Update: Hello, this is Optic2020 (aka Bmied31) and I’m getting back on Reddit after a hiatus. I’m attempting to update my Bike Buying Guide (which I posted yesterday) and my two F.A.Q pages. This is the first of the two. Feel free to take a look, leave critiques, or offer suggestions.
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#Helpful Links
My goal with this section is to provide helpful links to those sources and am open to suggestions from other users for links they found helpful on any various mtb topic
Here is what I have so far.
**Suspension platforms**: VPP, Maestro, Horst-Link, Single Pivot etc.
– [The ultimate guide to mountain bike rear suspension systems](https://www.bikeradar.com/features/the-ultimate-guide-to-mountain-bike-rear-suspension-systems/) from BikeRadar.com – This article is from 2018 but still does a good job of covering the differences between the main types of rear suspension designs.
**Front Suspension Lineups**: Fox, Rockshox, SR Suntour, DVO, Manitou, etc
– **Rockshox** [Buyer’s guide to Fox forks | The full line-up, from cross-country to downhill](https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/fox-suspension-fork-guide/)
– **Fox** [Buyer’s guide to RockShox suspension forks | Trail, enduro, XC, downcountry forks and more explained](https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/rockshox-suspension-fork-guide/) – Of Note: Marzocchi is owned by Fox and can essentially be looked at as Fox’s value brand.
– **SR Suntour** – Personally, I believe SR Suntour is extremely underrated once you get above their low end stuff, they offer some of the best bang for your buck. (Current XC Olympic Champ won on a SR Suntour XC fork and multiple pro’s race DH and ride Rampage on their DH Forks.I’m gonna give a quick rundown of their lineup from their low end garbage to their truly trail worthy forks.
– *XCT/XCM/XCR Coil* – These forks are exteremly common on sub $1000 bikes and to be burtally honest. They are just not very good. They essentially act as pogo sticks more then suspension. What I mean by that is they have very poor damping and are not adjustable at all. They are also very heavy. I would avoid these if possible
– *XCR Air* – This is where things start to improve. The XCR Air is a solid entry level fork. I’d put it in the same category as the low end XC Rockshox forks like the Rockshox 30 Silver
– *Raidon* – This is lower midrange fork for trail and XC. I’d compare this to something like a Rockshox Recon
– *Axon* – These are SR Suntours higher end XC forks. Essentially comparable to anything from to a Reba or SID from Rockshox or a Fox 32/34 Stepcast depending on the specific model.
– *Zeron – Auron – Aion* – These get a little messy. These all essentially fill the trail to lighter end enduro category. Auron is their premium trail fork. I’d compare it to something like a Pike or Lyric or a Fox 34 or 36 in either a Performance Elite or Factory level damper. The Zeron is a heavy duty trail fork and often times comes with a coil, although they have air options as well. The Aion is their mid level trail fork. You could compare it to a Rockshox 35, Revelation, or Fox 34 Rhythm or Performance.
– *Durolux* – This is their heavy hitter Enduro/All-Mountain/Freeride Fork. This can be put in the same category something like a Rockshox Lyrik, Domain, Zeb, or a Fox 36 or 38.
– *Rux* – This is SR Suntour’s DH dual crown fork.
– **DVO, Manitou, DT Swiss, Cane Creek, Marzocchi (Fox), Ohlins, MRP**, etc all make great forks as well. If anyone wants to give an guide to their lineup, let me know, I’ll add it in. For now here is a link from the Pro’s Closet that gives a rundown of a few of those brands. [Link](https://www.theproscloset.com/blogs/news/uncommon-mtb-fork-guide)
**Rear Suspension/Shock Lineups**: Fox, Rockshox, SR Suntour, DVO, Cane Creek etc
– [**Fox** Shock Lineup](https://off.road.cc/content/buying/fox-rear-shock-range-2023-6601) – Article from off.road.cc from 2023
– [**Rockshox** Shock Lineup](https://off.road.cc/content/news/rockshox-rear-shocks-2023-your-guide-to-all-the-models-details-and-specs-from-the-range) – Article from off.road.cc from 2023
– In addition to the big two, most the above brands I mentinoed for forks also make great shocks, such as SR Suntour, DVO, Manitou, Cane Creek, etc.
