Coming in just behind, and reaching the .5% wear mark at near 3,000 km were the Shimano Dura-Ace (HG-901), YBN SLA Gold, Campagnolo Chorus, Campagnolo Record, and YBN Anti Corrosion. The outside is vastly less important. One example Kerin provides is KMCs DLC (Diamond Like Coating) which is applied after the chain is assembled, rather than directly on the internal pieces which are most responsible for slowing chain elongation. Aside from my machine testing, I also field-tested the very fast KMC x12, however, their material coatings cause the Mspeedwax treatment to feel dry in under two hours of use. Seeking a race chain for his SRAM Eagle-equipped bikes thats faster than SRAMs own offering, Kerin swapped to a Shimano 12-speed compatible chainring. Likewise, the same great durability, unfortunately, isnt present in SRAMs cheaper Eagle NX and Eagle GX. Wrap-up. Zero Friction Cyclings recommendations There are of course other factors beyond durability and efficiency that help to define a good chain, and it can often greatly depend on your specific drivetrain setup. This is specific to the way the cassette mounts onto the wheel. SRAM X01 Eagle is going to be the premium, top shelf offering for any rider looking for the best performance combined with durability. What the testing did show is that there are substantial differences in the durability and efficiency between chains, and some chains excel in one area, while others manage to find a healthy balance of both. When SRAM Eagle first came out, it was only available in the top trims of, Recently, SRAM updated XX1, X01, and GX Eagle with a larger 52t cassette cog, which was previously a 50t max. First to the 1x game, first to the 12-speed game, SRAM is constantly innovating, which is one of many reasons why we love and choose SRAM Eagle on our bikes. SRAM considers these to have the same level of performance, but theyre made for different riders. X01 Eagle is aimed at the aggressive trail or enduro rider looking to get that snappy, precise shifting you love from SRAMwhile not sacrificingdurability. Anyone have any trouble of the chain skipping off the biggest 50t sprocket when backpedaling? You might want to do this when upgrading or if you have a more expensive version and break some part and want to grab the more affordable option. However, there were some big surprises which required a lot of further investigation and additional independent testing it has taken over a year!. - GX Eagle Shifter:122g- GX Eagle Rear Derailleur:300g- GX Eagle Crankset Alloy:649g- GX Eagle Crankset Carbon:555g- GX Eagle Cassette:451g- GX Eagle Chain:271g, Total Weight: 1,699g (carbon),1,793g (alloy). Episode 96 [Podcast]. The GX cassette and chain wear down super fast and loose their color fast to. Its no doubt that SRAM is at the top of the listwhen it comes to innovation. So what makes a chain fast? Right? I mentioned mix and matching parts. It sucks to be neighbors with a rock, but that is the job of the rear derailleur, plus bringing a spare with you is also easier when it's a bit cheaper. On the reverse of this, CeramicSpeeds testing points to SRAM chains as consistently being the least efficient. For spares I get the SRAM GX Eagle Chains as they shift just as well, weigh only slightly more, but are affordable to keep as an extra in the travel box. Every drivetrain manufacturer will tell you not to run any chain other than their own, while the aftermarket chain makers just say trust us, its cool. BRL Those hollow pins often create a stronger chain, too, at least according to Shimano and SRAM, with such chains earning an extra peening process that tapers the ends of the pins. I just run an E13 and a 32T chainring keeping things nice and light, but having plenty of range. Basically the X01 arms are stronger and less likely to have any issues. Keep in mind that Kerins test considers .5mm to be worn out, and so .12mm is almost a quarter of the allowable wear allowance. Ive wondered about that, too. GX Eagle still gets the new wide range of 10-52t cassette, and a sleek look to match any color cassette and chain combo you might want. Where its common to see inner, outer and pins given special heat treatments, the rollers are rarely spoken of and this is certainly an element that came up in Kerins testing. In fact, common chain tools wont physically fit into the X01 and XX1-level SRAM chains, even after elongation wear is measured. Its often these coatings and materials used that dictate a price difference in chains. CeramicSpeed was willing to share some of its recent and typically-secret data about which chains perform best with the UFO V2 race treatment process. Some of those results line up with what Kerin found, but there are a number of obvious discrepancies (especially related to KMC and SRAM chains). Can you add GripShift comparison to the table? While not cheap, the wireless performance and ease of use took SRAM Eagle to the top, above any other brands, and we still havent seen anyone come close to matching the performance. However, and if possible, you should most definitely swap back to the