I really want it... But it's completely pointless... I'm often as amazed how well my peasant level xt m8000 11 speed works... But AXS is so damn cool.
I’m often as amazed how well my peasant level xt m8000 11 speed works… But AXS is so damn cool.
Shimano 11sp here too, with Sunrace cassettes.
It just works and allows me to spend my money on stuff that affects how my bike actually rides.
No one needs it, it’s definitely innovation for the sake of innovation, but I’d be willing to bet most of us will be riding around with wireless mechs in 10 years, if not 5.
You can happily boil water in a pan to make a brew, ultimately a kettle does the job more ergonomically. It’s just nicer to use.
Even the most ardent tinkerers don’t love indexing gears. I service my bikes meticulously and I hate how mechs never stay perfectly indexed long. Electronics will sort that.
No chance am I paying double the cost of a high end analogue setup. But when it comes down, and it will, I’ll be all over it. Because it’s progress. And it’s better.
The scary thing about GXS level AXS for me is not the snapping it off, it's that after two years all the pivots will have got so sloppy the mech will be essentially useless, then you have to find another £500. I like the idea of electronic gears I can afford (which at £800, I definitely can't) but not SRAM electronic gears I have to afford every few months.
This will be interesting to see what it actually costs. I’m really looking forward to shimano’s response. It’s been a long time coming but can’t be far away
I've only smashed one mech in 10 years thanks to a flying rock but I still wouldn't want to spend more than £100 on a replacement. I couldn't even see the point in replacing the smashed xt so went slx which was a few grams more and much cheaper.
The scary thing about GXS level AXS for me is not the snapping it off, it’s that after two years all the pivots will have got so sloppy the mech will be essentially useless
Strong point.
Mechs tend to have a working lifespan of two or three years IME, sometimes just a few months if I **** them on a rock or root. Just imagine that sinking feeling of having wrecked a £50 mech, but multiplied by 10.
I suspect AXS will mainly be purchased by riders who don't tend to crash or ride too-technical trails.
That's not meant to sound condescending, I know some contributors here are quite into having nice things - which is fine - so long as they don't extrapolate from their own experience to say electric gears will be suitable for everyone else.
I’d be willing to bet most of us will be riding around with wireless mechs in 10 years, if not 5.
Nah. Maybe on road bikes, where mech damage is much more rare and lifespan longer. But still probably nah.
Nah. Maybe on road bikes, where mech damage is much more rare and lifespan longer. But still probably nah.
I remember people saying the same thing about suspension.
Bar the gravel cx crew how many people do you see without a fork on the trails now?
This is a pet peeve about the Mtb community, there seems to be a subtext where it’s acceptable to hate on expensive components and coupled with the underlying sentiment that all riders who have the more expensive gear are either clueless or low skilled.
I assume to keep cost down everyone should use thumb shifters, short cages and no clutches too?
That said, the price is prohibitive for xx1 axs to me. But you pay your money you have your choice. I’d be willing to give gx axs a try despite being an ardent shimano fan.
Provided the whole package is sub 500 quid.
munrobiker
Free MemberThe scary thing about GXS level AXS for me is not the snapping it off, it’s that after two years all the pivots will have got so sloppy the mech will be essentially useless, then you have to find another £500. I like the idea of electronic gears I can afford (which at £800, I definitely can’t) but not SRAM electronic gears I have to afford every few months.
Nail on the head from me
I’ve had xx1 axs
Sloppy pivots on the axs mech caused it not shift properly and had so much play, wouldn’t stay in the biggest cog or constantly skipped and generally felt crappy by the end
It was warrantied luckily as it was only 11 months old
I had bashed it a few times but nothing out of the ordinary at all it had a few scrapes like any other mech I’ve had
I sold it when I got it back, it was excellent when I had it, and the lack of cables was very nice
But in the meantime I went and bought a gx eagle new style mech to tied me over whilst it was off for warranty and was blown away (not like the crap gen1 gx shite) by it, crisp smooth easy to setup and not finniky like sram of old eagle
I’ve now got a x01 new style mechanical and again even nicer when matched with a xx1 shifter, shifts perfectly and far less worrying smashing it up if i do
Would I have axs again? Yes, would I pay stupid money for it? No, it’s no better shifting wise than the new style mechanical eagle IMO
I remember people saying the same thing about suspension.
That's not a great analogy really, there wasn't something that did almost exactly the same job as suspension for a fraction of the price. And didn't need to be kept charged.
This is a pet peeve about the Mtb community, there seems to be a subtext where it’s acceptable to hate on expensive components and coupled with the underlying sentiment that all riders who have the more expensive gear are either clueless or low skilled.
Well my point was that not spunking my wad on AXS allows me to focus on other expensive components. I might well have posher suspension than some who've bought AXS.
Shimano will surely launch their version soon, I can't see anyone wanting the hassle of di2 cables and batteries when AXS is so clean and easy to set up.
"I remember people saying the same thing about suspension."
