SRAM Eagle 12-Speed on 2018 Turbo Levo?

[AlanC]

I was wondering if I could upgrade to a SRAM Eagle 12-speed drivetrain on my 2018 Turbo Levo base model.

I ordered a Praxis 36-tooth chain ring to give it some more top end, and I was thinking having another low gear on the cassette might be nice.

Has anyone done this? Is it practical/possible? What parts or kit would I need?

Thanks!

Alan

 

[Wurley]

I’m running eagle go on 19 Levo expert with no problems
Need chain cassette shifter and derailleur
Easy install as loads of vids on you tube

 

[2manytickets]

As long as you have an XD driver for the cassette it should be good. I just installed 12spd on my 19 levo to. Works good.

 

[33red]

Only one approved is NX 11-50 for 12 S unless a recent change happened.

 

[khorn]

Only one approved is NX 11-50 for 12 S unless a recent change happened.

Approved for what?

Karsten

 

[highpeakrider]

On my normal bike I always found 12 speed a compromise to find the right gear, I much prefer the spread of 11 speed and can get up every hill with that range .
What are you climbing to need the size of that huge last ring on an eagle cassettes?

 

[steve_sordy]

On my clockwork bike, I was getting six times the chain life with Eagle 12 speed vs any other 9 or 10-speed chain that I had used previously. I see no reason why an Eagle chain on an eBike should be any different.
If you fit 12-speed, save yourself some money and grief and buy a mech hanger alignment tool, like this: Wiggle | Park Tool Derailleur Hanger Alignment Gauge 2.2 | Tool Sets

X-Tools do one at half the price, but I have no idea how good it is.

 

[33red]

Approved for what?

Karsten

- Probably 10T is not smart with the added power
- cassette heavier = tougher
- derailleur same as above
- selector probably no multiply shifts, better for newbies
Ask SRAM i guess they have the correct answer.
Of course i meant approved to be used on Ebike.

So what did they answer?

 

[khorn]

- Probably 10T is not smart with the added power
- cassette heavier = tougher
- derailleur same as above
- selector probably no multiply shifts, better for newbies
Ask SRAM i guess they have the correct answer.
Of course i meant approved to be used on Ebike.

So what did they answer?

I ask you because your initial statement does not make any sense and as for your last proclamation i can assure you that none of that hold any truth as well.

Any gear system will work on a emtb, its no different than any other mtb. Some work better than others and gear systems "approved" for emtb is simply bollocks.

Karsten

 

[Wurley]

The new Haibike flyon all mountain10 is running sram eagle 12 speed and thats the most powerful e bike available so should be ok?

 

[Kave]

Specialized went from XD driver on almost all Levos for the Turbo Levos to Shimano driver for the new MY2019. I guess that speaks for itself. I think the XD driver is too weak for Electric.
So I think 12 spd NX is the best solution.

 

[Kave]

The new Haibike flyon all mountain10 is running sram eagle 12 speed and thats the most powerful e bike available so should be ok?

Not with XD driver though. I guess the XD is too weak for the E-mtbs.
Haibike | XDURO AllMtn 10.0 | E-mountainbikes

 

[Wurley]

My 19 Levo expert came with xd driver, 11 speed xg cassette 11/42
You need the xd driver to fit eagle gx xo or xx1

 

[33red]

I ask you because your initial statement does not make any sense and as for your last proclamation i can assure you that none of that hold any truth as well.

Any gear system will work on a emtb, its no different than any other mtb. Some work better than others and gear systems "approved" for emtb is simply bollocks.

Karsten

You can do what you choose, i guess others will ask SRAM because they care about facts.

 

[Kave]

My 19 Levo expert came with xd driver, 11 speed xg cassette 11/42
You need the xd driver to fit eagle gx xo or xx1

I dunno why in the world they would ship a 11-42 casette with XD driver?.
You got a one off then, Specialized claims 10-42 on the 2019 Expert.

 

[khorn]

You can do what you choose, i guess others will ask SRAM because they care about facts.

Ohhh so all the Shimano stuff factory fitted on emtbs are useless as it is not specifically “approved” for emtbs....?

By the way the only change SRAM did to the emtb specific group sets are the 1 gear at the time shifter and that is only valuable for those who don’t know how to shift gears on a mtb anyway.

Karsten

 

[33red]

Ohhh so all the Shimano stuff factory fitted on emtbs are useless as it is not specifically “approved” for emtbs....?