impressively durable SRAM chains in your training. Personally, im just going to go for a GX with an X01 chain. And that makes sense: if a lubricant is causing vast abrasive wear on metal, it has to be wasting energy, too. Prior to that, Tyler launched and built multiple sports nutrition brands and consumer goods companies, mostly as an excuse to travel to killer riding locations throughout North America. Kerin subjected 31 models of chain to his motorised Tacx Neo torture chamber, keeping the lube (White Lightning Epic Ride, previously tested to be a poor and abrasive lube) and contamination controlled, all while measuring chain wear along the way. These are questions often asked without definitive answers, but there is some insight emerging. Cassettes, I use X01 or XX1. 
And the expectation is that the Red version, with its Hard Chrome coated rollers, will be the more durable of the two. The SRAM AXS makes it pretty easy and also requires less maintenance, except, of course, to remember to charge your batteries. According to CeramicSpeeds data, the Eagle X01 chain (which sits at an average wattage of 6.27W with UFO V2 treatment) is approximately half a watt more efficient than the top-tier Eagle XX1 Gold chain. Hey, what is SRAM NX and GX the equivalent of in Shimano road and mtb groupsets? Itll cost you $1,900 for a full X01 Eagle AXS groupset and $2,000 for an XX1 Eagle AXS groupset. Theyre brilliant. The cutaway on the XO crank is a nice visual aid. NX: Standard steel plates and solid pins. However, as covered in the next section, it certainly has a purpose. AUD Kerins durability testing isnt the first in the space, and not long ago Wippermann Connex conducted its own such test to find the most durable chain. I only put USD, but the differences for and are similar, just using this for comparative purposes. Posted on June 23, 2018 by Tyler Benedict. That means the SRAM NX Eagle gets the 11-50t cassette range as the next level gets the bump up. Ill take the bruise to continue riding. Its a little more expensive, but that XO1 cassette is so much lighter. Not covered in this test is shifting performance, and those with lots of experiencing in swapping chains, such as Kerin, typically say it makes a negligible difference. For SRAM, its latest top-tier chains feature Hard Chrome which is described by the companys Road Technical Marketing Coordinator, Brooklyn Fowler, as being a far more expensive process requiring very stringent process control that results in an extremely hard and therefore wear-resistant surface. Compare that to the simple Chrome mentioned for chains such as the Red 22 which according to Fowler is simply used to prevent corrosion and give a nice appearance.. That said, Kerin has tested a handful of KMC models, including the brand-new X11TT oil-slick (race day) chain, which actually posted impressively good durability results despite KMCs own claim it trades 5% durability for improved speed and so its not out of the question that Kerin got his hands on a bad batch of KMC chains. Plus ,it is less likely to snap in a crash, or if the bars twist into your leg, you are left with just a bruise and not a broken shifter. Check out our individual coverage and first ride reports for each group at these links: Tyler Benedict is the Founder of Bikerumor.com. Shimano 105 vs Ultegra vs Dura-Ace Most wont give it a second thought when it comes time for a new one, and its common to simply replace the worn chain with one that matches the name on the derailleurs. USD SRAM X01 is made to take more of a beating. I see GX as being more the SLX SRAM derivative. Both the X01 and XX1 chains were so far ahead of any other chain from a pure elongation wear measure that I had to re-run the tests. So this is what I mix and match. What is most impressive is how affordable SRAM 12-speed has become. Shortly after, they became the first to the 12-speed game as well. SRAM Eagle is an entire drivetrain ecosystem, as all levels can interact with each other, but there are also five levels to this ecosystem. However, and as Kerin points out, the new chains feature a totally new plate shaping thats designed to improve shift performance, but in turn, makes it a poor fit for other drivetrains. And lastly, tensile and rivet strength is a factor thats important but is currently unknown. Perhaps the most glaring omissions from the list are SRAMs new Flat Top chains required for its Red and Force AXS road groupsets. SRAMs XX1 Hard Chrome chain did great in this regard too, but as covered in the next section, its a tricky chain to measure. Premium black and coating to reduce friction and increase durability. Its almost a universal law that there is no real cost benefit or functional benefit to any top tier group compared to 2nd rung (excluding Campy SR which is really a above an beyond factory tuned level). One of the main reasons why I run SRAM. Ill save you all the specifics of Kerins testing and testing protocol, but if youre interested, hang up your bike, call your family, let your work know youre feeling under the weather, and cancel all of your arrangements. 