**Suspension Tuning and Setup**
– [Setup Guide – Enduro Magazine](https://enduro-mtb.com/en/setup-guide-mtb-suspension/)
– The MTB Podcast has two great episodes taking a deep dive into suspension tuning. [Episode #2](https://soundcloud.com/mtbpodcast/mtb-podcast-episode-2) and [Episode 56](https://soundcloud.com/mtbpodcast/mtb-podcast-episode-56-suspension-tuning-deep-dive). In general, the MTB Podcast is the best mtb podcast I have found when it comes to being informative about riding, fitness, and mechanics. There are other good podcasts out there, but purely for info I found this to be the best one. *Note about MTB Podcast – It was orginally hosted by two die hard mountain bikers named Jonathan and Steven. Jonathan I believe works for TrainerRoad and is a fitness and traing guru. They did 50+ Episodes of the podcast before “retiring”. The folks at WorldWideCyclerly picked up where they left off and continue to host the show. To me it’s still the best podcast for mountain biking available, but I do miss the original hosts*
– [Shockwiz](https://www.sram.com/en/quarq/series/shockwiz) – This isn’t a link to an article, but an excellent product lots of bike shops rent that will help you tune your suspension.
**Boost Spacing** and everything that goes along with it.
– [Tech Talk | What’s the Boost standard all about? by Enduro-MTB](https://enduro-mtb.com/en/tech-talk-whats-the-boost-standard-all-about/) in 2015 but still seems relevant
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Those are what I have so far, a few other topics I’d like to cover either with more detail myself or from a third-party source include carbon vs aluminum wheels as well as other wheel topics like building, hubs etc, ispec/matchmaker and other cockpit systems.
If you have other topics you would like to see added let me know, or if you already know a great source for any various mtb topic feel free to shoot me a link and I can add it in.
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#Where can I find details about local trails?
The best sources for finding trails are:
– [Trailforks](https://www.trailforks.com/trails/map/)| which is managed by Pinkbike.com It has a smartphone app as well as a website. The app is fantastic as you can download maps for offline viewing (read: when your in the lost in the middle of nowhere with no service, you can still view maps). They often have reviews, photos, and other valuable details for these trails.
– [MTB Project](https://www.mtbproject.com) is much the same as Trailforks in that they have an app, website, and you can download offline maps. Really they do the same thing, but sometimes one is better then another for a certain trail system or area. I also tend to find MTB Project has better descriptions of the trails. Personally, I’d have both.
– [Strava Heatmaps](https://www.strava.com/heatmap#7.00/-120.90000/38.36000/hot/all) is a little different. This isn’t an organized app with specific trails or routes. What it shows is “heat” or hot areas where people ride a lot. This can help you find systems you may not have known about and some more “off the grid trails”. Obviously be careful with those and try to get permissions from landowners to ride in unofficial trails.
– Facebook: Trails or general riding areas often have very active social media communities and groups. These groups are often the best place to find out about trails, conditions, and other events going on in your vicinity.
– Trail system-specific pages also exist which can give you really good details that go beyond what Trailforks, Facebook groups, etc may offer. My favorite example of one like this is the [Trail Genius](https://trailgenius.com/trail-genius-map/copper-harbor-trails) page for Copper Harbor, Michigan. It has videos of every trail along with statistics and other details.
– Talk to employees and people at local bike shops. Talking to real locals and riders is going to get you some great info.
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#What is the difference between different types of bikes, which one should I get?
I’m going to use Santa Cruz mountain bike lineup as an example for each of these bikes as they have a very broad lineup with a bike in every category
**Downhill**: 100/0 descending/climbing
As the name implies, these are strictly for downhill riding. You use a lift or shuttle to get you to the top of the run/trail. They are next to impossible to do any climbing on.
– Dual Crown Fork
– ~180+ mm of travel front and rear
– Wider hubs sometimes and beefier components/wheels.
– 1×7 drivetrain often with a narrow range of gears and DH specific groups.
– Powerful brakes and tough tires.
– Fixed seat post dropped low
– All this means heavier.
– Physically different geometry such as more raked out fork to help with going downhill fast.
– Always a full suspension as far as I know.
– Example: [Santa Cruz V10 215mm](https://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-US/bikes/v10) 27.5″, 29″ or mixed.
**Enduro/All Mountain Bike:**
A burlier trail bike typically. If a trail bike is 50/50 climb/descent an enduro/all-mountain bike is closer to 60/40 or 70/30 descending/climbing.
Enduro/All-mountain bikes typically have:
– 150mm+ Travel front and rear.
– Usually Single crown forks, but with beefy 35mm+ stanchions on the fork.
