Upgrading Eagle NX cassette to Eagle XX1 on Vado SL 5.0 Eq: Freehub compatibility question...

[Jencuya]

I tried to upgrade today to an SRAM XD cassette, 10-52 (XX-1) assuming that the NX that came stock on the bike (10-52) was XD, and I had an unpleasant surprise when I took off the cassette and saw it had a Shimano freehub body. I misunderstood compatibility; everything is compatible; XX1 shifter, XX1 chain, XX1 cassette but I forgot about the hub I was ready to return the cassette when I realized that I could change the freehub body. I think this one will work

https://www.backcountry.com/dt-swiss-3-pawl-freehub-body-and-end-cap

The Vado SL 5eq is equipped with a Specialized hub 148/12 mm thru axle, 3-pawl freehub and I would be switching out the Eagle NX cassette to an Eagle XX1. Has anyone had experience with this particular upgrade?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Has anyone had experience with this particular upgrade?

No experience with this particular upgrade. The NX groupset uses the 11-50T 12-speed cassette based on the Shimano/SRAM HG+ freehub body. That makes SRAM NX a popular choice to get 12-speed and huge gearing range without any complexity. It is the 10T cassette sprocket that requires an XD driver.

This choice is appropriate.

Why would you replace your cassette with the one of 10-52T gearing? Missing some top-end? Missing a tad of low-end? Willing to spend a lot of money on a cassette that even can't be serviced?

 

[Douglas Ruby]

I did this upgrade on my 2022 Vado SL 5.0 EQ. I checked with my local Specialized dealer in Nashua, NH and they told me that there is an XD driver replacement freehub for the stock wheel that is a direct replacement for the HG freehub. I think I paid around $70 for this back in January 2023. This was ordered from the Specialized parts catalog by the dealer.

To do the swap, take off the wheel, remove the old cassette and axle spacers. Grab hold of the HG freehub and pull firmly (I should use the phrase "jerk it off" but that sounds wrong). The freehub came off easily. Then clean the old grease off of the ratchets and friction surfaces on the wheel hub. Grease the pawls and threads on the freehub and repack the ratchet mechanism (on the hub and the freehub). Push the freehub back on to the wheelhub, being sure to push the ratchet pawls in so they engage with the ratchet teeth on the hub. Reinstall the axle spacers. Make sure the freehub is fully engaged on the wheel hub. Install the cassette using a standard tool. Make sure the cassette is fully seated on the XD driver and that you have not crossthreaded the cassette/freehub interface. A standard cassette tool works nicely for me.

You should do a B-screw adjustment using the SRAM alignment tool. I usually have my favorite shop do this for me annually so that I can get clean, crisp shifting. In addition, I took out the stock 44T chainring and replaced it with a 46T Wolf Tooth chainring. The Wolf Tooth ring does not require the secondary chainguard that the stock 44T ring does.

The end result is that I can max out the e-assist at 28 mph in 11th gear at a comfortable cadence of 90-ish rpm, while still keeping 12th gear for unassisted descents at up to around 35 mph. The 46/52 low "granny" gear and the Turbo button have kept me from ever having to walk, even up 12-14% grades.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The end result is that I can max out the e-assist at 28 mph in 11th gear at a comfortable cadence of 90-ish rpm, while still keeping 12th gear for unassisted descents at up to around 35 mph. The 46/52 low "granny" gear and the Turbo button have kept me from ever having to walk, even up 12-14% grades.

You gain 10% in the top gear and 4% in the low-end.
You pay US$70 for a new PG-1230 cassette but it is US$330-360 for the XG-1299.

Thw worst spent dollar, taken into account e-bikes wear out small sprockets on cassettes pretty fast and SRAM cassettes cannot be serviced (unlike Shimanos).

 

[Douglas Ruby]

You gain 10% in the top gear and 4% in the low-end.
You pay US$70 for a new PG-1230 cassette but it is US$330-360 for the XG-1299.

Thw worst spent dollar, taken into account e-bikes wear out small sprockets on cassettes pretty fast and SRAM cassettes cannot be serviced (unlike Shimanos).

Maybe not the best price/performance, but I didn't use the XG-1299 or XG-1295. I used the XG-1275 10-52T cassette @$170, the XD driver @$70 and the Wolf Tooth 46T @$90 to get the exact gearing my body needs. My total investment was $330. Note that I went from 44/11 (4:1) to 46/10 (4.6:1) on the high end, a gain of 15%. On the low end I went from 44/50 (0.88:1) to 46/52 (0.885:1), almost a wash. This means I gained a whole step higher and got the magic 28 mph at exactly the cadence I wanted in 11th gear instead of 12th.

I am comfortable riding long distances @ cadence of 75-90 rpm with occasional bursts to 95-100 rpm range. Given that I am 72 and am cardio compromised (heart attack 23 years ago), having the exact right gear and assist level for the speed that allows me to keep up with my very strong 44 yr old daughter is worth whatever I pay. I have to make sure I don't spend any length period of time in anaerobic exercise, but maintain a steady aerobic cadence, thus gear choice and cadence are EXTREMELY important to me.

I probably have one more season on the cassette (now replaceable at $150). The chain ring appears to be wearing even better.

 

[smorgasbord]

I replaced the wheels on my wife's bike with wheels that had the XD driver because we wanted wider rims and the 10 tooth sprocket. Two years and a couple thousand miles later, the GX cassette is still going strong, as is my original GX cassette with close to 3500 miles. The SRAM X01 chains have less than 15% wear, too.

Oh, and this is with the Bafang Ultra, so lots of power being applied. We do have Shift Sensors, though.