[Andeh]

I really like how Shimano shifts, especially the double up-shift. I don't like how you have to grease the clutch so often, but to be fair it's super easy. I had to add blue loctite to keep the XTR B-screw from backing out, but again to be fair my X01 felt like it needed retuning every 4 months or so also.

I've had durability issues on both X01 and XTR cassettes. When I first got Eagle, I had a tooth snap off the 50 cog within 400 miles, and I'm not fat or particularly strong. SRAM warrantied it but made me go through the store I ordered it from, who in turn made me go through their local shop which was a headache but eventually got done. After that I put on about 2000 miles and the cassette is still in pretty good shape. I recently swapped over to XTR and I just yesterday found that one of the teeth has snapped off the 3rd largest black cog, after <180 miles. I've already reached out to Colorado Cyclist for warranty help on that because that's just nuts.

 

[Bikael Molton]

The double up shift is great! It took me months to remember to use it though.

 

[Jm_]

The double up shift is great! It took me months to remember to use it though.

For me, it just takes so much force to upshift that it defeats the purpose IMO. It's like a giant double-action trigger vs a light single-action on the SRAM. One "trick" I can do with the sram is use my knuckle joint to upshift without ever taking my thumb off the bar and "pushing", since the action is much lighter. I even shot a vid about it. It's a little misleading, since the 8000/9000 drivetrain is only hooked up to a derailleur, no chain or cassette, so no additional inertia or resistance, but on a fresh cable. The X01 is fully set up, although I'm not riding while I shot it. Still, it takes far less effort for me to do the SRAM and I think it gets one additional click/gear-change on the upshift if you push it far enough, though I rarely do it that far.

I'm thinking they made the action so heavy to prevent a mis-shift when you aren't intending to do 2 at once. Since going up is only letting the derailleur yank the cable back, it shouldn't require much force from your thumb, vs. downshifting where you are fighting the derailleur spring and mechanically pulling the derailleur by the cable.

 

[Jm_]

I really just want voice activated shifting that downshifts when I say "fuck!" and upshifts when I say "woo!"

 

[iRider]

Never a stuck cassette on an HG hub? Every cassette, except on the fat bike, has damaged the splines on my HG hubs and required at least one or two cogs to be pried off eventually. Shimank cassettes ugh.

Sure, that happens if you are running a cassette with lose cogs on a lightweight aluminum freehub. But I always could get them off AND could use the hub again. When the XO cassette is done I have to throw it away together with the Hope XD driver that is permanently attached to it. Or do you have a trick? WD40, heating and brute force resulted in nothing.

 

[Jm_]

Sure, that happens if you are running a cassette with lose cogs on a lightweight aluminum freehub. But I always could get them off AND could use the hub again. When the XO cassette is done I have to throw it away together with the Hope XD driver that is permanently attached to it. Or do you have a trick? WD40, heating and brute force resulted in nothing.

Hope has got to be out of spec there. Never had any issue with DT. I do have one on a Hope. I bought the driver second hand, but I had to turn down the end cap on a lathe to not jam on something, possibly the cassette.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Sure, that happens if you are running a cassette with lose cogs on a lightweight aluminum freehub. But I always could get them off AND could use the hub again. When the XO cassette is done I have to throw it away together with the Hope XD driver that is permanently attached to it. Or do you have a trick? WD40, heating and brute force resulted in nothing.

That's my experience with X0...

 

[Jm_]

That's my experience with X0...

I seem to recall there were some installed by the bike-co or shop with some massive torque number that makes no sense, basically impossible to ever get off. I forget what the commonality was, but I recall "jammed" being used...

 

[buckoW]

Sure, that happens if you are running a cassette with lose cogs on a lightweight aluminum freehub. But I always could get them off AND could use the hub again. When the XO cassette is done I have to throw it away together with the Hope XD driver that is permanently attached to it. Or do you have a trick? WD40, heating and brute force resulted in nothing.

Can you get full insertion with the cassette tool? The end caps on Hope hubs are sometimes too wide the fully seat the cassette tool. That’s the only challenge I see regularly when working with XD Hope hubs. When I remember to use the modified cassette tool it’s fine.

I too have had great luck with xx1 and x01 11speed. I sometimes run an 11-46t SLX cassette for the 46t and it’s cheap.
I thought I would treat myself and my newest XO1 12 speed shifts horribly. I haven’t figured it out yet but the 52t is pretty nice... more than I would like to admit.

