SRAM X1 Drivetrain, Part 1

Other Factors to Consider: Cost and Weight

If we put aside the discussion of 10 vs. 11 speed gearing for a moment, the next part of any drivetrain discussion involves comparing the cost and weight of different setups. Simply, you pay more for less weight. Sure, there’s more to it than that (shifting performance, some nifty little features, maybe some shiny anodization or carbon prettiness), but a huge part of the discussion comes down to shaving off grams, and the associated increase in price.

Below is a chart showing SRAM’s three 11-speed options, their top three 10-speed options, the new 11-speed Shimano XTR, and the current 10-speed Shimano XT. A few caveats:

1) The numbers for the SRAM bits are pulled from SRAM’s website, with the exception of weights that are marked with an (M), which means I measured that piece myself. In cross-checking the weights that I’ve verified with the weights listed on SRAM’s website, SRAM’s listed weights are fairly accurate – usually +/- 5g.

2) Shimano’s website is pretty bad about providing useful information such as weights and prices (i.e. everything that I’m trying to include in this table). So the Shimano numbers are culled from Google searches. I tried to cross-check everything, but the numbers may not be 100% accurate.

3) The total prices operate under the assumption that you’re paying msrp for each individual component. This ignores the fact that real world prices are often a bit lower, and if you’re buying a full group, it can often be bought together for a lower price.

4) The figures don’t include an XD driver body, which is required to mount up a SRAM 11-speed cassette. While the stats on XD drivers vary from hub to hub, they tend to be marginally lighter than a traditional freehub body. Depending on the hub, they generally run somewhere between $100 – $200, so if you don’t already have one, add that on to the price of an 11-speed kit.

Noah Bodman reviews the SRAM X1, Blister Gear Review.
Price & Weight Comparisons

Some interesting points come out of this table: XX1 is almost identical in weight to an XX kit, but it costs significantly less (even with the price of an XD driver added on). While the weight penalty (and the cost savings) of going from XX1 to X01 are pretty minimal, they’re pretty significant for the 10-speed groups – there are big jumps in weight along with big reductions in price as you bump down through SRAM’s 10-speed options.

There’s also a striking difference between XT and XTR. While some of this can certainly be attributed to the lack of real world pricing and the fact that the 11-speed XTR system is brand spanking new and thus super expensive, the price gap between those groups is significant. It’s also interesting to see that, while XT is a bit porky when compared to most of the SRAM options, it’s also priced very reasonably.

X1 vs. The Field

Let’s focus on where the X1 kit sits in the table. At a bit over 1700 grams, it’s still lighter than an XO or XT kit that’s set up 2×10, and probably only marginally heavier if one were to set those up as a 1×10. It’s also quite a bit cheaper than an XO kit, even if you factor in the cost of an XD driver and some “real world” price adjustments (although XT still wins for lowest price).

Comparing it to the other 11-speed groups, you save around $300 over XX1, and gain a little over 200g (a bit under ½ lb). All in all, that’s not a horrible deal, especially when comparing it to something like the slightly more affordable but decidedly more hefty X9 group. And compared to the XTR 11 speed, X1 is both lighter and significantly cheaper.

Noah Bodman reviews the SRAM X1, Blister Gear Review.
Noah Bodman on the SRAM X1, Spencer Mountain, Whitefish, MT.

The 11-Speed Upgrade

This discussion admittedly ignores a couple of real-world practicalities, the most obvious being that people looking to upgrade their existing bike can’t really do so in a piecemeal fashion if they’re looking to switch to 11 speed. Even if X1 is less expensive as a kit than XX1, if you want to upgrade your 10-speed machine, you’re at the very least going to need to buy a shifter, derailleur, cassette, chain, and XD driver (assuming you have a rear hub that has an available XD driver option).

That’s an expensive investment, especially if your current drivetrain is more or less in working order. Even if you just trashed a rear derailleur and you’re looking at that as an opportunity to make the leap to 11 speed, you still end up spending a bunch of money replacing otherwise functional parts.

So why bother? Because 11 speed is really nice in 99% of applications.