– Wide range drivetrain for climbing and descending
– Dropper post
– Weight is still a consideration so tires, wheels, are lighter, etc.
– Typically full suspension, but there are a few hardtails that can fall into this category.
– Slacker head tube angle to favor descending.
– Example: [Bronson 150mm](https://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-US/bikes/bronson) Mixed Wheel
– Example: [Megatower 165mm](https://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-US/bikes/megatower) 166mm 29″
– Example: [Nomad 170mm](https://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-US/bikes/nomad) Mixed Wheel
**Trail Bike:**
The “right” bike for most people, can climb as well as it descends and good in nearly all locations except the craziest of trails. We will say 50/50 climb/descend capabilities.
– 110-150mm of travel typically
– 32-36 mm fork stanchions
– Wide range drivetrain like the Enduro…overall shares a lot of the same traits as an enduro bike, just a little less capable for fast chunky downhill sections.
– Hardtail or full suspension.
– Slack head tube angle but not overly slack to still allow the bike to climb decently.
– Example: [5010 130mm](https://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-US/bikes/5010) Mixed
– Example: [Hightower 145mm](https://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-US/bikes/hightower) 29″
– Example: [Tallboy 120mm](https://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-US/bikes/tallboy) 29″
– Example: [Chameleon 120mm](https://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-US/bikes/chameleon) Mixed or 29″ Hardtail
**XC Bike**:
For me, these are strictly for racing or the very entry-level mtb. Excel at climbing and going fast. 60/40 or 70/30 climb-descend.
– 0-120mm of travel
– 28-34mm fork stanchions typically
– Wide range gears and occasionally still 2x and 1x
– Steeper head tube angle for climbing over descending
– Example: [Blur 100mm or 115mm](https://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-US/bikes/blur) 29″
– Example: [Highball 100mm](https://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-US/bikes/highball) 29″ Hardtail
That’s some rough guidelines…however as we go through time, all these lines are getting more blurred. XC bikes are getting longer travel and slacker as they go as engineers learn how to make more efficient platforms.
There are some other subcategories of bikes like free-ride and dirt jumpers. People also sometimes divide Enduro and All-Mountain into two categories, but to me, it becomes a little much. There is also the recent trend of down-country bikes, these are essentially long travel xc bikes that are still a blast to ride downhill but pedal really well and are fast on the climbs and XC type trails. I’m sure there are ones I’m missing, but these cover the basics.
On that note, here are some details on different race types which usually goes along with the above bike types.
#Race Types
**Downhill/DH**
As the name implies these are strictly downhill races. There is one course and riders are given practice runs and typically get one official run to get their best time. These races always use downhill bikes as there is little to no uphill segments and the only real pedaling will be done to get more speed for the next feature or segment of trail.
**Enduro**
Enduro racing has its origin in long cross country (hence enduro/endurance) motocross racing. In mountain biking, an Enduro race is a stage race where only certain downhill segments are timed. These times are ranked and added up to determine the winner. In between these timed stages you have un-timed transfer stages in which you have to get to the next starting point. Although they are not timed in terms of your score, you do have a limit on how long it takes you to get to each stage. So for example, you may do 25 miles of riding, but only 5 miles of it may be timed the whole day. In Enduro racing, they typically use 150-180mm travel bikes. They are usually downhill focused but still have the ability to climb as I mentioned above. Prior to the “Enduro” format, these were typically called All-Mountain bikes or Freeride bikes. This is where the confusion comes in, as now some companies are dividing these up into their own separate categories. The only one I think that makes a bit of sense is Freeride which to me is essentially a slightly pedal-able DH bike.
**Cross-County/XC**
(Not to be confused with CX which is cyclocross)
XC is the traditional race format in mountain biking. It involves varying length courses or circuits. It usually contains laps. All riders start at the same time (or group with similar skill level riders) and is really the only racing that involves passing when it comes to mountain biking. In general, this seems to be declining in popularity, however thanks to colleges and high schools starting their own NICA (National Interscholastic Cycling Association) clubs it seems to be making a resurgence and is great for the sport as a whole. Also of late more casual backcountry XC races are gaining popularity. Such as the ones put on by Epic rides. These are less competitive fun days on the bike. They are usually in varying lengths depending on what you choose and are not circuits. So for example in Bentonville, Ark they have the OZ Trail’s offroad. This is either a 15,30,50 mile race and you typically never ride the same section of trail twice. In my opinion, these and enduro races are the most fun and casual days on the bike. In races like those put on by Epic rides, often time a trail bike is the best tool for the job.