 

[Gary]

pull off the Hope end caps first and you can use a normal HG cassette tool

 

[Rhubarb]

Shimano cassettes getting stuck on Hope freehub bodies is typically due to the individual high gear cogs notching the splines. I prefer the steel freehub bodies to address this issue. To remove the cassette I tend to use a chain whip in the opposite direction to release the individual cogs and then wiggle them off. Once off I file the splines to clean them up.

I checked my SRAM mounting bolt this morning and it was tight, but I noticed a lot of play. In fact if I swing the derailleur back so the B-Tension screw is off the plate, I can see the plate is very loose. Due to lever effect, if I hold the derailleur cage at he lower jockey wheel, then the amount of side ways movements is pretty excessive (with the derailleur in the normal position). I noticed alot of play in the GX derailleur after riding it for approx. 4 months, but never noticed that alot of it was coming from the mounting bolt. The jockey wheels also have a lot of free play. Most of these issues seem to show up in reviews and the LBS has also commented in it.

I managed to ride last night without issues (not much pedaling required) and we have 1 more day before the rain arrives.

 

[Harry BarnOwl]

Putting some aluminium jockey wheels on my old GX derailleur was a surprisingly good upgrade for not a huge amount of money. The difference it made to the noise of the drivetrain was worth the money alone. The mounting pivot also had terrible play by the end but still shifted pretty reliably.

 

[canadmos]

Putting some aluminium jockey wheels on my old GX derailleur was a surprisingly good upgrade for not a huge amount of money. The difference it made to the noise of the drivetrain was worth the money alone. The mounting pivot also had terrible play by the end but still shifted pretty reliably.

Those didn't make it louder?

Curious about if they attract grease and grime like the plastic ones... those things are like dirt magnets.

 

[HardtailHack]

perhaps you should try to strengthen your dainty hands

Or go 10spd Saint, but then you will have to live with a lever that is two inches behind the bar.
Somebody just needs to make new internal plates up for 9spd X0 shifters so we can have them for every possible combo.
Anyone on here got a water cutter?

 

[jonKranked]

Or go 10spd Saint, but then you will have to live with a lever that is two inches behind the bar.
Somebody just needs to make new internal plates up for 9spd X0 shifters so we can have them for every possible combo.
Anyone on here got a water cutter?

"my shifter paddle is too hard to press " better call the wambulance.

 

[slimshady]

Somebody just needs to make new internal plates up for 9spd X0 shifters so we can have them for every possible combo.
Anyone on here got a water cutter?

The Rapide guys were doing that a few years ago:

https://bikerumor.com/2016/01/25/found-internal-hack-to-convert-sram-mtb-10-speed-to-11-without-replacing-shifter-or-rear-derailleur/

A friend did them with a laser cutter and some stainless steel sheets. Worked pretty well.

 

[slyfink]

What does this even mean though?
mileage, I understand. But even then. Conditions, shifting style, load and maintenance (cleaning/lubing) all play a huge part in drivetrain life.
Seasons/Years mean nothing really.

OK. Strava says I put just under 2500km on this cassette in 3.5 seasons. And I got it used (as in, it came on the used bike I bought). Previous owner had it for about 1.5 years, and said it was "lightly ridden", which I agree with. I'd say about 60% of my riding has mud in it, and about 20% is in full on wet conditions. I'm on the east coast of North America, so lots of decomposed granite and sedimentary rock in the soil, sometimes a bit of clay. I almost never hose my bike down; I brush off the dried mud. I take a brush to my cassette/chain/drive ring/pulley wheels after every ride, and lube with Rockn'Roll wet lube.

 

[Sandwich]

i'm a salty hater but I'll admit I'm a big fan of SRAM's cassettes, at least their X dome 11 speed ones. Clean install, super light, and the shifting is light and crisp. I'm running a bastard drivetrain with shimano XT shifters and SRAM 1195 casette/chain. It works great and was one of the easiest drivetrain setups I've had. No chain drop on backpedaling and zero issues so far. Expanded my range slightly with the 10-42 vs. the 11-40 XT I had before.

