Six Month Update: SRAM Eagle 90, Reverb AXS and Motive Brakes Still clicking along.
A little over six months ago, SRAM launched a bunch of new products. I covered the launches here, here, and here. So if you’re looking for technical details and initial impressions, those three pieces have you covered.
But initial impressions only go so far. Since that launch I’ve spent a bunch of time, and ridden many hundreds of miles on mechanical Transmission, Motives, and the Reverb, both with those original review units, as well as on review bikes that came stocked with these parts. So it’s time for a durability update, as well as longer-term impressions.
SRAM Reverb AXS Long Term Impressions
It just works. That’s the short version, and honestly the version I care most about with dropper posts. The 225 millimeter version I got my hands on back in March hasn’t stuttered, hasn’t stuck, and hasn’t wobbled. I push the button and it goes up. Every time. That’s what dropper posts are supposed to do. That’s something the previous generation hydraulic Reverb had issues with. None of that here. Smooth and consistent.
I charge the battery occasionally. I wipe down the stanchion even less often. Otherwise I just ride my damn bike.
I started out with a 31.6 x 225 millimeter Reverb, and it’s been great. But I recently got my hands on a 34.9 x 250 millimeter version, and it’s been even better. I love long droppers, and this is the longest around. It’s wild how far it gets the saddle out of the way. I also appreciate that the 34.9 millimeter version uses a different tubeset and air pressure to make the most of the added diameter.
Do you need a wireless dropper? No. Of course not. But at $549 the Reverb is affordable enough that many riders could justify buying one for two bikes and swapping it back and forth. And I have been spoiled by how trouble-free mine has been for the last half-year.
I’ve tried a few wireless droppers in the past and have never quite been able to overcome the added complexity and cost that they bring to the table, but I think the new Reverb is far-and-away the strongest competitor in this category.
SRAM Motive Brakes Long Term Impressions
My original set of Motives was involved in an incident where a rock sheared off the reach adjustment knob on the right lever. The brake still worked fine, but the reach was stuck in place. Luckily SRAM had lever blade assemblies available, and it was a quick job to swap in just the blade and knob. Since then they’ve been going strong, and performing up to my expectations. But this is where the big ranty caveat starts:
I’ve complained before about some brands’ decision to spec Motives on bikes that otherwise fall into a more capable and DH-focused bracket. I’ll go on record here as having zero interest in riding Motives on a bike with more than 140 millimeters of front travel. I’ve done it, and it made me feel even stupider and heavier than I actually am. Motives are quite excellent on lighter, snappier bikes, designed for more rolling terrain.
Give me Motives on a bike with a SID or a Pike and I’m a happy camper. But don’t spec them with a Lyrik! And please lord don’t put them on a bike with a motor! I’ve found that on more capable bikes, that I want to go downhill fast on, they can get hot and overwhelmed, and start to lose their crisp feel. It’s not the end of the world (it reminds me of the old Code R “rush”) but given how good brakes are these days I don’t have any motivation to push these brakes outside of their comfort zone.
Motives are way more capable than Levels, and they fill most of the void left by the Code, but personally, I’m happy to suck up the weight jump to Mavens on most bikes. That said, smaller folks, and people dealing with less sustained descents will probably still get along with these very well. My (much lighter, and less meat-headed) partner is a huge fan of the Motives over the Codes they replaced, and finds them to be more consistent and reliable.
All that to say: durability has been great on the Motives, and they do exactly what SRAM says they do. The bleed has stayed good, and I haven’t been frustrated by the lack of contact adjustment. Unfortunately some product managers keep putting them on bikes that fall outside that window, and that’s frustrating.
SRAM Eagle 90 Transmission Long Term Impressions
I saved the best for last here. Short version: If I’m buying a new drivetrain tomorrow, with my own money, no hookups, no deals, no funny business, it’s Eagle 90. No contest. Not even close. Similarly, if I was in the market for a complete bike I’d be looking for something with an Eagle 90 Transmission and Maven Bronze brakes. This is the drivetrain I want to own.
Yes, SRAM’s higher-end electronic systems are snazzy, and a little lighter, and a little crisper. But Eagle 90 brings all the things I care most about with Transmission (durability, ease of setup, rebuildability) to a battery-free package, at a reasonable price.
I’ve moved my initial review groupset between three different bikes now, and every time the setup has been quick and easy. Similarly, every time the shifting has been confident and precise. There is one caveat here: Eagle 90 likes cable tension, more cable tension than most derailleurs. Every time I’ve set up this drivetrain, I’ve gone for my first ride, and had one terrible clunky shift. Then I’ve put in half a turn of cable tension, and never touched it again. At this point I’d call that part of the setup procedure. Spin the cranks a few times, reset that tension, and party on.
I’ve spent time on the initial Eagle 90 group I got back in March, as well as a couple others on review bikes, most notably the group on the Specialized Levo 4 I have in for long term review. That initial groupset has by far the most miles on it, and it’s still working as well as it did out of the box. The lower cage and upper body have some scuffs and cosmetic damage, but I haven’t had to replace anything yet.
I’ve ridden the group on the Levo 4 for less time, but it’s had a much harder life. I mostly ride that bike to dig, which means it has a lot of miles on overgrown forest roads where bushes and grass are constantly trying to dive into the drivetrain. It doesn’t shift quite as smoothly as the other group, but I haven’t had any catastrophically bad shifts or broken chains yet. That’s impressive given the beating I’ve administered.
All that to say: I have yet to have any real issues with Eagle 90 and if I do, I’m confident that they’ll be easy to rectify given how rebuildable this derailleur is.
Two quick notes though: I know this will probably never happen since it would cannibalize SRAM’s wireless lines, but a premium Transmission cable shifter would be so rad. An XO level mechanical shifter, with the correct progressive cable pull ratio for this drivetrain would be the icing on the cake.
Second: if money was no object, I’d go all-out with the gucci mix-and-match option. XX SL lower cage and pulleys on an Eagle 90 derailleur, matched to the more expensive, and lighter chain, cassette, and crank options. I’m not fundamentally opposed to batteries on my bike, but Eagle 90 has convinced me that I don’t need them. So a fully premium mix-and-match mechanical drivetrain sounds pretty cool.
For Now
SRAM came out firing with a trifecta of spring launches. And while all of them were initially impressive, I had reservations as to how they’d mature. However, after six months, I’ve been quite happy with the new Motive brakes and Reverb dropper, and absolutely enamoured with Eagle 90 Transmission. I’ll check back if anything changes or I have any durability issues.