It’s quiet, it’s light, it’s clean looking, you have fewer cables, and you’re doing less fiddling to get yourself into the correct gear quickly. You don’t have to worry about cross chaining, and your chainline is generally pretty good. You can also run a smaller chainring (due to the high gear you get with the 10-tooth cog on the cassette), meaning you have a little more clearance than you would with a larger ring on a 2×10 setup. But significant benefits of 11-speed kits can also be seen (or at least predicted) on a larger scale.

Why X1 Matters

These days, mountain bike geometry on medium-to-long travel bikes is trending towards frames with a longer reach, slacker headtubes, lower bottom brackets, and shorter rear ends. This last part raises a problem: you can only shorten the rear end so much before tire clearance becomes an issue. And this problem is compounded by the larger diameter 27.5” and 29” wheels that are finding their way onto most bikes these days.

One of the clearance problems is the front derailleur. Packing the rear wheel as far forward as it’ll go and dressing the wheel up with a chubby tire means you might have some problems with rubbing the front derailleur.

So you might say “No problem, lose the front derailleur.” That’s all well and good, but the guy at the bike company who’s in charge of spec’ing that bike has to take into account both the folks that can handle a 10-speed setup with a single 36-tooth ring, and the guy who rides one day a week, has an intimate relationship with his granny ring, and wants to stick with a 2×10 setup. The practical reality of designing a bike frame these days usually means that manufacturers have to accommodate both types of riders. In turn, this means that bike geometries remain conservative enough that the rear end could still accommodate a front derailleur without clearance issues.

There is also the issue of mounting the front derailleur. As mountain bikes increasingly stray from having normal, round tubes, attaching a front derailleur has become more difficult.

To be sure, there have been other improvements that addressed these issues: wider bottom brackets, direct-mount front derailleurs, and more compact derailleur mechanisms all help address clearance and mounting problems. But even the most well designed, compact front derailleur places more limitations on clearance that simply having no front derailleur at all.

However, there are still relatively few frames that have fully committed to 1x gearing in the front, completely removing any built-in option to mount a front derailleur. (They do exist though – the new Santa Cruz Nomad is an example.) Part of the reason for this is that, if a company is going to commit to building a frame that doesn’t have any capability to accept a front derailleur, they need to know that it’s going to be worth it. This is where the X1 kit really becomes important. It is a single-ring drivetrain that can meet a lower, more reasonable price point.

So, for example, if Brand Z decides to build a frame that has a nice, short rear end (as is the trend these days), it has to decide whether to build that frame around a front derailleur. In coming to this decision, Brand Z will likely take into account the fact that the frame will probably be offered in a few different models at a few different price points. With XX1, SRAM has the high end model covered for those looking for a single-ring system.

But until the introduction of X1, those mid-level models were problematic. Prior to the existence of X1, Brand Z would likely be reluctant to commit to a frame design that didn’t allow for a front derailleur, since there wasn’t a cost effective, wide range 1x drivetrain available. Without incorporating a front derailleur, there wasn’t any way to build a cheaper bike for the weekend rider. But now, with X1 coming in at a price that’s only a bit higher than X9, Brand Z can produce a better frame design that eschews the front derailleur and still hits a price point that working stiffs can potentially afford.

Right now, upgrading your bike to 11 speed is still a pretty pricey endeavor, even with the lower cost of X1. It does offer some great benefits now, but the real benefits of the group ought to be realized in a year or two when we start seeing more bike manufacturers building reasonably priced bikes around the wide range 11-speed system. This will allow more freedom in how companies design frames, and that should yield some improvements in the full range of many companies’ lines. I’m speculating, but I suspect we’ll start to see a rapidly increasing number of frames that are designed without accommodations for a front derailleur.

Next

I’ve made my case for why there’s a lot to like about the X1 drivetrain system, and why it ought to only get more attractive in the coming years. But that doesn’t do anyone any good unless the parts actually work well. So check out Part 2, where I review the X1’s on-trail performance.

16 comments on “SRAM X1 Drivetrain, Part 1”

  1. Noah, your X1 vs The Field breezes over a pretty significant point. It’s still really, really expensive to buy an X1 kit since. Once you adapt your hub you’re looking at the same price as an XT kit that comes with brakes, and that’s before deal shopping. To the casual observer it appears there was very little cost savings by going to a partially milled cassette.

