Now that “other” manufacturers are being allowed to make microspline freehub, it is getting near time to upgrade my bike. The freehub I need probs won’t be available until the end of Feb but XT 1×12 bits look particularly cheap.

Is this the sales or are prices dropping consistently? Should I buy the bits now to take advantage of possibly short term low prices?

Any thoughts?

I’d be buying before the end of Jan, as there might be some economic change around then…

You don’t need to use a Shimano microspline freehub to enjoy 12 speed. Any old XD driver will do. Actually I would recommend to use a SRAM 12 speed cassette even with Shimano mech and shifter.

I just bought a GX Eagle cassette +chain with XT 12 speed mech+shifter for £220.

But then you miss out on the best part of the Shimano setup, the fantastic shifting especially under load of their cassette and chain.

Slight FYI- just noticed px have got the eagle cassettes reduced to £75 if you want to go that way

I’ve been planning to upgrade for a while now as I have DT350 Hubs but the XT Drivetrain groupset incl chainset, whikst amazing value on Wiggle, has been out of stock for ages now.

I’m holding off for 13 speed xt

But then you miss out on the best part of the Shimano setup, the fantastic shifting especially under load of their cassette and chain.

Happy to miss out on a microscopic (if at all) improvement on SRAM for the sake of the longevity of the Eagle stuff.

I’ve thought about upgrading, but I’m not really sure that the 5t difference between 11 and 12 speed XT is enough of a draw for me to spend three or four times the cost of replacing like with like.

Interested to know other people’s rationales for going to 12 speed.

JP

I have bikes with both 11 speed 10-42/28t (a mixed XT & GX setup) and 12 speed 10-50/32t (Eagle X01). After 18 months riding both, I don’t personally feel the 500% range of Eagle is needed. I’ve never missed it while riding off road on the 11 speed bike. The only time I ever wish I had that extra gear is riding down hill on road.

Interested to know other people’s rationales for going to 12 speed

I’m running a 2×9 set up that is on life support?

Interested to know other people’s rationales for going to 12 speed

It’s one louder.

I’ve been running 11 speed on a few bikes and have 11 speed on my gravel bike, never felt under geared, quite content to run my new El Mariachi on 11speed also

1×12 particularly cheap…
11 speed slx shifter are £15 at the minute, I’ve picked up a couple of spare Xt derailleurs at £45, sunrace cassettes 11-46 £39-44
Compared to 12 speed it must be 1/2 price.

Think I’ll go 12 speed eventually. My mates are still complaining how sh1te Gx eagle is, clearly the tolerances are too perfect for off piste riding

Anyone got a link to these half price eagle cassettes as I can’t see them?

I’ve ran 12 speed since the beginning basically, I live in a flat area so when I go further afield riding I find the added range helps get me up the hills, would I be okay with less range? Maybe, maybe not.

As for setup,
XT rear mech- it’s almost out lasted the 2 previous eagle mechs.
GX eagle shifter- will swap to a Shimano if I could find stock, again would go xt
GX eagle cassette- needs replacing, but the cheapest I can find a cassette is currently £110, which is cheaper than going microspline and Shimano.

Don’t forget you can also get a nx cassette which is 50-11 from memory that fits on normal Shimano freehubs if you don’t have xd

Nearly bought an XT 12speed set up at a nice price this weekend, before remembering I needed to factor in a new freehub at £60.  Lucky I didn’t as I have just found a massive scratch on my shock that needs sorting, so gear set will have to wait.  But for me, I have never really been impressed with Eagle.  Gear range is nice and when it shifts well it’s spot on , but it can be temperamental.  I went through several GX rear mechs before buying an XO1 variant, which was much better.  Shifter feels OK but  not particularly good quality.  Not sure where this claimed ‘eagle longevity’ comes from? Perhaps people don’t ride that much? Also running a SRAM cassette is missing some of the best parts of the new Shimano 12 speed system.  Which if you are not aware of, I would recommend reading up on!

As for not needing the range? I don’t understand this , you just need to adjust your chainring size accordingly.  So you’re utilising a good comfortable spread of gears.  If you’re running a 28t chainring with a 50t rear cassette then you are very rarely (if at all)going to use the big ring.  But if genuinely people don’t need the range because a) they live somewhere flat/barely ever ride or b) believe they have Chris Hoys legs then great.  You get to save ££££ on buying new kit. Doesn’t mean we are all the same!

I’m with Mattbee – the shifting performance difference is significant.

Possibly if more people buy XT once freehubs are available then the prices might actually go up?

Happy to miss out on a microscopic (if at all) improvement on SRAM for the sake of the longevity of the Eagle stuff.

Is eagle actually more long lived? Ive got nowhere near enough miles on it to say but based on past experience I dont intend to keep it any longer than the first failed component (usually the mech).

Shimano always shifted better due to the hyperglide patents.

