Anything I can do here? The cage is slightly twisted which means I have to accept a little bit of rumbling and an extra push on the shifter to reach a couple of the gears upward, and a long pause before it drops into the 10T (if ever I was to use it).
Long term it looks like a new NX mech needs to be purchased, but short term - I'm racing on Saturday - are there any tricks beyond b gap and barrel / mech end adjustment?
Thanks
Eagle or 11 sp?
Not that I’m aware of. I don’t think I’d risk trying to bend the cage as it might snap if it’s alloy.
Personally I wouldn’t buy an NX or SX mech - 11 or 12 speed they go sloppy too quickly. GX is the sweet spot for Sram drivetrains in terms of cost vs performance.
Its GX Eagle sorry. Yes I'm reluctant to start bending also. @joebristol, I'd get a GX Eagle if I could find one in stock!
You've definitely checked that the mount bolt is tight, yeah? Good.
GX Eagle sorry.
ah, I’ve got a spare 11sp mech on the shelf.
SRAM mechs are made of chocolate. Ride or replace, there aint no fixing it (probably)
Is it cheaper to switch to a Shimano mech & shifter than just buy a Sram mech?
That's what I'd do anyway.
I really couldn't care less which drivetrain someone else chooses, but there seems to be a lot of moaning about SRAM products from people who are, evidently, ardently Shimano-only. Have the Team Shimano fanboys ever used a SRAM mech?
If the cage is genuinely bent, I'd see about straightening it in a vice. Might be hard because AFAIK it's not really possible to disassemble the type 3 clutch on Eagle stuff.
I really couldn’t care less which drivetrain someone else chooses, but there seems to be a lot of moaning about SRAM products from people who are, evidently, ardently Shimano-only. Have the Team Shimano fanboys ever used a SRAM mech?
Who is evidently Shimano only? I have a mix - SRAM mechs are fragile, it's widely documented
I'm still baffled how this happened, it can barely have brushed a rock where it decided to kill itself
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If the cage is genuinely bent, I’d see about straightening it in a vice
It is pretty battered and I won't do that before the weekend's race. I may just buy the NX (its only 50g heavier but because of some significant cable rub I found under the BB I suspect my bikes days are numbered so I don't want to invest in it, but I'll keep the bike going as long as I can before I'm forced to buy a replacement) before I try to straighten the GX.
SRAM mechs are rubbish. I now use a Shimano 12 speed SLX mech (still using the GX shifter) and shifting is much better and the mech is cheaper!
SRAM mechs are rubbish. I now use a Shimano 12 speed SLX mech (still using the GX shifter) and shifting is much better and the mech is cheaper!
Wait, I can do that with an Eagle mech & cassette? That may open up my options.
I have gx shifters and shimano rear mechs on both of my bikes. I can’t recommend deore though, mine have loads of play in them considering they are only a couple of months old. Slx and up may be better.
I've got a Trek fuel ex9.8 you can borrow for weekend
It is possible to buy one side of the cage as a spare part €22 ish.
... use google fu.
SX mechs are totally made from 100% cheese, but I’ve not had any problems with NX on my HT and it gets a battering. I’d upgrade to GX next time but for now NX is fine.
The SX mechs are useless. Go Outdoors spec Ed them on a lot of their Calibre bikes and just replaced them with NX or GX under warranty (depending how lucky you were) when they inevitably snapped off.
But Haterz gonna hate.
where do you live? I have a spare slightly worn NX you can pull apart or use. I am in KT7
SRAM mechs are rubbish. I now use a Shimano 12 speed SLX mech (still using the GX shifter) and shifting is much better and the mech is cheaper!
Shimano 12spd are just as bad, the clutches regularly seize & lock out & when the suspension compresses, the mech blows itself to pieces.
Neither are great & are equally unreliable IMO.
I'm with HobNob, I think 12 speed mechs are just jank. I killed 2 12 speed xt mechs in the space of 6 months, not from bouncing them off rocks - the cages just exploded. Sram mech is doing better but when the cassette is toast I'm going back to 11 speed.
