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Thoughts on the new Sram GX Eagle drivetrain? :)

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,681
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North Van
out of curiosity, why? i rarely if ever need a 10t cog, but now that's it an accepted "standard", it's hard to hold a grudge. It's also a better option than shimano's "throw it over the spokes" design.
The XD driver just made it all super $$ to make the change. Even if you wanted to keep your old hub, you'd have to shell out for an expensive new driver.

I hear the new cheap SRAM 12 speeed cassette doesn't require the XD driver, so kudos, if that's the case.

As for range, I only really care if I can make it up the hill. Spinning out on the descents is not an issue for me. I'm most often on single track-style trails with lotsa bumps and stuff to hit, so I'm not pedaling when I'm rolling down at my top speed.

On pavement, it would be nice to have a tad more high end than my 30-11 provides, but I'm not a roadie, so forget I mentioned it.

A riding buddy has a 32 up front with an 11-46t. That could be the ticket...
 

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
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North Van
:stupid:

I've been rocking this setup for half a year now and I have to admit it has fulfilled all my needs, both going up and down.
Ha, just checked. theres an extra nerd factor being applied with my buddy. He went with an 11-40, then added the oneup 45t. Smooths out the ratios a bit.
 

slimshady

¡Mira, una ardilla!
Ha, just checked. theres an extra nerd factor being applied with my buddy. He went with an 11-40, then added the oneup 45t. Smooths out the ratios a bit.
The Sunrace cassette I have have better spacing between cogs than the Shimano ones. At least for me. I tried the XT 11-42 and 11-46 cassettes and IMHO whoever put them together never rode a bike uphill.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
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borcester rhymes
OK, I agree. I'm a 30t oval ring up front with a 42 in the rear and 29" wheels and simply never need a lower gear. I guess a 50t in the rear and like a 70t up front would give me the ability to never spin out...but meh.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,032
7,553
32x11-40 SunRace here, with 27" wheels. If I can't climb the easiest gear, I am faster hiking anyway.
OK, I agree. I'm a 30t oval ring up front with a 42 in the rear and 29" wheels and simply never need a lower gear. I guess a 50t in the rear and like a 70t up front would give me the ability to never spin out...but meh.
This works for you all because MA is wicked flat.
 

hitar_potar

Monkey
Sep 23, 2011
173
6
Ruse, Bulgaria
The XD driver just made it all super $$ to make the change. Even if you wanted to keep your old hub, you'd have to shell out for an expensive new driver.

I hear the new cheap SRAM 12 speeed cassette doesn't require the XD driver, so kudos, if that's the case.
...
Uhm, isn't the gx eagle cassette still for XD? And also, a XD-driver is cheap enough - i don't see another 50-80 bucks for it as a big problem...
 

StiHacka

Compensating for something
Jan 4, 2013
21,560
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In hell. Welcome!

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,681
4,904
North Van
Nah. My normal rides climb anywhere from 3-7k feet, and the lowest gearing I have on any of my bikes is 34x40.
That sounds unpleasant. Do you really prefer so much on the high end? Keeping a 50-80 rpm cadence (50 is super slow) on a 14% grade at .85 ratio is hard. That kind of rate (80 rpm), and you're travelling 10 km/hr. I might be able to do that for about 20 seconds, then I'd be redlining big time on a grade that steep.


But at the other end, at 130 rpm at 3.09 ratio, you're still pedaling at 57 km/hr? That's fire road/road territory.

Different terrain, I guess.
 

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,681
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North Van
Uhm, isn't the gx eagle cassette still for XD? And also, a XD-driver is cheap enough - i don't see another 50-80 bucks for it as a big problem...
mm. I was misinformed. It does need the XD driver...

But spending extra dough to retrofit an old hub just adds a PITA factor I wasn't willing to deal with last summer.

I went from a 2x10 to the 1x10 with a OneUp 42t (which didn't work all that well), then switched to a 1x11 XT set up. The purpose built 1x11 was so far superior, that added cost to go 1x12 seemed silly.

But now that my XT setup is getting a little longer in the tooth, the idea of going GX eagle isn't so horrible. That would fall with a major thud into the "want" category vs. the "need" category, though.
 

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,681
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North Van
Let the want flow!
True... But I actually prefer Shimano shifters.... I like the index finger lever and the double drop feature.

I'd nerd out like my buddy and get an XTR cassette with the 45t expander to fill my "want"...