**Beyond** that, there are plenty of other MTB specific cycling events, but those are the most common in the offroad discipline.
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#Why run 1x?
In the last 5 years, nearly all mid to high range mountain bikes have gone to 1x drivetrains.
There are many benefits to this.
**Pros**
– Simpler shifting and setup. Not having to think about changing the front ring simplifies the riding experience and you don’t have to mess around with adjusting a front derailleur which can be tricky.
– Fewer chain drops (assuming you’re running a rear derailleur with a clutch or a chain retention device.)
– Lighter weight
– More flexible frame design
**Cons**
– Possible less range or greater space between gears. Modern 1x drive-trains can have a 500+% range which is plenty for just about everyone, but having a 2x system can allow you to have a similar range but with tighter jumps between gears. I only see this being needed if you doing a long gravel type race where you maintain a consistent cadence for a long time.
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#Tire/Wheel Size
First off, there is not a “best” wheel/tire size. It really comes down to personal preference. I personally have a trail bike with 29″ wheels and love it, but my prior bike was a slightly longer travel 27.5″ wheel bike and I had a blast on that too. If I were to go with an XC bike it would be a standard 29″ bike. If I’m talking trail hardtail, It is a tough choice between a 29″ and 27.5+.
So this decision should be based on what you like, where you are riding, and what your goals for the bike are. Along with that, there has been a recent trend of mixed wheel size. Essentially running a 29″ wheel up front with a 27.5″ in the rear. The theory is you get some of the best of both worlds. So whatever works for you, enjoy it! When it comes down to it though, there isn’t a huge huge difference between the 3 main sizes. If you find a great deal or a bike you really like but wasn’t the wheel size you anticipated, don’t let that stop you.
**29″/700c**
In the past 5-7 years it seems that the community has settled on being the defacto standard 29er in nearly every type of mountain biking (XC, Trail, DC, DH. Enduro, etc).
*Pros*
– Faster once up to speed and can maintain speed better
– Better attack angle when approaching obstacles
– Great for taller riders
*Cons*
– Slower to accelerate
– Heavier, sometimes leading to a less flickable/playful bike.
– Having larger rear wheel can essentially change the final gearing of the bike. 11-42 might be plenty on a 27.5″ bike, but bump up to 29 and you might be wishing you had some more range.
**27.5″/650b**
In the early 2010s through now it was seen as a happy medium between the big 29er wheels and the older 26″ Size. It’s still popular today, but as frames and geometries have advanced, 29er seems to again be gaining traction and seems to be the more popular size.
*Pros*
– Lighter and quicker accelerating then 29er, but less so compared to 26″
– Sometimes it can lead to a more maneuverable playful bike feel.
– In a world where lots are going 29er, 27.5 is often popular on smaller size frames or a good choice for the smaller rider.
*Cons*
– Doesn’t hold speed as well as 29er
– Lesser attack angle compared to a 29er
**27.5+/650b+**
27.5″+ is a 27.5″ wheel with a 2.8″ tire or bigger and often times have a wider rim such as 35mm or more internal diameter. They were really popular for a few years on both full suspension bikes and hardtails, but of late it seems to be fading a bit. I believe this is because standard 27.5 and 29er bike have slowly been pushing wider rims and tire widths. 2.4-2.6 seems to be the sweet spot. 27.5+, however, has seemed to find a home though on lots of trail-oriented hardtails like the Trek Roscoe, Diamondback Sync’r etc.
*Pros*
– Ton’s of grip in certain conditions, however, due to the wider footprint, sometimes these tires can float over loose conditions instead of biting like a narrower tire might.
– Can offer a rider more confidence than a normal skinny tire
– Some level of undamped suspension due to extra air volume in the bigger tires. This can be seen as a pro and a con.
– Often a bike that can run 27.5+ tires/wheels can also run 29er’s as well.
– Outer diameter is similar to a 29er, so better attack angle and can maintain speed quite well.
– Have limited fat bike properties like better in sand, snow etc.
*Cons*
– Heavy, leading to slower acceleration and less playful bike.
– Larger volume tires tend to be less stable/supported. Due to this, high speeds and hard cornering forces can sometimes make tires behave unexpectedly. Along with this, they often times are easier to damage and less puncture resistant.
– Some may not like the level of grip it offers.
