The handsome SRAM X0 crank is the second tier carbon crank under the flagship XX model. It uses carbon arms mated to a chunky alloy spider, to which two chainrings are bolted.
SRAM are all about twin rings for 2011. Our 28/39T combo worked flawlessly, with a similar chainring architecture to FSA’s SL-K and K-Force rings. We put FSA’s slightly better shifting down to better pin placement.
While the X0’s shifting was good, the stiffness numbers were only okay. On the trail, though, we couldn’t detect any untoward flexing, and X0 is actually just a smidge behind Shimano XT for stiffness.
The fact is XO simply works well. What’s more, it’s 36g lighter and £100 cheaper than FSA’s comparable SL-K carbon crank. The rub is that XT is £170 less than XO for similar stiffness together with better reported bottom bracket (BB) life, although SRAM have improved their BB sealing. Plus, XT is just 86g heavier, which means you’re paying almost £2 for every gram saved with X0.