Sram GX jockey wheels

Servicing the bike and while the original Sram jockey wheels are still working OK after 5k miles, and I’m sure will do for a little while longer with some new grease, there’s bearings missing and they’re generally past their best.

What’s the recommended replacement? Original Sram look to be £26 on Amazon, which seems reasonable in this day and age. But are there better alternatives, would Superstar be an upgrade?

I just replaced mine with Nukeproof ones. Seem fine weren’t expensive £20

If the teeth are ok you can push the bearings out and put Enduro bearings in them for a fraction of the cost of new pulleys.

I bought some posh superstar ones. They didn’t seem worth it.

I’m impressed that your derailleur and jockeys lasted that long

Five thousand miles??
I’d be buying the same again!

I’m impressed that your derailleur and jockeys lasted that long

They’ve had the seals off and been repacked with grease a few times. There’s a good bit of play in them to be fair. Think I’ll just buy the same again.

BBB Jockey’s in mine now. I found the end caps (X9 Mech) would trap mud in between the cap and the bearing seal, eventually rubbing it off. The BBB have a smaller end cap/spacer that leaves the seals without anything that can trap mud. These seem to last better, although, still need regular re-greasing due to the conditions.

I found the Superstar ones had narrow-wide teeth which is totally unnecessary on jockey wheels. Occasionally the chain would skip by one tooth and then ride high on the wrong size tooth, rubbing on the cage in the process. Completely annoying. I ended up replacing again with BBB. BBB BDP-07

si77
Full Member
I found the Superstar ones had narrow-wide teeth which is totally unnecessary on jockey wheels. Occasionally the chain would skip by one tooth and then ride high on the wrong size tooth, rubbing on the cage in the process

I had the same experience with ss jockey wheels. A solution to a problem that never existed and made things worse.

I’ve used the Superstar jockeys and had the same issues as above.
SRAM i’ve had them rip teeth off and seize.
Went with the £20 Nukeproof ones and they have been really good for the last year or so on 2 bikes also the quietest ones.

I’ve now got two bikes with GX mechs so have an interest in this…

Years ago I had a decent spec SRAM mech and replaced the roller bearing jockey wheels with ones from lower spec version which used bushings. Cheaper and much better.

Can you still do that? If so which models suit?

Had the nukeproof ones, wouldn’t buy again and wouldn’t recommend. They look appealing as they are so cheap but they’re made from an extremely brittle plastic that is prone to cracking.

My upper jockey wheel disintegrated on a ride and left me stranded as a result. Plenty of other people have had the same issues with them if you look at the reviews out there and on various forums.

Best to stick with the stock sram ones. Me, I upgraded to the new hope eagle jockey wheels. Bit more expensive at £40, but being aluminium with replaceable bearings they’ll last a lifetime

how are the hope ones fairing @chainbreaker ? are they much noisier than the nukeproof ones? ive not heard of this issue with the nukeproof ones, and ive ran them all winter with little care, but ill keep an eye out on them now

If the jockey wheel teeth are fine I’d just swap the bearings – that’s what I’ve done on my GX eagle mech. 10 min job to take the jockeys out, knock the old bearings out and press new ones in.

If the jockey wheel teeth are fine I’d just swap the bearings

I’ve ordered the Sram ones now. The teeth were slightly worn but not bad considering the mileage. Out of curiosity, how much are the bearings?

Think it was a 626LLb enduro bearing that I got – looks like I paid £3.65 for 2. Cheap as chips!

I’ve used the Superstar jockeys and had the same issues as above.

I’ve got some fresh OEM SRAM jockey wheels waiting on the bench for exactly the same reason.

Thread resurrection

I’m looking to replace my jockey wheels, this weekend at Inners the jockey wheels began to stick to the chain and where causing some shifting issues. They have been on a few years now so don’t owe me anything, having had several bearing changes as they have gotten older (I’ve gone through 3 sets of bearings this winter). It’s time to change and was wondering if the NX ones with bushes would be a better option. When I had Shimano mechs, the jockey wheels used bushes and they seemed to out last the jockey wheels

It’s time to change and was wondering if the NX ones with bushes would be a better option.

I swapped for NX with no issues. I don’t see the point in having bearings in jockey wheels!

I couldn’t make NX fit my 2019 GX (still have them in the packet), but changing the bearing was easy. Went for BBB to save messing around this time, as when I look OEM were £30+, I’d be tempted to just pay £26.