SRAM 90 Drivetrain – Mechanical Shifting Just Got a Massive Upgrade [Video]

SRAM Eagle 90 – Is This the Best Mechanical Drivetrain Yet?

If you’ve ever wished for SRAM's top-tier transmission tech but without the need for batteries, your time has come. The all-new SRAM Eagle 90 drivetrain delivers the same Full Mount derailleur interface from the electronic XX, XX SL, and XO groupsets—but in a cable-actuated format. For riders who want flawless shifting, a cleaner cockpit, and a lower price point, SRAM just made your next drivetrain choice a whole lot easier.

"Ordinary shift cable. Extraordinary everything else."

Let’s get into what makes the SRAM 90 (and its more affordable sibling, SRAM 70) a major moment for mechanical mountain bike drivetrains.

What’s New?

The SRAM Eagle 90 brings everything that made Transmission AXS special—like the hangerless Full Mount derailleur, T-Type compatibility, and shift-under-load performance—and puts it into a fully mechanical system. This is not some retro downgrade. SRAM rethought mechanical shifting from the ground up.

The derailleur mounts directly to the frame using the UDH (Universal Derailleur Hanger) interface, eliminating the traditional derailleur hanger. This makes the whole setup more robust and consistent across frame designs. The result? The strongest mechanical derailleur SRAM has ever built, and the most rebuildable one, too. You can replace everything from the cage to the parallelogram links to the skid plates.

Installation is crazy simple. SRAM calls it the world's easiest mechanical setup: just prepare, hang, tighten, and route the cable. No limit screws, no b-tension, no frustration.

And yes—it still shifts like a beast under full load. SRAM’s XS-1275 cassette and Flattop chain bring full X-SYNC shifting tech to the mechanical game, which means you can slam gears while hammering up a climb and not skip a beat.

Specs and Components

SRAM didn’t cut corners on the Eagle 90 components. From the derailleur to the crankset, each piece is built to offer premium performance with the simplicity and reliability that mechanical fans love. Here’s how it breaks down:

Derailleur

The centerpiece of the Eagle 90 drivetrain is its SRAM 90 Full Mount derailleur. It attaches directly to the frame using the UDH interface, skipping the traditional hanger and offering a more stable and consistent platform. This derailleur isn’t just strong—it’s fully rebuildable. Every major wear part can be replaced, so you can keep it running for years.

• Full Mount, hangerless design (UDH required)

• T-Type cable actuation

• Replaceable skid plates, parallelogram links, cage

• Most rebuildable SRAM derailleur to date

Shifter

The Eagle 90 shifter carries forward SRAM’s proven ergonomics and adds a refined cable routing system that pairs perfectly with their Stealth brakes. You can get a standard double-click version or a single-click one designed specifically for E-MTBs to reduce chain wear.

• Mechanical double-click or single-click variants (for E-MTB)

• Optimized ergonomics and friction management

• MMX compatibility

• Stealth cable routing to match SRAM Stealth brakes

Crankset

Forged from aluminum, the Eagle 90 crankset is built to take abuse while looking clean. It’s available in multiple lengths and is compatible with SRAM’s 8-bolt chainrings. Optional bashguards help protect your chainring when the trail gets rowdy.

• Forged aluminum arms

• DUB spindle, 8-bolt chainring compatibility

• Lengths from 155mm to 175mm

• Optional bashguards included

Cassette

The XS-1275 cassette brings the same 10-52T, 520% gear range used in the higher-end AXS drivetrains, complete with full X-SYNC tech. The shifting is buttery smooth and precise—even when you’re hammering up steep climbs.

• XS-1275, 10-52T range

• Full X-SYNC shifting

• 55mm chainline for improved angles and longevity

Chain

The GX Flattop chain is one of the strongest SRAM has ever made. The flat top adds visual flair and helps with precise shifting under load. It’s also solid-pin construction, so it’s fully E-MTB ready.