I just keep staring at my cart online but won't place the order...
 

slimshady

¡Mira, una ardilla!
True... But I actually prefer Shimano shifters.... I like the index finger lever and the double drop feature.

I'd nerd out like my buddy and get an XTR cassette with the 45t expander to fill my "want"...

I just keep staring at my cart online but won't place the order...
Get a Sunrace 11-46 cassette, and you won't have to deal with the hackery of one-up's add-ons.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,235
20,019
Sleazattle
True... But I actually prefer Shimano shifters.... I like the index finger lever and the double drop feature.

I'd nerd out like my buddy and get an XTR cassette with the 45t expander to fill my "want"...

I just keep staring at my cart online but won't place the order...

You only live once and you will only spend the money on dumber shit.

I have the XTR with the One-Up. All in all it works well, however with the trails around here I am either in my biggest or lowest gear. With a 32 up front I have just enough low end for the long steep climbs but do run out of a bit of gear on the faster trails for accelerating out of corners whilst standing.
 

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,681
4,904
North Van
You only live once and you will only spend the money on dumber shit.

I have the XTR with the One-Up. All in all it works well, however with the trails around here I am either in my biggest or lowest gear. With a 32 up front I have just enough low end for the long steep climbs but do run out of a bit of gear on the faster trails for accelerating out of corners whilst standing.
This is exactly the setup I'd go with. However, my "dumb shit" purchase is my insanely expensive house, and need to keep saving to either:

A: replace my kickass Mazda 3 when it finally turns to dust from under me, or;
B: take a vacation to a somewhere with a nice sandy beach, fruity drinks, and a pool for my kids to almost drown in.

Once I do both of those things, I'll be due to go full retard/dentist on a new rig.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,235
20,019
Sleazattle
This is exactly the setup I'd go with. However, my "dumb shit" purchase is my insanely expensive house, and need to keep saving to either:

A: replace my kickass Mazda 3 when it finally turns to dust from under me, or;
B: take a vacation to a somewhere with a nice sandy beach, fruity drinks, and a pool for my kids to almost drown in.

Once I do both of those things, I'll be due to go full retard/dentist on a new rig.

You have a life insurance policy on your brother?
 

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,681
4,904
North Van
@Da Peach - I use an 11sp XT cassette with the OneUp 45T sprocket, with a 32t chainring. It's perfect, shifts perfect, works invisibly. No "hackery" at all.
Multi quote didn't work....

I've heard good things. But my 1x10 42t, radr cage, etc... was decidedly not as crisp as my new XT stuff.

That sunrace looks like an awesome option though. A touch heavier, but no need for the added expander cog.
 

rideit

Bob the Builder
Aug 24, 2004
23,059
11,300
In the cleavage of the Tetons
Just an observation, but 34/50 actually felt like a harder gear than the 22/36 on my last bike. Can anyone verify this? It was used on a STEEP section of trail that basically runs out of traction before running out of gears...
 

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,681
4,904
North Van
Just an observation, but 34/50 actually felt like a harder gear than the 22/36 on my last bike. Can anyone verify this? It was used on a STEEP section of trail that basically runs out of traction before running out of gears...
That's because it is. By about 11%. (.61 for 22/36 vs 0.68 for 34/50)

Probably a different wheelsize to factor in too.

It sounds like you might be happier with a 32 up front. That's a seriously low gear, but I know some terrain is just, well, steep. Any kind of loose surface on a hill that steep and I'm probably going to spin out and lose traction at that rate.

The 2x10 my last bike came with a 24/36 granny OEM, which I think is a more standard setup.

A buddy of mine realized he was running a 30t up front with his brand new fancy pants Eagle setup... Heh.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,235
20,019
Sleazattle
That's because it is. By about 11%. (.61 for 22/36 vs 0.68 for 34/50)

Probably a different wheelsize to factor in too.

It sounds like you might be happier with a 32 up front. That's a seriously low gear, but I know some terrain is just, well, steep. Any kind of loose surface on a hill that steep and I'm probably going to spin out and lose traction at that rate.

The 2x10 my last bike came with a 24/36 granny OEM, which I think is a more standard setup.

A buddy of mine realized he was running a 30t up front with his brand new fancy pants Eagle setup... Heh.
Don't you be using none of that Canadian voodoo mathematics on this red blooded 'Merican website

EAGLE has more freedoms, fuck yeah!