– Seems to be fading from the market a bit now that bikes, in general, seemed to have found a happy medium of large normal size wheels on bikes between 2.5″ and 2.8″
**Mixed/Mullets/27.5″ Rear and a 29″ Front**
This is a newer trend we have seen growing rapidly in recent years. The UCI recently changed rules allowing non matching wheel in competition which really caused this concept to take-off. Essentially in consists of a 29er front wheel/compatible fork and a 27.5 rear in the back. Bikes such as Santa Cruz Bronson, Specialized Status, and lot’s of DH bikes have this setup either as standard or an option. The idea is you get the rollover, clearance, attack angle of a 29er, with the more playful and lighter rear end of a 27.5 bike. You can technically do this to any bike by putting a 29er fork on the front, however there are many bikes coming from the factory specifically designed to be setup this way.
**Other**
– 26″ – Prior to 29er and 27.5, 26″ was the main wheel size for the trail, DH, and Cross country bikes. 26″ hasn’t really been in the picture for the last 10 years other than fat bikes, dirtjumpers, and Slopestyle bikes.
– Fatbike – Fatbike tires and wheels are usually on 26″ rims, but typically are 3.0″ or larger in diameter. While these can be ridden on dirt and normal trails just fine, they really shine in the sand, snow, and other loose diverse conditions. Look at the 27.5+ pro’s and con’s and just amplify those both.
– 29+ – Same as 27.5+ but on a 29er wheel instead. The only example I can think of this is the Trek Stache and Full Stache.
There are other sizes too for kids bikes, BMX, dirt jumping, cyclocross, etc but the ones above cover the main mtb standards.
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#Understanding Mountain Bike Drivetrains
**Groupset Hierarchy**
First off, my opinion does come into this a bit as any sort of ranking is purely subjective. However, I tried to use weight and price to get the general ranking and using personal experience along with generalizing many reviews. I am personally a fan of SRAM, but the new 12 speed Shimano components are incredibly well made and offers amazing levels of performance shifting under load that can’t be matched by SRAM with the exception of their new T-Type drivetrains.
I gathered my prices and weights from a number of reviews and manufacturer websites. It was difficult to gather this information as it had to come from multiple sources and I can’t guarantee it is all 100% accurate but I tried my best.
|SRAM Transmission|Weight|Price|Sram Eagle|Weight|Price|Shimano|Weight|Price|
:–|:–|:–|:–|:–|:–|:–|:–|:–|
|XX SL T-Type|1641g|$2199|XX1/XO1 AXS Eagle|1594g/1644g|$2000/$1900||||
|XX T-Type|1732g|$2049||||XTR|1543g|$1470|
|XO1 T-Type|1900g|$1599|XX1/XO1 Eagle|1502g/1535g|$1417/$1193||||
|GX T-Type|2015g|$1099|GX AXS Eagle|1886g|$1010||||
|||||||Deore XT|1749g|$611|
||||GX Eagle|1747g|$495||||
|||||||SLX|1864g|$395|
||||NX Eagle|2050g|$375|Deore|2201g|$297|
||||SX Eagle|2328g|OEM||||
Some notes: I put X01 and XX1 on the same level. I understand some may disagree with this but XX1 is typically aimed more at XC/ultralight weight by having a few more carbon and titanium hardware along with some other minor tweaks, while X01 is arguably the more practical trail/enduro group. This is also reflected in how close the weight and price of these two groups are. When it comes to performance, I believe they are equal.
Also, with the release of Transmission, I kinda just put them off on their own, as direct comparisons are a little tough.
Regarding Deore and NX Eagle, it can be difficult to rank these two. NX Eagle is a tad lighter, but I have a feeling Deore is going to be the nicer shifting and more reliable group. So, for now, I am putting them on the same level but I’d personally rather have Deore 12 Speed.
Lastly, I did not include any non-current generation components in the table or the rest of this guide. The last generation drivetrains from both SRAM and Shimano are still great and relevant products.
I also did not mention Shimano Di2. As of right now there are no modern Di2 MTB Drivetrains from Shimano with the exception of a e-bike specific groupset.
I also failed to mention the lower end groups. Both Shimano and SRAM still offer lower-end mountain bike groupset for more budget-friendly bikes such as Shimano’s Tourney, Altus, Acera, Alivo, and SRAM’s X-3, X-5, X-7 and X-9 etc. While these will come on some lower-end bikes, most experienced riders wouldn’t consider these trail-worthy drivetrains as they don’t feature a clutch which helps with chain-retention, reduces chain slap, and allows for running a 1x setup without a chain guide.
