[Closed] XX1 here i come 🙂

I hate sram. But I have xx1. It's good. Really good. Shifting is light and crisp. And although the initial cost of a cassette is bad, they are really hard wearing! Change your chain regularly and you'll be fine.

I hate sram. But I have xx1. It's good. Really good. Shifting is light and crisp

100% this.

I bought my current Epic over a different bike as it had Shimano rather than SRAM, such is my dislike of SRAM kit.
The XX1 is fantastic in every way except for price, the only thing missing that Shimano has is that you can't use the shift lever in both directions like on my old XTR's.

Yep, i have xtr shifters at the moment and i love both the double shifting and the way you can use them in both directions. But hey ho. im sure ill soon get over that.

What chainring sizes are you guys using, in thinking 32t, i ride in Scotland mostly with some cheeky long steep hills.

OP, are you a pro racer?
If not will you feel better coming .5 seconds quicker (maybe) for an eye watering amount of money?

OP, are you a pro racer?
If not will you feel better coming .5 seconds quicker (maybe) for an eye watering amount of money?

The annoying voice of reason. Cost is relative.

mac, you'll love it... i too am someone who had his foot firmly in the Shimano camp, however, XX1 is simply sublime. i've got it on my hartail with a 32T chainring, and when my full sus is due for a refresh it'll be to XO1 (to save a few pennys)... i'm a total SRAM convert as a result of using this.

ok you can only click down once at a time, but it's so light, precise and generally lovely to change it's really not an issue, your thumb kinda bounces off the shift, trigger fashion (if you've ever fired a gun!), in a way that it simply doesn't with a Shimano shifter...

iolo, do you have to be a pro to actually use this product line? 😕 if you can afford it, then go for it 8)

Iolo, I understand what you are saying but does it matter if he is pro or not? If the op chooses to buy the kit and it makes the op enjoy their ride better, feel better about their bike surely that is the only concern?

Just saying like

I'm not saying you have to be a pro racer. What I'm saying is if you are that kit is normally provided FOC on your bike.
What I am saying is will changing from high end to shimano to high end SRAM make the financial outlay worth it?
EDIT: and if the OP can afford it that's fine. Good luck to him.

Mine is on it's way too!

Out of interest where's everyone buying it from. Cheapest I've seen is starbike?

iolo - Member
I'm not saying you have to be a pro racer. What I'm saying is if you are that kit is normally provided FOC on your bike.
What I am saying is will changing from high end to shimano to high end SRAM make the financial outlay worth it?
EDIT: and if the OP can afford it that's fine. Good luck to him.

I get exactly where you are coming from and it is a bit hit financially but at the moment i can afford it, and i want it 😀 so im going to give it a bash.

Some things are worth it TBH and after a lot of thought i thing this is one of them. But i may be proven very wrong 🙂

£250 for a cassette.

If you can afford it why not, good luck to you .

I am still holding back on converting my hardtail to 10 speed after recently buying three nine speed HG50 cassettes for £14 each.

why so much love for shimano? is total failure to operate properly in muddy conditions and never ending cable changing and adjusting a positive thing now.
sram might feel a bit agricultural but once its fitted and set it stays that way without constant fettleing and pampering.

Simpler easier shifting nothing to do with speed. Nothing to do with being pro racer.

No front mech no front shifter no front cable and all the faf that entails - should balance out some of the cost and I expect it will come down in price.

Still about shifting for me

I've got X01 not flush enough for XX1 and i'm surprised how good it is after avoiding SRAM for years. Also means I clean the bike much more religiously now and maintain the drivetrain much better given it's not £50 for a cassette and chain....

Only real bugbear is as mentioned above I miss shimano's 2 way release but i've got used to it after a few months. (Oh, and the cost of the bits...) I even like the brakes! They do make a racket though in the wet.

34t front which is good and no worse than the 32/11-36 I used to run 1x10 but I might go down to a 32 to give the knees a break.

Yep, meant to say what draws me to xx1 is the simplicity and the gold star long term reviews.

No front mech, no front shifter, single chainring. Sounds like a dream, just a damn expensive one 🙂

Why do people come on here and tell people they don't need to spend £1000 on drivetrain because they aren't pro racers?

So what, if you can't afford it or justify it, no need to tell everyone else not to buy it.

