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SRAM X01 DH Drivetrain

jackalope

Mental acuity - 1%
Jan 9, 2004
7,615
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in a single wide, cooking meth...
This drivetrain in for them, it's not for the guy that is riding a 4 year old frame with a clapped out fork with no rebound, skate shoes and camo cargo shorts.
Whew, you almost got nailed me, but thankfully my rebound works great and I don't wear skate shoes (while riding anyway).

As to your question about about chain durability, I've always found my newer 10 speed chains to be significantly more durable than the old 8 speed and 9 speed fare I used to have. Maybe because I'm so old now my max wattage has dropped below my previous savage power (122 watts).
 

jonKranked

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Nov 10, 2005
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People have asked for this but it's not like sram is a charity and they will give it out for free. First 2 years is nerd tax, wait after that and there will be an affordable option.
my point is that the drivetrain components already have an ultra premium price attached to them. then you've gotta pony up ANOTHER nearly $100USD if your freehub driver is not compatible. SRAM has become experts at bilking people out of money.
 

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
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SRAM has become experts at bilking people out of money.
precisely what their shareholders want to see I would imagine. (is SRAM publicly traded? even if not, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's what companies are in business to do)
 
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slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
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why did they make the gap in the gear set inside near the spokes and add a pretty good size guard there?

Can someone help 'splain than to the drive train newb? Thanks
I can see two or three potential reasons:
1. want to make it work with current freehub body.
2. leaves room to make a DH specific, wider at the flanges, narrower freehub body, rear hub. As Dirt speculates, wider hub flanges = stiffer and stronger wheel.

or....

I'm gonna stick to my old as fvck setup, after all I think there might be an eventual comeback to 9sp.

Viva 9sp.
there'd be enough room in there for 9 cogs, all with same 2-step difference of the 7-sp system. for freeriders, ya know?!?!
 

jonKranked

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precisely what their shareholders want to see I would imagine. (is SRAM publicly traded? even if not, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's what companies are in business to do)
they planned on offering an IPO, however i do not believe that has actually happened yet.

[edit] i think they started talking about an IPO as far back as 2011
 
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jonKranked

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indeed. I meant the speculation was that they could potentially introduce a hub with wider flanges down the road...
gotcha. from a business perspective its smart. i guess. release the hub shell a year or two after everyone's already paid for a new freehub.



a**holes.
 

Electric_City

Torture wrench
Apr 14, 2007
1,999
716
A cassette that lasts 4 years? How is this possible?
It's probably steel. Much like my STX Cranks from 1996 that we're 7 years old with the original rings and over 4,000miles on them. This "cheap" stuff last longer. Trust me. My XTR stuff had nothing but issues back in the day. The XTR replaced the STX on my hard tail. Fwiw, the HT was a Trek 930 Cro-mo frame that was made in the USA and lasted me 15years.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
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I'm mad because the spacing is still 10 speed. Instead of building a 7 speed cassette with wide spacing that allows for wide chains and looser tolerances, or keepings 10 speed spacing and throwing in a much wider wheel spacing, they kept the worst features of them both, but added a spokie doke and charged you more.

Imagine how much better this would be if it allowed for 135mm dishless spacing, and a return to 73mm cranks, or 150mm spacing with the strongest wheels you could fathom with no added weight...or chains that didn't require replacement after a year and adjustment after a weekend.
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
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my point is that the drivetrain components already have an ultra premium price attached to them. then you've gotta pony up ANOTHER nearly $100USD if your freehub driver is not compatible. SRAM has become experts at bilking people out of money.
Again nerd tax. I assume other companies will make cheaper version as it is with the narrow/wide chainring. Yes it will still be expensive but just buy it when you need new wheels and at that time I think the price will be similar to normal hub.

Also new technology, what do you expect? For them not to charge a premium? People will buy it anyway. I'm surprised it isn't more expensive. As long as people are willing to buy the prices will stay that high.
 
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slimshady

¡Mira, una ardilla!
I'm mad because the spacing is still 10 speed. Instead of building a 7 speed cassette with wide spacing that allows for wide chains and looser tolerances, or keepings 10 speed spacing and throwing in a much wider wheel spacing, they kept the worst features of them both, but added a spokie doke and charged you more.
Actually, things are the other way around (which might surprise many of the armchair engineers in RM). A narrow chain is stronger/ more durable than a widely spaced one. When you think of the actual torque the side plates put over each end of the pins, the shorter the pin, the lower the torque. This leads to much stronger (yet flexible) chains.

Plus we are talking the top-notch offer from SRAM here. Tolerances are tight enough to allow for clear shifting. And SRAM wants 9 speed systems out of the picture, that's pretty clear.

As Norbar said, if you aren't a SRAM sponsored athlete/tester/whatever and still choose to buy this stuff when freshly introduced, you'll be paying a huge nerd/fashionista tax...
 