By the way the only change SRAM did to the emtb specific group sets are the 1 gear at the time shifter and that is only valuable for those who don’t know how to shift gears on a mtb anyway.

Karsten

Just ask SRAM who made that recommendation why they did it and tell us.
It is that simple.

 

[Kave]

I am going for SRAM's EX1 next time. As it is right now my biggest issue with the gearchages is when I try to change more than one gear at a time, ie approcahing an upphill since the 11 gears offers such fine degree of shifting. I am quite sure the experience will be much better on a 8 spd group SRAM EX1 review

 

[Wurley]

I dunno why in the world they would ship a 11-42 casette with XD driver?.
You got a one off then, Specialized claims 10-42 on the 2019 Expert.[/QUOTE
My mistake meant to type 10/42

 

[Wurley]

Much prefer being able to shift multiple gears at a time with the gx eagle over the single whiting I had with the xg
I had e bike with ex1 thought it was to bigger gap between gears only being 8 speed and cost of replacement cassette is expensive

 

[33red]

I use a 10 S 11-42 it offers enough range and not too many shifting is needed.
I had a similar cassette on my fat bike and i like the feel for mounting riding.

 

[khorn]

I am going for SRAM's EX1 next time. As it is right now my biggest issue with the gearchages is when I try to change more than one gear at a time, ie approcahing an upphill since the 11 gears offers such fine degree of shifting. I am quite sure the experience will be much better on a 8 spd group SRAM EX1 review

Do yourself a favor and do a comprehensive study both here and on the big web. Don’t rely on all the so-called tests and reviews as they are not totally unbiased. Dig into the different forums and read actual rider feedbacks. Many users do report that the steps between gears are way too big and the longevity is not better than 10-11 or 12 speed. On the other hand the cassette cost a fortune and no alternative options than SRAM. I don’t say it’s a bad group set but I personally would never consider buying one(I do have 11 speed XTR and it is brilliant)

Karsten

 

[Al Boneta]

The reason the 2019 Levo came with an 11-speed 11-42 cassette and not Eagle was explained by Specialized at their dealer meeting last September.
The explanation was this. SRAM would only supply the NX cassette for the OEM Ebike Market.

The reason being the NX cassette fits on a standard Shimano freehub body which is stronger for handling the extra torque an Ebike puts out.
The cogs are also steel, which is stronger for handling the extra torque an Ebike puts out.
But Specialized felt that since Ebikes wear out chains and cassettes faster than regular mountain bikes, riders would be spending a lot more to replace these parts on a regular basis. A 12 speed chain isn’t as strong as an 11 speed. They also felt that since the bike has a motor, the 42t low gear would be low enough for most riders.
That’s what I was told directly by Specialized.
Do with that what you will
However since then I have sold almost 100 2019 Levos in my shop.
There have been the better of a dozen or so of my customers that wanted to “upgrade” to Eagle.
I tell them the pros and cons and then I do what they request.
The increased chain wear is quite significant. A lot of my customers are doing a new chain every 2-3 months.
The rear hub on 2019 Levos, base through expert, is a colossal piece of shit that has a high failure rate. It’s even worse with an XD driver. Add Eagle into the mix and it’s a nightmare waiting to happen with terrible shifting performance. Especially the guys who pedal hard through gear changes.
I have one customer who has replaced his Eagle XX1 cassette 4 times. He puts an new chain on every month. I told him that an NX cassette would last a lot longer.
“I have an S-Works bike, I am not putting that cheap piece of shit on my S-Works!”
And yes he is a dentist, no really he’s actually my dentist who will yell at me for my poor flossing routine.
Anyway, there are a couple customers that are running Eagle on their Bosch system bikes with no problems. This is just the way Bosch motor works it has a shift sensor that detects the changes made when shifting gears and decreases torque.

This is anecdotal evidence taken from a decent size group of riders, so do with that what you will.

