SRAM GX drivetrain

I’d appreciate a pic if you could take one.

How long does one have to install the X.01 B bolt in a GX mech? Does it have to be right brand new or can one do it after a few months of riding?

Can't wait for SRAMs 13spd with even more problems 😂

Posted by: skooks

11-46 sunrace cassette with XT 11 speed shifter/derailleur/cranks and 30 tooth elliptical ring. Works great. Super reliable, shifts well, and doesn't break the bank. I really like the gear spacing of the sunrace and it seems to be holding up well.

Same, just went 30x11-46 Sunrace with Deore mech and XT shifter. I chose the all steel cassette and ring, for long term value, but I'm really liking the shifting and gaps on that 11-46 cassette.

Posted by: skooks

11-46 sunrace cassette with XT 11 speed shifter/derailleur/cranks and 30 tooth elliptical ring. Works great. Super reliable, shifts well, and doesn't break the bank. I really like the gear spacing of the sunrace and it seems to be holding up well.

Same, just went 30x11-46 Sunrace with Deore mech and XT shifter. I chose the all steel cassette and ring, for long term value, but I'm really liking the shifting and gaps on that 11-46 cassette.

I performed the b-bolt surgery on my GX Eagle derailleur this morning. As expected, quite a bit of wear visible on the original GX bolt. Luckily, wear on the derailleur itself looks not too bad.

Putting in the X01 bolt it already felt a lot more tight. I threw in new pulley wheels too for good measure.

Parking lot test was promising, definitely shifts more precise now. The first real ride will tell if it really helped as the issue was most prominent under hard pedalling efforts.

Niels, what's the sequence for fitting the red o-rings? Just picked up a replacement kit myself and looking to fit it on Sunday morning.

Thanks, Rachid

I always found the fact they were willing to ship GX with such a sloppy, inferior design when it was 100% compatible with the better bolt really offensive. I know they used to send that upgrade assembly out quite often when faced with warranty claims for poor performance.

Posted by: rnayel

Niels, what's the sequence for fitting the red o-rings? Just picked up a replacement kit myself and looking to fit it on Sunday morning.

Thanks, Rachid

Once you have the kit in front of you it will sort of be obvious but you can see it from 5:20 in this youtube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcnpBxeb4Nw

Posted by: niels@nsmb.com

Posted by: rnayel

Niels, what's the sequence for fitting the red o-rings? Just picked up a replacement kit myself and looking to fit it on Sunday morning.

Thanks, Rachid

Once you have the kit in front of you it will sort of be obvious but you can see it from 5:20 in this youtube video:

Thanks!

rnayel - I suggest you have a look at "ZeroFrictionCycling" and Silca wax if you want a drivetrain that really lasts. Something like 5 x minimum chainlife (thus saving that rather costly cassette. 

Immersive waxing with a boiling water clean after each wet ride isn't as tedious as it sounds. 

The only tedious bit is the initial cleanse of the new chain and Silca now have that sorted with their new cleaner product (cleans multiple chains, a one bath treatment) 

[here come the haters though]

And get an X01 chain for the GX. Those GX chains wear (and rust I'm told).

I had a can of white gas (naptha) stove fuel sitting in the shed so i tried it on a new chain to clean before running squirt and it worked very awesume, highly recommended

i've had the religious zealots claim that taking chains off to immerse is faster than just dripping some lube, since this is the internet it must be true

Where ( hopefully in Canada ) does one find a 34 T NX chain ring 34T chain ring on-line ? Some sites in the USA sell them but don't ship to Canada, I got the cluster from MEC but they don't sell the chainring and its almost time ?

I upgraded from the NX chain to X01, IME the NX chain was ok and NX in general was fine even on an E-bike, probably comparable to XT

Are you looking for 12 speed? Looks like Kinetik sells them.

https://kinetikcycles.com/products/sram-chainring-1x-nx-boost-offset-3mm?variant=43552655573218

Also possibly WestPoint, but you might have to order it.

https://www.westpointcycles.com/product/sram-x-sync-2-eagle-direct-mount-chainring-355281-1.htm?variations=878224,878215,878197,878214,878220?utm_source=google%20shopping&utm_medium=organic&gclid=CjwKCAjw_uGmBhBREiwAeOfsd0ZJgjK_aK5Rn2hcMfa8oEUJcabcagxWHIELkVPfxQjdCuFHaniaixoChxcQAvD_BwE

Posted by: niels@nsmb.com

I performed the b-bolt surgery on my GX Eagle derailleur this morning. As expected, quite a bit of wear visible on the original GX bolt. Luckily, wear on the derailleur itself looks not too bad.

Putting in the X01 bolt it already felt a lot more tight. I threw in new pulley wheels too for good measure.

Parking lot test was promising, definitely shifts more precise now. The first real ride will tell if it really helped as the issue was most prominent under hard pedalling efforts.

How is it performing 5months on? 

Does this help with chainslap too or just shifting?

Posted by: ehfour

Posted by: niels@nsmb.com

I performed the b-bolt surgery on my GX Eagle derailleur this morning. As expected, quite a bit of wear visible on the original GX bolt. Luckily, wear on the derailleur itself looks not too bad.

Putting in the X01 bolt it already felt a lot more tight. I threw in new pulley wheels too for good measure.

Parking lot test was promising, definitely shifts more precise now. The first real ride will tell if it really helped as the issue was most prominent under hard pedalling efforts.

How is it performing 5months on?

Does this help with chainslap too or just shifting?

It's shifting very well now - snappy and precise. So the operation solved the main issue of inconsistent shifting and constant need for micro-adjustments (at least so far).

However it's still noisy when putting the power on the pedals. It could be that the cassette is getting long in the tooth or that the hanger or cage is slightly out of alignment.

I never had a chainslap problem with this drivetrain on this bike. I suppose that could be related to the clutch wearing out and not so much to play on the b-bolt.

Overall after 3 years of use I find the GX Eagle drivetrain disappointing. It has required way too much time in fine-tuning and micro-adjusting it as well as the X01 b-bolt hack. Once the current cassette wears out I'll probably replace the entire drivetrain with a low cost 1x10 or 1x11 option. I rarely use the right end of the cassette so 1x12 really has close to zero added value to me while adding weight and complexity.

To anyone buying a complete bike that comes with GX Eagle, I highly recommend replacing the b-bolt right away. This will likely save you a lot of time and frustration in the long run.