We had a chance to ride the new 1 x 11 XX drivetrain from SRAM over the Crankworx weekend, and we were impressed. The development of the X-Sync chainring and TYPE 2 rear derailleur coupled with the range found in the 10-42 XX1 cassette proved to be an astonishingly stable and practical system. We had the chance to test it on some long and abusive trails from the top of Whistler peak. Freehub rider Steve Dempsey had this to say:
"XX1. It works. I was skeptical when we arrived in the SRAM Media room, bikes displayed around the room, all without chainguides. I had flashbacks of a group training ride with a guy who had just sent up his rig 1x10 with no chain guide. The group left him in the 1st mile. With XX1 we rode the test bikes from Whistler's Top of the World, following the Stage 5 of the Garbanzo Enduro race coarse. With a slew of brake chops, rocks, and off camber root sections, the XX1 performed flawlessly. Seriously though, flawless; not one missed shift, not one chain slap, not one bobble from the chain-ring. The end result: I want it. I want it on my XC race bike and Trail bike! "
You can look for an in-depth review from us here at Freehub sometime this Fall.
