e*thirteen unveils TRS Plus 12 Speed Upgrade Kit

If you’ve been dragging your feet on upgrading your 11-speed SRAM drivetrain to 12-speed Eagle, or if you are really into cool projects, e*thirteen may have something for you. The new TRS Plus 12 Speed Upgrade Kit is a possibly-simple way to upgrade your gearing without replacing your whole group.

If you’re relatively handy, this can save you a few hundred bucks (Eagle components vary widely, and this kit costs $299) and should only take about an hour to install, according to their calculations. There are some added benefits too, like less weight and 511% range. Plus, the 511% range gives you 9-46/32t, compared to 500% range of 10-50/34t. With its compact drivetrain, the TRS Upgrade kit could offer more clearance for chewing up logs without chewing up your chainring.

You will also need to upgrade some parts of your shifters and derailleur, and this is where it could get complicated if you are more comfortable on the trails than at the bike stand. The kit does include everything you should need, so even if you don’t have a bike shop worth of tools at your disposal, just a bit of patience should be all you need to upgrade your gear.

TRS Plus 12 Speed Upgrade Kit includes the following:

TRS Plus 9-46t 12 speed cassette
Derailleur pulley spacers (x2)
Derailleur cage bolts (x1 long, x1 short)
12-speed shift ratchets (x1 GX™/X1™/X01™, x1 XX1™)
Shift spool w/two bearings
Shift spool bolt
Shift spool washer (GX™/X1™/X01™ shifters only)
Shifter assembly fixture
12-speed chain and quick connect link
2.5mm hex
3mm hex
4mm hex
T25 Torx bit
Square bit
5mm hex and bit holder
Shift cable and 2000mm cable housing
Grease tube

Considering the Eagle NX is $375 for a complete drivetrain and the Eagle components are completely interchangeable among pricepoints (it’s possible to use an XX1 cassette with an NX derailleur, for example), the main draw of this kit is that you don’t need to buy $300 derailleur twice to get a comparable upgrade.

We haven’t tried out this upgrade kit, and can’t speak to how easy it is to assemble or how well it works once installed. As a concept, though, it’s a pretty cool idea and potentially a great way to minimize waste while still upgrading componentry.