SRAM PRESS CAMP – 2×10 Group Comparisons: After proving the 2×10 concept with XX, SRAM moved quickly to trickle the tech down. All the way down.
Starting this fall, you’ll see bikes from the $900 and up range starting to get spec’d with anything from X7 ($900 to $2000) to the do-it-all X0 group. While there is a lot of trickle down pulled directly from the XX group, there are also a number of differences and, in some cases, improvements.
Starting with the rear derailleurs, the X7, X9 and X0 groups share the same basic design, with the main differences being materials used and a little less material or more carbon fiber on the higher end. These derailleur’s designs vary greatly from the XX in terms of cable routing, stop screw placement and the pivot pins, among others.
Check out more on these and the rest of the components after the break…
One of the key upgrades from the old X0 to the new version is the absence of the small C-clips that hold pivot pins in place. Old X0 and the current gen XX had/have them, which can (rarely) get knocked out on the trail. The new version, as well as the X9 and X7, don’t have them. In theory, this means the derailleurs may be slightly less rebuildable, though.
Other differences illustrated above include the cable routing. XX runs the cable guide to the inside of the body, the others run it to the outside. XX’s stop screws are located lengthwise along the upper arm, the others use two stop screws at the front of the upper arm. Another upgrade for the new X0 is the removal of plastic parts surrounding the stop screws…they now thread directly into the aluminum.
Why the differences? SRAM Product Manager Chris Hylton says he wanted to give the X0 (and be default the other groups) the “chunka-chunka” shift feel that it’s always had versus the lighter feel that XX has. This is ever so slightly amplified by the aluminum thumb lever on X0 versus carbon on XX, the the main differences that contribute to the different feel are slight tweaks to the internals of the shifters and the different mech on the rear D. Those with a budget for experimentation could combine XX and X0 shifters and rear derailleurs to tune the feel to their liking, but as Hylton said, it doesn’t take long to get used to whichever you happen to be riding.
Surprisingly, even at the X7 level, carbon cages are standard. The X7’s cage has an alloy rear cage half, and there will be a lower cost full alloy cage for OEM applications, but they’re offering some nice aesthetics and slight weight drops even on their budget performance group.
This photo shows the long, medium and short cage options. The short cage is mainly intended for DH bikes with a single gear on the front and smaller-range cassette. Word on the street is that the X0 group will soon have a super-short cage option designed for use with a road cassette. Cyclocross anyone?
