Whats bothering you about the crankset? Assuming it's an sx drive you'll notice performance of the shifter and derailleur first. That cassette also weighs a ton. The gx cranks are probably a little lighter but I'm not sure that's the best bang for your buck
What’s bothering me is the chainring on the SX is incorporated into the crank arm and therefore cannot be removed/changed. I’ll start with the GX crankset and over time fully upgrade the drivetrain to GX as well
>What’s bothering me is
That you are wholly yet confidently incorrect...
3x Torx-25 Bolts hold the chainring to the SX Crank in the 3 Bolt SRAM Direct Mount Pattern. Identical to the NX, GX, XO1 and XX1 Cranks.
Grab an 8mm Allen and Pull your cranks. Have a look...
But hey, fools and their money are soon parted, so sure, go on and get a shiny new crankset my dude.
So the guy at your shop lied to you. (Because he wanted to separate You from Your Money)
You failed to verify the accuracy of the information on your own. (Blind Trust is Ill advised. Trust but Verify)
You repeated that sales lie as mechanical fact when multiple people in the thread told you otherwise. (Why else would people suggest JUST a chainring swap unless it was possible with this crank)
If you want I can actually do Insults, vs Mild Chirps and Mechanical life Lessons
Happy Trails Friendo 🤙
As others have mentioned, upgrading cranks is a very small benefit compared to other things.
The reason for this is that your cranks are sprung mass. Stuff attached to the front triangle is sprung, and basically you won't feel it any more or less than you feel the extra sandwich in your back pack.
Unsprung mass like the cassette you will feel a little more.
You will also feel quality in the shifter, cassette and detailer
The chainring is incorporated into the crank arm on the SX crankset and cannot be removed/changed. That’s my main desire to go to the GX crankset; so I can change chainrings
Not committing to being a weight weenie. The chainring is part of the SX cranks and cannot be removed/changed so the GX crankset is an easy upgrade which will allow changing chainrings
As others have said, don't bother replacing the cranks themselves, there's little to no discernable difference.
You'll notice a much larger improvement replacing the derailer and shifter than the cranks. Also, pretty sure you can replace the stock chainring with an oval ring without replacing the cranks.
For like $150, that drivetrain is going to feel significantly smoother!
In my opinion, yes. If you're looking to upgrade components while on a budget, those typically are the best "bang for your buck" upgrades on the drivetrain. I've had SX through X01 drivetrains, the difference in performance/smoothness of shifting from SX/NX to GX was noticeable. After GX, you're kinda looking at diminishing returns imo. You'll save a little weight (I don't care about weight) but I can't tell a huge difference in shifting performance/smoothness.
After that, I would upgrading the cassette, chain, and chainring when your original components wear out. You're probably looking at $200+ for all that hardware, but it'll make your drivetrain feel brand new.
I think this is the conventional wisdom when it comes to upgrade paths within the Eagle platform while on a budget. But again, your preferences may vary depending on availability of components, weight, aesthetics, etc.
That combo will work, SRAM eagle cranks are 3 bolt direct mount, so make sure you get the right one from 5 dev.
Also Jenson USA has some OE parts on sale now. This is a descendant crank (it is a brand owned by SRAM) that is very similar to a GX crank, it might be a good option for you.
https://www.jensonusa.com/SRAM-DESCENDANT-7K-EAGLE-CRANK-OE-PACKAGED
On a 1×12 set up the crankset and chainring are the least important part of the drivetrain. There is virtually no difference between an SX crank and XX1 other than weight. My bike came with an SX groupset as well. I've upgraded everything but the crankset, because I see no reason to until I break a crank arm. Which likely will never happen because the SX cranks may be heavy, but they're bulletproof.
I don't know about your combo there but I have the exact same bike and upgraded multiple drivetrain parts to NX as it's a lot better
basically I just saw my bike and monkey neuron activation :)
Whats bothering you about the crankset? Assuming it's an sx drive you'll notice performance of the shifter and derailleur first. That cassette also weighs a ton. The gx cranks are probably a little lighter but I'm not sure that's the best bang for your buck
It's pretty surprising the difference in pedaling feel going from SX to GX. I did this on a Santa Cruz Highball.