Personally I dont doubt that SRAM does its own in-house (and secret) testing, but one must also consider that their top-tier drivetrains feature premium (and expensive) ceramic bearing-equipped derailleur pulley wheels and bottom bracket bearings, and low-friction coatings on cogs all things that could help to make up some of the difference thats being lost in the chain. Maybe I should just eat less. Because of that, I want to, of course, have the best performance, but I also don't want to be out $500 if I clip my rear derailleur on a rock. 
Soon to follow was NX Eagle and then SX Eagle. Eagle AXS i dont know if that segment is really needed For example, Kerin is eagerly awaiting a new production 12-speed chain from YBN. Yes, there are more durable chains which are almost as fast (such as YBN), but these may only be worth the extra expense if youre in the chain waxing clan. And as covered in the chain wear article, SRAM chains do present major issues if using standard chain wear measuring tools. But I would say if looking to really get SRAM Eagle while not breaking the bank, SRAM GX Eagle gets my vote. This gives you a massive range enabling you to pedal up practically anything. Its commonly thought that chains have become less durable as extra cogs have been added to the rear cassette, but seemingly, that is a misconception. 
The nickel PTFE coating on YBN chains get along extremely well with my favourite lube Mspeedwax with a treatment staying silky smooth for noticeably longer before starting to feel dry and their shift performance is perfect, Kerin said. Why is one part better or lighter than the other? Lets start with the premium products, SRAM XX1 and X01 Eagle. I'll go over what I prefer to run below. 
CLP Great for racing. While at the same performance level as X01 Eagle, XX1 Eagle gets lots more carbon bits, like a carbon derailleur cage, carbon shift paddle and shifter cover, and the cranks also shave some weight over the X01. The most efficient 11 & 12 speed chains This gives you a massive range enabling you to pedal up practically anything. I have a X1 11-speed crankset and it has nice hollow aluminum crankarms. With SRAM SX Eagle you will be using the Shimano HG style freehub body, meaning that this is an easy way to upgrade an older or more entry level bike so you can put the cassette on your existing wheel. However, variances in recorded roller diameter and wear rates of the rollers themselves forced Kerin to also adopt the more traditional method of measuring total chain elongation. video Campagnolo may just be the exception to 12-speed being more durable, and its new 12-speed Record chain does suffer a slight drop in durability compared to the 11-speed version. With exclusive test data from Zero Friction Cycling and CeramicSpeed, we dive deep to find out. Adam Kerin doesnt have to imagine it he did it. You can pretty much use any level part with each other, with the exception of the cassettes and that really just matters according to whats on your wheel. Thanks for the effort here, awesome stuff!!! If you just want to get the best performing SRAM option without taking out a loan, SRAM GX Eagle really is a great choice as price and performance are spot on and I would be fine using this on my personal bikes, day in and day out. Offered in both SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS as well as SRAM X01 Eagle AXS, you can get the durable option, or the carbon option. 
