As usual, this video is sponsored by your like and subscribes! Today we take a look at the new SRAM AXS GX wireless upgrade system and find out whether $600 is finally worth jumping into.
I’ve just moved over to a GX AXS because I wasn’t able to get the mechanical derailleur I wanted and I’m staggered by how much easier shifting is. I usually go for high-end derailleurs for their reliable shifting and durability and always managed to get them dialed in really well, but the AXS is simpler, smoother and more accurate. It’s a shame the price point is so high because I can see electronic shifting benefiting people who struggle to push down on mechanical shifters - kids in particular, or riders with less experience. It’s a fire and forget solution. If you’re a bike enthusiast, ride multiple times a week, it’s a no brainer. Only kicker - remembering to charge that battery ;) (but to add... its great to hear someone talk openly for a change since far too many youtube channels are just an extension of advertising - big thank you for your honesty!)
Same thing happened to me, didn’t want to wait 2 months for a mechanical one. Just said the hell with it and went with the axs. It’s great, battery life is way longer than I expected. I barely charge it
There are other (much cheaper) ways to reduce the force required at mechanical shift levers: 1. Make sure the cables are routed correctly 2. use better shift cables. Shimano has some great videos explaining the differences between their three tiers and that actually makes a significant difference 3. Use cheaper shifters. Shimano SLX and lower require less force to shift than XT and XTR. I think that's similar for SRAM just with the split between NX and GX. On kids bikes you can also find other drivetrains with even lighter lever actuation.
you prolly dont give a shit but if you're stoned like me atm you can stream pretty much all of the new series on InstaFlixxer. Have been streaming with my girlfriend for the last weeks :)
daaaaaang dude. that's very keen of you. excellent explanation and delivery. savant to savant, mad respect to a man that settles arguments in a 5 minute vid. Top notch.
I find 12 speed eagle does have a very, very fine "sweet spot" but honestly as long as you let the air out the shock, strap bike at sag point (if full sus) and use the sram guide for B tension screw first its really, really easy. The only thing then is making sure the barrel adjuster (on the shifter) is 90% wound in (so you can adjust a little slacker as well as much tighter if needed) before starting and don't pull the cable super, super tight when tightening the cable holder bolt. The limit screws are self explaining, they control the max and min distance the mech will move, do the highest gear (small cog) with no cable tension applied and slightly outward of the smallest cog (it wont shift to highest if its inline on the outbound side) "Index" them by shifting up the mech (smallest cog to largest cog) and when you reach a gear it wont shift add tension via barrel adjuster so it does shift, repeat to the lowest gear (largest cog) then align the low gear limit screw this time to perfect alignment and wallah! perfect shifting every time. I know it seems long winded and boring but it's 100% necessary to understand derailleurs and to be able to use your bike more than a few weeks/months without relying on others. Hope this stupid essay helps lol, just play around with it you'll get it and there is tons of videos online too.
As always, no nonsense, logical, concise and well delivered. I've got an AXS GX sitting on the bench......and honestly, I don't know why. I've been thinking of reviewing it as well, but I would prefer fewer batteries in my life, not more.
I had two faulty XT shifters (factory defect they purposefully haven’t admitted to… look it up), they took nine months to replace the first shifter. I had to buy the second out of my pocket to carry as backup since the failures were random and not due to wear. So I decided to upgrade and add the GX AXS shifter/derailleur set. I ended up getting new chain, ring, and cassette as well since they were worn. Perfect shifting and pretty cool to upgrade it with this kind of tech.
thank you for this video lol ive been debating getting gx axs since it got released but reasonably and realistically there are other things on my upgrade list before it. thx for saving my mechanical gx ;)
Thanks for this. Well, a few years after it’s been out and the biggest complaints I read about are having to remember to bring or charge batteries for a mtb. Ironically, none of the other daily maintenance checks seem to be a problem. Love my GX AXS on the full sus and still enjoy the AdventX just fine on the hardtail. ✌🏻
Just took a maiden voyage on my freshly installed GX AXS and I have to say its worth it IMO - shifts are crisp and consistent no matter what the situation. I agree on the paddles taking some getting used to but i'll give it some more rides and if not try that (backordered) rocker paddle. I always wanted AXS but not for $1-2k; life is short enjoy what you love!
