WHERE EAGLES DARE

SRAM’s new NX Eagle drivetrain brings 12-speed shifting to the masses

Thanks to the good old trickle-down effect, 12-speed gearing just got a chunk cheaper. OK, NX Eagle’s gear range isn’t quite as vast as that of its pricier counterparts, but the fact you’ll not need a dedicated freehub body means you can make that upgrade leap with less faff and fewer additional costs.

Cassette £99

NX Eagle’s PG-1230 cassette has the same number of cogs as SRAM’s pricier 12-speed blocks but fits on a regular splined freehub (not SRAM’s XD Driver). This is because it has an 11t, rather than 10t, smallest sprocket, which means it doesn’t offer quite the same gear range, though you do still get the whopping 50t largest cog. At 601g, the cassette is about 150g heavier than the GX Eagle version.

Rear mech £106

While the rear mech weighs 45g more (340g) than the slightly more expensive GX Eagle derailleur, it uses much of the same technology. This includes the straight-parallelogram ‘X-Horizon’ design, the ‘Type 3’ clutch mechanism to keep the chain from flapping around and the ‘Cage Lock’ button that makes wheel removal that bit easier.

Crankset £104

SRAM offer the new NX Eagle cranks in 165mm, 170mm and 175mm lengths. The ‘X-Sync 2’ chainring mounts directly to the crank arm and comes in 30t, 32t and 34t sizes. SRAM’s new ‘DUB’ bottom bracket technology means the crankset should fit on pretty much any bike and uses a 29mm axle diameter, while the new DUB BBs are said to be better sealed and more durable than previous SRAM units.

Chain £26

The final piece of the puzzle is the NX Eagle chain, which uses a solid-pin construction. Like the rest of the NX Eagle components, this works with any SRAM Eagle drivetrain, should you need to cut costs when replacing worn-out parts.