All of the stuff pictured above may look like a random assortment of drivetrain parts, tools, and pointy things, but it's actually everything required to turn your 11-speed SRAM drivetrain into a 12-speed setup. It’s e*thirteen's new TRS Plus 12 Speed Kit, which allows you to upgrade to their 9-46 tooth, 12-speed cassette, and it includes a 12-speed chain, necessary tools and hardware to modify your 11-speed rear derailleur, and the parts to give your 11-speed shifter an extra click.
All that adds up to $299 USD, and you get a whopping, 511-percent gearing range from a cassette that weighs 334-grams, which is competitive with SRAM's lightest offering. In fact, the entire e*thirteen conversion kit also costs less than an Eagle 12-speed cassette.
TRS Plus 12 Speed Upgrade Kit • Converts 11-speed SRAM drivetrain to 12-speed
• TRS Plus 12-speed cassette w/ 9-46 spread (compatible w/ XD driver)
• Injection molded shifter spool w/ 12-speed ratchet wheels (GX, X1, X01 or XX1)
• Two pulley wheel spacers and longer bolts
• 12-speed chain w/ quick link
• Shift cable and housing
• Includes all required tools, grease
• MSRP: $299 USD
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www.bythehive.com•
www.bikecomponents.de On the left is the stock SRAM 11-speed spool (red) and ratchet wheel. On the right is e*thirteen's spool (black) and ratchet wheel; if you count the gears, you'll see that e*thirteen's has an extra one that provides the additional click inside the shifter.
Who's This For?Okay, the first question that needs answering is: With SRAM's entire NX 12-speed group going for $375 USD, including cranks and all the bits, does e*thirteen's $299 USD TRS Plus 12 Speed Upgrade Kit make sense given that it doesn't come with cranks, a derailleur, or even a shifter?
''Our 12-speed kit next to a complete NX group isn't really a direct comparison. NX is a nice product, but it’s SRAM’s price-point entry level group,'' Connor Bondlow, e*thirteen's marketing manager, explained when I threw that argument at him. ''Consequently, it is heavy, requires a Shimano driver, and provides less range (455%) than even other Eagle products. Our kit is aimed at a customer who has already invested in a high-quality 11-speed SRAM group and wants the benefits of 12-speeds combined with the greater range our cassettes have been providing for years,'' he went on to say.
He's probably right, too, as the majority of those currently using a high-end 11-speed kit likely aren't shopping for a relatively inexpensive NX drivetrain, even if NX performs essentially the same SRAM's much pricier stuff.
The weight is quite different, of course, as a 12-speed NX cassette weighs 615-grams, fits on a normal Shimano freehub, and costs a damn reasonable $100 USD; an X01 Eagle block weighs 360-grams and SRAM charges $1 USD for each of those grams. The e*thirteen cassette that's included in their 12-Speed Upgrade Kit weighs 334-grams on my scale, and its 9-46 spread provides a 511-percent range.
Modifying Your Shifter at HomeThe other notable thing with e*thirteen's conversion kit is that they're selling aftermarket internal bits for SRAM shifters and telling consumers that it's okay for them to install said bits at home. I think that's really frickin' awesome, especially because much of the mountain bike industry seems to want consumers to believe that taking something apart will result in a few years toiling away in a salt mine as punishment.
But you know who doesn't think it's frickin' awesome? SRAM, of course, and installing e*thirteen's conversion kit voids any and all warranties. That's no surprise, and to be fair to SRAM, they have to think about stuff like liabilities and combining aftermarket parts with their stuff; this is a bit different than using an e*thirteen chainring or a set of Race Face cranks with your X1 drivetrain, isn't it?
The stock spool and ratchet wheel sitting on an opened 11-speed SRAM shifter.
