[Closed] AXS (GX) or cable (X01).... WWSTWD?

You're best off going for the durability and simplicity of Shimano XT or XTR, especially given the thread lower in the page where someone's £450 AXS rear mech has died after 2.5 years out of warranty. I can't imagine how little time the GX AXS stuff will last.

Axs for me, if you read the reviews they all say gx axs is easily as good as xx1 axs just a little heavier.

Depends on your attitude to e-bikes really. In my view bikes are mechanical things so the idea of having some electric motor on them is an Athena (sic) to me.

GX AXS every time. I took XX! MechanEagle off for GX AXS.

It's a wonderous thing. Think I've used mine every day since mid-April with no issues. Never ran out of battery - can get 2 weeks use before it turns red (<50% battery I think).

It is a lot of money for what is effectively a toy (unless you have issues with your thumbs), but it really is good.

AXS all the way.

The only thing is, once you go wireless, you wont go back!

Have both, AXS with the new paddle shape is my favorite, but nothing wrong with a cable XO (except it can't tell you how many shifts you have done and how long you have used which gear 😀)

<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">A new derailleur is about £280 if you were to break one.</span>

I’d have GX AXS over XX1 AXS. Functionally the same, half the price. I can stomach the extra 80g.

Electric over mechanical shifting every day of the week, I’m not buying a cable mech again.

I like the mechanical simplicity of a cable, but I think on 12s it doesn't take much for it to all go wrong. I've never been entirely happy with either my Sram or Shimano 12s set-ups. Because AXS is self trimming, and does away with any cable routing issues, it sounds totally worth it to me. I haven't tried it myself yet.

AXS all the way. I replaced the mechanical X01 on my bike with GX AXS and it is just flat out better.

Gx axs just gone on the hardtail, will be going on the full sus at some point.

What Munrobiker said x100.

What Munrobiker said x100.

I'm sticking with SRAM, don't want to go back to Shimano. Just gotten used to it having had it on 2 bikes in the last 5 years. Plus I already have a cassette and cranks and don't want to mix and match drivetrain on my first ever complete build project.

New bike has axs xplrer only done 20km now want axs on all other bikes. I won't be downgrading to cable shift.

Not entirely related but I prefer sram mechanical shifters to Shimano in both 11 and 12 speed. My 12 speed XT has a horrible downshift - really stiff. Got better after I serviced the pivot but going from gx Eagle to xt on one bike to the other the Shimano feels grotty.

I have di2 on my road bike and the shifts are lovely - wouldn’t want to go back to mechanical on the road bike.

On an mtb I’m not sure on electronic shifting just because of where the mechs hang down vs the cost of them. I know there’s a clutch on the Sram AXSechs to try and save them - but I’d always be in fear of a smashed rear mech......

IMO wireless is a siolution in search of a problem and again its just my opinion but I believe strongly in KISS - electronic shifting fails the test.

XT or XTR, with an XT cassette (more durable than xtr)

The clutches on Sram eagle stuff are shite, 6 months and they were ineffective, 3 months in and the jockey wheels were shagged.

IMO wireless is a siolution in search of a problem and again its just my opinion but I believe strongly in KISS – electronic shifting fails the test.

Yes it is, and that problem (for me) is crappy cable routing, arthritic thumb and a hatred of spending my evenings re-cabling an internal routed frame. Problem solved, great job SRAM. Which I don’t often say as a died in the wool Shimano fan.

Not sure I see the point of electronic mechs for a single ring set up. The cable does the same thing without any faff.

The cable does the same thing without any faff.

How many gears can you shift with one, 2mm, press of a button? Do you enjoy fitting internally routed cables?

Just because something is adequate, doesn’t mean it can’t be improved upon.

I had GX 12 speed, X01, Shimano SLX 12 speed and now I'm on GX AXS. I can tell when a product is good when I forget it's actually there!

It's so fuss free (along with the AXS dropper), the only thing I need to remember is to give the batteries a bit of a charge every so often.

I keep mechanicals as spares just in case, but I'll be getting AXS spares when I have the cash 🙂

I know a few people didn't get on with the shape of the shifter (it took 2 mins to adjust for me) but it's an improvement over cable mechs full stop. It's up to you if you feel you can justify the cost or not.

i have XO1 AXS on one of my bikes and it is superb.much better than the XTR cable shifter i have on another bike.
every shift is super crisp and fast and each gear is perfectly aligned, unlike the usual 12 speed rub you tend to get with cable shifters around the 8/9th gear.