Annoys me when people get jealous because others have money,

I love my XX1. I run 1 x 9spd on my hardtail as that's the bike I ride in the local bike wrecking forest. But for the mountains the XX1 on my big bike has been almost faultless and worth the risk as I too was not a SRAM fan.
The gear spread I find perfect for where I have ridden and I love having only one shifter. Greasing the clutch thing was easy when it dried out and started clunking and that has been my issue.

Why do people come on here and tell people they don't need to spend £1000 on drivetrain because they aren't pro racers?
So what, if you can't afford it or justify it, no need to tell everyone else not to buy it.
Annoys me when people get jealous because others have money,

Nobody did? You just made that up all on your own.

messiah, what chainring are u liking for the mountains?

I've got the clutch clunk. I do like the simplicity and snappy shifting though,but the crank arms are fragile so I've fitted the race face crank protectors.

Why do people come on here and tell people they don't need to spend £1000 on drivetrain because they aren't pro racers?

Because being arch and implying that everyone other than you is a bit misguided is the stw way.

I'm going to go XX1 in the new year. Can't wait after today's 4000ft of climbing in 15miles... 34:36 was a bit tall!

Shame king still don't have a hub available

Got xo 1 and loving it after 4 rides, really snappy and quick, great gear range for me, love not having a front mech. I went for 30t as still building my fitness and strength...

I've just got my new bike with XO1 and it's nice to have the range on the back, but I've also been running 1x10 XO on my 30lb enduro with a 36T chain ring and a 36-11 cassette. The only difference for me is being able to spin in an easy gear with the XO1. I wouldn't change my whole drive train just to get a 42 cog on the cassette.
I ride up some big hills here in S.Wales and I can see the XO1 making me a bit lazy rather than grinding my big gear on my enduro.

Question to the 1 x 11 users.
If coming from a double 24/36 - 11/36
What front gearing would I need 30/32 ? to the 42 rear to give a similar ratio to the 24 front 36 rear for climbing

30

Thanks

ok, order is going in at the end of the week, but i need to know if anyone is using a gripshift and if so how they find it. Im just daydreaming here of a completely clutter free bar 🙂

Shame king still don't have a hub available

This.

Any news/rumour of when?

Im just daydreaming here of a completely clutter free bar

No, you're just freeing up the space on your bars for the remote droper post lever, the front fork lockout lever, the rear shock lever... 😆

Not that fussed about getting a lower gear (as I is dead fit like) but I can't fit anything bigger than a 32 on either of my bikes which ends up being a bit spinny at times. The 10t would be handy but not as handy (or cheap) as the 9 and 10t Canfield/Capreo set up. Going to be an expensive new year 😕

mactheknife - Member
ok, order is going in at the end of the week, but i need to know if anyone is using a gripshift and if so how they find it. Im just daydreaming here of a completely clutter free bar

POSTED 47 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

Looking on the MTBR forums it seems that quite a few people have had issues with the Gripshift. A mate of mine is using it and has had no issues at all with it, he thinks it's fantastic!

I'm currently running a trigger shifter but I'm seriously considering getting a Gripshift unit to try.

I've got GripShift and Triggers at the moment 😛

Pros and cons to both as I am sure anyone has used both is aware.

Grip choice and brake lever positioning negatives vs able to change lots of gears in one positive, although I find the GripShift a bit vague and less snappy a shift.

I prefer the triggers on balance.

I hate sram. But I have xx1. It's good. Really good. Shifting is light and crisp.

I'll third that 😀

I wanted to go with the grip shifters but so many people have been having issues and I didn't fancy being without a working drivetrain while waiting for replacements which might then break again.

Fortunately the trigger shifter is really nice. Initially I missed the two way finger release but now don't notice. With a small matchmaker clamp on to Shimano brakes the bar is quite clutter free too which is always good.

The main bad point (which hasn't really materialised in to anything too bad so far) is the wider cassette challenges the chainline of my frame, especially when in the biggest cog. The chain looks a bit strained but it seems to work ok. No option to move the ring inboard either as I don't have the clearance between the ring and chainstay. I guess what frame you have makes quite a big difference here

I think i will go with the trigger for now and keep an eye on how the write ups go for the grip shift. 🙂

The trigger shift on X0 and X01 is one of the highlights. Friend of mine tried my X0 set up after riding XTR for years and was bowled over at the quick shift and snappy response. That said the 2x10 X0 set up was a freakin nightmare with problems galore so the advantages went un appreciated. With the more simple X01 set up the advantages can shine through.

