[NorcoJ]

So I've just been quoted the best part of £400.00 to get my gears sorted and I'm thinking of changing to a different gear set.

Anyone done this or have any recommendations?

Don't care if it's 10 speed, I'll get used to it.

Safe. X

 

[KingOfOrd]

Talk about a nightmare

 

[jeremy3220]

Did they say what the problem is?

 

[scatterbrained]

I also would like to know what is wrong with it. I have GX on my Levo and it came with a mis-routed cable from the shop. Shifted like crap. Ever since then I've been wondering how many people are out there dealing with the same issue.

 

[NorcoJ]

Train wreck got me on all 3.

Shifting has almost been a problem from a bout a week after owning the bike. I lived with it bent it back lived with it. Then smashed it on a rock so replaced the derailleur and cable and it worked well for about a week. After that there were certain gears that wouldn't work so I just lived with it until now.

Bike shop said I need to replace cassette, sprocket, derailleur and chain which I don't doubt at all but it's just a fucbfdus pain!

Just want a bike I can ride hard twice a week and not have to worry about

 

[jeremy3220]

You can't smash any derailleur into rocks and expect it to be fine.

 

[NorcoJ]

That was round 1

This one I've been careful with

 

[Lone Rager]

^^^ yeah. Smacking a derailleur can ef up the derailleur, bend/break the hanger, bend some of the cogs, put a twist in the chain, damage the cable, and worse if it gets caught in the spokes. That can happen with any derailleur based drivetrain.

 

[NorcoJ]

Eagles have got longer cages than other derailleurs so was just after someone who had a different option that would work well that's all...

 

[jeremy3220]

If you didn't bend this one then it probably just needs adjusted. If it's worn out then that's a different issue. You probably don't need a new cassette, chain and chainring because the derailleur got hit. You're mixing up a bunch of different issues.

 

[NorcoJ]

According to my lbs it's worn out.

It's been adjusted and tuned today but advised to change the lot as it still doesn't shift smoothly and only a matter of time until the chain snaps.(again)

This derailleur hasn't been hit.

 

[Forest Rider]

At first I was like "oh boy, here we go again".

But the title is actually somewhat accurate.

OP needs to replace a bunch of parts due to wear and damage (separate things going on). The cost of replacement parts to repair said worn out items, and damaged items, is price as posted.

Much better to the reader than a complaint over something that wasn't actually a problem. haha

What are cassette options for an XD hub -is it stuck with the expensive cassette? Any brand front ring and any brand chain and a decent level of derailleur will save a little money.

OP could even source a few used bits from Craigslist or similar.

 

[PuddleDuck]

According to my lbs it's worn out.

It's been adjusted and tuned today but advised to change the lot as it still doesn't shift smoothly and only a matter of time until the chain snaps.(again)

This derailleur hasn't been hit.

SRAM 12 speed is very sensitive to how it's set up, but, there are many happy users out there.

There's a few things that could be happening here: I hope that you're not offended by any of my questions, I'm trying to help and you haven't given all of the info that we need to know!

1. your LBS might not be serving you well, either by not setting the bike up properly, and/or now by wanting to sell you stuff that you may not need.
2. your LBS might be correct, and you may have damaged the drivetrain via lack of adjustment and maintenance

As background, your cassette should last for multiple chains if you replace the chain before the chain gets to 0.5 on the wear scale. If you don't have a tool to check this, any decent bike shop will stock them

If you have used a chain that's past 0.5 on the wear indicator, then you may have worn out your chainring and cassette by doing this (as background, older 9 and 10 speed stuff can be used to 0.75 on the wear indicator)

Have you been checking the wear on your chain? How worn is it now? How many miles have you done? How old is the bike?

Also, I don't think that it's a good idea to "live with it" when the bike isn't shifting well, especially when that starts a week after buying the bike...when a simple adjustment may have put you back into the sweet spot.

Summing up my thinking: if you've neglected the adjustment and maintenance, then this might be the root cause of all of your issues...and the same could happen to a replacement drivetrain.

Moving on, and assuming that the chain hasn't been used past it's service life...

...I'd go back to basics, and ensure that the following has been done by the LBS...before spending money on a cassette or chainring. Doing these things will ensure that the bike has been adjusted properly:

Install new housing (Shimano SP41)
Install a new cable
Install a new chain (if it's close to 0.5 on the wear tool)
Check the alignment of the der hanger (THIS IS CRITICAL)
Check the setting of the B-screw, this MUST be done with you sitting on the bike so that's its sagged
Check the adjustment of the upper and lower limit screws on the rear der.
Adust the cable tension so that the shifting works in all gears

IFF at this point, your shifting is still not great, then the cassette and chainring probably needs to be replaced. Your LBS wants to do it all at once because it's easiest and most profitable for them

If you don't want to worry/think about your bike, or don't have the time or interest in maintaining it, or if you're not that knowledgeable, then you've hit the nail on the head by going back to 10 speed. It's less sensitive. I have an old 10speed XTR shifter with XT cassette...and the shifting is as smooth as butter, and not that fussed by e.g. cable adjustment.

 

[OneTrustMan]

According to my lbs it's worn out.

