Hello and welcome everybody!
I've been using my Eagle X01 drivetrain for a couple of years now
but as you know in 2020 SRAM introduced their 520% gear range and the new derailleurs.
I have the new, Lunar gray X01 derailleur here
that's supposed to bring quite a few improvements compared to the old one.
So why don't we put them side by side and take a closer look.
Now the reason why they introduced the new ones is the range.
This is the 500% range which I've been using all this time.
For me this is enough and the jump from the 42 to 50T is bearable.
I have looked at the new 10-52 tooth cassette I'm going to link it up in the corner of the screen.
In that video I showed you the new 520% cassette
but also the comparison between the 10-52 and the 500% one,
the 6 or 7 mm bigger dinner plate that accounts for 4% increase in range.
And while that 520% range is mentioned here on the new cassette boxes
that is not mentioned here on the box of the derailleur.
However here you're gonna see LUNAR which is the new Lunar gray color or color scheme introduced with this.
Everything else on the labels of this box are identical with what they had in the past
And just like in the past, in the box you're gonna have that little SRAM leaflet pretty much sending you to their website
and here's the derailleur!
They're gonna send you the new tool for B-gap adjustment, I do have a video comparing the two.
I prefer the new tool, it's better made and it makes for an easier adjustment.
Derailleur sits into this molded plastic just like before
the new X01 Lunar gray 520% range which is specified here on the back of the derailleur cage.
In that same video I tested the old derailleur with the new cassette
but this new derailleur is supposed to give us better chain wrap and a different body shape as well.
And if you're just looking at the two from the distance it's hard to see any major difference.
Definitely if you look at the body shape of the top of the derailleur
I believe it is identical aside from the new color and the new graphics.
You have the same attachment here, the same bolt, you have the titanium spring inside just like in the past.
And also the shape up top here with that little roller.
And if you've watched my maintenance video for Eagle derailleurs
you know that on X01 you can directly replace this roller with something fancier.
You have 8 pivot points here for the derailleur that have to be maintained.
The type 3 clutch that is unchanged, you have the cage lock.
But the biggest change is here in the shape and size of the derailleur cage.
Just like in the past it's made of cold forged aluminum, it holds the same 12 tooth and 14 tooth jockey wheels,
but if you look carefully at the shape here at the bottom
you can see the new one has an extra piece that kind of protects the jockey wheel from the elements.
They took some of the material from here and they made it slimmer
but everything else here on the lower part of the cage is beefier.
It's thicker thicker here and also there's more meat here around the bottom bolt.
Again, these are exposed to the elements they're dangling down from the frame
and in the past they're prone to bending or twisting.
And if anything, this is something that they've learned from Shimano
you can see the Shimano XT here that has very similar shape of the bottom of the cage.
On the back of the derailleur you're gonna have the serial number here just like in the past,
you have the same length of the cage I don't know why they mentioned that it's shorter because it's not.
But what it is different is they've added a couple of actually about 3 mm here on the offset of this jockey wheel.
And your Xactuation written here on the old derailleur has been replaced by Eagle Technology.
And obviously you have the Lunar gray color that wasn't available in the past.
And for those interested in weight, 281 grams was for the old X01,
the new X01 is 286-287 grams, so 5-6 grams difference.
So subtle changes on the derailleur, I plan to use it with the 10 to 50 tooth cassette, so the 500% range.
The end result is smooth, quality shifting up and down the cassette
and not just on the bike stand but on the trails as well.
So the million dollar question would be: if you have a good working X01 500% old generation,
is it worth replacing that or upgrading to the new X01 Lunar 520% with that upgraded cage?
My simple answer is definitely no.
But if you're starting with that 520 cassettes so the 10-52T you should definitely consider these new derailleurs.
They are meant to be used with that cassette range and they're built a bit better .
You're not sacrificing on weight or anything else versus the old ones.
So what about you folks? Do you have any of these old X01 derailleurs?
Are you gonna hold on to them until they die or you're gonna replace them with a new shiny Lunar gray X01?
Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Hope you guys found this useful and if you did don't forget to like, subscribe, comment,
and until next time hope to see you folks on the trails.
Cheers guys, cheers!