SRAM’s new NX Eagle drive train brings 12 speed and top end shifting tech to a more affordable budget.
When SRAM GX was released last year we were excited to see big gears become more affordable. NX goes a step further again and offers Eagle technology for just under £400, including a cassette, cranks, rear mech, shifter and chain.
SRAM’s NX Eagle groupset takes the things you’d see on XO1 or GX and re-jigs them to replace carbon and lightweight alloy with plastic, steel or slightly heavier alloys. The look, feel and performance stay essentially the same just with some added weight and different logos.
We reckon that for anyone who isn’t too bothered about having the lightest bike or the poshest kit it could be a great option.
Let’s dig in to the new range…
SRAM’s NX Eagle cassette is 12 speed with 11-50 tooth rings.
The NX Eagle cassette is made up of 8 lightweight, stamped steel cogs and 4 high-strength steel cogs pinned onto an aluminum spider. The cassette’s teeth have been designed to provide long life, good durability and crisp shifting.
The 12 speed NX Eagle cassette is essentially a slightly heavier, slightly cheaper to produce version of the cassette you’d see on GX or other higher spec group sets. But despite the lower cost it still offers a huge range of gears and a massive 50T for those long grinds.
The more expensive GX cassette offers the same range of gears for 450g, compared to NX’s 615g.
Interestingly, SRAM also claim it’s the first of their cassettes that they’ll recommend for the added hammering caused by eBikes. 
The SRAM NX Eagle rear derailleur is another great example of technology trickling down from the more expensive options.
The derailleur is made of alloy and steel and weighs in at 339g (approx 50g more than the GX mech). It has SRAM’s Roller Bearing clutch which is said to reduce the amount your mech bounces and slaps around and is built using their X-Horizon design which reduces side-to-side movement and does away with accidental shifting.
The SRAM NX Eagle shifter is a simple alloy and plastic set up and is available in standard or eBike options, with the latter only allowing single shifts at a time.
There’s very little separating the more expensive GX and the NX shifters other than price, a bit of weight and the almost unnoticeable inclusion of a bushing rather than a bearing in the pivot of the NX option.
It’s 112g and, well, shifts your gears. We like SRAM shifters.
And perhaps the most interesting piece of the NX Eagle range, the NX Eagle crankset.
The cranks are made of 6000 series forged alloy and the whole lot (minus ring) weighs 705g.
They’re available in 165mm, 170mm, 175mm and come supplied with a 32T ring.
The cranks are designed around SRAM’s new DUB technology which is designed to provide a better contact between the rins, crank, spindle and BB and increase stiffness and reduce wear and tear.
And some thoughts…
The new NX Eagle 12 speed groupset is available in September 2018 – it’s currently available to pre-order online or in your local bike shop.
NX Eagle looks like a great setup for anyone that isn’t precious about having the poshest kit or chasing weight savings. It’s a great make over for your tired bike and could be a welcome site if you’ve just killed your XO1 mech!
Should you spend the extra cash on GX? Good question. Retail on the new NX Eagle groupset seems to be £365. A quick google shows a few online stores (CRC for example) selling GX Eagle at £338.99. That’s your call!
