SRAM NX Eagle 12-Speed Groupset with Cassette, Shifter, Derailleur and Chain: 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. 

When your bike is in need of a drivetrain upgrade, SRAM's NX Eagle is a killer option to get a wide 1x12 gear range on your bike. Utilizing the splined Shimano HG style freehub, the NX Eagle Cassette works well with wheels that do not have the SRAM XD Driver to run other Eagle cassettes. Kevin purchased the SRAM NX Eagle drivetrain for his son's bike so he can get more gear range and get some much needed help while climbing. Let's check out what Kevin thought of his NX Eagle purchase. 

Kevin's Review of SRAM NX Eagle:

About a year ago I bought a Giant Stance for my 10 year old son, for a trip to Moab. The brand new bike came with an ancient 2X10 drivetrain that we converted to a 1X10 right away to keep the shifting simple. I thought It would work fine but evidently any amount of climbing on a 1X10 sucks. Fast forward to this year, with the annual trip to Moab just a few months away I thought I should try to turn that 1X10 frown upside-down. Actually I just wanted to steal the Cassette, Shifter, Derailleur and Chain, from the Giant Stance to use on a 15 year old hardtail that was in desperate need of an update. Using the upcoming trip as justification to buy cool bike stuff, the NX Eagle 12-Speed Groupset from Worldwide Cyclery was the perfect replacement kit for all the parts I'd highjacked from the kids bike. 

SRAM NX Eagle Groupset:

I went with the SRAM NX Eagle 4 piece groupset as I didn't need a crank. The groupset comes with the needed parts to make my bike into a 1x12 shifting bike. With a rear derailleur, shifter, cassette and chain I had all the needed parts to make this happen for just $275 shipped to my house! Below is a breakdown of each product. 

SRAM NX Eagle Chain:

I confess, I'm not the guy to talk to if you want an in-depth bicycle chain review or a comparison to other bicycle chains. Its a chain. The SRAM NX Eagle chain does was chains do. With all that said, the stand alone price for this chain doesn't make my butt pucker, so it's got that going for it.

SRAM NX Eagle Trigger Shifter:

It's the SHIfT! Really, the SRAM NX Eagle shifter it shifts like all the other eagle shifters but costs less. It's easy to install and comes with all the hardware to hang it on your bars and lace it to your chain mover. High fives all around!

SRAM NX Eagle Rear Derailleur:

Installation and adjustment on the SRAM NX rear derailleur were a breeze. It comes with the silly B-gap tool, so you too can awkwardly lay on the floor spinning a hex wrench with one hand and lifting the beautifully colored plastic tool in front of your face as if gazing into the cosmos, all the while having someone sit on the bike in order to achieve and maintain 20 percent sag until the b-gap is properly set. Functionally the derailleur works fine. It feels a little sloppy and If it didn't come with this groupset I honestly wouldn't buy it on its own for the price. If I was buying a replacement eagle derailleur I'd just pay the extra 18 bucks and get the SRAM GX Eagle derailleur. 

SRAM NX Eagle PG-1230 Cassette 11-50t:

The SRAM NX eagle cassette for the price is stupid awesome! Install was crazy easy. The fact that it fits right onto the old style Shimano HG freehubs just warms my heart. It makes me long for the days before manufacturers started bending you over and stuffing you with their proprietary units. I need to petition SRAM to start making a version of the NX eagle cassette for the XD driver so I can stop blowing the extra Benjamin on the GX cassettes for my own bike. Ironically the XD driver is SRAM's own proprietary freehub, yet they don't make an NX eagle cassette that fits on it! 

Final Thoughts:

Five Stars! in spite of any part of my review that may resemble bitching. Awesome groupset! The NX Eagle group really is a good deal for anyone looking to upgrade to a 1X12. All of these items available in one easy to order and reasonably priced kit made this a no-brainer for me, plus it was fast and free shipping form Worldwide Cyclery. For my part the installation was great. My son noticed the difference in shifting right away and said he likes the way his bike feels a lot more now. Son, you're welcome. That'll be $275 plus labor. Prorated of course, for your time spent sitting on the bike during b-gap adjustment.