seem tough cause they don't need a wimpy front mech, and a way to make their bikes resemble DH bikes....1x setups have very little real world practicality, especially for all day real worlds riders who keep it real by pedaling to the top of the mountain...and then do it again.
Front mechs are for people with problems or dealing with very particular trail conditions. Other than that, for people who are just simply unfit for various reasons, like lack of time for training. If you have time for training, you are perfectly fit and still use that, sorry mate you fall into the basket with "lazy" label on it. There is NO excuse to not be able to ride up anything for any length on 32t front and 34t back. No excuse - Super wide range XX1 or General Lee cassettes covers everything anyone can ever need, even the unfit people on heaviest wheels.
I personally have been running a 1x9 and now 1x10 set-up on my "little", "trail", "all-mountain", or whatever you want to call it bike for years. Long before all the new 2x guides and clutched derailleur were available, given the terrain I have to ride and how aggresivley I like to ride it, the only way to keep the chain on the bike was with a full-on DH chainguide. It had nothing to do with my desire to look like a tough guy or push a big gear up hills. A 2x set-up with a front derailleur was not nearly adequate enough to keep the chain on the bike.
Having ridden a 1x9, 34 front/34 rear set-up for years, I would definitley say I am strong enough to push it up almost anything. I now run a 1x10, 34 front/ 36 rear on a 29er as it takes a little more effort to get the wagon wheels rolling.
My daily ride requires me to do a 1,110' / 1.6mile / 13.4% climb just to get to where the trails start. The ride is then anywhere from 8-30 miles and another 1,500 - 5,000 feet of elevation depending on how much time the real world allows me to escape for.
When people start riding our home trails for the first time, they think the climb is damn near impossible even with a granny gear. A year later, they're almost all running 1x set-ups.
No one is calling you a pussy for having a granny gear, but your defensiveness and attack on anything 1x sure makes me think they might be on to something.
granny to 34 or 36 is too easy to be useful for more than a few feat for a guy like me, and more and more people are discovering the same thing is true for them too.
Riding up a fireroad isn't "rough terrain", and spinning is absolutely more efficient on an all day ride than grinding a hard gear. Ned Overend always attributed alot of his success to the fact that he would spin his granny on the climbs and pass alot of riders
near the end of the race who were worn out from pushing harder gears.
I found that with my 1x setup I can climb every hill in the woods I could before.
As for the front wheel staying down- some bikes have a sufficient seat angle to make a big difference to climbing steep stuff, but always at the cost to something else. I have found that by sliding my saddle forward enough to make it a really top notch climber I have to go to a longer stem or my cockpit is too small, but by going forward I lose some of my descending capability, and I'm not willing to make that trade, so instead to keep the front down while in a really easy gear I must stand. i imagine Waki is in the same boat. Many of us are, so as you can see, it is not BS.
Well done
there is a really massive thread going on on mtb-news.de (xx1 diy) but i will need an other 5 days to go through the 99 pages ;-)
less chainrings upfront would be great, but i need a proper gearing in the back
any hint is more then welcome
www.pinkbike.com/u/mattwragg/blog/First-Look-General-Lee-Wide-range-Cassette-Adapter.html
www.bike198.com/overanalyzing-1x10
@Waki, 1500 m is just my warm up, not everyone has a wife and kids to get back to, some of us like to ride all day, and if you are doing it 2 or 3 days in a row, the easier gear the better. 36-24 w/ mrp up front, 11-36 in the rear. I never lose my chain, have better chainline than a single ring, and am quite content to take the weight penalty of a front derailleur for the ability to have longer adventures.
@wheel-addict - I envy you such rides. But one lower gear after all day riding, hmm... wasn't it one more bit of food that wasn't yet another energy bar? Then I will get spanked for that, but shouldn't people "right off the couch" not get involved in mountain biking at all as it improves only their cardio and fks up bones and makes muscle clots? When cardio and ventilation can be improved by much simplier and cheaper activity like... running? You can't just sit in the office for hours, then watch TV at home, and get into interval ride or a weekend of bike parking, and say it's a sport, a "reacreational activity".
I mean how long are we going to pretend that MTB is all jolly good and everyone should try it? I don't fkn want to swim, jump on bungee, drive dragsters or play football. Sure I can do it once 3 years, but I don't want anyone to nag me to do it... If I'm into something I want to do it well. If you plan to spend 5000$ on the bike then be at least an above average rider, or fkn forget it. Ride a 500$ one and save money for better things in life as you are obviously not committed enough, why fool yourself? It is the damn exact scheme as people buying gym equipment to their homes, then it lies there unused after a year at best, if not after two months. What's the point of such waste? Because we can?
Waki, you always make assumptions that are completely full of holes. I'm no pro, I just like long rides with long steep climbs, and I also like to spin a comfortable gear versus grunt up in a 1x and destroy my knees. It does require lots if fuel and water, but it isn't the effort you imagine if you have the proper gearing and time.
Then wait again why would someone sane ride XX1 on 32t?! 32-42?! You will be faster pushing your bike. It is pointless to ride a bicycle with such ratio. Buy a DH bike and push it up to have fun on downhill if you suck so bad at climbing, if you want to ride 32t on XX1. Also, start hiking as your hobby directly, I do it every now and then and it is a great way of experiencing the nature
hi guys - thanks for all the reply´s and tipps. looks i need some time on the computer to figure all out and then decide what to do.
...these are mainly quality reply´s and that is not always the case on other sites - THANKS!
truly a freacking amazing group! once you tried it, there is no going back!
