Sram Eagle Transmission: One step back - two forward?

Product news / MTB: With the Sram Eagle Transmission, the Americans are once again breaking new ground. The new groupsets do without a derailleur hanger entirely, but are not compatible with all bikes. The shifting itself has also changed fundamentally and almost feels like a step backwards for the first few meters - but at the same time the shifting behavior also makes a huge leap forward. What that means exactly and what special features the new groups bring with them.

It's been eleven years since Sram heralded the beginning of the end of the front derailleur on mountain bikes with the presentation of the first XX1 gears. Since then, the Americans have been able to shape the development of circuits with impressive regularity. A while ago with the first 12-speed drivetrain on the market, recently with the wireless AXS components. The next step follows with the Sram Eagle transmission components presented today. Even if not that much has changed at first glance - still 12 gears, the same bandwidth and still electronic, wireless components - bike gears should change permanently.

test video

Sram Eagle Transmission: A new group of new groupsets

Before we start with the technical details and the special features of the new Sram circuit, first a few basic facts. Three new groupsets are grouped together under the generic term Sram Eagle Transmission, XX SL, XX and X0. The previous groups, from XX1 Eagle AXS to GX Eagle AXS, remain in the program. In order to make differentiation a little easier for customers, the "1" in the name of the groups (XX1 -> XX) has been omitted, and all new components have the suffix T-Type in their name. This is also important because the drive components themselves (rear derailleur, chain, cassette) are not compatible with the previous X-Sync 2 components.

Not without UDH dropouts

To understand what makes the new Sram Eagle Transmission circuits so special, we first need to say a few words about the still quite young UDH standard lose. UDH stands for Universal Derailleur Hanger and is a movement initiated by Sram itself to declare war on the proliferation of derailleur hangers - with a universal derailleur hanger for different bicycle manufacturers, models and bicycle categories. Anyone who has had the misfortune of having to change the derailleur hanger on an older bike knows how difficult it can be to find the right parts and should welcome this development. Over 40 manufacturers now have wheels with UDH - Ascending trend.

Simple installation, hardly any adjustment required

A prerequisite for a universal derailleur hanger is a fixed standard that clearly defines the dimensions in the area of ​​the dropout. Distance to the cassette, distance to the center of the hub, etc. Those who are curious can take a look here throw in the technical documents of the open standard. But why is UDH so important for the new Sram circuits? The answer is simple: The Americans do without the derailleur hanger completely and the rear derailleur is attached directly to the frame. This has never existed before - and has tangible advantages, especially during installation and adjustment.

Due to the distances clearly defined in the UDH standard, the rear derailleur always hangs in exactly the same place, regardless of the individual bike. That also means: Identical distance to all sprockets of the installed cassette. This makes settings such as end stops or the B screw obsolete. Since cable lengthening on electronic gears is also not an issue, almost all the settings that were previously known from bicycle gears are no longer necessary.

Step-by-step instructions via app, website or instructions

Just screw it on and you're done? Almost - but assembly is not that easy (yet?). Depending on a few factors such as the type of bike (Fully, Hardtail) or the chain stay length, the so-called setup key must be selected. To put it simply, the rear derailleur can be mounted in two positions. There are also some setting steps in the actual assembly on the frame. The whole process is a bit unfamiliar, but overall much simpler than with conventional circuits. Either the AXS app, the Sram website or the good, old, analog operating instructions guide you through the procedure. Our practical check during assembly shows that attaching and adjusting the gearshift has never been easier than with the new Sram Eagle transmission.

"The most stable rear derailleur of all time"?

However, a derailleur hanger is not only annoying when it breaks, it also serves a purpose. As a kind of "predetermined breaking point" between the frame and the rear derailleur, it should protect these parts from damage in the event of a fall. Since Sram has now dispensed with this weakest link in the chain with the new Eagle Transmission components, the question arises as to what happens if the rear derailleur takes a hit. Sram's answer to this is what they say is "the most stable rear derailleurs we've ever built".

On the one hand, all Sram Eagle Transmission rear derailleurs have the ability to avoid hits, backwards or to the side. In the event of a hard impact, however, they should also be able to withstand a lot. However, if the rear derailleur is damaged, Sram now also offers spare parts that can be replaced individually. This means that the entire rear derailleur does not have to be replaced - great! Time will tell whether the components will keep the "promise of stability" - but we are cautiously optimistic.

Sram AXS Pod: New shift lever, also for existing AXS drives

Sram has also completely redesigned the gear lever for the Eagle Transmission System and given it a different name with the AXS Pod. Visually, it has virtually nothing in common with its predecessor; the rocker has disappeared, instead the rear derailleur is controlled via two clearly separated buttons. In terms of looks and ergonomics, the new control panel is much more reminiscent of a remote as you know it from E-MTBs than a classic shifter. The numerous adjustment options in terms of positioning on the handlebars are great. With this, Sram eliminates one of the biggest points of criticism of the predecessor - with the AXS Pod everyone should really be able to find an ergonomically suitable setting. By the way: AXS Pod and AXS Controller are compatible with each other. Existing AXS drives can be operated with the new pod as well as vice versa.

Cassette mapping for better shifting behavior under load

But that's not all in terms of innovations; The changes to the drive train itself are a little more hidden, but no less exciting. Sram is breaking new ground, especially with the cassettes. The number of gears (520) and the range (52%) have not changed, but the design of the sprockets and the cassette as a unit has been fundamentally changed. Eleven steel sprockets and one large XNUMX aluminum sprocket are still used, of course still in the XD standard. In addition to small changes in the gradation, it is above all the so-called cassette mapping that breaks with the traditions of previous cassettes.