There are also some more niche drivetrains I didn’t go into such as the downhill-specific groups like Saint and Zee from Shimano, SRAM’s DH specific 7 speed X01, and e-bike specific groups like EX1 from SRAM
There are other drivetrains manufacturers that are less common such as Rotor, Box, Microshift that offer some compelling options. The options that I’m most interested in are the new 9 speed drivetrains with clutches which I believe both Box and Microshift offer. These are compelling options for upgrading older bikes with (1,2,3)x9 drivetrains
**Recent drivetrain changes**
Mountain biking has gone through some drastic changes in the last 10 years and that doesn’t exclude drivetrains. The most obvious change is the switch to 1x drivetrains.
While riders have been experimenting with 1x setups for years, SRAM became the first company to make a from the ground up 1x groupset with there 2013 XX1 1×11 groupset. The keys to these 1x groupsets are the narrow-wide chainring which is a front chainring with alternating size teeth that fit into the alternating size links in the chain, wide-range cassettes (11-42 or larger) that give close to the same range as 2x drivetrains, and clutched rear derailleurs.
Shimano was actually the first company to introduce a clutch on their 2×10 XTR drivetrain back in 2012 which helped reduce chain slap by holding the cage and chain tight, while still allowing smooth shifting. SRAM soon started adding to clutches to their drivetrains which allowed for the creation of their first OEM 1x groupset.
In my opinion, if looking at both new, used, or upgrading your bike, I would not recommend any sort of drivetrain that does not feature a rear derailleur with a clutch. The most budget option that will get you these requirements is Shimano’s M6000 group, SRAM’s NX11 speed/NX Eagle or one of the smaller brands like Box or Microshift who both offer 1×9 drivetrains.
**Shimano’s Current MTB Lineup**
– [XTR 1×12 drivetrain M9100](https://www.pinkbike.com/news/review-shimano-xtr-m9100-12-speed-drivetrain.html) – 1644g @ $1385 – (Technically also 2×12/2×11 options) Shimano’s current flagship product. Introduced in 2018, it offers a 10-45 11 and 12 speed and 12 speed 10-51 rear cassettes. The 10-51 cassette offers slightly more range than SRAM’s Eagle drivetrains. To fit these new cassettes with the 10t cog Shimano had to introduce there own freehub body standard known as Microspline. Microspline is essentially Shimano’s answer to XD. Unfortunately, this means if you are looking to upgrade an older bike you will likely either need a new wheelset, hub, or at minimum a new freehub driver body. Most mainstream wheel/hub manufacturers have started offering Microspline, but you will need to research out if your hub is capable of the upgrade or an entirely new one will be needed. One of the key features of all the new 12 speed Shimano drivetrains is Hyperglide+. This is the new chain and cassette technology that is supposed to drastically improve shifting under load. The features of this groupset trickle down to Deore. This is arguably the best mechanical drivetrain on the market in terms of shifting performance.
– [XT 1×12 drivetrain M8100](https://www.pinkbike.com/news/review-shimano-xt-12-speed-drivetrain.html) – 1749g @ $623 – Shimano’s second-tier groupset. Introduced in 2019 with a 12 speed 10-45 and 10-51 and 2x is an option if that floats your boat. In general, this is widely considered the sweet point in Shimano’s lineup. Giving you all the performance of XTR with a minor weight penalty and significant cost savings.
– [SLX 1×12 drivetrain M7100](https://singletrackworld.com/2019/05/first-ride-review-shimano-slx-m7100-1×12-drivetrain-brakes/) – 1932g @ $410 – Shimano’s third tier groupset. Introduced the same time as XT with both 10-45 and 10-51 cassettes offered. This is Shimano’s mid range 12-speed drivetrain. Again, offers similar performance to XT with some ergonomic changes, fewer adjustments and refinement, and again, more weight. One major change in this group is in the shifter. You lose the multi-release ability that XT and XTR have that allows you to upshift multiple gears with one lever throw. This is a great value groupset and probably the best choice for the serious recreational rider. If you throw an XT Shifter into this groupset, I personally think it’s the sweet spot in terms of performance/value.