Yup. I’ve tried my setup with both the Shimano cassette and my wife’s GX Eagle. Shifts fine on the GX. Nothing wrong with it. Just normal shifting.
But with the Shimano cassette it’s almost as if the worse you time the shift, the least appropriate time to try it, the better it is. Out of the saddle, tech singletrack climb, need to drop a gear for a nasty corner? No need to back off the gas, soft pedal for the shift or anything like that.
Im not trying to evangelise, it will make absolutely no difference to me what others choose to do/use but I think that the shift quality of the Shimano cassette/chain is the best Ive ever experienced in nearly 30 years of mtbing.
The fact that it’s got 12 ratios is irrelevant to me really. (I bought it because I’m a tart and wanted XTR for a new build, not because it’s 12 speed.)

Interested to know other people’s rationales for going to 12 speed.

I’m nibbling. I’ve got Hunt wheels which I bought for a partly new build last year, part of the decision was that they had microspline freehub bodies lined up for 1/1.

current 1×10 bits are great for the trails I ride, but they’re robbed off the wife’s bike (she’s not riding for now – preggers) so I need something for when she wants her bike back.

Child #1 is getting heavier in the wagon, and will be joined by child #2 before long. I’ve got away with 32×36 so far, but not for ever!

Lovely shifting sounds lovely, so I’m in. I’ve got a few months to watch the sales, but I’m wondering the same at the OP.

Have hunt got a microspline freehub, when I emailed some months ago they said they had no plans to release one?

I have xtr 12 on the new bike, it’s ok, not some sort of revaluation. I was using 2×10 xtr on my xc race bike (yes I know burn him) which I think I actually prefer.

I do however have a 1×9 on the old bike that is used to pull the kids, I’m definitely in need of some extra range, I was thinking nx so I don’t change freehub but there doesn’t seem to be much SRAM love?

Will we see XT Di2 (wireless?) this year? That might be reason to wait. I guess even if they announce it, it’ll take them 2 years to get it to market judging by recent timescales. Although that may have been partly due to the factory fire.

Only delayed release was XTR 18 months ago due to the fire and that was only the cranks. The more recently released XT and SLX groups were both available pretty much immediately after their launch.

I’ve found GX eagle to be good, with a couple of niggles.

B-tension migration. Not the end of the world, but certainly the end of set and forget.

Mechs are prone to blowing up. This seems to be a combination of the older jockey wheels and a flexible mech cage. I understand that these have both been sorted now, but I’m not happy about being a beta tester for this kind of money.

GX spec chain links repeatedly splitting, on multiple chains. This should just not be happening.

The overall cost is just a bit too much for me to happily run as trail gear. New XT is already cheaper than GX eagle and Shimano has the reputation for durable, reliable kit.

So, I’ve just loaded up with 12 speed xt from Bikeinn because there were some decent discounts. I still need a pro4 free-hub body but they should be available any minute, and the GX stuff that’s coming off gets to go in the spares box for replacement parts on the other bike which is GX specced.

In my opinion Shimano shifting has always been better and more reliable than the equivalent SRAM option, and I’m expecting 1 X 12 to take that superiority a level further – that’s why I want it, as well as the range.
Can anyone tell me how simple it is to fit the new micro spline onto a DT Swiss hub? I have the SRAM 1X11 cassette on at the moment which has the weird setup where the cassette just lifts straight off with the XD free hub still attached to it, and I’m not sure how the micro spline will fit to what is left, if anyone gets my drift…

Blimey..looking at the XT 12 speed stuff, it IS MUCH cheaper isn’t it…
I’ve got a (12 speed) GX cassette, NX mech, and GX shifter…

I can get a NEW XT mech AND shifter for £99… that’s a bargain!!

Hmm…

DrP

Prices are starting to come down, for sure. I’ll probably pick up a few bits over the next few weeks from Europe to get ahead of exchange rate issues at the end of the month…

Will get a new wheel built to take the parts in time for spring, if my GX stuff can hold out until then. Had to bend a couple of teeth on the cassette back into alignment last night…

Is eagle actually more long lived? Ive got nowhere near enough miles on it to say but based on past experience I dont intend to keep it any longer than the first failed component (usually the mech).

That’s why I mix and match and use Shimano mech and shifter. My XT 11sp cassette lasted half of the GX 10-42 steel cassette despite being no lighter. I expect the same comparing Eagle to XT 12 cassette. No shifting detriment either. Perhaps the 12sp stuff will exhibit some but I think Hyperglide is essentially a word.

Have hunt got a microspline freehub, when I emailed some months ago they said they had no plans to release one?

I also emailed them some months ago – August, not long after the news of the licence issue being widened from 1st Jan.

Microspline is an option on their wheelsets, but not see the freehub bodies for sale separately. They did say in August there might be a lag from option for new -> spares availability.

I’ve just emailed again to ask when and £.

My new bike came with Eagle SX.

It’s pretty crap, and shifting down from the big ring needs a double shift to get off it, as do a couple of the intermediate rings. I’m going to buy an XT shifter / derailleur and see if that’s any better – especially if it’s available for £100…

I’m fairly certain they are superstar hubs (on-one wide trail wheels) so microspline might be a long way off…

Next delivery of Hunt Microspline freehub spares expected 2nd week of Feb. £50.

I went Eagle after a tooth snapped on my Hope 10-48 cassette. If Hope did the alloy part in steel, I’d have bought that and stayed 11 speed.