Changing to X01 after going from a 2x10 with a 39t big ring up front I found the 34t the X01 initially came with lacking in granny with too many spare gears at the other end. Changed the front ring to a 32t and I'd say its perfect now.

So, don't be put off by previous Sram stories the simplified 11 speed gets over all that, don't bother with the grip shift (already smells of previous Sram problems) cus the triggers are amazing, 32t ring or less up front and, save yourself some money and go X01 instead of XX1.... It's the same thing but cheaper.

I was thinking about going X01 in the new year on my 2011 Pitch. Reading some of the comments in this thread I'm wondering about the rear hub. My understanding was that the casette would sit on a standard 135mm hub.

Is that not the case?

I bought through BikeDiscount and there was a £50 difference between XX1 and X01 at the time (not sure if it still the case). Being a tart I got XX1 😕

Another tip I got from the helpful folk here at STW is to ditch the "quick" (aka permanent) link that comes with the SRAM chain for a 10spd KMC quick link to aid with getting the chain off regularly and giving the chain/ cassette a good scrub to prolong the life of that expensive chunk of steel.

Something else I forgot, is that I really like the cage lock feature of the mech, although I do feel it'll take someone's fingers one day.

The only part of XX1 I really dislike is the chain which doesn't seem to have improved as much as the SRAM cassettes, mechs and shifters have. The chain had already gotten small patches of rust on the outer plates even before the end of my first 60km ride (admittedly very wet and muddy). Doesn't effect anything but looks a bit cack. You can't say I abused it maintenance-wise as it happened before the end of the ride and was properly lubed before! As soon as the SRAM chain is dead I'll go back to a KMC X-10SL for £20 on ebay I think

Oh, and the new cassette driver is a good bit of kit too. Everything worked nicely as my old freehub was due new bearings anyway.

I was thinking about going X01 in the new year on my 2011 Pitch. Reading some of the comments in this thread I'm wondering about the rear hub. My understanding was that the casette would sit on a standard 135mm hub.

Is that not the case?

Yes and no. Yes, in that it can go on a 135mm hub. No, in that you need a specific freehub body, called an XD driver.

Going to fit mine this weekend hopefully. I went for a 32t on the front OP. Reason being that I am currently a fat knacker and I will need every advantage going up hill!

I am going XX1 for a couple of reasons: -

1). My shifters and rear mech are 6 years old and will soon need replacing anyway
2). Long term I think it will likely be a similar cost to maintain as my current 2 ring setup

Yes and no. Yes, in that it can go on a 135mm hub. No, in that you need a specific freehub body, called an XD driver.

Nightmare, I was blissfully unaware of that, I'm glad I asked!

 

€800 for X01, €900 for XX1 (both drivetrain only), plus another €70 for the replacement Hope free hub.
Bargain 🙂

At those prices, is anyone going to save a tiny bit and get X01 instead of XX1?

Now to justify the expense...

I paid nearer €700 a couple of weeks ago.

Gone grip shift, have to see how it lasts. Always liked the 9 speed X.0 ones, and it's lighter!

What's the script with this bunch?

http://www.fibica.com/mountain/groupsets/sram/sram-x01-medium-groupset-11-speed-2014-version.html

Very-Very Cheap!!!

I take it I need to replace the rear hub rather than alter it with the XD Driver, sorry still learning the whole DIY maintenance shenanigans.

I'm under the impression this Fibica lot are OEM suppliers.

Never heard of them, and dont get a good feeling from the site (no contact details for one)

You can replace the hub if you want, but will be cheaper/easier to swap the freehub, if possible.

Valid point, it's just an web-mail!

I have SuperStar AM490 rims and I think it was the EVO hub, but not 100%

Gone grip shift, have to see how it lasts. Always liked the 9 speed X.0 ones, and it's lighter!

You can get a trigger within 10g with a matchmaker clamp (to XTR brakes at least) 😀 The stock trigger clamp is hideous 😀

Can I ask a noob question (still 3x9)? Is there a big difference between xo and xx1 Looking at new bike and both are options. Could I up grade bit by bit later as it wears out to xx1?

Pawsy_Bear - Member
Can I ask a noob question (still 3x9)? Is there a big difference between xo and xx1 Looking at new bike and both are options. Could I up grade bit by bit later as it wears out to xx1?

I wouldn't think you would gain much by doing that. It certainly wouldn't affect my selection of a bike. There was only about £70 in it when I ordered - that was my only reason. I bet the performance is identical!