I can see running single rings and chain guides for DH, but I do some pretty gnarly all-mountain riding and chain drops are never an issue for me with my "old school" triple-ring setup. SRAM is catering to racers at one end of the spectrum and wealthy noobs at the other. This is not a practical drivetrain, based on technical merits alone. I don't care how great the reviews are. The system is technically flawed and no amount of engineering can overcome the fact that a single ring setup will wear out faster and have more drag than a double or triple ring setup when used in the high and low gears. It's not like SRAM came up with some brilliant idea no else had ever thought of before. These are well-known limitations that have prevented other companies from doing this before.
Let`s put sense into it...
30km going up, less than half a year and it was a bit wet. Already the chain is on its last links. Very visible wear on cogs and chainwheel, pulley seized.
Hardly what I call quality and most likely only halftruth mixed with spin.
www.ebay.com/itm/41-Tooth-Cog-for-Mountain-Bike-Cassette-41t-Sprocket-/251243702528?pt=US_Cassettes_Freewheels_Cogs&hash=item3a7f4aa900
Match that with one of these:
www.wolftoothcycling.com/collections/all
and a clutch-type derailleur, and you've got poor man's XX1!
My plan was to add an upper guide or go back to the silent guide when I dropped a chain but it hasn't happened!
I don't need more gearing than 11-34 with a 32t front ring so I'm sticking to 1X9 running SRAM 9sp shifters with Shadow Plus derailleurs.
I'll buy a X9 level XX1 day one SRAM, day one. Make it happen, the money is waiting to be spent. I've broken too many derailleurs over the years to buy the highest end ones. I just can't justify it. But X9 level, again, day one.
Not to mention whole groupset...
There is the catch...
I was thinking the same thing, just get the crank which seemed like a bargain. I suppose a set of standard non-ceramic cups would do the trick.
In a race situation not having to think about front shifting was a very welcome simplification allowing greater focus to be placed on the picking lines and riding fast. The weight reduction was noticeable as well.
Also, I've tried to drop a chain, to no avail. No need for a chain guard for Ontario XC racing.
Moving to a full XX1 setup would be nice but cost is prohibitive. Especially considering I normally replace rear d, cassette and chain every year or so.
I'll save you the research: the XX1 cranks are the best option for single chainring crank setup. Price point is great (better than XX or X0) and performance is stellar. Weight is pretty good too.
Regular lubrication and casually checking your chain for stretch are an easy way to extend the usable life of a cassette.
End rant of burnt out and bitter bike mechanic..
Even better when the whole bike is rusted to sh*t because they kept it at the batch by the sea with out a drop of lube, and it's still your problem.
I just can't believe that.
More gears is hype. It reminds me of grade 7: "Man, I got a 21 speed! That is 3 more than yours so my bike is better!" It means nothing. Your legs can make up the difference.
Don't be afraid to ditch the granny. If you really need it for those super technical climbs then okay, but you'd be surprised what you can do without it.
One thing I didn't see mentioned in the review was the group's greatest benefit. The lack of the front derailleur will not dictate how frames and suspension linkages are designed. As soon as we eliminate the front derailleur and chain guides completely, frame designers and engineers will no longer have to compromise on pivot placement, chainstay length, ect because of said front derailleur and or guide mounting.
Sram idea....A+
A good cranks in pinkbike buy and sell....90.00usd
A good 9 speed cassette....50.00 usd
A good shifter .....50.00 usd
A new chain ..35.00 usd
Total...225.00 usd
That means----------------
1, 225.00 for...
Gas for my pick up
A case of beer
A bag of ice
Sandwich bread
Doritos ( try a Dorito sandwich...just put doritos between bread)
A few friends
100.00 usd to my wife ...for a peaceful weekend ride!
Still have $1, 000.00..in my pocket!
Two years ago y waste 600.00 on a Hammersmith...idea..A+
on the trail...a piece of junk..wasted money.
To me, there isn't a single "point" of the system, versus running a 1X10 or even 2X. Rather, everything is an incremental but noticeable upgrade: the shifter feels better, the deraileur shifts better and is quieter, the clutch doesn't affect lever effort, the chainring is reliable, the spider is stiffer, it saved me a half pound over my previous setup.
There are a bunch of stand-out features of the group, but taken as a whole it simply performs exceptionally, with no hiccups or weak links. And really, that's what I want in a drivetrain.
Two questions:
1. What is chain stretch like after your test? Perhaps using the Park tool measurements?
2. Have you bashed the ring on wood or rock and if so what was the outcome?
"The chain itself hasn't failed during testing, and it now sits at .50 on our Park Tool chain checker,.."
I didn't clean my bike for months after muddy/wet/sandy/whatever rides and it still shifted like a champ!
fotos.mtb-news.de/p/1371762
42 tooth Cog to create a 11-42 Ratio on 10 Speed Systems. Works really well, light and affordable!
A. This one goes up to 11.
Back in 1980 people said '7 gears? Why would anyone need 7?'
www.i-mtb.com/enduro-world-series-round-1-punta-ala-race-day
"Couldn't you just make ten louder...?"
"...this one goes to eleven."
so it will probably work with regular 9 speed cassette and regular X9 deralier :-)
www.bikerumor.com/2012/12/10/first-look-industry-nines-xd1-driver-body-for-sram-xx1
How often does a ride get ended because a rock or stick destroyed someones front derailleur?
And now with these super long derailleurs necessary for the ridiculous 42 tooth cassettes, destroying your rear derailleur through contact with rocks, roots, stumps, and sticks is even more likely. Oh well, at least a replacement XX1 rear mech isn't very expensive...
The 42 cassette also makes rear derailleur alignment more crucial and more likely to be a problem if your hanger is even slightly tweaked.
Overall, this group almost seems like a last dying, desperate gasp for Sram to finally develop something that beats Shimano and before some type of gearbox system or internal hub takes over the market.