I installed mine last weekend and am taking it to the local trails today, after getting it dialed in the shifts are stupid buttery smooth. "Don't need it" subjective lol
My order is on it's way. I will say this much - for me it is a must. I have run a GX for the last three years and have had on again off again shifting issues and have had 4 different shops tweak adjust (reline) etc and all provide different explanations as what/why is going on. Lo and behold none of it has fixed the problem. I am hoping this, will once and for all solve the problem - so for me I'm hoping it is money well spent. But agree for 90% of riders out there this is want not a must have (need) - cheers
Awesome video man! I ordered as soon as they came out. I haven’t received mine yet though. Hopefully it comes soon because my current drivetrain is getting closer to complete failure every day.
Thank you so much for this video! it was a real eye-opener, I never really had a plan to buy GX axis anyways so kind of cool to see a different perspective. Do you ever plan on doing a one year/2 year review of that transition spur? I’d be really interested to see how you still feel about the bike
Good explanation. I've got a gx shifter, sx derailleur, and nx cassette and it works perfectly. Always thought high priced drive trains weren't worth it. I just need something that works every time. Even then I still found myself thinking maybe I should go for this haha. Definitely better off with a brake or suspension upgrade.
So far, my go-to SRAM drivetrain is NX, as it offers the best price for its performance. GX seems too expensive for what it does. The only thing that sucks is the chain, as it has no surface protection on it, and rusts very easily. Mine cracked at around 500km. I replaced it with a 50$ KMC chain, and it's served ~600km already with no signs of damage. Every other part can be expected to live on for another 2000-3000km, which seems pretty good for a 350$ drivetrain.
Well done. I agree with your verdict . However, I’m still running it and gotta say wouldn’t go back mostly due to the set it and forget it factor - other than the every-so-often battery charge ;-)
Great job and thank you for the reality of things . Your a hundred percent correct in regards to me. I definitely don't need it but I definitely want it
It may also be worth it if you want a mullet setup for your gravel bike. Currently mechanical options (other than Microshift's AdventX) void warranties and there is usually some other compromises such as shift quality to get it. With AXS, you can pair GX Eagle with Rival for a somewhat affordable setup (still around $1000 USD), but it saves your warranty.
Honestly such an accurate and honest video. I'm sure im not the only one, but i've been riding for a couple decades now and the cable actuated shifters have improved tenfold and they are so crisp if the cable and housing is maintained. Some people will get this confused with a clean DRIVETRAIN. I go out, with no intention of judgement, and see so many people with grimy cassettes and chains and ask me why they don't have a smooth shifting. Obviously if you have the money and dont mind spending it on AXS, go for it. End of the day it is an improvement and you will like it more. However, if you're not one of those 10,000 hours in the saddle riders, you most likely wont be able to reap the benefits of the pricetag.
I guess the main advantage in my opinion for wireless is that adjustment is easier, you dont need to fiddle with barrel adjusters, stretched cables, and improperly set limit screws with a wireless shifter.
I've been riding the GX AXS for a month now. My main reason for purchasing: allows me to have a 2 in 1 bike - ease of swap between Gears and Single-Speed setup. Sometimes I wanna quickly convert to SS as I like a lot of dirt jumps with flowly trails. Nice to quickly swap out my rear wheel to accommodate SS and remove the derailleur without having to re-run wiring and setup. As far as the derailleur itself: Precise shifts everytime. No adding or subtracting a little pressure here and there to get the shifts just right without catching. No cable stretch. No cable slapping. Battery lasts weeks for me. Note: If you buy one, immediately buy the MTB shifter paddle upgrade. I'm not sure why they are not including it with all GX AXS. Its $20 but the re-design is well worth it. Easy to swap out too!
All around great points made in this video. I've got the Archer D1x wireless shifter. It works great and I'd like to try the AXS system to compare the two. This $600 price point makes it more realistic to do so rather than the $800-1000 price point, if I had an existing 12 spd drive train which I do not at the moment. While wireless shifting is pretty nifty, ( the ability to tune each individual gear with the Archer system is sweet), I don't think wireless shifting is a game changer like things such as droppers and tubeless are.
If SRAM were smart they'd allow you to set the spacing within the app for 8/9/10/11/12 speed cassettes. Since it's nothing but programmed movements I can see this possibly happening.
@@mtbsavant5414 I don't have any experience with the AXS system but does it allow you to fine tune each gear? I know on standard mechanical deraileurs, they move on both the horizontal and vertical plane simultaneously as you shift. The distance moved on those two planes is dictated by angles of the derailleur parallelogram which is why you can't use a 12 spd derailleur on an 8 spd for instance.
