The Wireless XSHIFTER Launches On Kickstarter

Update: The XSHIFTER has reached its funding goal within 2 days of launching!

Remember reading about the XSHIFTER back in September? Well, the company has been progressing with its wireless shifter project, and has just launched on Kickstarter as of today. Unlike other electronic shifting systems on the market, the XSHIFTER is designed to offer compatibility with your existing drivetrain, whether you’re running 1×12, 1×11, 2×10, or 3×9. As such, XSHIFTER claims its system is compatible with any derailleur and any frame on the market.

If you’re not familiar with the XSHIFTER design, it’s essentially a hop-up kit for existing cable-operated derailleurs. You remove your shifter(s) and cables from the bike, and replace them with a small wireless remote on the handlebar. This wireless remote then pairs with a wireless control unit that sits just above the derailleur. A cable joins the control unit to your derailleur, and it is this control unit that activates the gears.

Fundamentally, it’s a wireless shifting system that operates a cable-activated derailleur. The reason you would want such a device? XSHIFTER claims its system uses less cabling than a traditional drivetrain, that you’ll experience less chain drop and rubbing (on front derailleur cages), that the shifting is much more accurate, and that it’s easier to calibrate via an iOS operated smartphone app. It claims to be fully waterproof, so with less cabling on the bike to get contaminated, we can see the wet weather appeal.

As you’ll also see in the Kickstarter video below, the XSHIFTER offers additional customisation, so you could pair the wireless remote to a cable-activated dropper seatpost. One control unit to activate both shifting and your dropper post? If the ergonomics are good, that would result in quite a clean setup, though from the looks of the Kickstarter video, some refinement is definitely needed.

What do you think of the concept?