It's been adjusted and tuned today but advised to change the lot as it still doesn't shift smoothly and only a matter of time until the chain snaps.(again)

This derailleur hasn't been hit.

What the heck is your lbs doing?

I have a GX Eagle on my park bike and trashed 2 hangers last year.
Still works fine. I adjust everything myself though.

The only problem I have is with backpedaling on the smallest 3 cogs of the cassette, because the previous owner of my bike adjusted the drivetrain flat out wrong, weights 30kg more than me, is a pedal masher and used a 28t chainring.
Pretty bad combination.

I don't want to be mean to your lbs, but were I live I found out that a lot of lbs are so used to Shimano stuff, that they are pretty bad at working with Sram drivetrains and brakes.

So I do everthing myself.

 

[NorcoJ]

Thanks for the replies.

to be honest i dont have a chain checker and have never checked it or had it checked so that is my fault and could be the reason ive ended up at this point. to top it off my chain snapped last week, i removed the affected link and carried on and it actually ran better for 30-35 miles.

ive maintained it in the sense of always keeping it clean but when it comes to adjustment ive only used the barrel adjuster.

So if i have got to replace everything im after something which will allow me to keep on top of maintenenance a little easier as from my understanding the gx eagle is delicate and fiddly.

The bike is a year and a half old with about 2300 miles on it.

thanks again for the replys

 

[LyNx]

OP, your last post clarifies a lot. If you've honestly put 2300 miles on your bike with the same chain, it's no wonder the entire drivetrain is toast, most I've ever gotten out of a chain being used on an MTB is about 1k miles and that's in dry conditions, doing long XC miles, maintained properly (i.e. cleaned and lubed regularly). This has nothing to do with the fact that it's a 12spd GX drivetrain, just lack of maintenance on your part (replacing the chain before too far worn). Quoting pounds, I assume you live in Engalnd, not a place known for long, dry weather spells and nothing helps accelerate drivetrain wear like riding in the mud and muck.

All that being said, I do agree that the RD cages on modern wide range drivetrains hang way too low and it's part of the reason I stick to 10spd XT 11-42 and a mid cage RD. So if you have to replace your entire drivetrain (don't think the shop is lying to you with those miles) and you want your RD a bit higher off the ground and away from debris, you could replace the cassette with an 11spd 10-42 cassette and then replace the rest of the DT with the requisite shifter and RD, Shimano or Sram is personal sort of preference, I prefer Shimano.

Lastly, you don't need a special tool to check chain wear, a 12" long ruler is all you need. I would point you to the Park Tool site and YouTube channel to do some learning on how to check chain wear and also other maintenance on your bike.

 

[Forest Rider]

With 2300 miles, it isn't too surprising the chain ring and cassette are due for replacement.

My current 10 speed cassette has 1300 miles on it. I am on the 2nd chain which was replaced around 1100 miles.
Keeping the chain clean and lubed is crucial for longevity. Sounds like you've done that, but the chain should have been replaced (if it hasn't been), at least once in that span of miles. Now you'll know for next time -chalk it up as a learning example.
A worn chain will wear out cassette and chain ring teeth. The reason a chain is suggested to replace when signs of chain 'stretch' are witnesses it to increase life of the cassette/rings.
11 and 12 speed chains has a suggested replacement wear amount more frequent than a 10 speed chain. 10 speeds can wear as much as .75% (so they say) but the thinner counterparts are suggested to replace around .50%.

Adjustments aside from barrel adjuster are unnecessary unless you damage something, or bend the hanger. Sounds like you're okay there!

 

[mechsc1]

Man all that fussing and then you mention : "The bike is a year and a half old with about 2300 miles on it.

 

[PuddleDuck]

Thanks for the replies.

to be honest i dont have a chain checker and have never checked it or had it checked so that is my fault and could be the reason ive ended up at this point. to top it off my chain snapped last week, i removed the affected link and carried on and it actually ran better for 30-35 miles.

ive maintained it in the sense of always keeping it clean but when it comes to adjustment ive only used the barrel adjuster.

So if i have got to replace everything im after something which will allow me to keep on top of maintenenance a little easier as from my understanding the gx eagle is delicate and fiddly.

The bike is a year and a half old with about 2300 miles on it.

thanks again for the replys

2300 miles in 1.5 years, sounds you've had a lot of fun. :thumbsup:

LyNx's post is great re: additional thoughts.

On the positive side, if you replace the drivetrain with e.g. XT10 sp, you call sell your GX rear mech and crank to offset the cost :thumbsup:

If you're considering replacing the worn GX 12 speed parts, 400 pounds sounds really, really high for the cassette & chain & ring & install. You might do better be shopping around. Also if you want to look at doing it yourself, do the big German online stores ship to the UK (R2 bike, Bike24, Bikecomponents.de)?

 

[NorcoJ]

Lesson learnt 👍 it's my first proper mtb and I'm a solo rider so didn't realise a lot of what could have been prevented!

Went out for 30 miles today after having the gears tuned And the chain kept dropping on the slightest back pedal off the jockey wheel.

Got a 100 mile ride with 12000 feet climbing coming up on the 13th so gonna go ahead and get the work done. Now I'm more informed regarding chains n tings I will be taking for care of the new one 👍

Thanks again for all the help and constructive criticism.

X