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New SRAM GX Eagle 12-speed mountain bike group unveiled; plus new Copper color option

new sram eagle gx group mountain bike components tech and details
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The new SRAM GX Eagle group gets a few updates, improving both function and looks, making it fully compatible with the new 520% range Eagle cassettes they’ve just launched.

The rest of the Eagle family gets a new Copper color, adding a fourth hue to the XO1 and XX1 level drivetrains. As always, all parts from these three top end 12-speed mountain bike groups are interchangeable. Here’s all the details…

2021 GX Eagle 12-speed group

new sram eagle gx group mountain bike components tech and details

The biggest structural change on the new GX group is the updated pulley cage on the rear derailleur. Optimized to work with the new 10-52 cassettes, it more robust and has a repositioned upper pulley wheel.

new sram eagle gx group mountain bike components tech and details

SRAM says the stronger cage improves chain management and shift precision. The upper pulley sits ~2mm further back from the cage’s pivot point on the lower knuckle, which helps it clear the larger 52-tooth cog more easily.

new sram eagle gx group mountain bike components tech and details

Aesthetically, the entire group gets a makeover in Lunar & Black, as well as updated graphics that help it match the other Eagle groups and parts. The overall impression is now one of higher quality, and it blends into more bikes better without the original GX group’s light gray logo and graphics.

sram carbon gx eagle crankset with chainring

SRAM says the GX alloy cranks are their best alloy mountain bike cranks on offer. But, there’s also a GX-level carbon crank with a claimed weight of 555g (about 80+ grams lighter than the alloy ones, see actual weights below). Retail for this one will be $275.

The shifters carry over unchanged save for color and graphics. There’s a single-click trigger offered for e-bikes (limits the big lever to one shift at a time to prevent binding things up when the motor is laying down the power), as well as a Gripshift version.

new sram eagle gx group mountain bike components tech and details

new sram eagle 10-50 and 10-52 derailleur setup guide tool
All derailleurs will come with their new universal setup tool to help you get the B-screw set correctly. This ensures there’s enough of a gap between the big cog and the top pulley, allowing it to shift into the largest cog.

All parts are backwards compatible, but you’ll need this new derailleur if you want the best performance when adding a larger 10-52 cassette. Check out this post to see why.

Visual comparison between GX Eagle groups

comparison of original SRAM GX Eagle derailleurs compared to the new 2021 GX Eagle

The new GX group has a higher end finish and raised chromed logo on the rear derailleur. The pulley cage is more robust with a front section wrapping around the lower pulley.

comparison of original SRAM GX Eagle derailleurs compared to the new 2021 GX Eagle

On the bike, it’s a little harder to tell much of a difference at a glance. The 50-tooth cog, when it first debuted, seemed monstrous compared to the prior 42 max. So, a simple 2-tooth increase nowadays hardly stands out.

sram gx eagle comparison review

At least until you need to use it going up a climb, anyway. Check out our first impressions and ride review in the Eagle 10-52 launch coverage.

2021 GX Eagle actual weights

sram gx eagle actual weights for rear derailleur and 10-52 cassette

The new Eagle GX parts’ actual weights are:

  • 299g – rear derailleur ($125)
  • 452g – 10-52 cassette ($215)

sram gx eagle actual weights for crankset with 32 tooth chainring

  • 633g – alloy crankset w/ 175mm arms and 32-tooth X-Sync chainring ($135-$185)

sram gx eagle actual weights for 12 speed shifter chain and threaded bottom bracket

  • 76g – DUB BSA threaded bottom bracket with spacers
  • 121g – GX Eagle shifter ($45)
  • 272g – GX Eagle chain ($33)

A complete group will set you back $545.

XX1 and X01 get new 10-52 derailleurs & cassettes, too

new sram eagle x01 colors and 10 52 cassette for 2021

The XX1 and X01 groups also get the new 10-52 cassettes. And the mechanical derailleurs see the same pulley cage upgrades as GX, with stronger cages and offset upper pulley wheels. They both also get fresh graphics across the way, along with the…

New SRAM Eagle Copper colorway

copper colored SRAM Eagle mountain bike cassette and 12 speed chain

Black, Gold, Rainbow Oil Slick…and now Copper. The 10-52 cassette is $449 (€457 / £408), and the chain retails for $85 (€90 / £80). All parts and groups should be available in June 2020.