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blindboxx2334

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Mar 19, 2013
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that's not speculation.
there was a thread on here not too long ago that i was asking about hub spacing and the strength ratio... IIRC, what i got from it was that wider hubs are not stiffer/stronger (although i still dont necessarily agree)..

andddd now im back to square one, and even more confused than before. as usual. :confused:
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,646
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Nilbog
people fail to realize that there is data out there that say the narrower chains are actually stronger...I have been running 2 bikes with 10 speed for a while now no broken chains yet.

who are you people just tearing the **** out of your chains all the time...from the outcry of hate on here you would think your local mountain would be flooded with chain less pissed off riders.
 

jonKranked

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there was a thread on here not too long ago that i was asking about hub spacing and the strength ratio... IIRC, what i got from it was that wider hubs are not stiffer/stronger (although i still dont necessarily agree)..

andddd now im back to square one, and even more confused than before. as usual. :confused:
Its not the extra flange width, its making the dish of the wheel more symmetrical that makes it stronger
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,654
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NORCAL is the hizzle
SRAM has become experts at bilking people out of money.
:rolleyes:

Jeez dude, you realize they're in the business of selling stuff for money, right?

They're not forcing you to buy their parts. As you can see in this thread and others there are all kinds of options for DH drivetrains with fewer gears if you want to opt out for whatever reason. Honestly you just sound bitter that you can't have the latest and greatest for the same price as a hack job using 4-year old, low-grade parts.

I've had a love/hate relationship with SRAM's products over the years but they get mega-props from me for being a legitimate competitor/threat to Shimano. One reason for that is that IMO, they are better (lately anyway) at listening to riders and giving them the products they think they want. I don't love all their stuff (still prefer shimano brakes, for example), but personally I hope SRAM keeps doing what they're doing. It only makes for better products and better choices across the board for everyone.
 

FlipFantasia

Turbo Monkey
Oct 4, 2001
1,666
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Sea to Sky BC
meh, I'll stick with 10spd since I ride trails on the dh bike that aren't always straight down, so it's nice to have a few pedallin' gears for when you need them.
 

cableguy

Monkey
Jun 23, 2007
463
1
Southern California
:rolleyes:

Jeez dude, you realize they're in the business of selling stuff for money, right?

They're not forcing you to buy their parts. As you can see in this thread and others there are all kinds of options for DH drivetrains with fewer gears if you want to opt out for whatever reason. Honestly you just sound bitter that you can't have the latest and greatest for the same price as a hack job using 4-year old, low-grade parts.

I've had a love/hate relationship with SRAM's products over the years but they get mega-props from me for being a legitimate competitor/threat to Shimano. One reason for that is that IMO, they are better (lately anyway) at listening to riders and giving them the products they think they want. I don't love all their stuff (still prefer shimano brakes, for example), but personally I hope SRAM keeps doing what they're doing. It only makes for better products and better choices across the board for everyone.
I get the same type of reaction when I bring up XX1
 

jonKranked

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I said it was stupid when urn gwern started losing on it, and you all told me it was a one off proto. Now here it is being sold to whomever can afford it, and it's still stupid, it's just condensed stupid.
i can make 7 speed cassettes with a sawz-all. i may just start a business.
 

jonKranked

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:rolleyes:

Jeez dude, you realize they're in the business of selling stuff for money, right?
well DUH

the problem is they've been toeing the line between being profitable and straight overcharging for years.

on top of that, they take the sh*t on the wall approach. throw a bunch of sh*t at a wall, and see what sticks. case in point their brakes.

Honestly you just sound bitter that you can't have the latest and greatest for the same price as a hack job using 4-year old, low-grade parts.
you clearly have me confused with sandy andy.
 

slimshady

¡Mira, una ardilla!
i will have region specific cassettes. teeth are ramped specifically for conditions in different mountain ranges.
I have several 9-speed ones highly customized by me and the local muddy trails sitting in a shelf... PM me, we might be able to put together a highly specialized* custom-made/localized/totally blingernerd cassette shop!!!

* I suspect we might be cordially obliged to change that word for something else which won't hurt Mr Sinyard's feelings/pockets. Suggestions accepted.
 

mattmatt86

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2005
5,347
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I feel like this article is a direct response to all the Haterade from the XO1 DH release (or any other new product for that matter)

Opinion: Why the Mountain Bike Industry Isn't Going To Listen To You

But there is one thing that seems to be overlooked these days, lost in a torrent of angry comments aimed at all kinds of aspects of bike design. Mountain bike companies are just that, companies. They make their bikes for the people who buy them. So, if you're not in that group of people who are buying new bikes at somewhere near the original retail price, you're not who they are making those bikes for. It may sound patronisingly obvious, but on the evidence, many people seem to have forgotten this simple truth.
 

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
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tl;dr - did they account for the fact that maybe, just maybe, the people who aren't buying bikes are not in the market because sh*t is just getting too goddamn expensive?
and also, that there's large segment of middle-aged, middle-income, bike-loving, bike-part-buying public who are resentful that all the time, energy and money they've invested in making their 26" bike the bike they want is essentially wasted because we can't carry over the key components of our dream build onto a new frame?

