Market: With the new SRAM GX Eagle, the US manufacturer is introducing a new 12-speed group that is turning the price screw up a notch, but at the same time inherits numerous features of the existing Eagle groups - including, of course, the 10-50 cassette with a range of 500%, which is hardly inferior to traditional double drives.
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With the presentation of the two Eagle 12-speed groupsets XX1 Eagle and X01 Eagle, one-by pioneer SRAM responded last season to the criticism of the existing 11-speed drives from their own company, which focused primarily on the insufficient bandwidth. With 10-50 cassettes and thus a range of 500%, one entered spheres that were previously reserved for two chainrings. But there was a catch; the two Eagle groups XX1 and X01 were and still are extremely expensive.
It didn't take quite a year and SRAM also responded to this flaw - the solution goes by the name of SRAM GX Eagle and is the cheapest 12-speed group to date and will be available in stores for a complete price of around €500. Despite the significantly lower price, you don't have to make any compromises in terms of functionality: The SRAM GX Eagle also comes with a 10-50 cassette with 12 sprockets and the usual high shift quality. You only have to make some compromises in terms of weight and the optics are not quite as high-quality as the much more expensive Eagle counterparts.
But of course, with the GX Eagle you not only have your own groupset in mind - whether 11-speed or 12-speed - but above all the competition from Japan, which still focuses on the tried and tested front derailleur. With the asking price of just under €500, the new GX Eagle is in direct competition with the successful Shimano XT groupset, which in 2017 should still be one of the most frequently used groupsets on MTBs. It will be exciting to see whether SRAM will succeed in sawing this throne with the new, inexpensive 12-speed group.
The shootout: SRAM GX Eagle vs. Shimano XT vs. e13 TRSrace
How does the new Eagle group stack up against the Shimano XT in terms of weight and price? We compared the most important components and also included a third option with the 11-speed GX Eagle in combination with the 9-46 E13 TRSrace cassette. At first glance, the SRAM GX Eagle seems to have the edge: It is significantly lighter, more than competitive in terms of price and its range is only slightly smaller than a Shimano XT drive with two chainrings.
| SRAM GX Eagle | Shimano XT 2-speed | SRAM GX+e13 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derailleur | 290g | 110€ | 271g | 80€ | 265g | 120€ |
| Front derailleur | - | - | 145g | 30€ | - | - |
| Shifter | 122g | 35€ | 237g | 90€ | 122g | 48€ |
| Crank | 628g (32t) | 125€ | 718g (36/26t) | 140€ | 720g (32t) | 125€ |
| Cassette | 450g | 200€ | 434g | 80€ | 300g | 369€ |
| Chain | 270g | 29€ | 260g | 28€ | 259g | 25€ |
| 1.760g | 499€ | 2.065g | 448€ | 1.666g | 687€ | |
| bandwidth | 500% | 529% | 511% | |||
But there is a not insignificant catch that you should be aware of before you buy: Even if the two competitors are almost on the same price level, the cassette makes up the lion's share of the GX Eagle - and not only frequent drivers know that it is it is a classic wearing part. You have to give the SRAM cassettes credit for the fact that they are made entirely of steel and are significantly more durable than comparable variants with aluminum sprockets, but at a price of around €200 it hurts when you have to buy a new one - Shimano beats it the cassette, on the other hand, costs well under €100.
Still, the group will undoubtedly make waves. Upgrade kits with cassette, rear derailleur, chain and shifter are already available in the first shops for less than €350. (Caution: you need an XD freewheel). We should also see the new SRAM group on many mid-range bikes in the coming months.