SRAM XX1 1x11 Discussion

[Carbon_Dude]

Huge fan of XX1 here.  For years all I rode was Shimano XT/XTR drivetrain components.  Never thought much of SRAM prior to moving to the new 1x11.  I was happy with my 3x9 setups until I determined I only really needed one chainring for XC riding in my area.  Then XX1 came along and I was totally sold on it when I saw it at the Southern Bike Expo.

The wide/narrow tooth, no drop chain ring, the 11-42 rear cassette mostly machined from a billet of steel, the true parallelagram rear derailleur, and choice of grip shifter or trigger shifter impressed me they way they all worked together.

Who else likes their XX1 setup?

[Sitar_Ned]

In my dreams CD.. When I awake.. Shimano/Raceface narrow wide 1x10.

Really looking forward to some trickle down tech on this xx1 1x11 group. Wasn't too impressed with Shimano's new XTR.. I think they may have missed the boat. Then again, Shimano may just know slightly more than I do about the MTB drivetrain market.

[Carbon_Dude]

You already have some of the trickle down technology with the clutched rear derailleur and the wide/narrow chainrings, and 42T cogs that people are making for 10-sod cassettes.  When XX1 came out, it was very unique, now it doesn't have as much of an advantage with those technologies now available other ways.

[Sitar_Ned]

Guess that's a pretty good point. Actually  looking at adding a 40t-rex to my set-up.. Was going to hold off on making that upgrade because so many guys were having issues with the chain dropping off on the 42t cogs.. but it seems there are less issues with the 40t and reading your 036 thread I saw that you kinda had the same issue with the xx1 until you got it dialed in. Made me think that maybe the issues that people were having were less to do with incompatibility and more to do with individual set up and getting it dialed in.

[Rigid_Bloke]

I agree that Shimano dropped the ball. I know they have a long history of providing solid products, but they have slipped up before.

It's just like they completely ignored what the market/riders were demanding. Guess we'll see but as soon as I saw the XTR offering I decided to go SRAM xx1 1x11 all the way. They nailed it with this grouppo.

[Carbon_Dude]

Well, guess I spoke too soon.  My XX1 derailleur has the dreaded creak problem, will keep you guys updated on the fix.

UPDATE:  I contacted the eBay seller that I purchased the XX1 R/D from and they offered to cross-ship a replacement.  All I can say is props to West Coast Bicycle, they rock!  I will be shipping out my R/D in the morning, I should get the replacement hopefully by Friday or Monday.  In the meantime, I guess I will be riding the IP-057, which is why it's nice to have two bikes, when one is down for repair you have another so you don't miss any rides .

[Carbon_Dude]

Update:
Received replacement XX1 rear derailleur.  Installed it this evening back on the FS IP-036, still takes me a while to get a R/D setup, seems to be working fine.  Most importantly, no creaking.  Now let's see how it does on the next ride.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
The SRAM "Powerlock" master link is a one time use item, it does not squeeze together and release like the old SRAM "PowerLink" did.  I ended up needing to get out my chain tool and carefully break the chain, being careful not to push the pin out all the way.

[Carbon_Dude]

Most of you probably know that SRAM also came out with the 1x11 X01, similar to the XX1 but slightly cheaper.  Now SRAM recently announced X1, a low-tier version of their 1x11 drivetrain.  SRAM is hoping to get bike companies to have more 1x11 offerings on bikes that have lower price points.

When I built my IP-036 more than a year after XX1 came out, I checked eBay pricing on the X01 group and found there was't that much difference in price by going with the "lower cost" slightly heavier 1x11 X01 so I stuck with XX1 for both my bikes.  Let's see what eBay pricing is on X1.

More info here:
http://reviews.mtbr.com/first-ride-new-sram-x1-11-speed-drivetrain

[Chinertown Idiot]

Yup! Can't wait until I can get a 1x11 drivetrain for $500! Doubt it would be that low initially but shouldn't take that much longer.

I was actually just reading up on the new lower end group from SRAM this morning.. Seems the main difference is the cassette. I hadn't realized that the cassette on the X01 and XX1 is a single machined piece. That's pretty amazing and I can see where the pricing comes from somewhat better now.

The new X1's cassette is more similar to an XT cassette in that only the first three cogs are one piece and the rest are separate cogs that are riveted together. IMO, SRAM is going to absolutely kill Shimano with this new X1 11 speed group.

Wonder how long til we see X9 11 speed??

[Carbon_Dude]

Here is a good write up on the SRAM XX1 drivetrain:

http://www.bikerumor.com/2013/07/10/long-term-review-sram-xx1-1x11-mountain-bike-drivetrain/

[Sitar_Ned]

I have to say.. that after riding my 1x10 on a few good rides now, I'm not certain i need that eleventh gear for my terrain. And that's before I even have my leg strength built back up.

Basically, I think it would be nice to have and I definitely want it but most of my needs are covered with the 1x10 and I'm fairly content with it for now.

CD.. How often so you use the big gear in back?

[Carbon_Dude]

On one of the trails I ride, we have a 3/4 mile uphill at the end of a 10 mile loop.  I usually sprint the entire loop and there are days will I am really beat by the time I get to the end and start that long uphill climb out to the parking lot.  That's when the 42T cog is nice.  Of course 11 speeds are not necessary, before I built up my bikes with XX1 I had a 1x9 setup and would still make the climb.

Besides the tall 42T cog, one of the other features is the small 10T cog.  I like having more top end speed that the 1x11 offers.  Like I have discussed in the past, the other benefits of the clutched R/D and excellent chain retention have been duplicated by others.  The XX1 works really well as a complete group giving really crisp shifting and trouble-free operation.  So much so that when I demo other bikes now, I'm usually disappointed (spoiled) when the bike does not have a XX1 setup.

[Sitar_Ned]

Besides the tall 42T cog, one of the other features is the small 10T cog.  I like having more top end speed that the 1x11 offers.  Like I have discussed in the past, the other benefits of the clutched R/D and excellent chain retention have been duplicated by others.  The XX1 works really well as a complete group giving really crisp shifting and trouble-free operation.  So much so that when I demo other bikes now, I'm usually disappointed (spoiled) when the bike does not have a XX1 setup.

I actually didn't realize that the XX1 group also has the smaller 10T cog - that's more attractive to me than the 42T cog. Just a smidge more top end speed would definitely be nice to have.

[brmeyer135]

using the 10 is the reason you have to have a special hub
Looks like Shimano is going 11x using a regular hub:
http://www.bicycling.com/mountainbikecom/bikes-gear/first-look-shimano-xtr-goes-11-speed
11-Speed Cassette
The new group, called M9000 by Shimano, now has an 11-speed rear cassette with a 40-tooth largest cog. The cassette features a carbon spider and the 40-tooth cog is made of aluminum. Unlike SRAM, which uses a 10-tooth small cog and requires a special hub driver, Shimano retains the standard 11-tooth small cog, so the cassette will work on existing 10-speed freehub bodies.

[Carbon_Dude]

But the SRAM advantage is having the greater range of the 10-42 cassette which Shimano does not give you.