I mean, I bought a new frame in 2012, a Mojo HD. Over the years I've gradually upgraded my parts, to where I essentially have my dream build. Now, as a result of this frivolous new wheel size that offers marginal gains to racers, yet nothing tangible to me - and let's be honest - most recreational riders, all the new parts I've invested in (fork and wheels really) are pretty much obsolete, as in I won't be able to carry them over onto a new frame when the time comes. So then I'll pretty much have to buy a new, complete bike, which I'm loathe to do because of all the compromises a "reasonably" priced bike has, and no matter if I can afford it or not, it is obscene to me to spend $10,000 on a bike. obscene.

Yes, my bike brings me immense joy as it is, and that is the value it has for me. But when the time comes to replace the frame, and that time will come, there's no denying it, because of this silly new wheel size, I will have to drop a lot more coin than I would have had to otherwise. So I feel I have a legitimate reason to be huffy.

edited to add: oh wait, this is about drivetrains, but the same holds true: it's too expensive and not always backwards compatible.
 
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mattmatt86

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2005
5,347
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Bleedmore, Murderland
tl;dr - did they account for the fact that maybe, just maybe, the people who aren't buying bikes are not in the market because sh*t is just getting too goddamn expensive?
My take on it is: Bike companies core business isn't the "26 4 Life!" I'll trade my Xbox for your fork 17 year old Pinkbike crowd. It's the guys that have been riding for 15-20 years that now have disposable income that want the latest and greatest technology and are willing to walk into a shop and drop close to MSRP on it. So just because there are 100 comments on a PB article about how everyone will never buy XO1 DH and will continue to use their 8 year old LX cassette doesn't mean SRAM isn't going to sell a ton of them.
 

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,369
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tl;dr - did they account for the fact that maybe, just maybe, the people who aren't buying bikes are not in the market because sh*t is just getting too goddamn expensive?
It is really? The gap between top of the line and entry level is getting bigger but it's not more expensive to have a great bike. Come on. Direct order offer amazing deals, some companies like Mondraker have great value on their complete builds. You also have greater choice, it's not only xc vs dh like 10 years ago. Now I can buy a capable dartmoor park bike for 2000$ and they have a regular distribution model.

To cut it short you are just angry because you can't buy the blingiest top of the line stuff but you are not the target of top of the line products. 40 year old guys with good paying jobs are. That is why the industry is pushing enduro so hard. Remember it's never the die hard, hardcore crowd that makes the industry spin.
 
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jonKranked

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Nov 10, 2005
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and also, that there's large segment of middle-aged, middle-income, bike-loving, bike-part-buying public who are resentful that all the time, energy and money they've invested in making their 26" bike the bike they want is essentially wasted because we can't carry over the key components of our dream build onto a new frame?

I mean, I bought a new frame in 2012, a Mojo HD. Over the years I've gradually upgraded my parts, to where I essentially have my dream build. Now, as a result of this frivolous new wheel size that offers marginal gains to racers, yet nothing tangible to me - and let's be honest - most recreational riders, all the new parts I've invested in (fork and wheels really) are pretty much obsolete, as in I won't be able to carry them over onto a new frame when the time comes. So then I'll pretty much have to buy a new, complete bike, which I'm loathe to do because of all the compromises a "reasonably" priced bike has, and no matter if I can afford it or not, it is obscene to me to spend $10,000 on a bike. obscene.

Yes, my bike brings me immense joy as it is, and that is the value it has for me. But when the time comes to replace the frame, and that time will come, there's no denying it, because of this silly new wheel size, I will have to drop a lot more coin than I would have had to otherwise. So I feel I have a legitimate reason to be huffy.

edited to add: oh wait, this is about drivetrains, but the same holds true: it's too expensive and not always backwards compatible.
i'm in pretty much the same boat. with the exception of my DH bike, if i want a new fork i'll need a new frame. which means new wheels, probably cranks, etc.


this is one reason why i may ultimately ditch everything except my BMX bike. standards are WAY more standard than MTB. that, and you can get a fully pimped BMX bike for way less than a full suspension MTB frame,
 

jonKranked

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It is really? The gap between top of the line and entry level is getting bigger but it's not more expensive to have a great bike. Come on. Direct order offer amazing deals, some companies like Mondraker have great value on their complete builds. You also have greater choice, it's not only xc vs dh like 10 years ago. Now I can buy a capable dartmoor park bike for 2000$ and they have a regular distribution model.

To cut it short you are just angry because you can't buy the blingiest top of the line stuff but you are not the target of top of the line products. 40 year old guys with good paying jobs are. That is why the industry is pushing enduro so hard. Remember it's never the die hard, hardcore crowd that makes the industry spin.
not can't, won't.

and i have a VERY well paying job.
 

jonKranked

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40 year old guys with good paying jobs are. That is why the industry is pushing enduro so hard. Remember it's never the die hard, hardcore crowd that makes the industry spin.
this is the problem. MTB, well, cycling in general, is turning into golf. products are being targeted to people with more money than common sense or ability.

when i lived in socal, the group road rides i'd see on the weekend? holy hell i couldn't count all the team replica kits. and this was back in 2007.