At the time of publishing this, the ink is still drying on our first-impressions of SRAM‘s debut boat-rocking direct-mount, electronic-shifting drivetrain concept, dubbed “Transmission.” Ever since, it’s been hard to get into a conversation with a bike nerd without Transmission coming up. Travis Engel is one of those nerds who can’t stop talking about it, so he was the perfect person to cover the surprise addition of a lower-priced GX group, which launched today. Read on to see what changed, what didn’t, and why this is such good news.
“SRAM GX”
Search Term – Change
Reportage
My Retrotec Funduro is Rollin’ Again with SRAM GX, Level ULT Brakes and Terrene Chunk Tires
It’s a damn shame. Yeah, it really is. It’s a shame that this bike sat in my storage room, with no drivetrain or brake parts for so long. After reviewing this Retrotec Funduro 27.5+ hardtail a few months back, I couldn’t send the frame back to Curtis. I just loved it so much. After some emailing, he agreed I could buy the frame, but I had to send the Shimano parts back to Retrotec HQ in Napa and buy him a new Chris King 40th group.
Months later, Chris King asked to have the bike for their 40th Anniversary show, so I cobbled together a partially working build with a new SRAM Eagle group and sent it to Portland for display purposes only. Partially working? Huh? You see, SRAM and Shimano do chainring offset very differently and SRAM’s Eagle ring isn’t available in 0mm offset, like their other drivetrain systems are and like Shimano’s XTR cranks are designed, so even though it looked damn fine with all that glistening gold on it, the chainring wouldn’t clear the stay…
Radar
Technological Alluvium: SRAM Wireless Tech Rolls Downhill into GX Eagle AXS
It’s inundating to keep up with cycling’s technological advancements yet if one development has shifted the paradigm for drivetrains in the past few years, it’s SRAM’s AXS system. While the kit is a dreamy riding experience, the price can be daunting, and that alone is a major reason why many people haven’t had the chance to ride it. Yet, as with all cycling tech, it tends to trickle down like alluvium in the desert.
The new GX Eagle AXS rolled downhill and right into my lap recently, so I decided to put it on the Sklar touring bike because why not? Check out the unveiling below with some initial thoughts on the system and a component breakdown with pricing/availability…
Radar
SRAM’s Eagle GX Offers 52t at an Affordable Price but Is It Worth It?
We often joke that Eagle GX killed the singlespeed MTB and by “we” I mean myself and Bailey Newbrey, someone who knows a lot about SSMTB riding and racing. Using Bailey in this opening sentence is relevant for a number of reasons and yes, it also legitimizes that statement in many ways. While this won’t be a history lesson in SSMTB riding, it does mull over the antithesis of that, SRAM’s Eagle GX drivetrain.
I’ve been riding the new Eagle GX with its massive 52t cassette for a few months now and have finally flogged it enough to be able to write an honest review of this system, so read on below.
Radar
SRAM Releases GX Eagle
You can now have the gear range of XX1 Eagle at the pricepoint of GX. See more details at SRAM.
Radar
SRAM: GX in Austin Texas – Far and Wide
Back during cross nats, the guys from SRAM were in Austin, filming a video spot for their new GX mountain group. I pointed them to a bunch of my favorite trails to ride, with the caveat that it’s all pretty unnavigable. They took off, scouring the Barton Creek Greenbelt, Pace Bend and other trails for a ripping good time and here’s the final product. Locals will recognize a lot in here (like the top of Quarry) and it’s rad to see my favorite spots gets shredded.
Morgan, let’s go skid leaves, baby…
Also, as a bonus, read on below for some words by Morgan Meredith and photos by Adrin Marcoux from the trip.
Radar
SRAM Introduces the GX MTB Group: Affordable 1x and 2x
SRAM’s revolutionary X-Sync technology has trickled down to a more affordable group. GX is their newest MTB group and it spans everything from a 1×11 with X-Sync ($564 USD trigger, $573 grip) to a 2×10 ($511 USD trigger) or 2×11 ($661 USD trigger, $677 grip). It’s an all-encompassing platform, for everyone, everywhere.
