SRAM X01 Eagle XG-1295 Cassette [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 is hands down one of the staples when it comes to drivetrain components. Most notably, their one piece cassettes cut down a lot of weight and offer excellent performance. Our friend Andrew, just threw one on their bike. See what they think! 

Overview

I had a heck of a time finding a bike in the summer through the fall and settled on one that came with an entry-level drivetrain. After a couple of rides, I knew it didn’t feel nearly as crisp as my brother's GX drivetrain. So, like any rational brother, I couldn’t just get the same drivetrain. I had to go with something better. Clearly for bragging rights, since he’ll still kick my ass on the trails. But at least I’ll feel better and look faster now while he does it. Enter the SRAM X01 cassette.

I had every intention of skimping out on the cassette. It’s a big price jump over the GX. However, a little bit of googling also told me the X01 cassette will likely outlast the GX by a good margin. Is this true? I won’t know for sure until I get an awful lot of riding in, but at least it looks great, and it's a good amount lighter. I’m out of shape after a year of not much exercise and I’ll take all the grams I can get. How much lighter is it than my old cassette? I’m not positive since I don’t have a scale but I don’t need one to be able to feel the difference between the X01 and my OEM cassette. It’s ALOT lighter. When I was removing my old cassette, I dropped a bunch of the cogs on the floor, which gave me a greater appreciation for the X01 simple single-piece design. Installation was a breeze. I had to switch my wheels freehub to an XD driver first, which I also bought from Worldwide Cyclery. Then it was as simple as greasing up the threads, sliding the cassette on, a quick 1/4 turn or so to make sure the keyed portion of the cassette engaged on the freehub splines, and then I tightened up the lock ring.

Take one look at an X01 cassette in person and it’s a work of machined art.

With eleven of the gears being machined out of a single bock, I’m betting the tolerances are also much tighter than the lower-end stamped and pinned pieces. I’m not sure how much of the improved shifting is the cassette alone (upgraded the derailleur and shifter as well) but my drivetrain shifts a heck of a lot better now. My previous lower-end setup had me tinkering with the indexing over the course of a few rides. Some of the middle gears I just couldn’t get them to shift as fast as I’d like, and after just one ride on the old cassette much of the black coating on the teeth was wearing off. This was purely cosmetic but still a bummer. However, the X01 (full drivetrain) setup was very easy and forgiving. I didn’t have to put much effort in at all to get nice crisp and immediate shifts. On top of that, after a couple of quick rides on the X01, it still looks great! If you have the money, the X01 cassette is a really high-quality upgrade and huge rotational mass savings over entry-level stuff. Disclaimer: you’re going to have fewer excuses for why your brother or friends still smoke you on the trails.

Final Thoughts

Not much else to say on the cassette. I will add that Worldwide Cyclery customer service has been incredible. I’ve placed quite a few orders over the past several months. I know COVID hasn’t been easy on supply chains but they’ve always promptly refunded anything that went out of stock too quickly and reached out with an email. They’ve generally been able to get me an estimate on when they’d be expecting more of what I was looking for and they are always available for any questions I’ve had. Shipping has also been prompt and I’ve received tracking numbers for all of my orders very quickly. I’m pleased enough that I’m rocking that sweet WC fender you might have caught in the pics.