SRAM XX1 Eagle Carbon Boost Crankset [Rider Review]

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

SRAM's Eagle lineup is more than just something to drool over. Behind the money you spend is years of engineering to develop one of the lightest and reliable carbon MTB cranks in the world. Not to mention they just look too damn good! Our buddy Bill recently purchased a set. Lets see what he thought of them:

Bill's Review

With 2600 miles on the SB100 the SRAM GX drive train was just starting to get a little long in the tooth so it was time to freshen up my mile-eating pedaling machine for spring. I have been incredibly impressed with the supposed mid-level GX components, the shifting accuracy and longevity of the components have been second to none, I have never had a chainring/crankset last anywhere near 2600 miles, and let me tell you this one still has a lot of life left in it.

So after spending multiple hours on the WWC website, why anyone would shop anywhere where else is beyond me, WWC has the most awesome customer service on planet earth, I decided to follow the holy rule of weight. Never buy a heavier component than your bike came with and if at all possible go lighter.

After looking at the crankset’s I still had a few questions/lingering doubts so what to do, that was the easy part, just watch Jeff review the entire SRAM Eagle drive train line in one of his awesome videos! Not only was the video informative but WWC took the time to weigh each and every component so that I could compare the actual weight vs. the claimed weight online, thank you for the awesome video and as usual the added humor.

The only thing left to do was to decide, bling vs stealth. Bling it is, I ordered the XX1 crankset in gold and went with the 170mm arms to help with my ill-timed pedal strikes.

The new crankset/chainring combo ended up being about 180 grams lighter than my original GX crankset/chainring combo so that just made it even easier to justify the added cost for the expected longevity of the new components. Removal of a SRAM Eagle crankset has just got to be the simplest things that anyone could imagine, there is a built-in retaining ring on the drive side arm that acts as a puller, just back out the bolt and the arm magically comes off in your hand.

Installation is just as easy, just be careful not to disturb the qty-2 O-rings in your DUB bottom bracket while sliding the crank through, torque the retaining bolt, tighten the non-drive side adjuster and you are home free. The cranksets fit and finish are just top-notch, the machined surfaces fit the new DUB bottom bracket spot on with no play or slop.

Shifting is just effortless with a modern drive train that is set up properly, the difference between my last 11 speed and this new 12 speed Eagle is just night and day. The shifter itself is just too precise, no more going past that downshift just that little bit and then having to release the lever to get the shift to complete. The crankset's performance is basically flawless and the added benefit of the lighter weight and bling factor made it a no-brainer.

Conclusion

"I am very happy with my purchase from WWC, the information online made my decision so much easier and the customer service just can’t be beaten. So if it is time to freshen up your whip for spring, I can, without doubt, recommend the XX1 carbon crankset it has been a very welcome and functional addition to my drivetrain and the bling factor is off the hook." - Bill