    Why not compare the weight and performance with what you get with a One Up kit? Since SRAM still wants a grand for the full kit this is a much more realistic ‘field’ for the real world.

    • Jeff – I definitely agree that X1 is still pretty pricey. To be fair though, I don’t think I breezed over it; I said “Even if X1 is less expensive as a kit than XX1, if you want to upgrade your 10-speed machine, you’re at the very least going to need to buy a shifter, derailleur, cassette, chain, and XD driver (assuming you have a rear hub that has an available XD driver option).
      That’s an expensive investment, especially if your current drivetrain is more or less in working order.”

      As for the One Up kit and similar offerings from other companies, I agree that those are a fantastic option if you’re looking to convert your existing bike to 1x and need a wider range than a normal 10 speed cassette offers. I’m not at all trying to detract from that as a cost effective option – while I haven’t ridden it much, I’ve played with a bike mounted up with a 40t Wolftooth replacement cog, and it seemed to work pretty well (although it definitely didn’t shift as cleanly).

      That said, my overall point is that decreasing the price of wide range, 1x drivetrains allows frame manufacturers to look at how they design their bikes differently, which I think is a good thing. But frame manufacturers aren’t going to re-design the rear end of their bike because some aftermarket company makes a replacement cog for a 10 speed cassette. That’s a stop-gap solution to fill a void of reasonably priced 1x options. X1 is still expensive, but like I said in the write-up, I think we’ll start seeing it on more and more “reasonably” priced bikes, and in not too long, it’ll be relatively common, thus rendering the stop-gap solutions obsolete (yes, I’m speculating – if 2 years from now this turns out to be completely wrong, feel free to come back and call me an ass).

      • My real gripe here is that a $1000 price tag keeps getting glossed over in most of the commentary on this package. How did we get to the point where this is considered either reasonable or mid level? The only part in the X1 kit that seems to carry forward the XX1’s development costs are those last 3 rings on the cassette. Everything else is just a boilerplate, SLX-esque component but runs double the price.

        I agree with you that front derailleurs are pointless and shouldn’t exist anymore on 95% of mountain bikes. Unfortunately, due to the hype on its kits SRAM is able to sell a package with fewer moving parts and a price tag where it’ll only sit on $3500+ bicycles. A game changing kit really needs to be priced for a $2500 retail bike to hit the masses. SRAM appears to be putting money in the bank and impeding redesigned mid-level frames until Shimano gives in and makes a real 1X competitor.

        • Yup – I certainly don’t disagree that $1000 is still pretty spendy. A couple thoughts on that:

          1) The two components that are really keeping the X1’s price tag elevated are the rear derailleur and the cassette; all the other parts are in line price-wise with comparable 10 speed equipment. The 11 speed derailleur and the cassette are both manufactured differently than, for example, the X9 equivalents. To some extent, those prices are probably inflated just because 11 speed is the hot new thing, but I also expect those prices will come down as SRAM gains manufacturing efficiencies through increased production.

          2) The price for you and I to buy this kit as an aftermarket option is high, but the price for bike manufacturers to purchase these parts to spec on a new bike is far lower. Take a Santa Cruz Bronson for example (admittedly not a mid-priced bike, but the comparison is still valid). An XT equipped Bronson costs about $200 less than one with X1 / XO1 (with all other parts being the same). So yes; XT is still a bit cheaper and $200 isn’t pocket change, but the jump up to 11 speed isn’t all that cost prohibitive in that situation. Another example: Kona just released some teasers for their 2015 lineup with a couple of X1 equipped bikes that are quite a bit less expensive than most of the high dollar 11 speed options that have thus far been available on the market.

  2. A third element that must be considered in the Price/Weight ratio must be reliability and/or longevity. While SRAM parts are noticeably lighter I’ve had problems in the past with shifters breaking after very little use.
    I’ll be interested to hear how long the newer SRAM 11 speed system lasts.

    • Wholeheartedly agree, and I’m interested as well. My prediction: X1 will fare slightly better than current X9 offerings.

