I'm sooo tempted to upgrade my current cable XT/SLX drivetrain to all singing wireless XT.
Anyone done it and regretted it?
This Pinkbike article suggests increased chain slap.
Speaking to a mate who has XTR di2 he said he hasn't experienced/noticed it. He said you can fell/hear (dull thud) the mech when it pulls the chain tight. But hasn't noticed chain slap issues.
It's currently just over £400 on Winstanley's so seems like a decent bargain.
Should also be able to move it on more not much of a loss if I don't like it I suppose.
Where are you based bud? I've got it on the Slayer which I'm not riding much at the moment, could take it off so you could have a try before you buy?
I noticed a slight increase, so I added a strip of rubber to the underside of my chainstay.
When axs came out, there were similar questions and I think the majority of people were happy with it.
I suspect similar with di2...I haven't tried that myself (very happy with axs), but I hadn't realised it was so much cheaper than axs, that is bound to make it even more appealing.
I'd suggest you go for it...as you say, if you don't like it you will likely be able to sell it on for same price.
Where are you based bud? I've got it on the Slayer which I'm not riding much at the moment, could take it off so you could have a try before you buy?
I noticed a slight increase, so I added a strip of rubber to the underside of my chainstay.
@relapsed_mandalorian Thanks for the offer - I'm Staffordshire based - but will politely decline incase I break it lol
Will probably just take a punt and see how it goes.
The chap at the bottom of Reservoir Dogs today with a flat battery was regretting it. Those of us with cable gears were enormously sympathetic 🤣
The chap at the bottom of Reservoir Dogs today with a flat battery was regretting it. Those of us with cable gears were enormously sympathetic 🤣
The bonus of riding with AXS mech and post - the derailleur battery will always go first and the ebike will warn you when it's getting low, so you can just swap them over before either of them die
I never wanted electric gears until I last changed my internal gears and had to remove be bb to do it.
at 400 I’m tempted!
I went AXS on a new bike last year. It is very good. Especially on days my trigger-thumb plays up. I can imagine Shimano’s stuff being similar.
after using it for the best part of a year it has had no problems and shifts nicely. Not sure it is really worth the extra over cable systems but I’m glad I got it.
I'm very tempted by the Deore version. I know that doesn't help answer your question 🙂
Arthritic thumb would be my main reason for going Axs/Di2. However light I can get the action on a cable shifter it’s still too much when the thumb is playing up.
So, does either system stand out? Everything else on my bikes is Shimano but I understand Axs will work with both.
Arthritic thumb would be my main reason for going Axs/Di2. However light I can get the action on a cable shifter it’s still too much when the thumb is playing up.
So, does either system stand out? Everything else on my bikes is Shimano but I understand Axs will work with both.
I have AXS on the EEB and Di2 on the regular bike.
I quite like the pod shifter that comes with AXS, although I do struggle to get it into a decent position with the mount it's in. With it being in the eeb it runs from the bikes power which is great.
The Di2 mounts exactly like a Shimano shifter, the movement is gentle, takes very little to setup. Just got to remember to charge the battery!
This Pinkbike article suggests increased chain slap.
PB always seem to find away to say SRAM stuff is better
I've yet to try it but if you can go axs that isn't Transmission then you aren't going to add even more weight (the mech is incredibly strong but adds weight and as you can stand on the mech now, that suggests instead of bending a mech hanger, you could be mangling a rear triangle).
However, suspect that is just my thinking. Axs has a few pod options nowadays but I'm still preferring the original axs shift pod. Happy to roll my thumb to shift up or down whereas the newer pods don't seem to work as well like that.
Have been running xt di2 since it first came out, I also have the old gx axs on another bike..
I like the xt stuff ! works well fast precise does what its ment to do had no issues, when the battery is getting low the shifting changes wont multi shift etc so you know when to charge it 😉 i do prefer the xt to the old gx axs but both work well !
I've had the xt since it came out. Much prefer the speed of shift and the ergonomics of the shifter compared to AXS or Transmission.
I usually ride 3 or more times per week and am getting at least a month between charges, way more than SRAM in my experience.
It's definitely a noiser system than the usual Shimano clutch and I'm using the short cage version which is meant to be quieter. Some stfu tape on the underside of the stay has helped a bit on that count.
Thanks all - some good feedback.
Sounds like it's worth a punt - can always go back to cable lol
I’ve got it on my ebike, had it approx 18montbs
It certainly makes shifting more forgettable (in a good way) ie it’s precise and just works.
I’ve not had to trim it in all that time apart from 2 weeks ago when I just did it out on the trail .
A couple of times it has just bricked itself randomly ie it has a ‘safety’ feature to stop it being damaged where if there is excessive force it just jumps to the lowest gear. This has happened when just changing gear in bumpy situations. To resolve it you have to change gear up and down the cassette. This isn’t in the instructions anywhere! And not that easy to do on a heavy ebike
It’s brilliant when aligned with the Shimano ebike motor as you get freeshift ie you don’t have to pedal to change gear.
I ride bikes with AXS and Di2. I much preferred the AXS shifter, but found both the same in operation
I bought the upgrade from Winstanleys a couple of weeks ago. Did my first ride on Sunday with it. I have had Apex AXS on my Ribble for over a year and like it.
It shifts smoother, although it still needs tweaking, and it's smooth in gear. Shifter is nice but I do miss the finger trigger that the mechanical shifters have.
Can't say I noticed any chain slap, but could hear the thud from time to time. Isn't an issue.
Overall I'm impressed with, however I did scrape the cage on my last run. Didn't take long.
Negatives, it's bloody heavy at over 450g for the mech, it still needs fine tuning to get right, and the omission of the finger trigger.
What puts me off the Shimano stuff is the shifter design which seems quite similar to cable. What I love about axs is the pod rocker which lets me shift with my finger when climbing without my hands fully engaged on the bar and the ability to have blips for my left hand to enable shifting whilst eating etc with my right.
what are the battery contacts like on the Shimano? SRAMs failure to find a better solution than the pogo pins puts me off buying any more axs!
I am reading negatives here but there must be upsides to electric shifting, no?
From my experience and it is only axs, the shift is the same every single time, no matter what the conditions are like and no matter how manky or frozen the kit is.
Charging the batteries is an absolute doddle and doesn't need done weekly (probably if I rode 7 days a week I maybe would).
It is absolutely consistent...got 2 systems and haven't had to make any adjustments to either since installing them - one is almost 6 years old and the other almost 2 years old.
Aware it is positives you want, but biggest drawback is the price (in my opinion). So if you can buy it cheaper then that is less of a concern (still a concern but not as much).
Interesting, I can see that all weather consistency and low maintenance can be a plus. I don't ride in bad weather anymore and never need to adjust anything unless I change a cable which takes 10mn every 3 years at worst so probably not for me as no tangible upsides really 😂.
Not riding in bad weather? In Scotland that is only about 8 weeks in total (and in some cases not more than 1 day a week!) a year, no wonder cables last you so long! 😉
^^ that's fair enough. I am embarrassed to admit I have never been to Scotland. I will though!
If you can, you should...stunning scenery, riding and the weather just adds to the brilliance!
I’m in Glasgow and haven’t changed cables on bikes with 12spd XTR and 12 spd XT former is 5 yrs old, and the latter is 6.5yrs old.