Are wireless bike parts ACTUALLY worth it? (GX AXS Review)

I agree and like the review. Ironic that you decry spending money on tech that doesn’t improve riding while you have 5Dev cranks on your rig. 😅

You sound like an old guy like me. I’m guessing you’re in your 30s. You definitely sound 53 like me. 🤣🤣

u are just a cheap guy :))

I hate sram cassettes. I had this gx AXS with an xx1 chain and cassette and it was HOT GARBAGE. swapped to an Slx cassette and an old Xt chain and kept the gx AXS and it was phenomenal.

If you’re riding modern MTB equipment then you’re a rich person, even if you don’t think you are.

I agree it's not like changing gears is a problem I have lol.

I got mine for about 450€ in Germany and I love mine it’s crazy how much easier it is to set it up and especially the fine tune is crazy and the overload clutch saved me already from buying a new mech hanger.

Does he have Ti cranks?? amd a carbon frame?? Cost seems silly

I was skeptical of AXS and didn't expect to like it, but after using it for a full season it's converted me. My other bikes retain traditional cable actuated shifting but I have a strong preference towards AXS.

The con I would agree most with is the lack of per cog adjustment. This seems like an easy way to differentiate the system and make dialling in your shifting markedly easier than traditional systems.

The other cons I find debatable, or table stakes you knew going in—of course it has a battery, app, etc. I don't really think about the ostensible '7 thing checklist' ever. Keep a charger in your car and juice up on your way to and from the trailhead. If you carry a pack, you can keep the tiny puck battery for the shifter for the weight of a quicklink.

Overall, I would say the performance, especially under load, is noticeably better for trails with regular ups and downs. The shifter is super comfy after you acclimate, especially when I go back to big lever throw on a cable system.

100% agree on putting performance parts like suspsension first. This is a neat luxury upgrade but not a game changer for function. This can be said of virtually all drivetrain upgrades. For riding lots of local trails, especially for trail riding and XC, I would recommend this system if it comes packaged or you can get a nice deal.

mmmmm I will keep my AXS that you very much. I would rather cut my arm off that go back to crude ass cable shifting. I have a gravel bike coming, running a mullet AXS Rival / GX Eagle. Another good thing about AXS, everything is compatible, mix and match any components, road and mountain bike.

"hang on my derailleur is charging"

Not related but i had xtr derailleur with archer components electronic shifting after a year the motor burned and cie said no warranty only a deal on new shifter so i put back xtr shifter goes real good easyer to fix if something happens in the trails keep it simple...

Whining. This was a GAME CHANGER for me. Sorry, it shifts WAY faster than cable. Doesn’t stretch. Doesn’t require as much maintenance. Yes, you are missing the boat.

Great vid. I love technology, but only where it makes sense. I might still go the AXS one day, but all the comments in this video resonate with me.

Completely disagree. Not having to think about adjusting cables is excellent. Shifting is precise and consistent with AXS. Its funny how you make superficial claims concerning potential issues based on either your suspicions e.g. “I don’t have any data to back this up,” or lack of familiarity about batteries and the frequency they need to be charged/changed. What this video seems to communicate is how you don’t want to like AXS and you’re willing to inflate minor concerns to create a long list of cons for why the system isn’t worth the money. What is most strange is how you seem to approach topics in other videos with more of an open mind, while this one shows a lot more bias.

100% agree with you. Merci!

Almost every reason listed in this video is personal problems that the shifter either solves or has no issue with. We've seen people literally STAND on these parts without them breaking and you're worried about another bike bumping into it? The batteries come with the territory. You literally carry around a cell phone at minimum along side video recording equipment which most likely uses charging cables and bricks as well. The shifting "issue" you mentioned is just you not being used to the feedback not being there, that's not even remotely a bad thing. I pedal and shift so hard on my bikes, I have sheered off entire cassettes, freewheels, cranks and derailleurs. Having a GX AXS will likely solve these issues for me as it can handle a lot more abuse that anything out on the market. The weight issue you mentioned is probably the dumbest thing I hear from literally anyone in any hobby. It doesn't matter if your 32lb bike has 400g more weight in the back. It makes zero difference unless you weigh 85lbs and you're trying to ride endurance for a marathon. Doing jumps and doing down trails while riding a ski lift to the top of the mountain means you do nothing that actually involves getting stronger. Instead, I prefer to add heavier parts to my stuff. The heavier it is, the stronger I will get over time by using it. I can still compete with people without any issues yet my stuff weighs more than theirs.

The parts that I support include the BS for needing to log in, to make adjustments to other features and not supporting aftermarket cassettes. Those should be a no-brainer for anyone at SRAM but apparently not. What they really should do is release a second version of the GX AXS that is wired instead of cable with a larger battery pack and open up their app to anyone who wants to make changes while allowing signing up to be optional. Telling people to make an account to verify a warranty makes sense but not barring it off so no one can tweak settings without giving up personal information.