If you've never taken a shifter apart, it's not exactly full of tiny pieces of science that are just waiting to explode in your face if you happen to sneeze, but it is a somewhat complicated little piece of engineering. I'd argue that it's kind of a big deal that e*thirteen is taking this approach, and Bondlow agrees: ''We were always planning on letting the customer do the job. There is something to be said for empowering your customers, and not just spoonfeeding them things they really don't need. So our goal from the get-go was to provide a variety of ways to guide the customer through the install, from detailed videos to live tech support when necessary.''
The updated TRS Plus cassette no longer requires proprietary tools to install, with the bottom portion meshing with the XD freehub's splines and being gently clamped in place. The top section locks onto it via overlapping fins and a small hex screw.
InstallationTaking things apart is probably my second favorite thing to do after mountain biking, and sometimes I even get whatever I'm tinkering with back together and in working order. But taking a shifter apart? Won't a few hundred tiny pieces fall out and roll away into the ether? It turns out that the job, while certainly requiring a bit of knowledge and patience, isn't exactly brain surgery. Actually, it's barely shifter surgery. It took me about thirty minutes, including shooting these sub-par photos, and it's far less complicated than you might think.
You'll definitely want to
watch e*thirteen's how-to video if you're going to do it yourself, but here's a brief take on how it went down when I had a go.
The Claw is your best friend for this job as it holds the partially disassembled shifter together while you mount the new spool and ratchet wheel.
After you remove the shifter's cover and thumb paddle, you back out the three screws holding the internal cover on - this gives you access to the shifter spool and ratchet wheel that you're going to replace. e*thirteen supplies all of the required tools, but the most important thing in the box is a black plastic triangle that they refer to as the 'Claw'.
So, if you were to back out those three screws and let go of the shifter, it'd probably spring apart (aaaaah, tiny pieces of science!) and then you'd be up shit creek without a paddle. But the Claw's three posts line up with each of those screw holes and, after you attach it to the underside of the shifter with the stock screws, it holds everything together for you to free up one of your hands. Pretty clever.
With the Claw mounted to the underside of the naked shifter; you're free to back out the hex bolt that holds the stock spool in place.
Once the Claw is attached, you can pull the spring off and back out the bolt that runs through the center of the spool. After you do this, you drop the e*thirteen spool, washer (if required), and correct ratchet wheel (the kit comes with one for GX, X1, and X01, and another for XX1), run the new pivot bolt through and gently snug it up.
The spool has to be aligned correctly, of course, and a small window on it that lines up with a tab inside the shifter tells you when you've got that right. Throw the spring back on, carefully remove the Claw and reinstall the internal cover, put the rest of the stock parts back onto the shifter, and head straight to the salt mine.
With the e*thirteen spool and ratchet wheel installed, all that's left to do is carefully put the spring back on and attached the internal cover.
You'll also need to install e*thirteen's thicker-than-stock pulley wheel spacers, along with the longer bolts, put the cassette onto your XD freehub, and put your new chain on. From there, installing a new cable and setting up the bike's shifting is the same as ever, except that you now have an extra click inside the shifter and a corresponding extra cog on your cassette.
That's a vastly simplified overview on how to do the job, and while it's not difficult, please
watch e*thirteen's video instead of using my definitely non-instructions run-through as instructions. e*thirteen has put a lot of effort into both their written how-to and the video, as they should with a job like this, so take advantage of the info so you don't end up paddle-less.
After you've converted your shifter to 12-speed, installing the pulley spacers will be a cinch.
PerformanceWith everything back together and installed on your bike, the first thing you might notice is that there's not a lot to notice, and I mean that in a good way. The tactile 'ka-ching' of the SRAM shifter remains unchanged, and both the thumb and release paddles feel completely stock and as though nothing's different. But something is different: There's an extra click in there now, and you've ditched that ghetto 11-speed setup that was obviously holding you back immensely for a 12-speed drivetrain that will let you scale mountains like Nino and set new landspeed records on the way back down.
The Foxy XR's hybrid drivetrain is sure to ruffle some feathers at SRAM, but there's no denying that it performs well.