• GX Eagle Transmission Flattop chain

• Flat-top profile, solid pins, fully E-MTB approved

Weight & Pricing

SRAM managed to keep the weight competitive and the price appealing. Here’s what you’re looking at for the complete setup and key parts:

• Complete groupset: ~$670 USD

• Derailleur: $190

• Crankset: $155

• Shifter: $50

Differences From Previous SRAM Mechanical Systems

The SRAM 90 replaces what used to be the SRAM GX Eagle mechanical drivetrain, but brings the tech and performance from the XX and XO AXS world into a manual shifting experience. Key differences:

• Full Mount vs traditional hanger-based mounting

• T-Type cable actuation vs older SRAM pull ratios

• Rebuildable derailleur with modular parts

• Much simpler setup — no limit screws or fine tuning

And again, the ability to shift under load with a mechanical drivetrain is a standout. That’s something older SRAM setups just couldn’t do as reliably.

Setup & On Trail Performance

Setting up the new mechanical SRAM 90 is hands-down the easiest mechanical drivetrain install you’ll ever do—and it actually delivers on that promise. The process mirrors SRAM’s AXS setup with one key addition: routing and tensioning a shift cable. To set the derailleur in the setup cog, you insert a 4mm Allen key into the bottom of the derailleur (through the parallelogram). That sets the position like b-tension. Then you remove the Allen key, allowing the spring to drop the derailleur into the smallest cog. From there, just add cable tension and micro-adjust your shifts as needed. That’s it.

As someone who’s kept at least one bike mechanical since AXS dropped, I’ve been itching for a drivetrain like this. Sure, mechanical is cheaper to buy and replace, but for me, it’s about simplicity—no batteries, no charging, no wondering if your derailleur will fire when you're deep in the backcountry. I’ve got AXS on other bikes, but my short-travel daily rider, a Yeti SB120, is all mechanical. And SRAM 90 fits that setup perfectly.

I got in some solid ride time and ran a bit of a mixed build: SRAM XX cassette and chain paired with the Eagle 90 derailleur and shifter. This setup let me test the lighter weight and crisp shifting of XX components while seeing how well SRAM 90 performs. And the answer? It shifts perfectly in all conditions.

My local trails are punchy—lots of quick ups and downs. I found myself shifting two, three, even four gears in quick succession, often under load, and it never missed a beat. Thanks to the double-click shifter, you can move up two gears per throw, and throw it twice to shift four gears instantly. Even when coasting and then getting back on the gas, shifts were smooth. It’s not designed to shift while coasting, but it handles those moments surprisingly well and something I found myself doing once I started to ride t-type.

Bottom line: I’m stoked to finally have mechanical shifting that performs this well. SRAM 90 delivers.

What About SRAM 70?

The SRAM 70 drivetrain is a more budget-conscious version of the same concept. You still get T-Type compatibility, Full Mount installation, and great shifting performance, but with simpler materials and slightly heavier components. It uses a stamped steel derailleur and crankset, plus a different (XS-1270) cassette with a black nickel chrome finish.

Perfect for OEM builds or riders who want Eagle Transmission compatibility without going all in.

Final Thoughts – What’s Worldwide’s Takeaway?

SRAM Eagle 90 proves that mechanical shifting still has a place at the top. This isn’t just a cheaper drivetrain—it’s a refined, robust system with serious trail performance, and a perfect choice for riders who don’t want to worry about batteries.

With Full Mount toughness, rebuildable design, and shift-anywhere confidence, Eagle 90 is a mechanical masterpiece. So if you’ve been on the fence about jumping into Transmission, but you’re loyal to cables and simplicity, this is the one you’ve been waiting for.