      I’ll report back when I have more time on the group.

  3. Well, this has been a fine rewording of sales puffery. Solutions that demand the formation of problems are the standard bicycling industry practice. It’s nice to see that blister gear review is happy to tell us 1×11 is how things should be, since there can’t possibly be anyone riding bicycles who has no interest in being forced to use a system that doesn’t benefit him/her. If the sponsored riders/racers say it’s great, then it’s great. Besides, who ever has been heard or read to complain honestly about something that cost $1000 where their bicycle is concerned? At that level of expense, nobody wants to have the performance in situ contradict the performance imagined when agreeing to the $1000 expense.

    Are tough questions and ugly realities subjects that are best avoided when trying to grow a web brand?

    I don’t know a single rider who has been clamoring to see the death of the front derailleur, but to hear SRAM and blister speak on the subject, apparently the only people who intend to run a front derailleur now are luddites and other poor psychotic misanthropes who want everyone to ride bicycles with saddles made from granite, tires made from lead-filled iron, brakes made from a metal strap that abrades the rolling tire, and a very tall front wheel followed by a tiny rear wheel.

    • While you’re obviously welcome to your opinions concerning the front derailleur, there are quite a few people who are, in fact, clamoring to see its death. Several aftermarket component companies have sprung up with the sole purpose of allowing people to ditch their front derailleurs (see: OneUp Components, Wolf Tooth, among others). And there are literally hundreds of forum threads on pretty much every bike related website with people discussing getting rid of their front derailleurs and generally noting that FDs are increasingly unnecessary.

      Am I advocating that everyone run out and throw $1000 at an X1 kit right at this very moment? No, of course not – it’s an expensive investment and for lots of people, it’s probably not worth it. Take me, for example; I have X1 on my Canfield, which I was riding for this review. I also have a 2×10 setup on my Specialized Enduro, and I have no intentions of buying a 1×11 group or taking off my front derailleur on that bike.

      But when I buy my next bike, whenever that may be, I’ll probably be looking for one that comes spec’d with a 1×11 drivetrain. It gives me everything I want out of a drivetrain; it weighs less, there’s less to break, it runs more cleanly, it gives me the gear range that I want/need, and (at least for X1) it doesn’t increase the price of the bike by much, if anything. So yeah – I’m pretty comfortable with my conclusion that I want that.

      If you’re dead set on loving front derailleurs or if you’re just a Shimano apologist, I think you’re in good shape – I doubt front derailleurs are going to disappear anytime soon. And I certainly wouldn’t say your predilection towards one particular option for upper end mountain bike drivetrains renders you a luddite; just because this is the internet doesn’t mean we need to lose perspective on the fact that we’re discussing the finer details of leisure equipment. But I would suggest that 1x setups are worthwhile; they improve the bike’s functionality and allow for more leeway in frame design, both of which are a good thing.

    • Not exactly fair comments Cary. Almost all the peeps I ride with now ride a single ring setup, either 11 sp or a converted 10 sp. Enjoy your triple rings Cary.

  4. Just give me a 10-speed Shimano cassette, 11-42t with reasonable spacing, fitting on a standard driver, and I’d be pretty happy on my trail bike (but no go on the race bike). New cassette, new derailleur, about $200 street price, done.

    I find it interesting that the current dominant female enduro racer in the world 1) runs a double crankset, and 2) prefers a 29er to 650B.

    Finally, if efficiency matters at all, note that there is a large dropoff when going from a 12 to 11 cog, and it only gets much worse for a 10t. Perhaps insignificant in the face of other factors like tire drag, wind resistance, etc., but then again, maybe not!

    • Hey Tom – I’m with you; if some company would make a wide range 10 speed cassette that worked with existing 10 speed shifters, I think that’d be fantastic. The only issue would be finding a 10 speed derailleur that would do a good job at covering that range. Existing derailleur options sort of work, but it’s a stretch and shifting performance suffers a bit.

      As for what world class racers are running, I honestly don’t pay that much attention to it because 1) they’re in way better shape than I am and are way better riders than I am, so their gear choices aren’t necessarily reflective of what will work well for me, and 2) they’re riding whatever their sponsors tell them to. Moseley, for example, is sponsored by Shimano. So yeah; she’s not going to be racing on XX1.