I only have electric on my road bikes rather than mtb, but whilst nice, it’s not materially better than cable shifting when set up correctly

I don’t get the whole ‘but it’s so hard to thread a cable through a frame arguement’. I’ve done it on numerous frames and it’s never taken more than 20 min. But if it’s that hard pay someone that knows what they are doing 25 quid to do it for you, using the money you’ve saved from not buying electric gears.

I think if an argument can be made for electric it’s that the shifting on the front mech is slightly better, hardly ever relevant on an mtb however

AXS all the way given the choice. It may not make much difference on a road bike but on an mtb there is no contest.

especially given the thread lower in the page where someone’s £450 AXS rear mech has died after 2.5 years out of warranty.

I am that man! I've bought a new X01 AXS mech cause I can't go back. You pays your money and takes your chance.

My axs is on a drop bar gravel bike. I'm still getting used to it but last night steep loose descent to a ford with fair sized cobbles at speed and steep climb on other side. So nice to be able to be off the drops brake and shift the whole block using three fingers and not much movement. Niche scenario but I have a nice lumpy route from the door and this happens twice on that ride.

XT. I seriously don’t understand the love for SRAM, it’s just not as good or as durable.

Avoid SRAM like the plague.

Like Brexit, people embrace it then never admit they've made a mistake.

100% AXS, gradually moving my whole fleet over, road, mtb & gravel…

For a MTB is electronic/wireless shifting really worthwhile? Given the harsh life of an MTB and the proximity of rocks and the chances of crashing resulting in a broken mech there is no way I personally would go down that route. Possibly understand it for xc racing.
I have DI2 on the road bike and yes its amazing but then I hope to not crash my road bike!

For a MTB is electronic/wireless shifting really worthwhile?

Yes.

Yes it is, and that problem (for me) is crappy cable routing, arthritic thumb and a hatred of spending my evenings re-cabling an internal routed frame.

I have arthritic hands hence using twisties - which of course can make multiple shifts easily. I maintain my bike properly so never have sticky cables and internal cable routing is a stupid idea

For me its simply a solution in search of a problem and creates its own issues. KISS

For a MTB is electronic/wireless shifting really worthwhile?

A lot of write ups suggest that shifting down gears under load is smoother and easier with AXS than with cable. Given the increased possibility of the terrain suddenly ramping up and becoming more technical this would be a blessing in my estimation.

You don't have to have it if you don't want it. Like discs, droppers, 1x, actual rubber tyres etc.

And TBH, it's actually more simple than cables. Easier to maintain, easier to fit. GX AXS isn't that far away from the cost of MechanEagle XX1, either.

For me its simply a solution in search of a problem and creates its own issues.

Everything has upsides and downsides. I don't see how removing a cable increases complexity.

Instead of a cable and a lever you now have a push button, a battery, an electrical cable ( with connectors that can be faulty) a motor etc etc

More components, more complex components, more points of failure.

Water does not affect bowden cables, it effects electrical stuff.

chuck your electronic shifting bike in a river and pull it out again - does it still work? the mechanical system would

I don't have any issues with mechanical shifting. so why go for a more complex more expensive system with more failure points

For me its simply a solution in search of a problem and creates its own issues. KISS

Seriously TJ, use it before making a judgement. Di2 is magnificent, it just works better and decreases maintenance on the bike.

I’d have it on all my bikes if I could afford it.

chuck your electronic shifting bike in a river and pull it out again – does it still work? the mechanical system would

But not your lauded Rohloff, eh? Funny where we all have blind spots.

Edit, and the answer is; Yes, of course it still does.

I don’t have any issues with mechanical shifting. so why go for a more complex more expensive system with more failure points

Same thing was said about hydraulic disk brakes, yet they are standard now.
Same for suspension forks and full sus frames.

I went AXS on my Whyte because the rear mech cable routing was appalling. Given that the frame cable grommet has been totally mashed by rocks I don’t think the cable shifting would still be working.
A year on and a full submersion in a river when I fell off and the AXS has been faultless. The mech is two years old after spending a year on my hardtail first.