Okay, not really, but the TRS Plus 12-Speed Upgrade Kit, with its twelve cogs that run from 9 teeth to 46 teeth, does provide a massive 511-percent range that trumps a stock SRAM setup. Pairing the TRS Plus kit with a chainring that's appropriate for your fitness and terrain should provide nearly anyone with a gearing range that's wide enough to get up the side of a building, but the small 9-tooth cog also means that you might be able to run a smaller chainring to gain some ground clearance.
Shift quality is largely unchanged, and I had zero skipping issues with the tiny 9-tooth cog, but the disclaimer for that one is that it's been drier than a popcorn fart in Squamish lately - some serious mud might not jive with that little cog. The shift up to the large 46-tooth cog is marginally slower and more mechanical feeling, but I suspect that I wouldn't even have noticed if it was a blind test and I didn't know what had been changed on the bike. That's not from the modified shifter, of course, but e*thirteen's cassette that's using differently machined ramps compared to SRAM's work.
It doesn't scream 12-speed like those massive pie plate cogs do.
Pinkbike's Take | If you already have a fancy 11-speed setup but want to make the jump to 12-speed, the TRS Plus 12-Speed Upgrade Kit makes a lot of sense. And that's especially true if it's time for you to replace your rather pricey 11-speed X-Dome cassette that, depending on what you're looking at, can cost more than e*thirteen's entire conversion kit. That said, I wouldn't try to tell you that having an extra cog is going to be a life-changing, angels singing kind of thing. So, while the TRS Plus kit functions quite well, it'd be hard for me to justify the $299 USD unless it was time for me to replace part (or all) of my 11-speed drivetrain regardless.— Mike Levy |
Personally, on 11S SRAM, I'm rarely in the 10T because I find the 12/10 jump too large when I'm already near my max power output. I'd welcome 10/9 with a smaller chainring. Likewise, I don't much care about close jumps in the middle, I'm usually shifting multiple gears at once anyway.
I just feel that it's somewhat misleading for them to say "it costs $X to upgrade to 12s", but to actually get the benefits of the 12sp drivetrain, you have to spend an additional $100 on a chainring.
a 9t sprocket will wear faster than a 10t sprocket, will wear faster than an 11t sprocket, fact. Though I'm finding it to be more of a problem on e-bikes than anything else. Whether or not this is an upgrade any e-bikers will be wanting to make is a different matter I suppose. Either way, I'd rather have an 11-50t (or whatever) cassette and a slightly larger chainring for reasons of drivetrain longevity.
Though if we're really going to flog this horse, I also feel like the rear derailleur has pretty much been pushed as far as it can, and SRAM etc. are mostly sprinkling glitter on a turd at this point.
The real question is WHEN IS ETHIRTEEN GOING TO RELEASE THEIR OWN COMPLETE DRIVETRAIN SYSTEM?!?!?!?!
Perhaps this is just because you are rarely in the 9t for any extended period of time, but whatever the reason, people who continue to be hung up on the 9t are missing the bigger picture. The 9t is a big part of what makes their cassettes so great.
Sounds like you need a front derailleur.
Original 10s
9-10-12-14-17-20-24-28-35-42
Current 11s
9-10-12-14-17-20-24-28-33-39-46
Upgrade 12s
9-10-12-14-16-18-21-24-28-33-39-46
You can gain a lot of speed crazy fast on the 9t pedaling like a mofo on the down grades
If in doubt I'm sure your lbs can help you out
FTFY
Leonardi: 12S 9-48, 347g, $400. Doesn't work with SRAM 11S.
Eagle X01: 12S 10-50, 354g, $370. Doesn't work with SRAM 11S.
Garbaruk: 11S 10-50, 323g, $225. Needs a cage extender for SRAM 11S.
Leonardi: 11S 9-45, 325g, $370.
E13 Plus: 11S 9-46, 339g, $250.
It appears they've considerably narrowed the market for the TRS Plus 11S version. If you've got a SRAM shifter, I don't see any reason to choose the older model except to save $50.
