The Biking Hub: Mountain

Reviews » Cory

SRAM X0 rear derailleur review

When the SRAM X.0 rear derailleur was introduced a few years ago, it inspired many riders to hint that Shimano had been surpassed as THE derailleur manufacturer of choice. Riders were excited by the crispness of the X.0’s shifts, the fact that the body of the derailleur didn’t smash into your chainstay on bumpy terrain, and the durability of the SRAM product. Things haven’t really changed a whole lot since the X.0 appeared on the market – many riders still claim that Shimano is no longer King of the Mountain, SRAM’s derailleurs still refuse to smash into your chainstay and they remain tight and durable for a good period of time.

For this review, I mounted the SRAM X0 medium cage rear derailleur on a Giant AC. I used SRAM X.9 triggers, a SRAM 990 chain, and a SRAM 990 11-32 cassette.

First impressions

SRAM does a great job hyping up their flagship rear derailleur. Unlike other SRAM products — which show up in a red cardboard box -– the X0 arrives in a silver, cylindrical tin with an imprint on the top. Open up the tin and you are introduced to your new derailleur, all cozy in specially-cut foam. None of this packaging makes the derailleur perform any better than the competition (the Shimano XTR) but it does let the consumer know that they’re getting something special.

The derailleur itself looks amazing. It features CNC’d pieces, huge pulley wheels with sealed bearings, oversized pivot pins, a titanium extension spring, and a 1:1 actuation ratio. Each of the major ‘sections’ on the derailleur are replaceable – they’re held together (firmly) by c-clips — if they are worn or damaged.

The derailleur weighs in at 210 grams (long cage) or 204 grams (medium cage) which makes it a little heavier than the XTR (198 grams), although I believe SRAM has lightened up the X.0 for 2006.

If you’ve never installed a SRAM derailleur before, you won’t be too flummoxed (that’s right, ‘flummoxed’) by the X0. If you follow the illustrated instructions and exercise a little bit of common sense and patience, you should be good to go.

Update (27 December 2005): For 2006, SRAM has made a couple of changes to the X0 rear derailleur. First, a short-cage version of the the X0 will be made available. Both the short and medium cage versions feature a ‘Grilon’ cage, while the long-cage continues to use a CNC cage.

Performance

On the trail the derailleur performs really, really well. After years of running Shimano’s XT or XTR (once) rear derailleurs, I’d grown accustomed to the constant slapping of the derailleur against my chainstay. When I started using a bike that doesn’t actually make that noise, it made me wonder why manufacturers haven’t implemented the idea earlier (I do have an idea about this, but this review isn’t the place for an explanation).

While the X0 shifted reliably and efficiently over the full range of gearing, I’m not convinced that all riders would notice the difference between a finely tuned XT derailleur and the X0. When shifting into an easier gear, the SRAM was excellent and it’s definitely at or near the top of the heap; when shifting into a harder gear, the X0 performed at about the same level as the Shimano XT rear derailleur that it replaced.

In less-than-optimal conditions (ie. muddy, wet, and snowy), the X0 was excellent. It held the chain and I experienced few, if any, noticeable changes in performance.

Durability

I nailed the X0 rear derailleur on rocks and logs a couple of times and I didn’t notice any decline in its ability to shift reliably. This is likely a result both of the derailleur’s lateral strength and the fact that SRAM uses a 1:1 actuation ratio (as opposed to Shimano’s 2:1 actuation ratio).

And I have the added piece of mind that most of the parts on the X0 rear derailleur are replaceable should I mangle one beyond repair or have it snap in a particularly ugly crash.

Pricing

This is where the X0 gets a little ‘difficult’ because it’s obvious that the performance and reputation of the derailleur comes at a pretty high cost. MSRP on the X0 is $200 (usd) and $340 (cad). While I’ve never actually seen the derailleur priced at those levels in a shop, they’re still a good deal more expensive than Shimano’s top-of-the-line XTR rear derailleur, which retails for $155 (usd).

Wild card

Where do I begin? The cable routing on SRAM rear derailleurs is superior to that of Shimano; SRAM rear derailleurs don’t slap against your chain stays; the SRAM X0 looks cooler than anything else available on the mass market (although the XTR rear derailleur looks pretty freakin’ cool too).

Summary

The SRAM X0 rear derailleur is one of the best on the market: it shifts crisply and reliably (although I don’t think that it’s the best performer on upshifts); it’s one of the most durable derailleurs on the market; it can be rebuilt after it’s damaged; it looks cool.

The downside is that the innovative X0 rear derailleur comes at a price. It is the most expensive mass-produced rear derailleur on the market. Additionally, it’s a little heavier than the Shimano XTR.

Manufacturer website: www.sram.com

MSRP: $200 (usd) | $340 (cad)

This entry was posted on Monday, June 27th, 2005 at 9:28 am and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.