      But your point about efficiency is spot on – anything below a 12t cog starts to get dramatically less efficient (I’ve heard unverified reports that a 10t cog loses something like 20% efficiency over a 12 or 13t). If nothing else, I suspect that if you’re spending much time in the 10t cog, your chain will wear out pretty quickly. But in my experience on the X1, anytime I’m in the 10t, I’m going really fast down a dirt road. The drivetrain might be less efficient, but I certainly don’t notice it. I’m just happy to have that high gear so I don’t spin out.

      • I really expect somebody to come out with an aftermarket, wide range, 10-speed cassette and derailleur before year’s end. I agree that the “bottom your b-screw” approach is moderately successful, at best.

        I tried Absolute Black’s replacement for the first “block” of a Shimano cassette, which consisted of 3 or 4 cogs of their own manufacture, going to a max of 40t, and it shifted poorly. Not just poorly in comparison to Shimano or SRAM, but poorly period.

  5. I fully agree 1×11 systems are the future. If any mid to high end mountain bike is selling with a 2×10 in 5 years time it will be a miracle. I tried the poor-man’s XX1 (that being a 1×10 with 40t rear) and I absolutely love it!

    I busted my rear derailleur on my 2×10 and had to replace it and of course the clutch XT is inexplicably cheaper than the non-clutch XT on Chain reaction Cycles. So I got it. Then I though, meh, for $150 i can buy a NW front ring from Raceface and a 40t ring from Oneup or Wolftooth. I got the Wolftooth because it came in blue :)

    I have to say, the 1×10 with Wolftooth is awesome!!! The front derailleur is like a VCR in the age of Internet downloads – totally useless. Shifting is just simple. One lever. Can’t screw up the shift and don’t need to plan in advance when transition to a steep up from a qick descent – just drop the lever and the gears switch quickly. It’s brilliant! I ride the North Shore/Sqamish/Whistler and steep transitions happen often here. People talk about the shifting not being smooth but I have the solution for that. DON’T get ride of your 17t ring in the back. Add the 40t and take off the 10t and just stay with the 12t as the smallest sprocket. You will have to get a new lock ring for the cassette, but luckily crappy cassettes (like for crappy Canadian Tire bikes) start with 11 or 12t, so just cruise by your local bike shop (or Mountain Equipment Co-op if in a big city) and they will be able to throw you a larger used lock ring for $2. Most riders will never notice the lack of the 10t sprocket. It just means you can’t go as fast on logging roads or pavement – meh – who cares unless you are racing on flat ground – but that’s what road bikes are for :)

    I’m surprised frankly that it took until 2013/2014 for SRAM to come up with it, and that Shimano still doesn’t have anything reasonable. Even if the Wolf and One-up rings die every season, it’s still cheaper to buy a new ring every season for 10 years than an SRAM 1×11 system.

    Supposedly One-up just redesigned the rear mech cage to accommodate the 1×10 – haven’t tried it – but Noah you should get on it. Get your Enduro on a poor-man’s XX1 and blog the crap out of it so we can try it out! Help us poor riders out and let’s get the poor-man’s XX1 going with INNOVATIVE companies like One up, Wolf and Raceface and not greedy SRAM (although big kudos to them for the idea) and super slow and stodgy Shimano, who will make something eventually then charge 2x what SRAM currently does.

  6. I was able to upgrade my x7 equipped bike to X01 (including xD driver) for less than the price of 2×10 XT using a WolfTooth direct mount chainring and my existing SRAM crankset (must have removable spider) and some creative shopping. I realize that $80 is “expensive” for a single ring, but it’s much better than the price SRAM is asking for their 1x cranksets, and it’s an easy viable option for most people looking to upgrade.

      • Well played Kai – and for those converting Shimano – Raceface has a 30T NW ring which I can attest works great. I calculated that i basically lost 1.25 gears at the low end by using a 30T front (raceface) and 42T rear (One-up or Wolf) – which is not a problem. Frankly i’m finding I’m spinning out less – so it’s another win.

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