I have to disagree. I really like this. You should give it more time.

As usual, a great video, with great value, and honest as usual, thank you.
However this time I tend to disagree. I mean, I agree with ANY of your points, 100% on spot.
However the relative weight I give to the absence of cables, so easy while mounting/removing the derailleur, while you change a hanger, is way more important than all the other points you mention. And, to me, cable tension tuning in the mech, is the only thing I hate in the whole bike maintainance, I am just bad at it.
Having a software setup, is such a relief for me that every other point just does not matter.
And, you are right on spot; I got myself without battery once, I was not happy, it happens.
However I would never change my AXS GX with a mechanical.

The only feature I would find useful on the electronic would be an extra button I can program to a certian gear, like when I start a down hill on a section I know well, maybe I want to just have it ready for a specifric gear when I hit a part that needs a few pumps vs. having to remember where I am and maybe needing to click through a few.

If it wired up to the main battery on an ebike I can kind of see the benfit in not having to worry about charging it beyond just the one plug for the ebike, but then you need cables to connect and now you are back to having cables again, granted these can be tiny flexable cables vs. a stiff metal cable but still. Also if your ebike battery totally dies (probably enough to power the sifter even if it runs too low for the motor) now you are stuck with no shfiting as well as peadeling a heavy ebike with no assitance.

This isn't the Eagle Transmission, right? I wonder how this review changes with the newer system.

Thank you too much crap to worry about

Nah, couldn’t go back - it’s superb!

I'm tired of replacing internal cable housing every 8-9 months because it's worn out and adjusting my GX mechanical every few weeks because it lost tension. Both are a hassle. Any improvement to shifting under load would be a bonus. Is it priced too high? Yes, but so is everything else in this sport. The clutch thing does seem concerning and I'm not wild about the idea of apps and charging to ride my bike. That said, I'm busy with a fulltime plus job now. The convenience of this after initial setup seems like the selling point. Even charging some batteries takes me less time than getting out the stand to replace cable housing or even adjusting the mechanical setup. If it lasts 5+ seasons I'll consider it a win. Very tempted.

Dude, you’re awesome. Thank you for honesty. Ima super cheap guy and I do like the feel of a shifter.. I would like to try this as my generic deore sounds like ass under tension.

Great vid. I agree 100%, especially about the whole setting up a password to shift gears so annoying. Shouldn't a bike be something that's just sitting there ready at all times to be ridden without any of this battery levels, charger cables, oh no I can't remember my username & password BS?!? BUT then I got the GX axs kit for my dentist build, a Ti hardtail. Haha I did that for real. And I love love love it. Once it's set up (and paid for haha) I've been able to put aside all my other gripes and just enjoy perfect shifting every time. What an experience. Hey do you remember cable stretch?....Ya I remember that and I remember telephone books too haha. We're in a new era now, the electronic shifting password required era and I love it!

Just changed from mechanical to AXS this week and I really enjoyed the smoothest and the extra ease of changing gear.. especially after long hours of ride.
No longer thinking about replacing my shifter cable ever!
The reason you're so paranoid about damaging the part is because it cost kinda expensive compared to your GX mech system... the same thing would have happened if you've installed a $2k XX1 mechanical system...
As for charging, it doesn't matter if it uses micro USB or not, since the USB cable is attached to the charger at all times... I charge my AXS battery via a power bank and it is super convenience.

My Santa Cruz runs the SRAM NX and I was considering going to the GX AXS. But your considerations against the use of the AXS pretty much align with what would annoy me if I went ahead to install it. The fact you can't micro adjust on every gear is crazy dissapointing - but I assume that's a limitation of the software so 'could' be introduced in future updates perhaps? Great review, well informed!

*LONG RESPONSE BUT I AM ALL FOR THE AXS GX*

Ya I think it's honeslty just a matter of perspective and what you appreciate. I have the AXS GX and I love it, I also never thought I'd go to e shifting on my MTB but here we are...After finding a good deal online and having had my mech GX for a LONG time, it was a good time to switch.

I would agree with some of your grievances but I'd also say they're quite trivial and grabbing at straws a bit. The ability to pair with the app and adjust the shifting is incredible and when you're on a climb and have your downshifting set to dump 3 gears at a time it's a huge help! The app also allows you to check battery life so you can stay on top of things a bit better.

The shifting isn't marginally better it's actually significantly better as you know you're in gear and there's no need to worry about whether you're in gear or not, just like mech of course the shifting can be sub optimal but it's easier to tune then having to reroute shifter cable when the time comes because everything is stressed and stretched out. If you insist on riding 3rd party cassettes then that's kind of on you, not the system. It's like riding a KMC chain on SRAM, they're not the best but they're cheap.

