I think SRAM may be a different matter all together, but I haven't had the bearings in XT/XTR/Saint pulleys start feeling crappy or give me any other sort of issue, but the SLX ones always seemed to get contaminated and feel crappy rather quickly in my experience. I’d clean them and grease them and keep them running until eventually replacing them. I haven’t personally ran a SRAM drivetrain since the 90’s so I cant really comment on them other than seeing many broken mechs and lots of friends complaining about persistent issues trailside. Mostly crapped out clutches, messed up pulleys, and being delicate and finicky overall.
Aug. 27, 2020, 6:52 a.m. - Metacomet
I think SRAM may be a different matter all together, but I haven't had the bearings in XT/XTR/Saint pulleys start feeling crappy or give me any other sort of issue, but the SLX ones always seemed to get contaminated and feel crappy rather quickly in my experience. I’d clean them and grease them and keep them running until eventually replacing them. I haven’t personally ran a SRAM drivetrain since the 90’s so I cant really comment on them other than seeing many broken mechs and lots of friends complaining about persistent issues trailside. Mostly crapped out clutches, messed up pulleys, and being delicate and finicky overall.