Levo SL Gen 1 Drivetrain upgrade help and suggestions please!

[MBag85]

Hello,

Currently I have the NX eagle 12 speed groupset that came stock on the 2020 comp Turbo levo SL and compared to previously having a x01 setup on previous bike, it feels terrible.

I've managed to get my hands on a brand new 2021 x01 10-52t derailleur for £100 - bargain!

Stock right now is terrible in the UK so my choices are XG1299 10-52t, XG1295 10-50/52t or XG1275 . Will any of these directly fit or do I need to change anything, if so what do I need?

What else would be a direct replacement for the NX that's on par or better than above?

Chains are confusing with so many variations on the market. Can anyone tell me what a 'PC' stands for or means on SRAM chains and do they work with Eagle , whats best?

Sorry in advance, I'm trying to learn as much as I can with little help from LBS who only want to give advice if there's a sale ?

 

[Gary]

None of those cassettes will fit.
but there's no improvement in shifting precision or quality between your cheap NX cassette and a £300 XO Eagle cassette

If it "feels" terrible the first part to upgrade is the shifter.
if it's not shifting precicely first check your set-up and cabling.

 

[boBE]

Hello,

Currently I have the NX eagle 12 speed groupset that came stock on the 2020 comp Turbo levo SL and compared to previously having a x01 setup on previous bike, it feels terrible.

I've managed to get my hands on a brand new 2021 x01 10-52t derailleur for £100 - bargain!

Stock right now is terrible in the UK so my choices are XG1299 10-52t, XG1295 10-50/52t or XG1275 . Will any of these directly fit or do I need to change anything, if so what do I need?

What else would be a direct replacement for the NX that's on par or better than above?

Chains are confusing with so many variations on the market. Can anyone tell me what a 'PC' stands for or means on SRAM chains and do they work with Eagle , whats best?

Sorry in advance, I'm trying to learn as much as I can with little help from LBS who only want to give advice if there's a sale ?

All the choices you listed are XD Driver body so at a minimum you have to change the driver body from your current HG or get new wheels. I am not happy with the shifting (or the cog range) of my NX but it looks like a lot of $$ (maybe $500) and a fair amount of work to change it. A forum member posted what he did to change to Shimano 10 or 11 speed (can't remember which) and it was a few hundred $ but he said the great shifting was worth it.

 

[Gary]

PC is just the product code. the next two digits signify speed and the next two quality/price

 

[Gary]

or the cog range

what aren't you happy about with NX's 11-50t range?
That's a massive range cassette when you have a motor. And IMO an 11t is as small a sprocket as you'd ever want to ensure decent durability/wear rates with the increases use/power of an Emtb

 

[MBag85]

what aren't you happy about with NX's 11-50t range?
That's a massive range cassette when you have a motor. And IMO an 11t is as small a sprocket as you'd ever want to ensure decent durability/wear rates with the increases use/power of an Emtb

I'm happy with the current range, just limited to stock. I'll fit the x01 shifter and see how that feels compared to the NX

 

[Gary]

Yeah. @MBag85 I wasn't asking you

When fitting the new shifter make sure your cables are smooth and well routed, the rear mech in good condition and your mech hanger perfectly straight and mech adjusted properly.

 

[boBE]

what aren't you happy about with NX's 11-50t range?
That's a massive range cassette when you have a motor. And IMO an 11t is as small a sprocket as you'd ever want to ensure decent durability/wear rates with the increases use/power of an Emtb

It's not exactly the range, it's the gaps between gears. I ride in FL and it is FLAT so I don't need 50t, my analog bike has 11-27 and it's enough. I am looking to change to 11-34 or so to get smaller gaps between gears.

 

[Gary]

You can change to 11-28 if you see fit. you'd need to swap to 10 speed shifter/mech to do so though.
On my Emtb I run a 36t chainring and 10 speed 11-25 cassette on road as it's all I need and the closer spacing makes it firstly far nicer to pedal at pref cadence and secondly increases life greatly.
and I run 11-36 off road. Despite living/riding in the hills of Scotland I just don't need any lower with a motor.
My normal FS mtb has 34x 10-42

 

[chrismechmaster]

I had nx on my ff Levo simply upgraded just the shifter and derailleur to gx and it’s made a world of difference

I also upgraded a sl from a gx shifter and derailleur to a XX1 this made NO difference in feel at all over the gx