Is cost a factor yes but if you're a climber and especially tech climbing then I think it's well worth the money, the length of time this product will be around if looked after should give you a really good ROI. The robustness of the derailleur is enough to take a good beating (I've done it) on descents and stand the test of time, the chain slap... Well you're going to get that on anything if you ride hard enough, I suggest getting the STFU gaurd and definitely get something on that chainstay. If you do get AXS it works really well with the Matchmaker and that should take the worry out of banging up your shifter which I honestly don't know how that's a problem.

SO...If you like to shuttle and take the chairlift often maybe this thing doesn't make sense for you but if you're pedalling mountains to make the "juice worth the squeeze" then I'd definitely give this product a look.

Maybe now at 400 for the upgrade set im just away to order one, ill wait another 2 yr and get the T type it'll be down to same price then .

If you have an e-bike with an integrated head set wireless is worth every penny + I have done 3000km on my GX AXS rear mech and have not touched it once no more messing about with mech hangers and indexing it just works, also I switched to wax and I have no chain wear after 3000 km of riding in all conditions.

Kreiger Ford

Kulas Parks

Kristina Parks

so how about for $500 for the upgrade kit?

Marcel Coves

This thing is just another gimmick. Of course you are gonna “love it” if you dumped the cash for it. Hard pass

I appreciate your efforts! 🙏 I have a quick question: 🤷‍♂️ I have these words 🤨. (behave today finger ski upon boy assault summer exhaust beauty stereo over). What is this? 🤔

I suffer from severe thumb pain with standard shifters, and can't find a twist shift for a 12 spd cassette on the Yamaha ebike I'm waiting to arrive, so I'm hoping the e-SRAM rear deraileur helps get me back on the trail!

Obviously overpriced, but all your small anxieties are completely non-existent for me. I didn't give a second thought to it the first time I put it on a lift, heck I didn't even bring the charger. Riding 5 hours a week and only charging once a month, the battery never went below green for me.
I love how it shifts so effortlessly and perfect every time, and the auto-shift all the way to granny-gear is amazing.

Thank you for this review. You just confirmed everything I've been worrying about, and I dont want a bike I have to make sure is charged up before I ride.

Call me old school, but I just want a normal bike, I dont have to plug in or use an app to ride.
Thanks much.

what about the new T-type set ups?

I’ve not had issues with cables or cables holding adjustments over many bikes dating all the way back to the early 1970s. The down tube shifter levers of the 1970s were the most precise feel. The only era of annoyance was the first gen of index shifting in the 1980s. First gen index shifting always had 1 or 2 of the 6 cogs a little out of alignment and no ability to fine tune. But it was easy to defeat the indexing and revert to friction shifting. I still have that particular bike and use it trouble free in friction shift mode. Index trigger shifting of all of my other MTB and expedition bikes from the 2010s era on have worked perfectly. I won’t argue if electric shifting is or is not better for someone who earns their paycheck on a bicycle. Just saying that the modern cable index trigger shifting made all the improvements this cycling consumer has ever needed. I wouldn’t give up cable trigger index shifting from my MTBs for anything. For my touring, expedition, or road bikes I could readily go back to friction shifting for any excuse of simplification or weight reduction.

How does it operate in the winter? Below -20 Celsius for example

Watched the whole video to hear about the loaded shifting and you didn’t talk about it at all

Uh.. no way in hell I’m going back mechanical. X0 Trans is the deal.

Starting to consider this, seeing some decent deals now, on my ebike there is a cable that can wire it to the motor directly so no extra battery to deal with other than the remote once every 6 months. Having problems on my full sus ebike getting enough kinks out of the cable to keep it working smoothly down shifts are pretty stiff and I think that's also causing it to not fully index every time until it shakes loose a bit, so would be nice to have a nice and light button push

worth it? You could say that about almost anything on the bike. Carbon worth it? No not really. Wireless systems have a lot of pros and will continue to trickle down in cost so long as they keep innovating and producing newer versions.

Just like you don't need a carbon bike you don't need wireless shifting. But people will get it regardless. I like having no cables. I like not having to set the limit screws, I like using an app to fine tune and to customize it. I like how perfect the shifting is.

It might not be worth it to you but it is to a lot of riders. Hence why people are buying.

as for the battery issue: If you're traveling you shouldn't need to bring a spare or the charger. If you charge the battery to 100% before the trip you'll be good to go for WEEKS. As for the shifter battery it's a standard 2032 coin cell battery. Common in most grocery stores as it is used for medical equipment many people rely on.

If you didn't recharge the battery that's not a battery issue that's a person who is a little forgetful