RIP Nine Speed

Jennifer had the last bike in the house with a nine-speed drivetrain. She also had the last bike with a front derailleur. It was only fair that she now has the first 12-speed drivetrain in the house.

The parts are Sram Eagle GX except for the cassette, which is NX due to the compatibility with her Shimano hub.

I went with Sram over Shimano because she needs the extra low-end Eagle provides over Deore XT 11-speed—it's very hilly around here. To use the new XTR 12-speed I would have to build a new rear wheel. I would also need to sell a kidney to afford it.

I found the setup to be pretty routine and not much different than Shimano, unlike with the road components. Shifting is pretty damn good right out of the box. I found that Deore XT shifters need a little break-in before they feel good, but these Eagle shifters are smooth already.

One benefit to going with a one-by-twelve system is losing the clunky fat bike front derailleur clamp. It was so thick that it required a bunch of washers under the water bottle cage. This pushed the cage out so far it overlapped the frame. If you tried to put a bottle in the cage it bottomed out on the frame. Consequently, this bike has never had a second cage until now.

Jenn will get plenty of time to test it out during our upcoming trip to Monterey. I am curious what she will think about the new setup.

Later.