So here’s the deal. XX1 and its slightly cheaper sibling XO1 are rad, but they’re expensive, there’s no doubt about that; the XX1 is NZ$1874 and the Xo1 NZ$1677. Every press release that drops has people complaining about price. Well it seems with the weekend release of SRAM’s X1 groupset your prayers have been answered. Now, this is pure guesstimating here but we’re figuring that the X1 groupset in its flash form will hit the shops at around $1200, that’s without an XD driver body and without a front X Sync chainring.
So how have they dropped $400? Well in three places mainly: the cranks, the rear cassette and the shifter.
Previously, alloy XO1 cranks came only as original equipment spec (OE) on bikes, but now they are offering three different alloy graded cranks to suit your budget. The top spec’d model, the SRAM X1 1400, features hollow forged arms and the option of running a chainguard. The claimed weight is 800g (GXP, 175mm, 32t). That’s a bit heavier than a comparable XO1 weight of 655 grams.
The middle spec’d model, the SRAM X1 1200 features 7000 series forged aluminum arms and a claimed weight of 830g (GXP, 175mm, 32t).
The bottom spec’d model, the SRAM X1 1400 features 6000 series forged aluminum arms and a claimed weight of 850g (GXP, 175mm, 32t). But it comes in a Fat Bike version!
Next comes the item that adds the most price to the XO1 and XX1 groupsets and that is the groundbreaking rear 10-42 rear cassette. The X1 group features an entirely new cassette (the Mini Cluster) which marries a machined single piece of steel for the smallest three cogs with eight individual cogs pinned together. It still comes in XO1’s Fast Black but it weighs in at 315 grams (the XO1 cassette is 275grams).
The rear mech and shifter also put on a little weight; the rear derailleur loses the carbon cage found on its older siblings and the shifter somehow puts on a little weight, but no one one is talking about that…
And because it’s not a hard-out elite-level product, you’ll find that only 30-32-34-36-38 chainrings are available. Want a 28? Then you’ll have to buy XX1.
http://youtu.be/hf6lV_KpQIA
As soon as we have the real New Zealand prices we will post them up, but they’re still a few weeks away…
Interesting how the new XTR will start from around $2500, that’s with a set of brakes that work really well and it’s made in Japan to the highest engineering standards. Seems like a bargain.