– [Deore 1×12 drivetrain M6100](https://www.pinkbike.com/news/first-look-shimanos-new-deore-12-speed-group-plus-other-2021-updates.html) – Shimano’s Entry Level 12 speed groupset is the newest release from Shimano and as with XT and SLX, it continues the direct trickle-down effect from XTR. As with SLX it is a 1×12 speed groupset with a 10-51t cassette using the Microspline freehub body standard. For the most part, the only difference between SLX and Deore is the weight. Most of that coming in the crankset and cassette. The cassette, for example, uses all-steel cogs instead of some aluminum ones to save weight.
Shimano has also chosen to make an updated version of Deore in 10-speed and 11-speed options which have an optional front derailleur for a 2x setup. There are little details on these versions of the groupset, but we can assume they will be cheaper and more budget-oriented, but still nicer than the lower end Shimano MTB groupsets like Altus, Acera, Alivo, etc.
**General Shimano notes**
– In general, Shimano is more known for there smoother less direct feeling drivetrain. They also offer slightly different ergonomics. On SRAM shifting it’s all down with the thumb, on Shimano you can use both your thumb and index fingers to shift and the finger levers move in both directions to accommodate different shifting positions. On XT and XTR you also get the benefit of being able to upshift and downshift multiple cogs with a single lever throw. On lower-end Shimano and all SRAM groups, when going into a harder/higher gear it’s one-click for one cog. It should also be noted that all of Shimano’s 11 and 12-speed groupsets are fully compatible with other components of the same speed. Meaning you could run a 12 speed XT shifter with a 12-speed Deore drivetrain to get the multi-release shifting without spending the money for a full XT groupset.
**SRAM’s Current Lineup**
– First, let’s start with the newest drivetrain on the market from the big two. [SRAM’s T-Type or Transmission Drivetrains](https://www.pinkbike.com/news/review-1000-miles-on-srams-new-eagle-transmission-drivetrain-2023.html). They are part of the Eagle AXS family, however they are quite different. There is very little compatibility between T-Type and the standard Eagle groupsets. They have unique chains, cassettes, chainrings, and derailleurs that are not compatible with any other drivetrains at the moment. The only cross compatible part is the old AXS remotes.
The biggest change to come with Transmission surrounds the rear derailleur. The derailleur forgoes the derailleur hangar and mounts directly too the frame using the UDH standard that SRAM laid out a 4+ years ago (some real 4-D chess from SRAM on that part, kudos to them)
This accomplishes a few things. First, the derailleur is much more rigid. This allows the movements of the derailleur to be more consistent and precise. No more worrying about your derailleur hangar being out of alignment. Another factor with this mounting method is the thru axle literally goes thru the derailleur itself. The Thru-Axle is one of the strongest parts of the bike and using that to strengthen the setup protects the frame/rear triangle of the bike. There was a concern when this launched that that people would be damaging their extremely expensive rear derailleurs due to their being no sacrificial hangar anymore, but thus far thanks to the design and features such as the overload clutch this thus far has not presented itself as a major issue. This setup also does another thing. It allows every T-Type setup has the identical spacing and measurements. This means the setting limit screws and adjusting tension/alignment is a thing of the past. Every setup is identical. You simple bolt it on, adjust the cassette setting and go. This has allowed SRAM to really perfect the shifting quality and makes shifting under load a non issue. The ability to shift under load has even surpassed that of Shimano’s HG+ drivetrains. With the growth of e-bikes this has become a very important factor as shifting under load when having pedal assist could be far more damaging then on a human powered bike.
– Currently the T-Type line up consists of XX SL, XX, XO1, and GX. These groups follow the typical pattern of the other SRAM groups. Performance is the same between them all for the most part, what you are paying for is the weight and durability. Some points of note between them. XO1 and lower have switched to only alloy cranksets. Carbon cranks are now limited to XX SL and XX. Also on XX SL and XX you have a special pulleys that allow the teeth to spin independently of the pulley in the unlikely chance something get’s lodged in the pulley wheel, it won’t mess up your ride. XX, XO, and GX cranksets have an optional integrated bash guard built into the chainring as well. Lastly, the GX rear derailleur has a slightly different battery mounting location which appears to be more protected and sleeker looking. GX launched a couple months later. I’d assume this revision will eventually make it’s appearance in the higher end groups.