I might be the wrong person to ask though, went from over 10 years of using various versions of XTR before moving to a couple of incarnations of SRAM X9 about 8 years ago, I never felt I had traded down...

Njee - did you go for the superfly?

Pawsy_Bear - Member
Can I ask a noob question (still 3x9)? Is there a big difference between xo and xx1 Looking at new bike and both are options. Could I up grade bit by bit later as it wears out to xx1?

Fibica do lots of stuff on eBay too and are usually pretty cheap and do free delivery iirc.

People. If you're going to do anything with XX1 do this. ****ing replace your chain. Lots. Then you won't have to bleat at me when your bonkers expensive cassette has worn out. FYI, I'm not as emotional about this as you are.

For anyone interested, the cheapest way to buy XX1 I could find at the moment is to get the shifters and chain off Merlin with their extra 10 % discount, and the rest from Starbike.de, though they're pretty limited on chainset choice.

No major price saving if you go for X01. £672 vs £720. Cheapest way to get X01 was again from starbike that I could find.

Make sure you get the right gearing for you / where you ride though. I went for a 30T because I am weak 🙂 .

Merlin bits arrived yesterday, it's all retail boxed.

As for paying another £50+ for the XD driver body, just look on it as an excuse for a new set of wheels. Cheapest hoops I found were from Wicked bikes.

[img] [/img]

I've not warmed to the gripshift. I find it too easy to grab one or two gears more than I mean too. I much prefer the more solid reliable feel of the trigger shifter despite having to stab at the buttons more often.

Thanks for that Messiah, i had made my mind up on the trigger shifter after a bit of thought. Just trying to source a matchmaker clamp for my Shamano brakes and im good to go 🙂

Right, wee update. Went with X01 in the end as my LBS could get the whole groupset for me now, instead of waiting for more stock as XX1 seems to be pretty much sold out.

Amazing, i just love the simplicity. Only had 1 ride but so far i am feeling the love, do miss the shimano double downshift but im sure i will lmanage 🙂

Looking forward to really testing the groupset out in the next few days 🙂

Njee - did you go for the superfly?

Sorry, very late replying! Yes I did. Nearly finished it, I'll stick some pics up when it's done!

Please make sure you, or whomever fits it applies a LOT of grease or anti-seize to the XD driver threads and inside the cassette collar. This was the advise direct from Fishers.

Mine, and it is not the only one, has failed completely trying to remove as the teeth on the cassette collar are fairly weak aluminium and will snap off if the collar is tight/seized.

Its an expensive cassette to replace otherwise, and mine went after about 100 miles....

Otherwise is excellent in the usual clunky SRAM way!!

my missus ended up with XO1 oem with the alloy cranks on her new bike - in the build kit with the wheels etc. skeptical at first she dropped the 34 to a 32 and hasn't looked back. Not short of any gears despite some big climbing and not having the worry about big steps in the shifting from front chain rings has made life much smoother.

I'm currently costing it out...

You can use a raceface narrow/wide chainring on your existing cranks and then just xx1/x01 cassette/mech/shifter. All in less than £500....

Use the XX1 chain though.

My experience of it is its utter crap. Clutch failed after 3 rides, cassette creaked from new, shifting is awful after years on shimano with 2 way release and double up shift.
Gave it 5 rides and back to a faultless 1x10 shimano setup.
Also, it has the most ridiculous cable routing round the rear mech.
It's all a good idea in theory, but narrow/wide rings and wide range 10 speed shimano setup is enough to get up anything.

That was my plan as I have SRAM cranks with changeable spider but then if some race face Next's turn up like they have been recently I might have to.... though I can probably get the XO1 group for 650-700

I just fitted all my X01 stuff this morning. In the end I didnt bother with the cranks or the Sram chain, insted I am using RaceFace Turbine cranks with a Works Components 34 toothed narrow wide chainring and a KMC 11 speed chain. I got all the parts from CRC as they are offering an extra 10% off at the checkout.

First impressions are great, it shifts much nicer than the Shimano XTR/XT system that it replaced. Really looking forward to getting out on it this weekend.

Mightn't that KMC chain wear your cassette out quicker? Just wondering if there are any compatibility issues as in material strengths say for example the SRAM chain being made of slightly less durable materials in order to prolong the life of the cassette.