Shimano chains are seemingly the most efficient on the market while also offering decent durability. Going into this test, Kerin was expecting to find that the top chains from the major manufacturers were pretty close, and similarly when comparing the lower-level chains. Next down is the working class hero, SRAM GX Eagle. The shifters internals are virtually identical across the range, so its mainly materials and adjustability improvements as you move up. Maybe buy all GX, but swap to X01 cassete/chain for weight and durability. 
All are available in eMTB versions with single click downshifts, too. If you were to blindfold someone and ask them to try to notice the difference between each level of Eagle, I think they would really only be able to tell the difference of NX Eagle from the rest as the shifter has a different feeling. After KMCs X11E chain, it was FSAs Team Issue chain and SRAMs budget PC1130 which were due for replacement by the 2,000 km mark, two-thirds of what many popular premium chains reached. Some treatments are more about marketing and aesthetics versus performance, Kerin said. From SRAM SX Eagle to SRAM XX1 Eagle, there is an option for every rider in every price range. There arealso the SRAM AXS kits, which are $1,000 for a controller (shifter) and rear derailleur, and thats only if you wanted to upgrade your current mechanical drivetrain parts. Given all of this, and to a point, it makes financial and performance sense to spend a little more and get the better chain even if its just for peace of mind through not having to check wear quite as often. 
What does that mean? Next, I run the GX Eagle rear derailleur. Look no further than SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS, wireless shifting, with dreamy colors; it's the top shelf option. The top-tier X01 and XX1 Eagle chains both beat Kerins 5,000 km test and only recorded 70% of the allowed elongation wear at the time of doing so. Your X01 crank weight is much higher than what sram.com shows. Durability also gets to a peak, topping out at X01, which is the most durable version of Eagle. Click the links below: The most durable 11-speed chains 
Wippermanns test was run on a full-load machine (single speed, no rear derailleur) and the chains were worn to an oh-so-toast 1%. . Having done a quickie search, going from X01 to XX1 is about $10 per gram or ~$300 total. The GX Eagle provides smooth and quiet shifting, while being affordable to replace when, not if, I smash that guy hanging down near rocks. Its commonly said that the wider chains of past drivetrains were more durable. For 11-speed chains, Kerins overall favourite is still YBN. If you are going from GX Eagle to XX1 or X01, you wont need to worry about this. 
8 vs 9 vs 10 vs 11 vs 12-speed durability 
If youre sticking with Shimano 11-speed, Id say its worth upgrading your Shimano chain to at least an Ultegra level, and if efficiency matters to you, then Dura-Ace is worth the extra. In all he clocked a combined 80,000 km of simulated riding. Additionally, I reached out to CeramicSpeed for access to their chain data. Support us! And at least for Shimano chains, 10-speed saw a significant jump in durability from 9- and 8-speed, and Shimanos latest 12-speed XTR mountain bike chain rules the roost as Shimanos most durable offering. He has been writing about the latest bikes, components, and cycling technology for 14 years. I also wonder if we have reached the tipping point on 1x in terms of benefits vs weight. Each chain was tested at least twice (53 links at a time), matched with a half-length of Shimano Ultegra control chain each time. The brief answer is: larger gaps between the various components, allowing lubricant to travel freely and do its job while reducing the sheer amount of friction between the various chain parts. In this, he tested the top Shimano chains from each respective speed, and the results may surprise you. x01,xx1 just in case you want to spend more money. Will a Sram xo1 work OK on a sram DX cassette, Copyright 2022 Bikerumor, All Rights Reserved. Im not cheap, im just health conscious! The newest version of SRAM GX Eagle also gets the 10-52t cassette range, or the extended Eagle. 