Cages don’t just explode. Chain too short/chain growth big on your bike? Sounds odd.
Cages don’t just explode. Chain too short/chain growth big on your bike? Sounds odd
Nope, seems fine. It's to do with the top jockey wheel developing play and eventually the chain bouncing off it and lodging between wheel and cage. Seems to be quite a few reports of it searching on Google.
Yeah I’ve done a gx on both my hardtail and my fs as well as an slx so far this year. 12 speed mechs are pushing things too far I think with the size and range. I had my optimum set up with a 10 speed Saint with one up cage on my old alpine 160. I wish I hadn’t sold it all now! As nice as a 50t option is, I really don’t need it enough to be buying mechs on such a regular basis.
Thanks Weeksy and Btw for your kind offers but it really is OK for the weekend. I just can't adjust out a little extra nudge on the shifter to up from 3rd cog to 2nd, and there's a 5 second or so delay for it to fall into the 10T. Neither bother me and the race on Saturday is a 6hr so I doubt the 10t will get any use :). All other gears and shifts are fine.
The outer causing the rub under the BB is is ok for the weekend as I've pulled it out of the frame little so it clears, and its not worn through to the cable. That particularly - and the daunting prospect of threading a new outer through my frame - has got me thinking (again) of going for the AXS upgrade. I'll ponder on that overnight, because smashing an AXS mech has serious replacement cost!
above was an issue with early eagle mechs but then sram modified the jockey wheel to fix it, it's a while since i've heard it mentioned. i've always used GX and they seem strong enough to me going by the amount of damage/marks mine seem to get but still work fine.
https://www.tradeinn.com/bikeinn/en/sram-gx-eagle-rear-derailleur/137670847/p?_gl=1*l1z4fb*_up*MQ..
showing as in stock and a lot cheaper than i paid for my last one 18 months ago
Well... overnight I've seen how easy the cable & outer is to change (essentially, leave the cable in as a guide whilst changing the outer, then vice versa) and that the NX mech is only 37g heavier. Also less defined shifting is down to the NX group shifter's plastic parts and I'll be retaining my GX shifter.
So, with a view of not investing too much in the bike its NX + some new cable outer incoming.
deore
I bent my GX mech a couple of years ago by about 5mm. It did bend back but still not perfect. I think the inner side of the cage is steel but might be wrong.
I used to be a shimano fan, but went full sram eagle, and its, imo better.
However i kept getting bent mechs, and the 'internet' solution was that X01 was more robust...
But the uplift in price really put me off.....
I put on an XT mech, and maybe just lucky, but this has been fine ever since....
When i wore out the cassette I bought the MS freehub and XT cassette for my wheels (and chain...) as this was a) cheaper than GX even with a new FH body.. b) actually possible to buy....
Also picked up a second hand XT shifter.
If I was to do it all again, with no availability issues, I think I would have GX chain/cassette, XT mech, and whatever shifter i prefered.
In some ways I prefer the feel Sram shifters, but miss the dual release of Shimano....
So, in short, IMO buy a shimano mech and run with what you have.
Interesting point, there's a few vids that say:
XT 12sp mech + GX = good
XT 12sp mech + XT shifter = even better
Hmm, I may go that route actually.
Wait, I can do that with an Eagle mech & cassette? That may open up my options.
Yep, my entire drivetrain is SRAM except for the mech.
I have a brand new GX Eagle in my spares box. In the process of a garage clear out so will on classifieds soon. Beat the rush....
I have the old Eagle GX from 2018. I've bent it several times. It even got into the wheel once after a branch got stuck. It's probably mostly steel in the cage.
I used some adjustable spanners to make it straight. Also had to fix the ear to make the shifting perfect again.
Not so impressed that all trails have to be cleaned before riding since it sucks up everything loose. A MTB design that cannot handle sticks or branches on the trail must be designed by someone that never seen a natural trail in the forest. The new design has more cage around the jockey wheels so it's probably a little better.
