Hey everyone how's it going?
So you got your bike and it came equipped with nothing else but SRAM Eagle SX.
Is it any good? Should you upgrade anything?
Here's my opinion on what's worth keeping or losing from this groupset.
Eagle SX is the entry-level 12-speed groupset from SRAM.
And yes, it is part of the big Eagle technology .
You can see the chainrings being actually interchangeable with all the other Eagle components
even though these are made out of steel.
There's many people that actually go for these steel chainrings because they last quite a bit longer
so definitely chainrings that come with this are good to go.
There are 2 variants of the Eagle SX cranks, and if yours says DUB right here in the middle, you're in luck.
This is an actually decent crankset, it's fairly heavy but it uses the SRAM DUB bottom bracket.
These are actually quite good and your crankset is a two piece.
Direct mount chainring allows you to install all kind of different types of chainrings
whether you're after fancier ovals like this one or this one
or if you want to go for the lighter SRAM round chainrings, they all fit your crankset just fine.
So again the two-piece DUB crankset it's a keeper.
I actually have a video talking about this one in more detail.
The even cheaper version of these uses the Power Spline bottom bracket, it's a 3 piece crankset.
However it still uses a direct mount chainring like this ones so from a functionality standpoint they're fine.
But if you want to save some weight and you're looking for a better bottom bracket
you would have to replace that Power Spline , 3 piece crankset.
And that brings me to the chain and I have to admit that I've had mixed experiences with the cheapo Eagle chains.
It uses the same kidney shaped power link or quick link, again these are 12 speed chains compatible with the Eagle system.
And as long as you keep an eye on chain wear making sure you replace it before 0.5
I don't see a reason why you would touch the OEM chain that comes with the bike.
Now given my experience with the cheap chains I would definitely recommend to keep a spare chain handy.
For the longest time I've used GX chains with Eagle drivetrains
but recently I read an article about a chain testing and the X01 and XX1 chains were the longest lasting chains in their test,
better than any other 12 speed chain out there.
So something to consider when your cheap chain wears out.
An X01 chain can last 2-3 times longer than something like that.
And that brings us to the cassette, which was introduced first by Eagle NX.
It is an 11 to 50T for 450% gear range but most importantly that cassette uses this:
the splined, old Shimano freehub that we've been using for ages actually from 8 speed onwards.
This allowed us to install a 12-speed drivetrain on the older non-boosted frames, 135 millimeter QR frames,
and also allowed SRAM to introduce 12-speed drivetrains to the masses.
Eagle was revolutionary because it provided us with 500% gear range which today is actually 520%.
That cassette only gives us about 450% and also this cassette is quite a bit heavier than the more expensive ones.
We're talking about over 600 grams cassette versus 450 for a GX.
However, in order to upgrade that cassette, you got to make sure that the XD driver is available for your rear hub.
If it's not available your only chance is going to be to replace the whole wheel
or to replace the hub with something that provides you with the XD driver.
Quite an expensive proposition and unless you want to save weight or you go for the range
the SX / NX cassette is actually decent to use the way it is.
If you decide to stick with this freehub body, when it's time to replace your cassette for whatever reason
there's other options out there, one of which I reviewed not too long ago on my channel.
The SunRace 12 speed cassettes will save you weight and give you the same or slightly better range so check them out!
And that brings us to the derailleur.
And yes, the SX derailleur is by far the weakest link.
You can see mine already has an NX instead because the Eagle SX I don't think is really made for off-road.
Interestingly, if you go on to the SRAM website today
you're going to find the derailleur that I just mentioned but also this new one.
This is the B1 version of their cheapest offering that has the back end of it here
redesigned to resemble the design of the NX, GX, and the more expensive ones.
If you talk to any bike shop tech they're gonna tell you that the SX derailleurs are some of the most replaced components.
Very curious to see how this new SX derailleur is gonna fare in 2021.
But the beauty of Eagle is that all components are interchangeable ,everything,
so when that SX derailleur dies you can replace it with GX and many people do that.
Others might tell you that everything under X01 it's garbage
so yeah, go for the X01 derailleur if you want to, but this will be significantly more expensive than an NX or GX derailleur.
And from my many tests I can tell you that you can replace that SRAM Eagle derailleur with a Shimano 12-speed derailleur and you won't have any issues.
Actually the Shimano 12-speed derailleur seems to be made better.
So a DEORE 12-speed as a replacement of your eagle SX or NX might be a no-brainer for some.
A better derailleur gives you crisper, no hesitation shifts, but the reality is it works in conjunction with the shifter.
And the SX shifter is indeed the cheapest one in their lineup
it only exists in this form as a bar clamp and it has plastic levers.
It works fine but it does feel soft and you feel these levers bending or moving at times
even compared to something like a GX that seems to be premium in comparison.
Again this can be integrated with the SRAM brakes something that's not possible with the SX
but even though it doesn't feel that premium compared to the more expensive shifters
this is one part that I wouldn't necessarily replace from the get-go, it works all right.
But if in time your shift quality deteriorates
I wouldn't necessarily blame the shifter but I would carefully carefully look at your shifter cable.
I'm putting in front of you here a Shimano Optislick cable set.
This is one that I would always recommend and make sure is run properly, there's no kinks in the cable or anything like that.
That affects the performance of the shifter overall.
Also of importance on the 12-speed is this, the derailleur hanger.
Make sure it's straight and installed properly
otherwise you're going to have problems on your cassette, shifting in certain parts of the cassette,
or all kind of weird behaviors they're going to be very very hard to pinpoint
So what should you make out of my video about Eagle SX?
Well by no means I am endorsing the SRAM Eagle SX as a good group set.
On the contrary I think if you have the money and you're starting from scratch
there might be other options, a combination of DEORE and SunRace is probably gonna be better than this.
But if you have an SX because it came with your bike already
I hope I gave you some ideas on things you can improve from the start
or things that you can do just to keep it going at least for a little while.
What do you think about eagle SX?
Have you used it for long periods of time?
Have you upgraded anything else than what I mentioned here?
Let me know what you think in the comments below.
And if you found this useful don't forget to like, subscribe
keep an eye on social media, and until next time
hope to see you folks on the trails.
Cheers guys, cheers!