SRAM GX Eagle 12-Speed Derailleur: Rider Review

Our "Rider Review" article series features honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for. 

1x12-speed drivetrains are one of the newest, hottest trends for mountain bikes. They offer a similar gearing range as most 2x and some 3x drivetrains for a lighter and less complicated package. The fewer parts there are, the less you have to go wrong and boy did those front derailleurs cause a world of trouble for a lot of riders. Upgrading to a 1x12 drivetrain is easy to do now that SRAM offers the Eagle Drivetrain at endless pricepoints for all riders and there are options for almost all bike setups. Let's see what William thought about switching back to Eagle after giving Shimano's XT 12-speed Drivetrain a go for a little bit:

William's Review

Having recently changed out my Shimano XT 12 speed shifter for an X01 Eagle unit on my SRAM/Shimano setup, I had been mostly happy with the performance of my drivetrain. There were a couple of things that I will admit I missed about running an Eagle derailleur vs the XT unit that was on my bike. I decided it was time to go back to full Eagle.

Starting my search, I wore the candidates down to the GX and X01 variants. I quickly had removed XX1, as I just don't see having carbon on an item that dangles only a few inches over the rocks and roots that could bash it to death as a good plan of attack given my "jackhammer through the trails" style of riding. Further reviewing the differences, I decided to just save a few bucks and get the GX...that way if I broke it, I wasn't out as much money and the quality was still very good.

Installation

During setup, I really began to notice the differences between the Shimano and Eagle derailleurs....and the Eagle is just much nicer and easier to set up in my experience.

I just can't say how much more I like the cable routing on the Eagle series derailleurs compared to the Shimano version. It just seems a bit easier to get the cable tensioned and snugged up correctly. Yes, it's a bit more involved routing it around a pulley and getting it through the small opening on the back of the cable retaining bolt, but once you're working to pull the last bit of slack out of the cable and tighten it, I just find it much easier to get it "right".

Next are the b-spacing tool and the ease of setting your limit screw. Shimano requires you to look through the back of the wheel while trying to align the derailleur compared to the largest cog of the cassette by eye (via markings on the derailleur itself) while working a limit screw that's on the opposite side of the wheel. It's not terrible, but it just didn't seem optimal to me. By comparison, SRAM provides their tool that slides over the upper jockey wheel and lines up with the cassette from the derailleur side of the wheel for alignment. It just seems much easier to get it just right. That being said, DON'T skip or short this step...getting your b-limit wrong will definitely affect shift performance a lot with these 12 speed systems. Take the time and DO IT RIGHT.

While Eagle also doesn't have an adjustable clutch...or even a way to turn the clutch off like Shimano. That said, I really haven't found turning the clutch off to be all that advantageous. I have had a couple of rides where I'd forgotten to turn it back on and had some massive chain slap. I also have never really said to myself "Hey, I really think I want to adjust this clutch". I'm sure there will be someone who looks at that statement and think I'm absolutely nuts, but it's just me.

This brings me to my absolute favorite thing about the Eagle series derailleurs. The CAGE LOCK! I cannot say how much easier it is to remove the rear wheel when you can lock the rear derailleur and completely slacken the chain to route it around the cassette as you remove your wheel. Every time I took my wheel off my bike with a Shimano derailleur installed, I've felt like I really needed 3 hands to get the job done. Kudos to SRAM for having something to make the job so much easier.

Conclusion

"Overall, I've found the GX Eagle Derailleur paired with my X01 shifter to be an awesome combination with excellent shift feel and overall performance. Very happy with my purchase." - William