Two years in development, SRAM XX is finally here.  Aimed at the high end XC racer market this is packed full of innovative and new features.  Lets take a closer look.

XX Cassette.

The corner stone of the group is the XX cassette.  Others may focus on shifters and brakes but this is the first 10 speed cassette in the mountain bike world, hot on the heels of last years road 10 speed from Campagnola.  The XX Cassette utilises the same manufacturing techniques that produced the PowerDome road cassette. With X-Dome, eight of the cogs are CNC-machined together out of a single block of billet steel, creating an incredibly lightweight, precise, and strong cassette. It’s a process that takes nine hours per cassette though so don’t expect these to be cheap.  The aluminum large cog can be replaced as needed.  The open design apparently aids in mud clearance, giving you cleaner shifting performance and longer component life.  Weight is a mere 208 grams for a 11-36 and 185 grams for an 11-32.  In comparison the 9 speed XTR weighs in at 224 grams!

Shifting performance is improved wit X-Glide a new shifting system from SRAM.  Traditional chainring geometry forces a compromise between up and down shift locations, none of which have ideal timing. In fact, half of the possible shift locations are skipped on each crank revolution. The more shift locations you try to incorporate, the worse the timing compromise will be: either your chain jams, causing chain suck, or the chain just fails to shift and runs across the top of the rings until it hits the next shift location.

With X-Glide, all four upshift locations are identical and can be picked up by any outer link. The result? Up and down shift locations have perfect timing, for an almost instant shift-even under load!

This all-new shifting experience is enhanced by the XX Front Derailleur and the XX 2×10 Front Shifter. Designed together to work together.

XX Crank and BB

Mated to the 10 speed cassette is a 2 ring crank.  Coming in at 694 grams for BB30 and 754 grams for the GXP BB, in comparison the XTR equivalent comes in at 747 grams including BB.  FSA have developed a 2 ring crank which we tested before (and are still running) and have found it really good.  The over-sized chainrings are CNC machined 7075 Aluminum blanks-2mm thicker than the competition. This promises unparalleled stiffness delivered by an increased Bolt Circle Diameter (BCD) and a two-piece insert-molded carbon composite construction. The XX Crank geometry provides a narrow 156mm Q factor, efficient chain line, and beveled crank arms to maximize clearance.

XX Shifters

The XX Trigger features a fully adjustable carbon fiber lever, resulting in minimal weight with maximized durability. Pair the XX Trigger with the MatchMaker^TM X clamp to streamline your handlebar setup. The XX Trigger maintains the legacy of X.0^TM shifting with new features and technologies optimized for 2×10 and Exact Actuation.
The weight is 183g per pair.  By comparison X.0 weighs 225 grams.

XX mechs

Sealed ceramic pulleys give you the highest levels of durability (and cost).  The carbon fiber cage has a dedicated length specific to 2×10.  Exact Actuation technology eliminates slop and shifting variation. Weight is 181 grams.

The low-profile XX Front Derailleur was designed from scratch specifically for 2×10. It’s a critical part of the XX shifting experience: the fastest front shift ever.  Having tested a 2x set up before we feel its a welcome addition and are looking forward to seeing what it has to offer as the Front mech has been a not so crucial aspect of shifting for a long time.   Apparently there are 40 different options of mech in terms of size, clamp type, top/bottom pull, etc.  Weight is 118 grams for the low mount version.

XX Disc Brakes

The all-new two-piece forged magnesium caliper allows for greater stiffness and performance in a lighter-weight package. The oversized pistons give you more stopping power with less lever pull, for easy one-finger braking. We believe it is a development on the excellent Elixer brake as opposed to the Juicy.  We reviewed the Elixer earlier this year and it is really good.

XX Front suspension

SID, Reba, and Revelation-the RockShox® all feature the new XX Motion ControlTM.  XX Motion Control damping offers the same great characteristics as SRAM’s other Motion Control dampers: efficient small-bump performance and incredible reliability in a highly tunable package. Featuring Dual Flow rebound to accurately control beginning and ending stroke rebound, tunable low-speed compression, and the XLoc^TM hydraulic actuated remote to turn on our lock-out and adjust the desired Floodgate.

Available forks featuring XX Motion Control and XLOC: SID XX World Cup, SID XX, Reba XX, and Revelation XX.

The XLoc is a new hydraulic lockout device.  The system is completely sealed and installs directly out of the box. The sealed system combats contamination and can be simply bled if needed.  The hose is lighter and extremely flexible for distinct actuation. Also, they have produced 60 grams of weight savings compared to the PushLoc^TM/BlackBox® Motion Control^TM actuated system. The minimalist design is compact and efficient, providing superior ergonomics without compromising the cockpit. XLoc integrates the MatchMaker^TM X clamp for the ideal customized handlebar setup.

We hope to get a test set soon and will let you know how we get on.  Hints from SRAM also point to the possibility of an XX Zipp MTB wheelset.  Watch out for news on this in the near future.  XX is expected to be on shelves in July.