 

[StiHacka]

I worked on a friend's bike yesterday and it has the dreaded NX Eagle drive train. The RD wiggles a lot despite being screwed on the hanger tightly, anyone found any remedy for that? Seems like the whole assembly of the "knuckle" is coming apart.

 

[canadmos]

I worked on a friend's bike yesterday and it has the dreaded NX Eagle drive train. The RD wiggles a lot despite being screwed on the hanger tightly, anyone found any remedy for that? Seems like the whole assembly of the "knuckle" is coming apart.

With the chain tension removed, my GX derailleurs do that too. Though maybe not as much as what you're describing, but they definitely wiggle on the bolt.

 

[slimshady]

I worked on a friend's bike yesterday and it has the dreaded NX Eagle drive train. The RD wiggles a lot despite being screwed on the hanger tightly, anyone found any remedy for that? Seems like the whole assembly of the "knuckle" is coming apart.

As described above, it seems like the bolt wears out and should be replaced. Accoding to Enduro Mag, it could be found online for USD 6, but I could only find the whole bolts/screws kit for $12:

SRAM NX Eagle Rear Derailleur B-Bolt and Limit Screw Kit

Shop & Learn About The SRAM Upper Bolt and Springs In The Upper Bolt and Spring Collection - Features & Specs: : , : MPN: 11.7518.091.000 UPC: 710845820366, : Upper Bolt and Spring kits for SRAM rear derailleur repairs.

www.worldwidecyclery.com

 

[canadmos]

It looks like a steel bolt, how does that even wear out? Shouldn't the derailleur body wear out first?

 

[jstuhlman]

mine did it from new

iTs A fEaTuRe!

 

[Sandwich]

I'll follow up my cassette praise with saying that the NX derailleur I put on was absolute shit and wobbly from the start. Is GX just NX with one extra x?

 

[slimshady]

I'll follow up my cassette praise with saying that the NX derailleur I put on was absolute shit and wobbly from the start. Is GX just NX with one extra x?

I'd say you need to go for X01 at least yo have a decent quality and no wobbling from the start.

This is hard to say being a long time SRAM fanboi, but Shimano is killing it at every price bracket with their new 12 speed stuff. Makes SRAM look like overpriced shit, at least at the middle level.

 

[Gary]

OK. Strava says I put just under 2500km on this cassette in 3.5 seasons. And I got it used (as in, it came on the used bike I bought). Previous owner had it for about 1.5 years, and said it was "lightly ridden", which I agree with. I'd say about 60% of my riding has mud in it, and about 20% is in full on wet conditions. I'm on the east coast of North America, so lots of decomposed granite and sedimentary rock in the soil, sometimes a bit of clay. I almost never hose my bike down; I brush off the dried mud. I take a brush to my cassette/chain/drive ring/pulley wheels after every ride, and lube with Rockn'Roll wet lube.

I get around 2500-3000miles out of £30 10 speed Deore cassettes. On an EMTB ridden all year round in Scottish conditions.
Tell me again about the incredible lifespan and value for money gained from running an XO cassette?

Ps. I've no idea what you mean by "seasons"

 

[velocipedist]

Lol at the Scottish dude using miles with the Canadian.

Anyhow, that is insane longevity for Gary at 4800km on a deore cassette. 1500mi on an XO seems low, except harsher conditions and all.

I run whatever flavor is at hand, I am closer to Garys wear rate in about 3000~3500mi in year round riding regardless of brand.

 

[Sandwich]

I'd say you need to go for X01 at least yo have a decent quality and no wobbling from the start.

This is hard to say being a long time SRAM fanboi, but Shimano is killing it at every price bracket with their new 12 speed stuff. Makes SRAM look like overpriced shit, at least at the middle level.

Sram owned the shit out of shimano for years, both with 11 and 12 speed. They're still stealing shimanos lunch with the xd driver. I know shimanos stuff is good now, and I much prefer shimanos feel and quality, but it's going to be an uphill road to come up to srams par...

Tl;dr sram could name their price for years because there was no competition, and they largely still can

 

[slimshady]

@Sandwich I agree on the SRAM dominating the 12 speed market in past seasons, but for real, the aftermarket buyer isn't tipping the scale in SRAM's favor anytime soon. Most of the 2021 12-speed budget builds have Shimano on them.

Throwing away the XD driver from an expensive hub to switch to a MicroSpline one might sound too much, but let's be honest, if a new bike comes with it most of the riders will be sticking with it when replacing/upgrading their transmission.