SRAM.com

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adilosnave
adilosnave
4 years ago

How long before the bottom derailleur pulley is dragging on the ground? And how slow are you going if in the 52t? -2mph?

Sir_k.
Sir_k.
4 years ago
Reply to  adilosnave

Doesn‘t look like the new cage is longer than the old one. It‘s pushed back 2mm to fit the 52t, not down.

John
John
4 years ago
Reply to  adilosnave

@ adilosnave: Lower gears in back should allow for a larger chainring, but “modern” MTBs don’t tend to have a lot of clearance for a larger chainrings, and that doesn’t seem to be what SRAM has in mind for their new 52T bailout gear, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

whatever
whatever
4 years ago

Bike stuff justs get more ridiculously expensive and useless. $449 for a cassette??? Copper colored, but going to be covered in grim and not copper colored if you actually use it? The entire Eagle GX groupset just above it in this article is listed for $545….

AP
AP
4 years ago
Reply to  whatever

Yes, it’s a lot of money, but I’ve run SRAM 11 and 12 spd cassettes on several bikes over the years and I have never had to replace a single one. They last amazingly well and are no longer a seasonal throw away item like cassettes use to be.

I like the copper color!

Crash Bandicoot
Crash Bandicoot
4 years ago
Reply to  whatever

Then go buy the Sunrace CSMZ80 12 speed casette, you can find them for about $80.

Dave
Dave
4 years ago

Distance from the lower pulley to the ground is unaltered

David R.
David R.
4 years ago

The e*13 9-50 cassette works well for me…

bikestudiomiami
4 years ago

every time I come to read the comments, it is always just a bunch of trolls.

Thank you SRAM for coming out with even better range, product optimization, new color options, and new tools to make sure things are installed properly.

Marz
Marz
4 years ago

!!!

alloycowboy
alloycowboy
4 years ago

@bikestudiomiami you got some SRAM Butter on your chin there.

BlackWaterCyclist
4 years ago

Sram please stop going in the wider range direction, I would love to see something like what Shimano has, a 10-45 in 12 speed. Get the jumps closer together, not farther apart.

blahnblahblah
blahnblahblah
4 years ago

but that be less, people don’t buy less they buy more

John
John
4 years ago

@ BlackWaterCyclist: I’ve been running XT 10-45 on my trail MTB and it upshifts as smoothly as it downshifts, plus has nice even jumps between cogs. It’s perfect. I don’t miss GX Eagle in any way.

I seriously want this for my gravelbike, just need Shimano to come out with a compatible 12-speed brifter (or a 12-speed Di2 XT rear derailleur).

ya
ya
4 years ago
Reply to  John

depends what you ride – there’s hills i climb where 32+50t is only enough if you’re quite fit – specially the long super steep stuff.

for all around blue trails, yeah 45t would be fine

TimE
TimE
4 years ago

This is a great upgrade for GX. How about tighter range cassettes for more race oriented groups like what XTR offers. Something with a large cog around 47T?

michael palma
michael palma
4 years ago

42-52 jump makes the 52 pointless imo. That’s a huge jump in cadence. Already hated the 42-50 jump

J.L. Galache (@JLGalache)
Reply to  michael palma

The 42 to 50 jump is 16%; the jump to 52 now makes it a 24% jump.

For comparison, the Shimano jump from 45 to 51 is a 13% jump.

J.L. Galache (@JLGalache)
Reply to  michael palma

Looks like I’m having a bad math day…. Let me try those percentages again:

Shimano: 45 –> 51 = 13%
SRAM: 42 –> 50 = 19%
SRAM: 42 –> 52 = 24%

If Shimano decided to increase to a large 53 tooth big cog, the jump would be 18%, still smaller than SRAM’s offerings.

I guess this is all just a matter of preference: Do you want smooth jumps across the entire wide range (Shimano), or do you want smaller, and still smooth, jumps across the beginning of the range, and then have a bail-out large cog. Neither is the wrong option, it all depends on how, and where, you ride.

Rentedshoes
Rentedshoes
4 years ago

Can someone send him a decent bottle cage to test? That nylon Profile Designs cage was garbage when they cam out 10 years ago.

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