Product news: Sram is expanding its Eagle range downwards: with the NX Eagle there will be a new, inexpensive 12-speed group starting this season, whose 11-50 cassette is not limited to conventional 9-/10-/11-speed freewheels fits, but is also the first Eagle cassette to be approved for use on e-bikes.
With the presentation of the Eagle group two years ago, Sram triggered a tremor in the MTB market, the tremors of which can still be felt today. Thanks to the cassettes with an unprecedented range, you could finally say goodbye to the front derailleur and two chainrings on the crank - without having to make lazy compromises. Initially, the Eagle technology was only reserved for the two expensive top groupsets XX1 and X01, but last year a group in the more affordable price range was added with the GX Eagle.
Sram NX Eagle: Where there's an eagle on it, there's an eagle on the inside!
Now Sram is going one better with the NX Eagle and is also attacking the lower price segment with the new group. Of course, the NX Eagle also comes with a 12-speed cassette - in contrast to the other Eagle groupsets, however, this is also compatible with the well-known 9/10/11-speed freewheel and does not require an XD driver. However, this also means that there is no room for a 10T sprocket; the NX Eagle cassette has a gradation of 11-50 and thus offers a range of 454%.
With the other parts, you don't have to do without the technical advantages of the more expensive groupsets, but you have to accept the odd gram of extra weight. The NX Eagle rear derailleur also comes with Type 3.0 damping and the proven X-Horizon linkage. It is of course also compatible with the "full" 10-50 cassettes of the other Eagle groups and an attractively priced alternative. The same applies to the trigger: This can control all Eagle rear derailleurs and - in contrast to its 11-speed counterpart - is also Matchmaker X compatible.
Of course, a suitable crank should not be missing. This will only be available in the Srams new DUB standard, which can be installed in all frames with a suitable bottom bracket. As with the other Eagle groupsets, the chainrings can be attached via Direct Mount. Incidentally, the native NX Eagle chainrings only come as steel variants.
Attack on the e-MTB market: Cassette fully e-bike compatible and special e-bike trigger
Like the other Eagle cassettes, the new NX Eagle cassette is made entirely of steel and, at over 600g, is certainly not a lightweight. However, it also has the appropriate stability - it is the first Eagle cassette that is also approved for use on e-bikes or e-MTBs and can cope with the extreme forces generated by the motor.
In line with this, Sram will also offer a special version of its NX Eagle Trigger. This differs from the standard variant in that only one gear can be shifted at a time. At first glance, this seems like an unnecessary restriction, but according to Sram it makes sense: If the rider on the E-MTB shifts gears under load, enormous forces act on the cassette - if the chain jumps over several sprockets at once, there is the risk of damage occurring. In order to minimize this risk, Sram limits the NX Eagle e-bike trigger to one shifting operation per lever pusher.
The Sram NX Eagle in comparison
| Shimano SLX | Shimano XT | Sram NX Eagle | Sram GX Eagle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| courses | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 |
| Total weight* | 1.919g | 1.841g | 2.049g | 1.753g |
| translation bandwidth | 418% | 418% | 454% | 500% |
*Without bottom bracket, chainring 32 teeth
In a direct comparison with the competition, it becomes clear that the NX Eagle group does bring a gram or two more weight - especially with the cassette - but strikes a good balance between available bandwidth and price. Speaking of price: At the start of sales, we only know the RRPs, of course, which, in our experience, will not last very long. The individual components will go over the counter for the following prices:
Sram NX Eagle rear derailleur: €119
Sram NX Eagle Trigger: €38
Sram NX Eagle cassette: 110€
Sram NX Eagle crank: 116-135€
Sram NX Eagle chain: €29
The Sram NX Eagle group is expected to be available in stores from September.