I don't know if Shimano is doing 12-speed HG cassettes/gruppos these days, but the SRAM SX derailleur is pure plastic crap, and durability on the NX/SX RDs isn't what I'd call superb. The Deore and SLX RDs are much better built, and are also cheaper.

 

[slyfink]

I get around 2500-3000miles out of £30 10 speed Deore cassettes. On an EMTB ridden all year round in Scottish conditions.
Tell me again about the incredible lifespan and value for money gained from running an XO cassette?

Ps. I've no idea what you mean by "seasons"

Maybe your Scottish conditions aren't as hardcore as you all make them out to be....

I would never get more than 1 year out of a Shimano cassette before it wore out, and any time I tried a Sunrace cassette I would bend the cogs within a month or two. So my SRAM cassette has lasted 4x longer than any other cassette I've had.

Seasons... Spring, summer, fall. That's one season. There's no riding here in the winter. Well, that's not entirely true, there's fatbiking on snow, but that's a different sport. One that puts nearly no stress on cassettes.

 

[canadmos]

Maybe your Scottish conditions aren't as hardcore as you all make them out to be....

I would never get more than 1 year out of a Shimano cassette before it wore out, and any time I tried a Sunrace cassette I would bend the cogs within a month or two. So my SRAM cassette has lasted 4x longer than any other cassette I've had.

Seasons... Spring, summer, fall. That's one season. There's no riding here in the winter. Well, that's not entirely true, there's fatbiking on snow, but that's a different sport. One that puts nearly no stress on cassettes.

He doesn't have the Canadian shield rock and that nasty grittyness that grinds away at your drivetrain when it rains.

 

[4xBoy]

I would rather have 9spd. Mostly shimano cassettes, endless amounts of chains since going to 11spd.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

I would rather have 9spd. Mostly shimano cassettes, endless amounts of chains since going to 11spd.View attachment 150276

I haven't been what you'd call impressed by 11 speed durability.

 

[dump]

I would rather have 9spd. Mostly shimano cassettes, endless amounts of chains since going to 11spd.

Still rocking 9spd over here! With a bunch of spares to boot!

 

[Gary]

Maybe your Scottish conditions aren't as hardcore as you all make them out to be....

I would never get more than 1 year out of a Shimano cassette before it wore out, and any time I tried a Sunrace cassette I would bend the cogs within a month or two. So my SRAM cassette has lasted 4x longer than any other cassette I've had.

Seasons... Spring, summer, fall. That's one season. There's no riding here in the winter. Well, that's not entirely true, there's fatbiking on snow, but that's a different sport. One that puts nearly no stress on cassettes.

Seriously. Try 10speed deore cassettes. From what you're saying you ride a lot less mileage per year than I do. And I'm getting more mileage out of those on a higher stressed drivetrain than you are from XO at 10 times the cost.

Living here for most of my 50 years on the planet I don't think there's anything hardcore about Scotland at all. Never mind making out it's anything other than normal for me.
Fatbikers here tend to ride their fat bikes around in cult like clans all year round. Weirdos.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

...
Fatbikers here tend to ride their fat bikes around in cult like clans all year round. Weirdos.

People ride in clans, in pairs, solo, whatever, they're riding. Quit whining and ride.

 

[canadmos]

I would rather have 9spd. Mostly shimano cassettes, endless amounts of chains since going to 11spd.View attachment 150276

Whats up with those destroyed cog carriers?

 

[slimshady]

Well, on the 9sp front if you want wide range cassettes you could go for Microshift's Advent groupset

or BoX's One/Two ones:

 

[Harry BarnOwl]

Fatbikers here tend to ride their fat bikes around in cult like clans all year round. Weirdos.

Hahaha this is so true Gary. The last group I met were incredibly cultish about them, to the point of thinking bikes with suspension were totally pointless because chunky tyres exist. It does make me chuckle when people on fatbikes turn up to the puffer expecting an advantage on the snow when it all just turns to sloppy mud after the first couple of laps.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Well, on the 9sp front if you want wide range cassettes you could go for Microshift's Advent groupset

or BoX's One/Two ones:

Interesting... I wonder if this will catch on with the majors. I'd personally prefer to have a 9sp 10-50 system, assuming all the various bits would be more durable.