@@oklahotb3217 the distance moved is dictated by the shifter cable pull ratio and the geometry of the cable routing on the rear derailleur paired with the geometry of the parallelogram. sram uses a 1:1 pull ratio (or used to) so as long as you had the shifter with the right amount of speeds for your cassette, you could run road or mtb derailleurs
I know it works with Shimano cassettes but how cool would it be if they had a "Shimano" mode in the app where the shifts were modified for the slightly different spacing.
I think electronic is the way to go especially if you've got injuries or are doing ultra long distance stuff. My dad can't use his thumbs to shift from all the crashes he's had which is why he's stuck having to use Shimano shifters for the index trigger lever. Only until two weeks ago, I couldn't use my left thumb to actuate my dropper. So yea, ease of a button that doesn't require leverage is nice. The other way i see it helping is on ultras or really cold temps. Have friends who raced transam or transcontinental and all that stuff say there are times whether it's too cold or just too tired to shift and it's nice to just push a button and it works. That said, remembering to charge my garmin is hard enough. I'd rather not have to deal with charging my bike if I don't have to... HAHA
I’ve been trying to figure out how to adjust my rear derailleur adjustments for years. Now it does it automatically. F- it. I’m getting it. Cable delete. Sayonara
Well said Savant. Bicycling is a Hobby and Hobbies are supposed to be expensive. When it comes to hobbies, we buy the top stuff NOT because we need them, we buy the top stuff because it they are BLINGY and we Want it! I am about to take the dive into AXS myself, bought an XX1 AXS kit for one of my bikes, and a GX AXS for another Bike. Probably won't install it until the end of Bike Park Season though (~November), as I doing just fine with all my Cabled Derailleurs. I do think they look and sound cool though, that is the only reason why I am getting them.
ive got the xx1 eagle mechanical since release day and i cant find a reason to upgrade yet. shifts are perfect, and it doesnt rly require adjustments once setup properly. i changed the cable 3 times mainly because it felt a bit "grippy" but it didnt even need adjustments over time (i use sram cables and hoses, it does make a difference). I also like the fact that i dont have to think about batteries at all. Now on a road bike.. i much prefer electronic, as the 2x setup is a lot more finicky.
I love my GX AXS! everything is just a little bit more efficient compared to cable actuated. I do agree on the paddle shifters being more sensitive and taking a few rides to get used too. Other than that, money well spent IMO. Great Review 👍
I currently have Deore m6100 Sgs with Archer d1xtrail. I can run any rear derailleur I want so destroyed rear derailleur won't cos tme as much. I think this is a better solution for me.
Thought I would give my two cents after running the GX AXS for 3 weeks now. I actually just returned my GX AXS since I was so disapointed in the performance of the system. I ride enduro/downhill and there were two main factors that made it impossible for me to keep using GX AXS. 1. The biggest factor was chain retention, I think the reason why the chain retention is so bad on the GX AXS is because the cage is too heavy in relation to the strength of the clutch. This results in the chain flopping around like crazy when going fast over rough terrain and the chain actually jumps around between cogs on the cassette when pedalling in these situations and this not while even trying to shift. 2. The second big flaw is the fact the the spacing between the gears on the derailleur does line up with the cogs of the cassette so after indexing the derailleur using the second biggest cog when moving down the cassette the derailleur no longer lines up with the smaller cogs. This results in lazy shifting when moving up the cassette from the smallest cogs. This should not be happening, especially on such an expensive product. I can assure you that I have followed Srams instructions perfectly and I'm a seasoned mechanic that has installed and adjusted multiple drivetrains throughout the years. I also installed a new chainring, chain and cassette when installing the upgrade kit so this is not the issue. I've now fitted my old mechanical derailleur and it works perfectly without any jumping of the chain and the spacing is perfect. When using the system on smoother trails it works pretty good and is nice and quite so if this is the kind of riding that you do it could work for you but if you do any kind of downhill riding over rough terrain I can definitely not recommend buying it. My friend runs the X01 version racing enduro and he has had zero issues so maby go with that on instead. Sorry to be a bummer but I felt I needed to put this out there for people thinking about buying the product, it will most likely get better further down the road but the way it is now I can't recommend it.
I have XX1 AXS on my MTB and Force AXS on my road bike, and my brother just put GX AXS on his MTB. Let me tell you, coming from XX1 mechanical and XTR 12 spd mechanical, AXS is worth every. single. penny.
Hey dude, how r you? It's been more than a year since your last video. Hope everything is fine with you and your family. Looking forward to your new awesome videos, cheers 🙏
Я поставил несколько дней назад GX AXS и то что я не ожидал, но сразу заметил - исчез шум цепи на всех звездах задней кассеты. Оказывается раньше этот шум был (может не на всех звездах), хотя я вроде все настраивал правильно на механическом переключателе. На GX AXS я использовал электронную подстройку для одной звезды, на остальных сразу не было проблем. В общем стало приятнее ездить.
