SRAM X01 Eagle Rear Derailleur [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 X01 Eagle drivetrain is proven to take a beating. This is why we see the X01 derailleur on so many bikes today. It has proven its self over the past couple years as reliable, quiet, and easy to work on. Everything you want out of your main drivetrain component. Our buddy Joe recently purchased one. Lets see what he thought.

Joe's Review

Just like the hundreds of thousands or a million or so other people this year, I made a return to mountain biking. To say the bikes have evolved is a gross understatement, the geometry, the technology, and the components are from separate planets. The last mountain bike I purchased was a new GT Rebound just for a reference. I buy my bike and ride it, I think this thing is grand. However, Once I actually started riding on some good trails I noticed the shortcomings as most would. I quickly found out the SRAM SX derailleur and shifter is terrible for any trails that are not smooth and require quick shifting for changing inclines and speeds.

After purchasing the bike and starting to learn the trails around my area, I met up with a good group of guys that "took me in" and really helped me progress on the trails. One thing was really bothering more than anything else was being held back on climbs because my derailleur would do what it wanted to do, not what I wanted it to do. I had it adjusted numerous times and after some good rooty/ rocky tech downhills it would quickly return to being junk again. After watching the video Worldwide Cyclery did on the Eagle SRAM drivetrains and talking to a few riding buddies, I decided to upgrade the derailleur and shifter from SX to X01 components while retaining the SX cassette and crank.

After I swapped the garbage out for the X01 items I purchased, it completely changed the experience.

The derailleur no longer ghost shifted to a lower gear when I was climbing hills. It no longer ghost shifted up two gears and back one gear while cruising to a trailhead. The accuracy of the shifts and how crisp it happened was such an improvement. I have actually banged the derailleur a few times and thought I was going to have issues until I could get it readjusted. I was pleasantly surprised that it was not the case, in fact, I, other than the initial adjustment and recheck after the first few rides it has been flawless. The quickness and accuracy of the derailleur when paired with the X01 Shifter, amazing.

Conclusion

"When I purchased the bike, I figured the upgrades would come as items needed replacing. You always know that upgrades are better and nicer than the original items at the $1200 bike range. I really wish now after experiencing the huge difference that I would have done this immediately after purchasing the bike. Yes the handlebars made a difference and going tubeless is nice, but none had the impact this had. If you are thinking about the X01 derailleur and shifter combo, do it and you will not regret it at all." - Joe