If you're a weirdo who wants to read the entire transcript of the video, check it out below: A couple of years ago, Sram dropped the derailleur hanger and in the process, they dropped Sram Eagle Transmission. It offers insanely smooth shifts with a full-mount derailleur so it mounts directly to the frame, which was really nice, but the electronic actuation still left some of us old-school riders who prefer cables feeling like we were left hanging a little bit, and we were wondering what was next. And now it is finally here: The Sram Eagle Mechanical Transmission Sram 90. Let’s check it out. Once again, I have my amazing friend Liam here to help me kind of go through this wonderful product because he just got back from Sram in Colorado and kind of learned all about it, which is pretty cool. “Hey, Liam.” “Yeah, I know so much about this stuff.” He knows so much about this stuff. So, Liam, why is this cool and why would I want it? Well, as you said in the intro, it is a full-mount derailleur, so it mounts the same way as all the other T-type. So it mounts to the frame; you get rid of the derailleur hanger. It is a very strong derailleur and has crisp shifts because of that. However, it is cable-actuated. So, if you don’t want batteries—personally, I don’t always love batteries on my bike—this is the drivetrain. My other bikes do have GX and XX Transmission, but this bike? No batteries. So if you’re an anti-battery guy or girl and you just want a bike you can hop on and go, this is the drivetrain. It also comes in at a much lower price point, so you can get the very nice crisp shifting of Transmission at a much lower cost. You said two things there that I really liked—crisp shifting and a lower price point—so tell me basically, you know, there are some similarities here between the mechanical and the electronic Transmission, but what are some of the differences? The differences are that one uses a battery and one uses a cable, essentially. Of course, there are small details: the parallelograms are a bit different, and the shift mapping is different. The electronic version has shift mapping that prevents dumping 5 or 6 gears at a time, whereas on the mechanical version, when you shift into a harder gear you get one click, and when you shift into an easier gear, you can get two clicks at once, which is quite nice. You can’t really do that on the electric; you can hit the button two times and it will go, but not quite immediately. Some of the similarities are that they use the same cassette, chain, and crankset, so you can mix and match all over. With the Eagle family, as Sram likes to say, you can do a lot of mixing and matching—you just can’t mix battery with cable, but you can mix and match cassette, chain, and crankset across all Transmission-compatible parts. One thing I’m really excited to do is put the Sram 90 derailleur and shifter on my bike with an XXSL cassette and chain and crankset, which will be the lightest Transmission setup you can do, so you’ll get awesome shifting and pretty lightweight. I’ve done weight comparisons so we can put them on the screen, and you can see how much weight you might save by going with the Sram 90 derailleur. Another thing people got hung up on with Transmission is the weight—it’s a touch heavier. So this mechanical version sort of slots in between the classic Eagle and the electronic Transmission, which is pretty sweet. Some people can have their cake and eat it too: you get the direct-mount interface, amazing shifting, lighter weight than full-blown Transmission, and you still have a cable. It’s kind of a win-win situation. Yeah, it’s a great drivetrain. It comes in at around the GX level for cassette and chain. There’s also Sram 70, a little bit lower OE spec you’ll see out there, and it is available aftermarket for replacement, but the price point isn’t too different, so most people looking to upgrade to T-type mechanical will probably go with Sram 90. As you said, you can mix and match everything, so go with the 90 derailleur, XX cassette, chain, whatever. There are a lot of options. You can also remove the cage from the 90 derailleur, remove the cage from the XXSL derailleur, and put that right onto the 90, giving you a really light and fast derailleur with a carbon cage and fancy pulley wheel, but cable-actuated. That’s pretty fancy. I think a lot of riders who were waiting for mechanical Transmission will finally jump on board. Maybe we can even get Jeff on it—he’s an extreme weight weenie, so time will tell if it’s weenie enough for him. Well, that just about wraps it up. We are super excited to see this, ride it, get it on our bikes, and we’ll surely have a long-term review in the works for all of you. Thank you so much for reading; we truly appreciate it. Send this to a homie who has been waiting for this to drop and show them it’s finally here. Cheerio, guys!