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– [XX1 and X01 Eagle](https://www.pinkbike.com/news/sram-eagle-drivetrain-review-2016.html) – 1×12 drivetrain only with a 10-50/52 cassette. – XX1 and X01 are SRAM’s flagship mechanical mountain bike drivetrains. XX1 was introduced in 2016 and was the first 1×12 drivetrain on the market. I put XX1 and X01 together into the same level of performance with just different target markets. XX1 is slightly more expensive and slightly lighter. This is mainly accomplished by a few more carbon components and titanium hardware and some other minor tweaks. XX1 is typically aimed at XC and those searching for the ultimate lightweight options. X01 is a little cheaper but offers the same level of performance as XX1 with an arguably more durable and slightly heavier groupset. To back up this claim, if you look at SRAM XC guys they will be running XX1, but if you watch something like the Enduro Race Series Series (EDR), the top guys will usually be running X01. If XX1 offered a performance advantage, the greatest riders in the world would be riding it. As with Shimano’s 12-speed group, most Eagle cassettes require SRAM’s own special freehub body, known as an XD driver on the rear wheel hub. This allows for the 10t cogs on GX, X01, and XX1 cassettes.
– [GX Eagle](https://www.pinkbike.com/news/gx-eagle-srams-new-wallet-friendly-12-speed-drivetrain.html) – SRAM mainstream group. – 1×12 drivetrain with 10-50/52 cassette just like the top of the line options. GX benefits from a direct trickle-down technology from the top. Some of the major difference is the non-adjustable shifter lever using a bushing instead of a bearing, aluminum crank arms as opposed to the carbon crank arms on X01/XX1 and the cassette is pinned together as opposed to machined out of a solid block of aluminum resulting in 90g weight increase but much cheaper manufacturing process. As usual, there is a weight penalty, fewer refinements and adjustability compared to the top end groups but with massive cost savings. I feel this is the sweet spot in their lineup for the serious recreational rider.
– [NX Eagle](https://www.pinkbike.com/news/review-sram-nx-eagle-drivetrain.html) – Slightly lower-end mainstream 1×12 option. – The major difference with this group is the cassette. Instead of running a 10-50 XD based cassette you instead are given an 11-50/52 cassette that fits on a standard Shimano-HG freehub body. This cassette is also part of what makes NX much heavier than the higher-end groups. The NX crankset is made of 6000 series alloy as opposed to the lighter 7000 series alloy on the GX group and it has a lot more plastic parts on the shifter and derailleur such as an all-plastic shifter instead of carbon or alloy on the higher models. On the plus side, NX Eagle is a really good option for upgrading older bikes. For the most part, any semi-modern mountain bike can run NX Eagle drivetrain without needing to upgrade your wheelset with a modern XD freehub body.
– [SX Eagle](https://bikerumor.com/sram-sx-eagle-bringing-even-more-affordable-1×12-mountain-bike-drivetrain/) – SRAM’s entry-level 1×12 drivetrain. – Very similar to NX but as with each tier you go down, less refined, heavier etc. While I haven’t ridden this one myself yet, the early reviews are not fantastic. Its only benefit is that it allows easy upgrades to nicer Eagle components. I’ll be honest, I don’t really know why this group exists other then allowing OEM’s to hit certain price points with their bikes as it is slightly cheaper. This has become a hot topic for people in recent years since even the release of NX. Bikes that the previous year were coming with GX11 or even GX Eagle started coming with NX, then SX for seemingly the same price they were the year before. Some people blame this on higher tariffs. We can save that discussion for another post.
– [SRAM Eagle AXS](https://www.pinkbike.com/news/review-srams-wireless-eagle-axs-xx1-drivetrain.html) – Available in the XX, XO, and GX tiers – AXS (pronounced access) is the name for SRAM’s new 12 speed wireless components including electronic drivetrains and other wireless components. Outside of being electronic/wireless and overload clutch (to protect the derailleur from damage) they are pretty much the same as the mechanical drivetrains in terms of the difference’s between tears and overall performance (assuming both are setup correctly)
*SRAM Notes*: In general, having ridden both Shimano and SRAM on a regular basis, SRAM has more positive feedback when shifting. The clicks are confident and you really feel the bike shift into every gear. If you are looking for more details, here is an excellent [article](https://bikerumor.com/complete-sram-eagle-comparison-whats-the-difference-between-nx-gx-x01-xx1/) comparing NX, GX, X01, and XX1 Eagle drivetrains. Also, it should be noted that all SRAM 11-speed components and SRAM Eagle 12 speed components are compatible with each other respectively. One common thing people do for example is to have a GX Eagle groupset but will run an X01 Eagle shifter. You can mix and match the entire range from SX Eagle all the way up to XX1.
by Optic2020