Conventional cassettes have so-called climbing aids, which are responsible for pulling the chain onto the next larger sprocket or letting it fall down. This works really well most of the time – however, for construction and performance reasons, they are only distributed quite sparsely over the entire cassette. Sometimes it takes a turn for the chain to find its new place, while in other cases it is much faster. Every cyclist should know this switching behavior very well. With the new T-Type cassettes, Sram is now – to put it very simply – less aggressive climbing aids, but distributes them significantly more frequently over the sprockets and cassette. The goal: consistent shifting behavior in all situations. In addition, the less aggressive design protects the chain when changing gears, which should have a positive effect on shifting under load. This plays an important role, especially on the E-MTB. According to Sram, the new T-Type components are also clearly superior to their predecessors when it comes to wear.

This special cassette and gear design also calls for a new chain, which also looks good thanks to its flat top. Unfortunately, this fundamental change also means that neither the cassette, nor the chain, nor the rear derailleur are compatible with the previous Eagle AXS components. Understandable - but still a pity.

New cranks, optionally with power meter

The last component is the crank and chain ring. Unsurprisingly, no stone is left unturned and all three groupsets receive completely new cranks. While the XX and XX SL rely on minimalist carbon crank arms, the new X0 aluminum crank in particular should cause a stir - and not just because of its low weight. In any case, your design was very well received by us in the editorial office and should often be the reason for the purchase. For the first time, all cranks are available with an integrated Quarq power meter, and all variants can also be retrofitted. However, the latter calls for a new direct mount system for the chainrings with eight bolts. Previous Direct Mount X-Sync 2 chainrings can therefore not be attached to the new crank arms.

The T-Type chainrings are available in numerous versions, also with a classic 104 mm bolt circle to retrofit them to existing cranks. So when switching to the Eagle Transmission System, the crank itself does not necessarily have to be changed. Of course, Direct Mount chainrings are also available for the most common E-MTB drives. The new, detachable bashguards that can be attached to the chainrings are nice. By the way: The T-Type geometry of the chainrings is backwards compatible with the previous X-Sync 2 Eagle drives. So if you want to retrofit one of the new cranks to your current Eagle drive - no problem!

Compatibility Chart: Sram Eagle Transmission

Sram Eagle Transmission: The groups at a glance

The Sram Eagle Transmission System starts with three groupsets. In addition to the weight-optimized XX and the universal, somewhat more stable X0 group, there are now also XX SL components for the first time. These are the only ones that Sram does not recommend for use on E-MTBs and are clearly aimed at XC racers and marathon riders. Even lighter, even more optimized for performance - and a little more expensive.

Sram Eagle Transmission XX SL

Sram Eagle Transmission XX

Sram Eagle Transmission X0

Sram Eagle Transmission: weights

Sram Eagle Transmission: Prices - pretty expensive, isn't it?

A look at the price list makes it clear: You have to dig deep into your pocket for the new Sram Eagle Transmission groups and components. Between 660 and 720 euros for a rear derailleur? The cheapest cassette for 480 euros? The XX SL chain for 180 euros? Honestly, we had to swallow a little when we first looked at these numbers.

But: These Sram RRPs should be taken with a pinch of salt. A look at the prices of the corresponding Eagle AXS components shows that the differences are not too big, the rear derailleurs have even become a bit "cheaper". Nevertheless, the street prices for Eagle AXS components are sometimes well below Sram's recommended retail prices. Accordingly, one has to wait and see where the prices for the new Sram Eagle transmission parts and groups will level off. We are a little worried about the prices for the wearing parts, i.e. cassette and chain. There is a significant price increase here. It remains to be seen whether the better durability promised by Sram can offset or justify this price increase.

Download the complete Sram Eagle Transmission price list

Impressions from practice: One step back, two steps forward!

We were able to test the group extensively a few weeks before the release. Sram sent us an X0 for this – mounting it on a UDH bike (in our case an Orange Switch 7) was unusual, as already described, but almost frighteningly easy. For the driving impression, various editors and test riders took their places on the bike in order to depict as broad a spectrum as possible. At first, almost all test drivers were surprised by the shifting behavior - and not necessarily in a positive way.

The switching processes are noticeably slower and more sluggish than with current top circuits. What feels like a step backwards at first turns out to be progress once you get used to it; Even if the chain takes a little more time on average to change from one sprocket to the other, it always does so at the same pace. Regardless of whether you shift under load, regardless of whether the sprockets are large or small, and regardless of the position of the cassette. You get used to this consistent, expected shifting behavior very quickly and sporty drivers in particular should appreciate that. Because even if a current Sram X01 Eagle AXS changes gear faster in the best case, it takes significantly more time to think about it in other scenarios.

Even when shifting under load, the Eagle Transmission components seem to keep Sram's promises. Even under extreme stress (difficult gear, stepping out of the saddle, climbing) gear changes are possible and not a problem. The difference to switching operations on the level is marginal - we have not seen this from any other switching on the market so far.

The impressions of the new AXS Pod shifter were mostly positive. All testers agreed that it was much easier to adjust. In terms of ergonomics, however, there were those who preferred the well-known controller - although this could of course also be related to the short familiarization period. Be that as it may, since the two shifters are compatible, everyone has the option of using the well-known controller as well.

We cannot make any statements about durability and robustness. The test period was simply too short for this and (fortunately) there were no major falls either. However, we will supplement our long-term experiences at this point after a few months. We're probably as excited as you are.

The new Sram Eagle Transmission groupsets are already available in specialist shops these days. Initially exclusively as complete groups - in the near future, however, the individual components should also be available.