Wireless 1x shifting for gravel/road – worth it?

Fancy dablling with some sort of SRAM wireless shifting on the gravel/road bike. It’ll be a 1x setup as I’m happy with the range available just out the back and a bit of simplicity in terms of a single up front.

Always got the impression it was the front shifting that was betterer with wireless with all the auto trimming etc. going on so my question is – obviously theres a monetary issue too but leaving that aside do you think its worth the SRAM road lever set up just to shift the rear mech?

Personally, I don’t think electric shifting is (currently) worth the cost, regardless of manufacturer. It’s lovely in use but not that much “better” that I can’t think of better things to spend money on.

I like the SRAM way of shifting, one button on each side to move the mech in the direction of your choosing, means you have to think less about shifting, I find. And the button is massive, so easy to find, and hardly any moment to make it work, way better than mechanical.

I’m never going back to cables.

I’ve put it on all my bikes now, the majority are 1x. Just a nicer experience. Even put di2 on the frame I use for Zwift. I find I change gear much more than I used to as it’s so easy. Not essential by any means but certainly makes a noticeable difference to my rides.

Eliminates poor cable routing by manufacturers which is surprisingly common, but at a big cost. When the mech needs replaced and it will eventually it’s not a small price to pay.

Eliminates poor cable routing by manufacturers which is surprisingly common, but at a big cost. When the mech needs replaced and it will eventually it’s not a small price to pay.

Couple of my mechs are 5 years old now, no issues, touch wood.

I have electric gears in both my road bikes, but I’ve stuck with a cheap grx groupset on my otherwise well speced gravel bike. Seeing the absolute state it comes back in every ride I’d wince if I was putting a top end groupset through that

If money was no object id get it, but tbh it’s no better than a well set up cables bike. The money I saved on electric gears went towards a fox fork, which makes a noticeable difference

I was an “I’m never going back to cables” Di2 convert… until I crashed in a race last summer and smashed two Dura Ace Di2 STI levers to bits 🙁 . Not only was it horrendously expensive, fishing all the Di2 wiring out of a frame is actually a lot more annoying than normal cables.

Sram Red 22 mechanical on my race bike this year.

Alarming amount of failures at the tour divide last year.

I would like to try it but a bit like leccy cars Ill wait it out juuust a bit longer.

Recent gravel bike was built with Sram Rival AXS. Works perfectly. A bit of a novelty at first, then felt normal. Now cables feel wierd and slow.

I have Rival AXS on both gravel bikes and find it great. One has an AXS Reverb, and the operation by pressing both levers at once always makes me smile !

I’ve got 1 x AXS on my road/gravel bike and it’s great. Just a light tap of the lever and it shifts instantly,  shifting multiple gears quickly is extremely easy also. Keeping a spare battery handy is a minimal hassle but worth it for the ease of use.

I wouldn’t choose a wired electric shifting system though unless on a 2x but I’d prefer wireless every time.

I’ve put AXS on all my bikes and all the wifes as well.

I like the simplicity of it, no cables, nice large buttons etc.

Bought a load of Rival AXS groupsets cheap due to over stocks and just swapped all the bikes over.

I’ve pals with wireless shifting on both gravel & MTB’s, it is nice, but it’s not breaking the first one that bothers me, it’s then breaking another, a few months later…

I wish the Archer stuff was available in the UK at reasonable pricing.  Lots of advantages over AXS. They do drop bar kit too.

That said, I’m riding AXS on the mtb and really wouldn’t change a thing at the moment.

I borrowed a mate’s gravel bike with 1x AXS on. Wasn’t expecting to be wowed by it, but was genuinely impressed. Didn’t matter what you were doing pedalling wise, light click on the button and it “just shifted”. No big arm/wrist movements to shift multiple gears out the saddle; didn’t matter how clean or otherwise everything is; cable friction very obviously a non-issue.

I’ve not gone that route (stuck with GRX) mostly because I believe that bikes should be a purely mechanical device and I don’t want to have to have an app for that, but it did feel like a step forward and I was very tempted.

My gravel bike came with 1×12 Rival AXS, I really like it. As above, no big arm/wrist movements just tap to change and it’s there quickly. I’ve found it particularly useful off road – rode the Glorious Gravel Salisbury Plain Easter Epic (quite a mouthful!) last week and there were some pretty sloppy bits so being able to change gear quickly without thinking too much was very handy.

I keep looking at the AXS EXPLR droppers but can’t really justify £400.

Simple question – what arm movements are folk making when changing gears? On drop-bar shifters I change up with two fingers and down with one.

After my 2020 Camino AL got nicked (still makes me mad that scum break into garages, but that’s another story) I had the opportunity to get another bike.

As I was happy with the Camino I went for the Ti version with SRAM Rival AXS 1 x 12.

I had no experience of electronic shifting and for the price break point with Sonder thought “what the hell”
I have to say its been a revelation in every sense and simply trouble free.

It works faultlessly and I cant say any more than that.

Would I have chosen it if the Sonder supply model made it as expensive as an option as for other brands of bikes resulting in increased costs, probably not.

Simple question – what arm movements are folk making when changing gears? On drop-bar shifters I change up and down with two fingers

that what I was thinking. Even with my bottom of range tiagra shifters and weak hands that are stuck together with metal pins it’s a one finger job

i also don’t think it’s massively quicker to shift than either my di2 or sram electric setups. Front shifting is better when electric, but not relevant to a one by set up.

Simple question – what arm movements are folk making when changing gears? On drop-bar shifters I change up with two fingers and down with one.

On my old road bike (Campag Chorus 10 speed) to change down 2-3 gears at a time took quite a movement. Fine on the road, but on a gravel bike over sketchy ground I’d rather avoid it. Last week I was having to constantly fight with the bike for about 2 miles across off camber, wet, muddy, and rutted ground – being able to change gear quickly and easily was a god send.

“Simple question – what arm movements are folk making when changing gears?”

If you have small hands you need to move your entire wrist/arm to push a shimano lever far enough to change multiple gears.

I wear size medium gloves and still find road and gravel levers quite big. With the reach on Rival all the way in, i could still do with them being a little closer.

OK. My hands are on the smaller side of medium, with short fingers, but I don’t find it a thing.

Its fine if you’re sat down/on the hoods, but stood up on the hoods or in the drops I can’t do multiple downshifts without swinging my elbow out to the side

No real arm movements, but it’s like clicking a mouse, compared to opening a car door.

It’s a funny one in that road/gravel mechanical gearing tends to just keep working, staying indexed correctly IME.

So why bother with electric?

Maybe it offers more on MTB where 2 of my 3 bikes are slightly off most of the time due to the rear mech getting bent or whatever.

But then there’s also the higher risk of destroying the expensive mech.

Anyway, I’d happy stay mechanical for life. K.I.S.S.

No real arm movements, but it’s like clicking a mouse, compared to opening a car door.

That’s a good way to put it. It’s not something I’d have been overly bothered about if I hadn’t tried wireless, but it would be tough to go back to.