The 1×11 system will hit retail shops in July, with the 2×10 in June and 2×11 in August. Check out specs for the GX 1×11 with X-Sync below and see more details for the other offerings at SRAM.
Radar
SRAM Introduces Powertrain E-MTB Motor System
Totally no big deal if you’ve got better stuff to do, but if you wanna read about “Powertrain,” SRAM’s first-ever E-MTB motor, Travis wrote this post. Like, he didn’t ride it or anything, but it’s big news, and we figured you might want to know about it. He talks about stuff like the different modes and how the buttons work and a thing about auto-shifting. No rush, though. The post will just be sitting here. So if on, like, Friday night you’re, like “Oh yeah, that SRAM e-bike thing…” and you haven’t read Pinkbike’s review or whatever, just come on back. But again, not a huge deal if it slips your mind…
Radar
Right to Replace: Why the Wolf Tooth Zero-Offset Chainring Is Exactly What SRAM Transmission Needed
Amid the circus of Trojan hangers and load-bearing derailleurs, few of us paid any mind to SRAM Transmission’s humble front chainring. All it got was praise for its two removable bash guards, and scorn for its eight-bolt interface. But the T-Type chainring reflects some fascinating choices. Choices that prevented you from using any competitor’s chainring, and by extension, any competitor’s crank … until now. Wolf Tooth recently released Transmission-compatible chainrings that can be paired with many common cranks. Travis Engel talks about why that matters, even though his Cane Creek eeWings aren’t exactly common.
Radar
Radar Roundup: Shovel Research Light Mounts, SRAM $108 Level Bronze Stealth 2-Piston Brakes, VO Polyvalent in Stock, Skratch Clear, Kokopelli Raft Bikerafting Kit, Neko Mulally on Steel, and Luce Operations: Volume 1
Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…
Radar
Developing Story: SRAM’s Book About Transmission Will Make You Fall in Love with the Bike Industry Again
When you review bike products, sometimes they arrive with some swag. T-shirt, stickers, sure. But sometimes there’s a cool memento, like an Abbey Tool laser-etched by whatever brand has partnered up with them for the launch. Or an artifact from the product’s manufacturing and development, like a piece of the innovative raw material that made it possible. But what came with my GX Transmission kit is by far the most moving party favor I’ve ever received.
Radar
First Ride Review: SRAM Apex 1×12 AXS XPLR and Eagle Electronic and Mechanical Groupsets
If you are like me in assuming that SRAM has moved on to more technologically advanced projects and left those of us wanting native mechanical dropbar 12-speed functionality in Transmisson’s dust, then today’s news oughta be pretty exciting. SRAM has just announced that they will be releasing an Apex-level AXS XPLR and Eagle wireless electronic shifting groupset alongside Apex XPLR and Eagle mechanical 12-speed drivetrains. Below, Josh Weinberg offers a detailed look at the new components after testing them for a couple of days in the Driftless region of northwest Illinois…
Reportage
To Switch Infinity and Beyond: A 27.5″ Yeti SB135 with SRAM Transmission Review
Curiosity. It’s a great trait to have as a cycling journalist. An inquisitive nature is what first prompted me to throw a leg around subculture-spawned bikes, like steel full-suspension 29ers and titanium hardtails, years ago. Sometimes, you have to pedal something for an extended period to whet that appetite for the occasional oddity that arises. If you’re lucky, those experiences challenge your preconceptions, too.
Working in bike media, it’s pretty easy to get cynical about all the marketing hype and the constant push for model years by the bigger brands, particularly regarding ever-changing drivetrain technologies, incremental gains, and complex suspension designs. I still value riding a rigid 29er as much as riding a vintage 26″ wheeled steel chariot through compromising terrain: the almighty underbiking ride keeps you honest, allows for honing your skillset, and can be damn fun.
Yet, on the flip side, I am attracted to high-tech, modern carbon bikes in small doses. Hence the allure of this Yeti SB135.