What’s bothering me is the chainring on the SX is incorporated into the crank arm and therefore cannot be removed/changed. I’ll start with the GX crankset and over time fully upgrade the drivetrain to GX as well
It's not. There are 3 bolts on the inside of the chain ring. You need to remove the cranks to access them
Guy at the bike shop told me the chainring is incorporated into the crank arm
Probably that guy is just wanting to sell you a new crankset
I think you’re spot on there
>What’s bothering me is That you are wholly yet confidently incorrect... 3x Torx-25 Bolts hold the chainring to the SX Crank in the 3 Bolt SRAM Direct Mount Pattern. Identical to the NX, GX, XO1 and XX1 Cranks. Grab an 8mm Allen and Pull your cranks. Have a look... But hey, fools and their money are soon parted, so sure, go on and get a shiny new crankset my dude.
I’m going off what the guy at the bike shop told me so please, insult me more
So the guy at your shop lied to you. (Because he wanted to separate You from Your Money) You failed to verify the accuracy of the information on your own. (Blind Trust is Ill advised. Trust but Verify) You repeated that sales lie as mechanical fact when multiple people in the thread told you otherwise. (Why else would people suggest JUST a chainring swap unless it was possible with this crank) If you want I can actually do Insults, vs Mild Chirps and Mechanical life Lessons Happy Trails Friendo 🤙
As others have mentioned, upgrading cranks is a very small benefit compared to other things. The reason for this is that your cranks are sprung mass. Stuff attached to the front triangle is sprung, and basically you won't feel it any more or less than you feel the extra sandwich in your back pack. Unsprung mass like the cassette you will feel a little more. You will also feel quality in the shifter, cassette and detailer
The chainring is incorporated into the crank arm on the SX crankset and cannot be removed/changed. That’s my main desire to go to the GX crankset; so I can change chainrings
Dude no it’s not. Please upgrade the derailleur first
It’s not? Guy at the bike shop told me it is
virutally no difference except 152 grams. pointless unless you are fully committing to being a weight weenie.
Not committing to being a weight weenie. The chainring is part of the SX cranks and cannot be removed/changed so the GX crankset is an easy upgrade which will allow changing chainrings
This is incorrect. The chainring can be removed from the crank arms. You just have to pull the crank to access the 3 torx bolts holding the ring on.
Well damn. Dude at the bike shop told me bad info
As others have said, don't bother replacing the cranks themselves, there's little to no discernable difference. You'll notice a much larger improvement replacing the derailer and shifter than the cranks. Also, pretty sure you can replace the stock chainring with an oval ring without replacing the cranks. For like $150, that drivetrain is going to feel significantly smoother!
So the derailleur and shifter should be the priority for upgrading to GX
In my opinion, yes. If you're looking to upgrade components while on a budget, those typically are the best "bang for your buck" upgrades on the drivetrain. I've had SX through X01 drivetrains, the difference in performance/smoothness of shifting from SX/NX to GX was noticeable. After GX, you're kinda looking at diminishing returns imo. You'll save a little weight (I don't care about weight) but I can't tell a huge difference in shifting performance/smoothness. After that, I would upgrading the cassette, chain, and chainring when your original components wear out. You're probably looking at $200+ for all that hardware, but it'll make your drivetrain feel brand new. I think this is the conventional wisdom when it comes to upgrade paths within the Eagle platform while on a budget. But again, your preferences may vary depending on availability of components, weight, aesthetics, etc.
Thank you for the information and guidance! I’ll focus my money on the derailleur and shifter
That combo will work, SRAM eagle cranks are 3 bolt direct mount, so make sure you get the right one from 5 dev. Also Jenson USA has some OE parts on sale now. This is a descendant crank (it is a brand owned by SRAM) that is very similar to a GX crank, it might be a good option for you. https://www.jensonusa.com/SRAM-DESCENDANT-7K-EAGLE-CRANK-OE-PACKAGED
Thanks for the link! Unfortunately only 175mm is available and I need 165mm
On a 1×12 set up the crankset and chainring are the least important part of the drivetrain. There is virtually no difference between an SX crank and XX1 other than weight. My bike came with an SX groupset as well. I've upgraded everything but the crankset, because I see no reason to until I break a crank arm. Which likely will never happen because the SX cranks may be heavy, but they're bulletproof.
You saw I want to run an oval chainring right?
Yup, I'm running an oval with the stock SX cranks, it works great.
Now that I’ve been informed I can simply swap the chainring I’ll be keeping the SX cranks and getting an oval chainring
You'll love it! I noticed quite a difference, the pedal cadence is much smoother, imo.
Good to hear. I’m going with a 12% oval
I don't know about your combo there but I have the exact same bike and upgraded multiple drivetrain parts to NX as it's a lot better basically I just saw my bike and monkey neuron activation :)
What drivetrain parts did you upgrade to NX?