SRAM’s new GX Eagle hasn’t been live for more than a day, but consumers are already benefitting. That is, if you’re planning to buy a new mountain bike any time soon. Just like any of the lower tier drivetrains, GX Eagle benefits from trickle down tech in a big way. Offering the full spread of 12 gears with a 10-50t cassette, GX Eagle brings the cost way down which allows bike manufacturers to offer very well equipped builds at (slightly) more attainable prices…
Along with a number of builds we’ve had to sit on due to the embargo of the GX Eagle group, Marin just announced the third model in their Wolf Ridge line up, the 8. Using the same R3ACT – 2Play suspension as the Wolf Ridge Pro and Wolf Ridge 9, the Wolf Ridge 8 drops the price to $5,199.99. The bike should be available later this summer along with the other two models.
Key frame highlights:
- Full carbon fiber frame, developed with biometric data to localize weight on each size
- Naild patent-pending R3ACT – 2 Play rear frame member
- Trail geometry with a low BB height, 66.5° head tube angle, 435mm chainstays
- 29” wheels, 160mm front and rear travel
- Exclusively 1x drivetrains
Wolf Ridge 8 Specifications
- SRAM GX Eagle 12-speed drivetrain
- RockShox Lyric RC & Monarch Debonair R suspension
- Stan’s NoTubes Flow MK3 rims
- US MSRP $5199.99
Introduced last week, Ibis took the wraps off their new longer, slacker, and more capable Mojo HD4. But what they couldn’t disclose was the SRAM GX Eagle build and new shock (still embargoed). Speced with the Ibis 738 aluminum wheelset, the GX Eagle build will run $4,899, $700 more than the SRAM NX1 build.
Also introduced last week, the new Santa Cruz Nomad will have a GX Eagle equipped ‘S’ build kit coming in at $5,299. According to their bike builder, the Carbon C frame with the S build kit will come in about 31.4lbs which seems pretty reasonable for a 170mm travel bike with a middle of the road parts kit.
Expect many (all?) of your favorite companies to be specing a GX Eagle build in the near future. For the price and the performance, it seems like brands would be silly not to.
First Rides & Actual Weights – SRAM GX Eagle mountain bike group