Full comparison sheet here, it's row 8: goo.gl/CEVL6f
I think you would be suprised to find out how much the big chunk of 7075 aluminium used to make that cassette costs - and there isnt a 'tool' that is paid for 100 times over that is used to make it, its CNC machined, they dont pop them out like gummie bears, do some homework.
Granted the shifter adapter is a high-profit item from a manufacturing standpoint but then you take away all of the work that went into actually designing the thing and the tool to allow people to fit it - or is labour supposed to be free - Its also a niche product, they wont sell them to every person on the street like an iphone.
The bike industry realistically isnt a huge money maker for many companies, especially those at the smaller end of the scale - going from factory to warehouse to distributor to shop to yourself means a lot of people making a small amount in reality - Of course SRAM, Giant, Trek etc will have wealthy owners but what the hell do you expect if you are heading up a billion dollar company of any type.
And to end the rant - its a completely luxury item, and at the high end of that - If you want 'cheap' the Shimano XT groupset is great value at £65 for a cassette, it will probably shift better and last longer but you will have an extra 100g (if you are bothered about that) and ratio options, that is a pressed cassette and the 'too is paid for 100 times over' which is why its £65.
Can you see SRAM / Shimano putting serious development into them? - Not until they are absolutely forced (and how / why would that happen anyway?) why make a product that could last years with minimal maintainence in all conditions and a tiny risk of crash damage when you can continue year on year to provide small updates to an existing system which is guarranteed to wear out / break on a fairly regular basis.
We also have the issue of who decides how to mount a gearbox - the bike industry has a terrible history of standards and I have no doubt there would be no consensus there either.
the excuses I've always heard are "its too difficult to mount a gearbox the frame design and the weight would be too much for frame makers"
...Yet in a matter of a few years Electric bikes have come about (which clearly have a large £/$ market) and suddenly frames have been adapted for large BB centred motors, funnily enough about the same size as a gearbox.
yet we're still trying to use derailleurs to their max capacity.
Honda have already proved its possible and reliable and with todays technology its probably even possible to make an electrically operated gearbox that could even be wirelessly shifted.
It's the same reason cars etc up until recently are all IC engines - the industry makes it that way, we need the bike industries version of Tesla to come and shake things up a bit.
They are gaining traction, they're clearly not going anywhere. Just remember that hydraulic disk brakes started as a niche market before they became an industry standard; the advantages of gearboxes are very hard to ignore, and had we adopted them larger scaled sooner, we wouldn't be seeing the ridiculousness that has been the past few years of new standards being made to get the incremental wheel building advantages that dedicated single speed wheels eclipse.
I'm a Pinion drive train user now. Not given many reasons to go back now that I'm here, and that's market share they're gaining that SRAM/Shimano lose out on. Gotta invest in what you believe in.
Nowhere have I said that current gearbox systems such as the pinion are bad in any way but to suggest they are being adopted anywhere other than by ultra small brands is false, you would be lucky to see a single gearbox bike at the average trail on a weekend and none of the larger manufacturers are going near them.
So back to my point, this has nothing to do with the performance of a gearbox but supply and economics, pinion have no influence over what the larger brands do and are not big enough to supply them even if they did take the product on - until SRAM or Shimano make the move none of the big bike brands will, you will never see a Trek pinion bike, plus can you imagine there ever being a concensus on how to mount the gearbox? What about changes to suspension kinematics?
So we are stuck with the 'brave' such as yourself taking the plunge and the masses using what they have available, it's going to be a long while until anything changes there, to be honest I am still a way off, I don't like twist shift for a start and it can make multi - link suspension difficult to package.
A long way to go yet.
It would be fantastic if Trek did something like what Ghost did with their ROAMR, and just released a gearbox version of the Full Stache, or something along those lines in their MTB-Tourer style bike, give it all a mainstream traction to stir up the market a little.
