SRAM GX Eagle 12 Speed Drivetrain: Customer Review

In this review, our customer Brian Buller switches over from an 11-speed drivetrain to the Sram GX Eagle groupset. The GX Eagle drivetrain offers the same 500% range at a more cost friendly price. Thanks, Brian for the in-depth review!

Overview

When the 11-speed shifting on my Yeti SB6 started to skip in the middle gears, the first thing I did was replace the derailleur hanger and start fiddling with the barrel adjuster on the shifter. When that didn’t work, I checked my chain wear using my handy Park Tool CC-3.2 Chain Wear Indicator. Chain wear was right at 50%, so I replaced. (I never wait until it gets to 75%). Unfortunately, neither of these easy fixes completely solved the problem.

Knowing that my 11-speed derailleur had been banged against more rocks than I could remember, I started to think about replacing it. That led me to consider replacing the drivetrain in its entirety and stepping up to SRAM's 12-speed Eagle group. Having read the reviews on the different groupset offerings, I settled on the GX level build. Some reviews out there suggest upgrading the group with an X01 shifter; Worldwide Cyclery offers the group in this configuration should your budget and preference points you in that direction.

I opted for the Sram GX Eagle 12-Speed Groupset with Cassette, Shifter, Derailleur, and Chain. The build comes in three red boxes adorned with Sram’s Eagle logo. The group comes complete with everything you need, including shifter cable, and the important chain gap adjustment gauge. If you already have an Eagle 12-speed drivetrain and are without the tool, Worldwide Cyclery has one here.

Installation

Installation is a breeze. Everything you need to know about the procedure, including chain length and how to use the chain gap adjustment gauge can be found in SRAM’s installation video found on YouTube.

Performance

Most folks tout Eagle’s 500% range by highlighting the massive 50-tooth “bail-out” gear. I approached the range from a different perspective; being fit enough to crank my legacy 11-speed drivetrain up any incline the mountains in Colorado with a 30-tooth wolf tooth oval chainring, I opted to upsize my front chainring to Wolf Tooth’s 32 tooth oval offering. Wolf Tooth’s oval rings are awesome, and Worldwide Cyclery carries a plethora of their configurations, so you can find the right one to mate up with your crankset. I can attest that mounting one with RaceFace’s CINCH cranks is a breeze.

Final Thoughts

One last bit of advice, you’ll need a rear hub with SRAM’s XD-driver. Some hubs, including DT-Swiss, can be easily converted if you don’t already have one.