SRAM has just dropped the next iteration of their single chainring groups with X01 DH.
In a nutshell, it borrows all the design and technology of their XX1 and standard 11-speed X01 groups, but narrows it down to a 7-speed design for downhill mountain biking. That group is comprised of a 7-speed cassette that mounts to the XD Driver Body freehub, and 7-speed specific rear derailleur and shifter.
The X-Horizon derailleur has proven quite adept at keeping the chain in the chosen cog and, coupled with the clutch, keeping it on the front chainring, too. And their carbon X0 DH crankset has been making the World Cup circuit DH races for some time. The XX1 chain carries over unchanged for the gravity set. Now it all comes together for a DH compilation and another trademark: SRAM 1X™.
Drop in for the development story video, pics and more…
Two more videos on specific components of the group at the bottom of this post, along with complete spec/compatibility charts.
The X-Dome Mini-Block cassette gets the durable JET black coating of the X01 11-speed part, but builds in an upper chain barrier to keep it from dropping off the inside. With a 10-tooth cog, it lets you run smaller chainrings for better ground clearance. Tooth counts are 10 – 12 – 14 – 16 – 18 – 21 – 24.
It mounts to the regular XD driver.
The X0 DH crankset is a simple upgrade to the 1x chainrings, something that’s been built into the design of the cranks and rings for quite a while. Just unbolt the spider from a 2x crankset and bolt on the single chainring spider. There’s little reason why you couldn’t also bolt on an XX1 chainring (or third party one) to save weight. BB30 and GXP options available, also with gray graphics.
Seven speed shifters provide the right cable pull and clicks for the shorter range.
X-Sync chainrings come in 30, 32, 34, 36 and 38 tooth counts. The new info on these says they’re compatible with 10-speed drivetrains, too, using their PC-1099 chain…which suggests they can be used to convert any 2×10 bike into a 1x with just a simple chainring swap. Which is a nice introduction for their 10-speed X01 DH bits:
There’s now an X-Horizon 10-speed rear derailleur and DH-oriented cassette. Sure, they’re touting the DH applications, but anyone can now upgrade their 10-speed drivetrain to a proper 1x system with all the chain retention benefits. Couple this with one of the bumper crop of oversized large cog replacements and you’d got a budget upgrade with few downsides. Retail is $277.
The derailleurs will come in two cage lengths to accommodate various setups, including one designed for extraordinarily long chain stay growth during suspension compression. The standard cassette has a max 12-36 range (among others), and the DH version shown above has three options: 11-23 / 11-25 / 11-26.
The 10-speed X-Horizon rear mech will work with both the 10-speed shifter options: Grip Shift twisters and standard Triggers.
SPEC & COMPATIBILITY CHARTS