I love the idea of this, but for the outlay it's ridiculous...I'd quite happily stick with £37 for a cassette that I can afford to replace rather than worry about wearing down £250 worth of cnc'd metalwork over a summer.

daver27 - Member
My experience of it is its utter crap. Clutch failed after 3 rides, cassette creaked from new, shifting is awful after years on shimano with 2 way release and double up shift.
Gave it 5 rides and back to a faultless 1x10 shimano setup.

anyway seen enough working really well on all the ones I have seen so best get back to the quote that will pay for it...

PJM1974 - Member
I love the idea of this, but for the outlay it's ridiculous...I'd quite happily stick with £37 for a cassette that I can afford to replace rather than worry about wearing down £250 worth of cnc'd metalwork over a summer.

Thats the beauty about having so many options, finding whatever kit suits your riding style and budget.

Thats the beauty about having so many options, finding whatever kit suits your riding style and budget.

Actually that's a great point...even Deore is ten speed these days and it's all any of us really [i]need[/i].

PJM1974 - Member
Actually that's a great point...even Deore is ten speed these days and it's all any of us really need.

In the end I would much prefer a lighter drive train with simplicity and a decent range of gears outside of what 10sp can deliver.
Having just come back from a decent sized race my 2x setup ran flawlessly but the real issue was having to bail from the middle to the granny ring at the wrong moment when in a long line on a technical climb. being able to drop sequentially down the gears to the same point would have been great, along with being able to maintain my same top pedalling speed. Anyway what would I know the missus loved hers that week and so did nearly all (if not all) of the top riders who all seem to have 1x11 on, bye bye shimano from the pointy end of xc racing. Also in 205km and 3,800m of climbing there didn't seem to be many drama's with it. The guys doing the spanners (mates of mine) did seemed to spend a fair bit of time with front end chain drop etc.

Also living in a land of early adopters guys have been on XX1 since it was out here, not many cassettes getting chewed out really.

nearly all (if not all) of the top riders who all seem to have 1x11 on, bye bye shimano from the pointy end of xc racing.

Depends how pointy. At a pro level there are still loads of Shimano sponsored athletes, it's common, but not exactly ubiquitous yet. Shimano will unveil 1x11 Di2 at Sea Otter anyway!

This was most of the top ozzies not explicitly Shimano or sram sponsored so more likely what they want. I doubt di2 xtr level 11sp will be cheap either.

Jared Graves and Dan McConnell are both running XTR still.

It certainly won't be cheap, but it'll be differently expensive - mechs and shifters, rather than cassettes. Don't reckon they'll use an XD body though.

Anyway, we're turning this into another 'what might Shimano be doing' thread.

Jared's on a Wolftooth ring

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gallery/article/pro-bike-jared-graves-29er-xc-race-bike-39587/5/

Mine got replaced under warranty, replacements were just as iffy, so got a refund.

I fail to see why its so expensive, I went to a 1x10 xtr setup with Raceface Turbine cranks with thick thin ring for half the price and its the same weight.

its like Honda v Porsche (not that i drive either, now.)

Honda, lots of great ideas, badly executed
Porsche Sticking with and refining something over a long time till it is nearly faultless.

Everything i've ever had from the SRAM group has been basically, plastic crap. 4 reverbs in a year, a full X01 groupset and Revelation RLTs have all failed me.

Don't get me wrong here, SRAM innovate well, its just the execution that leaves me wanting. When they make something that lasts and ISN'T made of plastic, i might consider them again.. hang on, no i won't, i am done with them.

Jared's on a Wolftooth ring

Yeah, single ring setups are ubiquitous in XC racing now, just not entirely SRAM ones!

I fail to see why its so expensive, I went to a 1x10 xtr setup with Raceface Turbine cranks with thick thin ring for half the price and its the same weight.

The expense is largely in the cassette, which weighs less than a 10 speed XTR 11-36, whilst being entirely made of steel (with an alu top cog), rather than using an aluminium carrier and ti sprockets. The machining is rather intricate to say the least.

It's no more expensive than XX has been for years (in fact it's cheaper), and is on par with X.0.

SRAM have always been a little happier to allow their paying customers to beta test, stuff from Shimano tends to be 100% dependable for everyone when it's released to market. See the XX1 'you don't need a chainguide, but you might for some riding' scenario - Shimano would just release something that worked, but would take longer over it and it would all be done in a more 'safe' way.

So what is so different with XX1 to my Deore 10 speed clutch mech, Race Face thick thin on an XT crank and a x9 shifter? That sure is some expensive retail therapy.