SRAM GX Eagle 12-Speed MTB Drivetrain: 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. 

Have you made the switch over to Sram's 12-Speed Eagle Drivetrain? The MTB Industry has become overruled by 12-speed drivetrains and SRAM holds the reigns as the leading manufacturer. In this review, one of our customers is now running the Sram GX Eagle drivetrain and says the shifting performance, in their experience, is the same as the XO1 and XX1 Eagle systems. Read more below.

Hayden G's Review

Let me first start by saying that if you aren’t on a 1x12 you’re missing out! I recently installed my brand new GX eagle drivetrain that I paired with Raceface Next R Cranks and DMR Vault Pedals. And I have nothing but good things to say about it (well... maybe one bad thing)!

To start, why did I make the jump from 11 to 12-speed? The drivetrain I had before the GX eagle was a SRAM XO1 11-speed drivetrain. I have no complaints about this set up descending and when it came to climbing... until... Tiger Mountain! Tiger Mountain here in Issaquah, WA is a beautiful trail system made specifically for mountain bikes. It’s perfect!... But the catch is there is a pretty “decent” climb to the top which took around 3 hours to climb. You can look up the park and see the specifics of the climb if you’re interested. I perpetually found myself looking for one more gear that just wasn’t there. This forced me to get off at certain flat spots to try and rest just to keep going up and repeating the whole process. I knew after I summoned that I need a 12-speed and I got the GX Eagle groupset (w/o the cranks) that night and I don’t know how I could live without it now.

Why should YOU switch? Well, I’ll begin by telling you what I like about this setup. The gear ratios of an 11-speed drivetrain are actually kinda steep. Near the bottom is where it gets tricky in terms of deciding on a ratio you want to ride with mid-trail and the top end just sometimes feels like it’s just not enough. With a 12-speed drivetrain, you get these really smooth shifts from cog-to-cog without any harsh differentiation in terms of the gear ratios. In addition to that, the 11 speed “clunked” and “crunched” between each gear and it wasn’t awful just felt harsh on the trail. The speed is so quiet and smooth it almost feels like it’s easing you into the gear you want instead of crunching or clunking it’s way up and down the cassette. The drivetrain is so efficient and comfortable that I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a solid upgrade!

Finally, “Hayden” you may ask, “ why did you choose the GX Eagle anyway? Don’t they make X01 and XX1 in Eagle too? Isn’t there a quality difference?” Well, my fellow shredder, I have the answers to all your questions! Let’s start off with that whole quality thing you mentioned earlier. Through my quite thorough research (more than I’d like to admit...) I honestly believe there is no difference in quality between the 3 groupsets. The only major difference I found was with two things: the material and the chain. The GX shifter has a bushing instead of a bearing in it so for those of you who are knit-picky about how the shifter feels then maybe upgrade the shifter but I’ll tell you now I can’t feel a difference comparing it to my dad's XO1 Eagle shifter given that’s literally the only difference between the shifters... literally the only major difference (I’ll touch more on his drivetrain in a little). Moving on to the derailleur, the GX Eagle derailleur is made of aluminum and steel unlike its counterparts which are made of carbon and the XX1 even has titanium bolts! But again, the materials are the only difference as they perform the exact same in many tests I’ve seen conducted and reviewed. The only downside to the GX Eagle is the chain. The chain isn’t hollow pin like it’s counterparts which is mainly about weight but lacks some of the other qualities that it’s big brothers have so I bought an XX1 chain to go with it although I have yet to put it on! To put the nail in the coffin, my dad bought the XO1 Eagle groupset and that’s what got me hooked on 12-speed in the first place. We compared the two drivetrain ourselves and found no differences whatsoever (the only one is weight and price but I’m not a weight-weenie and I’m a 19-year-old college kid with shallow pockets)! They both shift smoothly as butter and were virtually silent!

Conclusion

Overall, if you’re looking for an impactful upgrade on your bike then I HIGHLY recommend making the switch to 12-speed. If you have deep pockets (like $1300 deep) then you can go XX1 for the lightest and highest quality but you’re still getting the same performance level of the GX eagle. The SRAM GX Eagle groupset is less than half the price of the XX1 eagle and is just as good in terms of shift quality (actually it’s the same)! While I’ve got you here be sure to check out my YouTube channel Buck-N-Dive Productions! I try to post as often as possible (being at college and all haha!) drop a like and subscribe! Happy Trails and SHRED THA ‘GNAR!!! - Hayden G