Before testing out the SB135, it had been a while since I’d ridden a carbon full suspension as, in the intervening years, I’ve been enjoying sampling the steel offerings out there from smaller, bespoke builders. Yet, the appeal of the high-tech is palpable—lighter, faster, smoother-shifting sounds fun, right? Mix in Yeti’s 27.5″ platform for the SB135, and my curiosity was piqued. The last 27.5″ wheeled bike I reviewed was the Santa Cruz 5010 and the previous 27.5″ wheeled bike I’d ridden was the Transition Scout that was loaned to me for a Moab trip. It was on that very trip I realized that while I admired the 27.5″ wheel platform, it wasn’t necessarily for me nor for the terrain I enjoy riding.
Yet, the SB135 was just strange enough, foreign enough, new-and-techy enough to have me put my steel sled with cable-actuated shifting aside for a few weeks and spend some time riding Yeti Turq and SRAM T-Type shifting…
Radar
Radar Roundup: Ritchey WCS GX Gravel Wheelset, Cybercycles Cranks, 13mm Voile Rack Straps, Tumbleweed Shirts, 4130 Olive Drab, Bicycle Nomad on VICE News, The Trails Before Us, Path Less Paved
Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…
Reportage
Spinergy GXC Carbon Gravel Wheels: Smoother, Faster, Cheaper—Is That Possible?
Reinventing the wheel is literally what the cycling industry is all about. Every year hundreds of companies take their shot; so it’s rare when one unique design stands out, especially when that product is competitively priced.
Radar
Absolute Black’s New PVD Rainbow-Coated Oval Chainrings for SRAM
Absolute Black’s award-winning oval chainrings just got a little more blinged out with this new rainbow PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) coating. These rings come in sizes 28-36t and have been made in limited quantities, with a price of $137.95 and shipping today from Absolute Black.
Specs:
-28T (50g), 30T (55g), 32T (59g), 34T(66g), 36T (74g)
-VD Rainbow (oil slick)
-Compatibility: SRAM AXS, XX1, XX1 Eagle, X01, X01 Eagle, GX Eagle, NX Eagle, SX Eagle, X1, X0, X9, X7, S2210, S1400, Descendant, Stylo, Truvativ AKA and all DUB cranks.Cane Creek eeWings. GXP and Long spindle BB30. BOOST148 bikes. 9, 10, 11 and 12spd Eagle compatible.
-Material: cnc machined 7075 Txxx Aluminum. Long-lasting construction. Mud optimized
-Chainline: 52mm BOOST148 specific chainline. 3mm offset
-Ovality: Optimized to each size separately. Range: 10.2-14.4% and Timing of 110.5-116.3° after TDC (top dead center) Patent Pending
Radar
SRAM’s Eagle Goes 52t
Just when you thought the Eagle gear range couldn’t get any better, SRAM just announced a wider Eagle range with a massive 52t cassette. The best part of this new Eagle is it goes all the way to GX! Now one of the best bang for your buck MTB drivetrains has the largest range at a whopping 520%… See more at SRAM and expect an Eagle GX review coming soon here on the Radavist.
Reportage
What It’s Designed For: Matt Acker’s Very Muddy Mid South Salsa Stormchaser SSGX
As you can imagine, the Mid South was intense this year. Between the Corona Virus pandemic and the weather, the team running the race had to scramble to adjust to the ever-changing circumstances. At the last minute, our coverage team decided to pull the plug, and we didn’t get a whole lot from the weekend, but luckily Jared Harber was able to shoot Matt Acker‘s winning Stormchaser. I wish we could have also shot Hannah Finchamp and Payson McElveen’s winning bikes, but as I said, it was a chaotic event!
This bike was just about the only thing Jared shot from the weekend and while we didn’t really get a lot of other coverage, we have a few things that we’ll be sharing shortly. I really wanted to share not only Jared’s amazing photos but Matt’s thoughtful insight into his build, which he rolled into 8th position, so read on below.