SRAM GX Eagle + SunRace MZ90 11-50T Cassette: Product Overview [Video]

SRAM Eagle is awesome. The GX level of SRAM Eagle is awesome. Having a massive 50t climbing cog on your cassette is awesome. Upgrading bike parts is awesome. But sometimes having to upgrade more than you bargained for is a little less awesome. The SRAM GX Eagle groupo is a fantastic setup, but when you start to factor in all of the parts that you need to buy, you might start to wonder if the larger cog is worth all of the money. Thankfully SunRace stepped in with their MZ90 cassette. It’s an 11-50t cassette with 12 speeds and Shimano freehub compatibility. What does that mean? It means that if you have a slightly older bike or your current drivetrain is Shimano, you’ll be able to mount this cassette without any problems. When I say having to upgrade more than you bargained for, I mean that a lot of people don’t realize that their rear-wheel probably can’t accept a SRAM XD cassette.

Most of SRAM’s cassettes require the use of an XD driver, which is the part of the wheel that the cassette locks on to. SunRace, on the other hand, attaches via Shimano’s freehub body, which is significantly more common than SRAM’s system. I’m not going to get into the pros and cons of each, but just know that they both work well. So what’s the tradeoff of SunRace using Shimano’s system instead of SRAM’s? You lose one tiny little tooth.

That’s it. Instead of having SRAM’s massive 10-50t range, you have a nearly equally massive 11-50T range. Let’s be real, you’re probably going to be using that tiny gear only 1% of the time. Practically speaking, these two ranges are indistinguishable on the trail. SunRace’s MZ90 Cassette is a sweet looking, all-black affair featuring 12 cogs and a cheaper price point. We at Worldwide Cyclery love this cassette so much that we decided to package it with a bunch of SRAM GX Eagle stuff. Here’s what is included in this kit:

• SunRace MZ90 12 speed 11-50t cassette
• SRAM GX Eagle 12 speed chain
• SRAM GX Eagle Rear Derailleur
• SRAM GX Eagle Chain Gap Adjustment Gauge
• SRAM GX Eagle 12 speed Trigger Shifter

We may be a little biased, but it’s a damn sweet kit. The SunRace cassette alone is $105 cheaper than the GX Cassette, but to make things even better, the kit with the MZ90 is $128 cheaper than the same all-GX kit! Yes, you’re missing out on that one tooth and yes, it’s a little over 100g heavier. But hey, if you’re so concerned about that extra speed and that extra weight-loss, just go to the bathroom before your ride and you’ll be good to go. If you were on the fence about upgrading your drivetrain to a 12-speed, we’ve got your back. We put this kit together just for you because we want you to enjoy riding bikes as much as we do.