SRAM SX Eagle Snapped on First Outing

[clukem]

Finally got to take out my new Boardman 8.8 MHT to Rutland Water this morning. There are a few large hills on the route and I was just about to go up one of the largest. I was in the second lowest gear and just to moving to the lowest, when I heard a massive crack. When I looked down the derailleur and chain were hanging down. The derailleur had snapped off.
Obviously, at this stage the bike was unrideable. So I had to walk with it 4 miles to the Rutland Cycle store. Suppose lucky in one sense in it could have easily been double that distance. They couldn't do anything with it and they stored the bike for me whilst I fetched my car from the other side of the dam. Now back with Halfords.

The derailleur on this bike is a SRAM SX Eagle. Has anyone had any similar issues with this derailleur? As mentioned above, this is the first time I've been out on it. So derailleur has packed in after no more than 10 miles. After explaining this to Halfords, they stopped the wear and tear argument and are now replacing it under warranty. However, I'm fearful of the same thing happening the next time I take it out. I've heard the NX range are a lot better but would be a significant increase in cost. On my hybrid I have Shimano Deore, which I've had no problems with. Again would increase the cost. I appreciate some of the parts on bikes in this range are cheaper to cut costs, but surely they must last longer than 10 miles

Chris

 

[JonBuoy]

I have done nearly 5000 fairly abusive km on my SRAM SX Eagle MTB with no major problems. I suspect that yours wasn't set up correctly.

 

[Sharky]

Should it happen again. There are options other than walking.
- remove the chain by separating at the quick link. Remove the RD by disconnecting the cable. Then just use the bike as a scooter on the flats, walk up the hills and freewheel descents. For this you probably just need an allen key and maybe pliers.
- remove the chain and RD as above, and with a chain splitter, shorten the chain by a few links and rejoin using the quick link and select one of the sprockets, turning it into a single speed, then ride home.

Most of us would be carrying sufficient tools to follow either strategy.

But hope it doesn't happen again.

 

[fossyant]

SX isn't that great. You will be better getting a Shimano SLX 12 speed mech. It works.

 

[Bollo]

Was it the derailleur hanger that snapped? Difficult to tell from your description. This is usually associated with the frame rather than the derailleur. On a lot of bikes these will be separate from the frame and are to some extent sacrificial, so if you bang the derailleur then you only need to replace a small bit of metal rather than having to firk about with something that’s part of the frame proper. It still shouldn’t snap without a decent impact, but it might not be the groupset’s fault.

 

[clukem]

Was it the derailleur hanger that snapped? Difficult to tell from your description. This is usually associated with the frame rather than the derailleur. On a lot of bikes these will be separate from the frame and are to some extent sacrificial, so if you bang the derailleur then you only need to replace a small bit of metal rather than having to firk about with something that’s part of the frame proper. It still shouldn’t snap without a decent impact, but it might not be the groupset’s fault.

Yes. It was the hanger that snapped

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good morning,

Can you post a picture?

It's unclear to me exactly where the break is

• As a hanger is usually fixed to the frame with one or two tiny bolts it will break in one place if these are not done up properly when the bike was first built.
• If you were terribly unlucky and got a poor quality part then it may have snapped in another place, say the middle, this would usually take a really big wack as hanger can bend a bit before breaking.

From the description it really does sound like the hanger being at fault and this part is made by the frame maker not SRAM.

Bye

Ian

 

[clukem]

Good morning,

Can you post a picture?

It's unclear to me exactly where the break is

• As a hanger is usually fixed to the frame with one or two tiny bolts it will break in one place if these are not done up properly when the bike was first built.
• If you were terribly unlucky and got a poor quality part then it may have snapped in another place, say the middle, this would usually take a really big wack as hanger can bend a bit before breaking.

From the description it really does sound like the hanger being at fault and this part is made by the frame maker not SRAM.

Bye

Ian

I was going to put a picture on, but didn't bother as picture is badly blurred. Anyway here it is.

 

[Bollo]

I was going to put a picture on, but didn't bother as picture is badly blurred. Anyway here it is.

Is that …. a bike in the picture?

 

[Bollo]

Good morning,

Can you post a picture?

It's unclear to me exactly where the break is

• As a hanger is usually fixed to the frame with one or two tiny bolts it will break in one place if these are not done up properly when the bike was first built.
• If you were terribly unlucky and got a poor quality part then it may have snapped in another place, say the middle, this would usually take a really big wack as hanger can bend a bit before breaking.

From the description it really does sound like the hanger being at fault and this part is made by the frame maker not SRAM.

Bye

Ian

Can I claim a TMN?

 

[Sharky]

If no joy from the place you bought it, these people seem to crop up, on here when hangers are broken.

https://gearmechhanger.com/

Not had to use their services myself. Half my bikes are single speed!

 

[DogmaStu]

I was going to put a picture on, but didn't bother as picture is badly blurred. Anyway here it is.

If the derailleur hit heavily on a rock then it could snap the hanger but you'd see an impact mark on the component.

So if it is a new bike, no impact suffered, then it could be down to a badly set up bike - a chain that is too short coupled with alignment not being correct can stress the hanger into breaking, for example.

Hopefully it is a replaceable hanger in which case it is a very easy, quick fix.

 

[Drago]

Faulty hanger and/or chain too short.

 

[Hacienda71]

Whilst it looks like the hanger, SX is pretty crap. It is made at a price point for cheaper bikes. There is no clutch on the mech, which on 1x12 setup isn't great and more of it is plastic than on NX and GX.
I got a jammed shifter twice out on the trails because of the slack cable when changing quickly.
I swapped mine out for SLX and the difference in terms of build quality and functionality is noticeable.

 

[MichaelW2]

I have used Shimano, Sram, Suntour, expensive and bottom of the range.
The only one to break was a Sram one made of plastic.
The SX Eagle looks overly styled and full of stress raisers in a skeletal structure.