Makes my full GX but with X01 cranks seem ideal. They show 471g (175mm, 32t) and you show 520g. SRAM GX Eagle is the next level up and what I would consider as the first step into the performance range, meaning GX Eagle gets you that premium performance and quality. At least for now, SRAM chains are best measured with backside-to-backside wear tools such as the Pedros Chain Checker Plus II and Park Tool CC-4, or better yet, with a pure elongation wear measurement. 
Well, its important to consider that its the rollers that interface with the cogs. 
Extrapolated out, these chains would likely have hit 7,000 km with the terrible control chain lube. Generally speaking, higher-end chains offer coatings or materials which are better equipped to resist rust when left to the elements. We know the choice of chain lube can have major influence over a chains durability and efficiency, but surely chains themselves must vary in how durable and efficient they are? The results were basically identical. Meanwhile, SRAM AXS Road uses a chain with an oversized roller, meaning you currently cant AXS other brands (get it, eh, eh?). Both Campagnolo Record and YBN SLA chains achieved almost equal roller-based and elongation-based wear rates the desired outcome as it means chain wear tools will provide an accurate gauge. Seemed like a nice step in quality/price before the fancy carbon cranks. 
Its actually easier to install the SRAM AXS as you dont need to mess with cables and housing and then adjusting it all with some fine-tuning. Taking things further, Kerin also measured each chain before testing to check for variance in manufacturing dimensions (chains out of tolerance). Otherwise great work TB and the BR staff! All Eagle chains use their Flow Link construction to remove sharp edges from the inside of the plates, making shifting smooth and quiet in both directions, and they all come with their Eagle-specific Power Link quick connect. KMC and YBN are also worth considering if youre looking to get more efficiency from your drivetrain. A lower grade of steel and/or different levels of material hardening may be present between the cheapest and most expensive of chains. And perhaps the biggest takeaway from all of this testing is that no matter how durable a chain is, the lubricant you use will play the most critical role in drivetrain durability. The next two versions of SRAM Eagle are barely a step down. 
These coatings also help to explain why Kerin experienced a progressive ramp-up of wear rates on cheaper models of chains likely the result of increased material friction once the coatings had worn away. Shimanos new XTR 12-speed chain proved to be outstanding in this regard and aligns perfectly with what Shimano claims as far as improved durability. GBP Low friction coatings are typically the most obvious difference, with the likes of Shimano 105, Ultegra and Dura-Ace chains offering an increasing number of coated parts as the price increases (and kudos to Shimano for being relatively transparent on this topic). With all the data to hand, I dont see major reason to move away from the drivetrain manufacturers recommended chain a chain thats surely been optimised to get the best shifting performance from your cogs. 
My experience suggests that the drivetrain manufacturers typically optimise their chain plate shapes to best match their own shifting ramps, and there is some difference, even if its difficult to detect. As recently covered in our deep dive on chain wear, there are multiple ways to measure chain wear (aka chain stretch). 
GX Eagle The likes of WolfTooth are now offering compatible rings, but at least for now, Shimanos excellent 12-speed chains are best kept to their own 12-speed mountain bike drivetrains. And those differences can be quite apparent, with thousands of kilometres separating the best and worst in terms of durability, and as much as a 4 watt (at 250W, 90rpm) difference in drag not insignificant figures. However, 12-speed is a totally different story. In most cases, 8, 9, 10 and 11-speed drivetrain users can mix-and-match between brands without too much concern as long as you keep with the right cog count (as covered in our drivetrain compatibility article). The Mspeedwax treatment is still silky smooth after nearly six hours of hard training and whilst I dont have efficiency results yet, I will be shocked if the XTR chain isnt very fast. Much of this is related to the hardness, coatings and tolerances of the rollers. Want to know which 11- and 12-speed chains offer the best durability and performance? However, as teased in the chain wear article, Kerin found many discrepancies between pure elongation wear (total length) and wear that included the chain rollers when measured with a chain wear tool.
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