That’s not a great analogy really, there wasn’t something that did almost exactly the same job as suspension for a fraction of the price. And didn’t need to be kept charged.
How about droppers? How many years did we have "a QR clamp is just as good"?
How about droppers? How many years did we have “a QR clamp is just as good”?
They were! See!
How about droppers? How many years did we have “a QR clamp is just as good”?
Nope. Droppers offered a huge functional advantage.
You need to think of something that costs multiple times as much as an existing product, but essentially does the same job.
Some possibilities: carbon rims, ceramic bearings, ti hardtail frames.
That'll be the Hite-Rite versus the dropper seatpost then... although admittedly the Hite-Rite was gone by a good 12 years before droppers came round...
The charging thing is a bit of a red herring as well unless you are shifting constantly per ride - I do a charge every 3 months and bike is used 4 times a week so not just sitting around not moving.
I remember people saying the same thing about suspension.
Maybe. But this isn’t like rigid vs suspension. Or singlespeed vs geared. It’s more like damping on suspension being controlled by knobs, levers and cable controlled lockouts… or electrically, with microcontrollers and wireless handlebar mounted buttons. I mean, it’s cool, and has many advantages… but not buying into it, especially as regards the cost to benefit ratio, is a pretty normal reaction.
I heard the same arguments against disc brakes. Decent v's were just as good apparently, that's why pretty e everyone now runs discs.
I'm not going to buy now, but wireless is the future, if nothing else, it'll improve frame design.
Both my bikes have GX on them and it’s never caused me any issues that a quick turn of the barrel adjuster didn’t solve , I’d much rather they spent some time developing a bottom bracket that lasted and cranks that didn’t require a breaker bar to take off .
i will be interested to see what price point this comes in at on full builds and if manufacturers feel that wireless shifting will sell more bikes than say a more expensive fork , back to the days of a fancy rear mech but budget everything else .
Lots of ‘I don’t want or need it so why should anyone’ in this thread. Innovation is good, stop complaining. What interests me most is how Shimano respond to it.
I think it’s cool. Would I like it? Yes, will I buy it? Probably not.
Slx Di2 would be great. It's already 12sp anyway
Not sure I've seen any complaints, just normal reasons why people wouldn't buy it. It's definitely cool and I'd like to try it but I wouldn't want to spend more than £100 quid on a mech.
I really really want a cable free cockpit.
Wireless gears and dropper, and internal brake hose.
However, at the current prices, I'm sticking with my 1x10 externally routed frame for a while.
Lots of ‘I don’t want or need it so why should anyone’ in this thread.
Fair comment.
There's just so many better ways to spend money, I can't help myself. Sorry.
It's just another nice expensive toy to play with. Much like most other components, the most expensive ones aren't needed but plenty folk enjoy spending that cash and having a bike that's speced up to the absolute max.
Some boring old middle aged farts here seem to think that if they don't deem it worth the money then no one else should. Somethings worth is only ever subjective so why even argue about it?
This forum is an incredibly dull place. It's the same users posting the same old drivel in every thread.
Threads about axs just go the same way every time. Just attracts the same dobbers who just want to chime in saying they won't spend the money and 9 speed is fine...
Electronic shifting is the future for sure but not according to out of touch stw hermits who seem to be here 24/7 ready to piss and moan. Maybe try take that 9 speed bike outside more often 🙂
Yeah tis a shame. I an quite hyped for it, hence me starting the post!
Yeah same here, I'm really keen to hear the price.
I've got a feeling the price difference between xx1 axs and gx axs isn't going going to be quite like the difference between mechanical groups...
But if the price for a shifter and mech alone is a good bit below 500 I reckon I'd get a set for my other bike.
Wait for the vitriol when they discontinue mechanical XX1 and XO1...
haha I know...
I wouldn't be surprised if the next gen of xx1/x01 is electric only and mechanical versions only on gx down.
Pretty sure the top tier sram red road group is electric only now. Stand to reason that trend will continue in mtb.
I seem to recall an interview with one of the sram big wigs and they implied that electronic was a big part of their plans going forward.
Do you think the battery will fit the X01 or XX1 mechs? Or will the battery for them fit this? If those pics are accurate, it does appear to be a different battery design, unless that is just cosmetic covering...
I hope we’re not going to be forced down this route. I don’t want my bike to rely on a battery. Sooner or later I’m going to forget to recharge it. Nothing against technology. My little GPS computer is great for example, but if it fails it doesn’t ruin the ride.
Do you think the battery will fit the X01 or XX1 mechs? Or will the battery for them fit this? If those pics are accurate, it does appear to be a different battery design, unless that is just cosmetic covering…
The battery will be the exact same and isn't changing. All the sram electronic groupset use the exact same battery across the road and mountain bike groupsets.
I have etap on my road bike and take one of the batteries from the road bike with me as a spare when I go out on the mountain bike.
The battery does look different in the photo of the GX AXS stuff, but it's actually a hard plastic cover that I suppose is meant to act as a sort of protector for the battery.
