Got an SRAM 1×11 drivetrain but hankering after the easy spinning of 12 speed? Well, e*thirten have got you covered, and no, you don't need to buy a new drivetrain. The new TRS Plus 12 upgrade kit expands the range of your current drivetrain without having to upgrade everything to Eagle

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So how does it work?

The TRS Plus kit is more than just swapping out the cassette, chain and shifter, the upgrade swaps out parts of the shifter internals to give the extra click needed.  Everything you need for the retrofit is in the pack, including cassette jockey wheel spacers, derailleur cage bolts, a chain, a quick link, cable, 2m of outer and even allen keys. All that for 299 Euros and the upgrade kit is good for all SRAM GX, X1, X01 or XX1 gear too.

To convert your kit to 12 speed the e*thirteen kit uses a new injection moulded shifter spool and a stamped steel ratchet to allow the 12^th change. There are two provided spacers for the derailleur pulleys and two new bolts to reattach said pulleys to the now adjusted and slightly offset cage.

The e*thirteen 12 speed cassette uses a SRAM XD driver and is formed from two separately replaceable aluminium upper cogs, and 10 lower machined steel cogs. The 9-46t cassette (9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 21, 24, 28, 33, 39 & 46) offers a 511% range.

Derailleur using spacers above on the right

E* thirteen reckon that the whole conversion will take you about an hour of your time and can be done by any home mechanic! We’ll be the judge of that one we think. E*thirteen also says that this kit will save weight too, but we’d need to weigh the set up against the comparable 11 and 12 speed components to see if this is a margin worth shouting about.

The only downside that we can see is that the 46t granny ring certainly ain’t no 50t dinner plate so if you want to climb like a real live mountain goat, you are going to have to downsize that front chainring as well which will add cost. But when a new NX Eagle drivetrain costs a smigde over 400 Euros (£365)  for the complete groupset, the TRS Plus 12 kit at 299 Euros might be a good money saver after all, giving you a marginally easier granny gear and 12 speed to boot.

We will update you with UK pricing as soon as we know it.

• www.eu.bythehive.com

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