A benefit for axs is that it shifts consistently in the cold during winter riding. Cables shrink in cold and need adjusting which can catch you off guard. I am talking below 0*.
I quit mountain biking because I can't get the parts my bike ( Scott Spark from 2004) was built up with. The fork was a White Bros awesome fork with 5" of sus and since purchasing it the company went out of business. I know I could buy another fork but the speed at which companies change/upgrade their product lines I don't want to keep buying new expensive parts all the time. I got a cyclocross bike and put Shimano on it because SRAM is making everything proprietary. No more big drops for me.
I run a repair shop, so i took the plunge on the XO1 upgrade kit last year at cost (a little less than GX AXS retail). Even at that price, I wouldn't ever buy it again. Mechanical GX shifts just as well
Thanks for the confirmation! I was told that it adjust per cog but while I was fine tuning it last night, it was working exactly just like the barrel. How awesome this AXS would be if they can figure out how to make it adjusted per cog.
Some potentially big advantages not mentioned here about AXS: 1. Can eliminate unwanted noises from drivetrain/bike. 2. No need to be concerned about replacing shifter cables. The best thing I got from upgrading to AXS was a quieter riding experience.
If you race and seriously race, a deff yes! If you ride for fun like myself, ill wait till my next bike comes with it or my hard tail needs a new rear derailer.
@@mtbsavant5414 I would put on a sram 12 speed cassette and chain. I've got a burgtec spare e bike chainring might check with burgtec if it would work ok
Wheels and suspension is definitely more important to upgrade eventually u get to a point to where you're just upgrading everything it has become an obsession to me I know.
Tires and grips. They are the most noticeable improvements you can make on a bike, and being consumables, you're going to need them anyway. Why not get the best? For me, best is lightweight. I dropped a POUND of rotational weight with new tires. Crazy. Electric shifters...no real improvement at all, like you said.
It shifts better unless you change your cables once a month, it takes a hit better than mechanical with less damage to your hanger. The shifter controls are far better than mechanical. I've been on AXS since the week it was originally released, and every time I get on a bike with mechanical shifting, it just feels clunky and out of date. I spend every day making everyone else's bikes work as a full-time mechanic at a shop and I love never having to mess with mine, it is an upgrade in every sense of the word and one I can't recommend enough.
Agree to disagree my friend .. the shifting is butter every time under load etc .. I have axs and I have to say you won’t regret buying it 💯💯💯💯 I only have it on my XC bike of course because if you do rip your derailor off it’s pricey to replace.
4 reasons why you shouldn't. 1 this will not make you faster. It only complicates things, sure quick and easy install. You have to remove the battery while in transit it wakes up when it senses motion. Otherwise if you go on a long trip it will run dead in the car. 2 crap spring tension, on my 2020 Scott genius 900 tuned axs. When I was taking bigger jumps and hitting rock gardens the Sram spring tension sucks so the chain was slapping my upper triangle and chipping of the paint! Never had that problem with my old genius or spark with xt shimano. 3 miss shifts, if you happen to bump that thing at the wrong time it will shift sometimes multiple gears, then when you put the power down it grinds into whatever gear it chose sometimes that can be problematic. 4 random inefficiencies, I couldn't tell if it was a miss shift or because the spring tension is crap, randomly it would skip, and I mean randomly not even at aggressive times. I ended up moving the shifter in so far that I had to reach for the shifter every time just to be sure it wasn't me bumping it on accident. And it wasn't. After three months of this crap and a scratched up bike. I took it in, had the shop install the regular xo1 shifter and derailleur. And sold that stupid thing for $300 the cost of the new shifter and derailleur. Final piece of advice DON'T waste your money on this thing it WILL NOT make you faster. Put your hard earned money in a good I9 or Onyx hub. That will take much further. And by the way after the install of the new derailleur not one skip or miss shift, just the same old crap spring tension.
I was hesitant to get anything AXS cause it's hard to justify the price when nothing was wrong with my X01 derailleur. Ended up getting the GX AXS for myself on Christmas. Wow! Definitely wasn't expecting it to be so crisp and smooth, plus the app is really good. Can't see myself ever going back 👌
Been mtb’ing for 30 years. Just installed an axs on my yeti. Smoothest operating, easiest to install, adjust DR ive ever used. Its easily as smooth as an xtr and a tad smoother under load shifting. This review is a bit biased and leaves out some operation details.