I completely support what E*Thirteen are doing, it makes the re-use and recycler in me a happy dude.
I wish things were different. Still, there's hope yet, more and more bikes with gearboxes are popping up and actually being seen and reviewed by the big sites, and that kind of exposure is always a good thing. I'll go on being hopeful that things change.
The other thing no one seems to have mentioned is that this is the first time you can get 12 gears without the absolutely massive eagle mech. Smaller mechs are better for sure.
Cant be that long till they also get this this to work on shimano shifters as well.
Win win win.
AKA, could we run this new E13 cassette on our current 12 speed setups, and 12 speed shifters? I ask as it would allow going to 12 speed without needing to go to a larger Front chainring (which i cant due to clearance) to keep the 46 same range but have better range with the 9T. This would be RAD.
Also would drop a shite load of weight from a GX setup. Same gears, Better range, less weight....
First off, I want to say that I think I'm probably 100% the target audience for this produce. My hardtail XC bike has a full XX1 11 speed group. The bike is mostly my B bike as I race and do 80% of my training on my full suspension XC bike which has X.0 Eagle 12 speed. I've been dreaming of upping the hardtail to 12 speed but it just doesn't warrant the expense of the SRAM group and the thought of downgrading to the GX/NX options from my current XX1 feels like too much of a weight penalty and downgrade. Do I really need that extra gear as many have mentioned? Or why not just get the same range 11 speed cassette? Well, that doesn't give me one big thing that this does, the ability to swap wheelsets between the two bikes. This was enough for me to get pretty excited about a niche product that feels like it was designed specifically for me.
So, when I saw this I was really excited. I ordered it literally the day it was released.
So how is the install? Amazingly easy. The shifter upgrade took less than15 minutes including removal from the bike, install of the new parts, and reassembly. The derailleur similarly took about 15 minutes. It would be even quicker except that I realized I had so much gunk built up in there that I spent a few extra minutes thoroughly cleaning the cage and bearings. The one thing that caused me a bit of grief was the cassette. As it turns out, the freehub body on my Industry 9 torch straight pull hubs has a similar problem as E*thirteen mentions about hope hubs. The smooth section of the body has a slightly smaller diameter than the sram standard. Weirdly, the freehub on my other I-9's with J-bend spokes is to the sram spec so a quick swap of the freehub body was in order. If this weren't an issue I guess it would have been a ten minute job to install the cassette.
All in all it took under an hour to do the whole job including the added problem of swapping out some hub parts in my situation.
I don't have any ride time on it yet, but adjustment and shifting feels no different than stock sram xx1 and as of right now I'm very happy with this purchase. I may even get a second one for the enduro bike after I get some more ride time on this setup.
Not sure if they have fixed that issue with this new product, if the cassette is two pieces don't waste your money.
12 speed systems make my local trails 33% better than when I used to ride them with my 9 spd kit, and a whopping 50% better than that garbage 8 spd stuff!
www.jensonusa.com/Sunrace-Multi-Speed-Freewheel
267% range. I don't see what the big deal is.
If you ride a 11spd x0 drivetrain :
Buy a cheap Gx or Nx eagle cassette and shifter (Gx 130euros for me)
Put the 12spd system in the xo 11spd shifter
Remove the bolt that blocked xo 11spd derailleur cage extension
Tadaaaan you have a 12spd xo drivetrain!
Used for 2 months already, everything is fine.
F*** YOU BIKE INDUSTRY AND YOUR FAKE MECHANICAL REVOLUTIONS!!
This is the range of Eagle. The range to reach. To realize. A range beyond limitation or complexity. Beyond what’s been done before. A range where fearless dedication meets relentless engineering. Where silent precision meets trouble-free reliability. Where simplicity matches strength. A whole new system for whole new horizons. The range to realize. This is GX Eagle.
+1
f*****g bike industry
To those that would desire to buy this product i can only say one thing: Develop your bloody legs instead.
This product adds insult to injury.