As for my own personal experience, I feel the low gear range of Eagle while awesome on my Stumpjumper, is kind of pointless on my bikes that you know,
“Have a motor”
I wanted increased durability, because I work on Ebikes all day now. When I go home to ride my Ebikes I don’t have to wrench on them as often. So I went for the BOX 9-speed drivetrain. It has a an 11-50 gear range with 9 heavy duty cogs.
I ended up never using the 50. In Southren California a lot of our climbs are steep twisty singletracks that are rock strewn. I never needed the two lowest gears. The shifting wasn’t that great with the BOX system and after even trying it with my Archer shifting system, I went looking elsewhere.
I found a 11-42 9-speed setup from a company called Microsshift. I watched a video where a guy pours a bucket of mud on to the cassette and derailleur and then adds leaves. The derailleur still functioned properly. It still worked after he hit it with a hammer.
I ordered a cassette $30, shifter $25 and derailleur $60. I threw on a Taya 9-speed Ebike chain.
My Kenevo has never shifted better and the components while not exactly the lightest have held up amazingly well.
So I am now switching out all of my Ebikes to the Microshift Advent 9-speed setup.
This what works for me and this evidence is purely anecdotal, so do with it you will.

 

[Kave]

Very nice, it confirms my thoughts on the xd driver. I will order a Microshift advent set as well.

 

[Gray squirrel]

The reason the 2019 Levo came with an 11-speed 11-42 cassette and not Eagle was explained by Specialized at their dealer meeting last September.
The explanation was this. SRAM would only supply the NX cassette for the OEM Ebike Market.

The reason being the NX cassette fits on a standard Shimano freehub body which is stronger for handling the extra torque an Ebike puts out.
The cogs are also steel, which is stronger for handling the extra torque an Ebike puts out.
But Specialized felt that since Ebikes wear out chains and cassettes faster than regular mountain bikes, riders would be spending a lot more to replace these parts on a regular basis. A 12 speed chain isn’t as strong as an 11 speed. They also felt that since the bike has a motor, the 42t low gear would be low enough for most riders.
That’s what I was told directly by Specialized.
Do with that what you will
However since then I have sold almost 100 2019 Levos in my shop.
There have been the better of a dozen or so of my customers that wanted to “upgrade” to Eagle.
I tell them the pros and cons and then I do what they request.
The increased chain wear is quite significant. A lot of my customers are doing a new chain every 2-3 months.
The rear hub on 2019 Levos, base through expert, is a colossal piece of shit that has a high failure rate. It’s even worse with an XD driver. Add Eagle into the mix and it’s a nightmare waiting to happen with terrible shifting performance. Especially the guys who pedal hard through gear changes.
I have one customer who has replaced his Eagle XX1 cassette 4 times. He puts an new chain on every month. I told him that an NX cassette would last a lot longer.
“I have an S-Works bike, I am not putting that cheap piece of shit on my S-Works!”
And yes he is a dentist, no really he’s actually my dentist who will yell at me for my poor flossing routine.
Anyway, there are a couple customers that are running Eagle on their Bosch system bikes with no problems. This is just the way Bosch motor works it has a shift sensor that detects the changes made when shifting gears and decreases torque.

This is anecdotal evidence taken from a decent size group of riders, so do with that what you will.

As for my own personal experience, I feel the low gear range of Eagle while awesome on my Stumpjumper, is kind of pointless on my bikes that you know,
“Have a motor”
I wanted increased durability, because I work on Ebikes all day now. When I go home to ride my Ebikes I don’t have to wrench on them as often. So I went for the BOX 9-speed drivetrain. It has a an 11-50 gear range with 9 heavy duty cogs.
I ended up never using the 50. In Southren California a lot of our climbs are steep twisty singletracks that are rock strewn. I never needed the two lowest gears. The shifting wasn’t that great with the BOX system and after even trying it with my Archer shifting system, I went looking elsewhere.
I found a 11-42 9-speed setup from a company called Microsshift. I watched a video where a guy pours a bucket of mud on to the cassette and derailleur and then adds leaves. The derailleur still functioned properly. It still worked after he hit it with a hammer.
I ordered a cassette $30, shifter $25 and derailleur $60. I threw on a Taya 9-speed Ebike chain.
My Kenevo has never shifted better and the components while not exactly the lightest have held up amazingly well.
So I am now switching out all of my Ebikes to the Microshift Advent 9-speed setup.
This what works for me and this evidence is purely anecdotal, so do with it you will.

Yes I like your opinion,? eagle chain is weaker and no need hit the squat machine

 

[Jamsxr]

Running SRAM XO1 12 speed on my E8000 equipped bike, it’s been fantastic. Getting similar wear to my 11 speed analog bike for some reason!

I don’t have a problem switching between single shifting, in fact the single shifter has probably improved my efficiency as I’m thinking ahead rather than relying on a heavy thumb wack to get me out of trouble. I’m sure this also helps with battery life as my cadence is pretty efficient.