The SRAM GX Eagle Components in Detail
The SRAM GX Eagle Cassette
The heart of the SRAM GX Eagle group is undoubtedly the cassette with its huge 500% bandwidth. Much like the 11-speed GX cassette, the GX Eagle cassette consists of stamped steel cogs that are connected with stainless steel pins, only the large 50-tooth cog is made from aluminium. This manufacturing process is considerably cheaper than that of the X01 and XX1 cassettes, which are machined out of a single piece of steel, but the cassette is also 90 g heavier. The gradation of the first 11 cogs corresponds exactly to those of the 11-speed groups (10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 21, 24, 28, 32, 36, 42), the large 50-tooth cog rounds off the cassette towards the top.
The SRAM GX Eagle Crankset
The GX Eagle crankset is visually the most noticeable difference to the more expensive groups. The beefy crank, made out of 7000 series aluminium, now comes standard with direct mount chainrings offering 30, 32 or 34 teeth, which feature the well-known X-SYNC 2 tooth profile. The new crankset weighs in at 628 g, making it 130 g heavier than the X01 Eagle carbon cranks, but at € 145 it’s also less than a third of its € 458 sister. Compared to the previous GX 1400 cranks, the new one has been slimmed down about 50 g.
The SRAM GX Eagle Derailleur
The GX Eagle derailleur comes with the same technical features as the ones found in the XX1 Eagle and Eagle X01 groups. In addition to the familiar X-HORIZON construction, there’s a revised version of the damping mechanism, which is said to be superior to the one currently found on its more expensive siblings. Instead of an expensive titanium spring, the GX derailleur uses a steel spring – the weight penalty of 14 g compared to the X01 derailleur is negligible.
The SRAM GX Eagle Shifter
The GX Eagle trigger is based on the previous GX 11-speed trigger and has been redesigned internally for use with the 12-speed group. The finish looks significantly cheaper than the more expensive alternatives, but the price of € 35 is extremely attractive. The weight is on par with the other Eagle groups, but riders will have to do without the adjustability of the lower shifter lever found on the XX1 and X01 triggers.
The SRAM GX Eagle Chain
With its solid pin construction, the new GX Eagle chain is around 20 g heavier than the hollow pin X01 and XX1 chains. Although the GX 12-speed chain does not have the same coating as the more expensive versions, geometry and design are identical. With a suggested retail price of € 29, the GX Eagle chain costs half as much as the X01 or one-third of the golden XX1 chain.