When the very first photos of X01/XX1 AXS stuff came out before release they showed a pre-production mech that had the same battery cover thats seen on the GX AXS mech above.
But for whatever reason the final production XX1 axs stuff didn't have the battery cover.
Heres a photo from 2019 of a pre-production prototype mech with the same battery cover
This forum is an incredibly dull place. It’s the same users posting the same old drivel in every thread.
What like reposting that picture? 😉
Having had both road and mtb Di2, and now running AXS, I’m a convert. The shift is fantastic and customisable enough to make it feel and shift pretty much how you want it to. Had no reliability issues and the battery lasts for aaaaaages.
It makes for a lovely clean cockpit and when you have lots of internet cable routing it saves hassle there too!
(Obviously if I hadn’t bought AXS I’d have been able to afford a lawnmower!😂)
It makes for a lovely clean cockpit and when you have lots of internet cable routing it saves hassle there too!
That'll be the next thing after electronic shifting is mainstream - your bike will require an Internet connection to work 😁
D’oh! Autocorrect fail! Internal, not internet! 😂
Just saw the first post again and see it is same battery, ta. Hadn't looked at the prototype picture closely so hadn't seen it wasn't the GX kit.
Mattbee are you constrained to using the left hand routing for the rear brake on that intense?
That’s the look I (eventually) want, just two brake cables coming off the bars.
“Mattbee are you constrained to using the left hand routing for the rear brake on that intense?”
With no other cables, it would be jut as easy to use the entry port on the rhs of the bike.
Bike discount had the upgrade kit up for 640Euro before taking the page down.
So guess its going to be around 400 for the derailleur. Thats going to hurt if you bash it or sram quality makes it unusable as the pivots wears out in in 12 months.
I'm pretty interested in this after last weekend's utter ballache of recabling my Stumpy Evo.
Battery cover is interesting, guess a more formal extra layer of security, like Jacy Shumilak has been doing to Sam Hill's AXS mech with gaffer tape.
This will be interesting to see what it actually costs. I’m really looking forward to shimano’s response. It’s been a long time coming but can’t be far away
Shimano tend not to rush, and I reckon they'll be keener in getting a 105 level Di2 road group out before they bother with SLX-Di2.
Arguably the best move Shimano have made for MTB groups lately is making Deore cover several (1x/2x10/11/12) bases as that probably helps make it more attractive for mid-ish tier OEM customers.
Much as I like the idea of leccy shifting, I'd rather have an affordable version on my road bike long before I bothered for my MTB. Bowden cables are still adequate for 99% of off-road cycling (IMO).
I'm not really sure what level of consumer GX-AXS is going to be pitched at right now, if you're flush enough to be mulling over £800 for a mech and shifter, you're probably flush enough to spend the extra on X01-AXS, if you've got bang on £800 for "upgrades" you are probably well aware that you can buy a shit load of other, arguably more useful, bits with that cash than a wireless mech/shifter. Aftermarket it still doesn't work unless it's much cheaper and SRAM tend not to be cheap aftermarket...
TBH it's probably more of a draw if spec'd OEM on a bike so I'd maybe expect to see some upper-mid tier #Enduro sleds pimped with GX-AXS for a few hundred premium over the mechanical equivalent, in the next year or so. Make the OEM price differential narrower so as to get new golfers accustomed to leccy shifting, and it starts to become their default choice, especially if integrated with a dropper. This is all pitched at the big spenders still.
The trouble is AXS is only really a benefit to OEMs if it lets them fully eliminate cabling for gears and droppers from a frame (making it cheaper to produce). Which sounds awesome but would you want to commit that fully to one drivetrain/dropper supplier's high price point products today?
So it's going to end up fitted to frames with redundant cable routing for quite a while yet, meaning it's not all that beneficial to anyone but still costs the consumer a fair old whack...
If I wanted to try wireless shifting I'd be looking at the archer d1x system to be honest, certainly am not paying over 400-500 for a bloody gx shifter+derailleur.
Normalising £800 spend for what is essentially a mid range mech is nuts. I don’t know how industry is achieving it as to me it’s nothing more than bike jewellery.
In the 90’s spending half that on an entire bike would get you something pretty decent. Salary inflation has not 10x’d since then.
Gravel bikes are where it goes beyond nuts. Take what is essentially a light hardtail frame, wack on some drop bars and hydro brakes. That’ll be £5k please. Oh you want wireless, that’ll be £8k and buy the way, it’s not even that much lighter than your double suss.
Gravel bikes are where it goes beyond nuts. Take what is essentially a light hardtail frame, wack on some drop bars and hydro brakes. That’ll be £5k please. Oh you want wireless, that’ll be £8k and buy the way, it’s not even that much lighter than your double suss.
At those prices I’d agree, but you can get very decent gravel bikes for £1500, you don’t have to spend crazy money. Choice etc.
samuelr
Bike discount had the upgrade kit up for 640Euro
640 is about 80 cheaper than X01. All a bit pointless.