I never had any problems with my horse…but I still drive a car now.. 😀

How many gears can you shift with one, 2mm, press of a button? Do you enjoy fitting internally routed cables?

Internal routing isn't that difficult, the park fishing magnet makes it easier on the frames designed by idiots.

Seriously TJ, use it before making a judgement. Di2 is magnificent, it just works better and decreases maintenance on the bike.

With a mechanical system, you can fix it with readily available tools and spares (in normal times) easy to come by, AXS/Di2 plays up and you are stuffed.
Granted when it works its ace, there is no denying that and on road/tt bikes with integrated front ends, building a bike is much quicker.

My partner switched over to AXS a while ago. It's superb. It's miles easier to set up, requires zero maintenance and never gets messed up by cable stretch / outers wearing etc etc. Not to mentioned how much easier the shifts are (especially, if like her you have tiny hands). The only thing not to like is the price.

I have to LOL at those saying Shimano is more durable than SRAM, I'm on my 3rd (or is it 4th, I've lost count!) Shimano mech in 1 year. All have either given up or exploded with little to no provocation. I'm not the only one either I've heard a few stories of Shimano mechs just being rubbish and falling apart.
In a similar timeframe with SRAM on a previous bike with similar mileage, 1 mech.

Given this, when the next one goes and I'm 2 months in with the current mech so it'll probably be in 1 or 2 months I'll be going AXS myself.

I've used Shimano drivetrains (Deore, SLX, XT and XTR) for the last 20 years as I never really got on with the SRAM kit (the same with brakes too TBH). Bought a Kona Process 134 CR this year that came with full GX Eagle (non-AXS). Hated the lever feel (it felt a bit cheap and flimsy vs. the XT), but was impressed with the 52t cassette range and the actual shifting was pretty impressive. Having run the Reverb AXS for 6 months and been super impressed, I thought I'd try the GX AXS upgrade kit as I could get a decent discount on it. After about 500 miles riding with the GX AXS in all conditions, it’s been amazing. The shifting is consistent every time, even under load and it’s so ridiculously simple to set up. I was able to set up shifting how I like on the App and it all integrates well with the Reverb. Even at this early stage, I am not sure I’d commit to going back to a cable operated system. Charging a battery every couple of rides isn’t an issue (just like you would for lights, Garmin etc.) and they charge super-fast. Personally I’d go with the GX AXS, you’ll never look back. I am looking forward to seeing what the Shimano alternative will be in the years to come, but for now SRAM have nailed it IMO.

Whilst it is bloody annoying with SRAM clutches going ‘baggy’ they do still work at least, whereas we have gone through numerous Shimano 12spd mech now where the opposite happens & the clutch mechanism corrodes, then seizes, and when you have a big suspension hit, it basically explodes.

Have got AXS on one bike with the new shifter & its a lot better than the old one. The mech has taken a few big hits and seems to be all ok. I’ll still be grumpy when I write one off, even at trade prices.

to those saying time moves on and we have dropper posts and disc brakes that we now accept as the norm.... Those things were actually marked improvements.
Electronic shifting doesnt change what we can ride. It's incremental improvement at best. The cost of the upgrade isnt worth it to me.

my 11 speed x01 is till working fine 6 years later. Reliability for mtb stuff is pot luck

The cost of the upgrade isnt worth it to me.

That's fine - no one is making you have it.

I sold a jump bike I built and never used (as I'm shite at it) to pay for it. No Ragrets.

AXS, no real contest - incredibly easy to install, setup and use. The consistent result is fantastic no matter how manky the system gets.

Only drawback is the cost, but I've said that since the moment it was announced (all AXS kit is eye wateringly expensive).

Notice how none of the people who have actually ridden AXS have anything but positives to say, whereas the negatives only come from those who haven't?

Classic STW 🤣

I haven't got to try AXS yet and the only negative I could think of would be price....but I just added up what I have spent on replacing exploded shimano mechs and I reckon it could have easily financed AXS if I'd just done it the first time...As I was tempted to do but didn't because I was scared of the price, oh the irony.
When the current one goes I'm just biting the bullet, just don't tell the wife!

Well my upgrade kit arrived today. After all the positive comments from those that have used it I just thought sod it. The X01 rear mech isn't much cheaper to replace in the event of damage so it made sense. Gutted I'm still waiting on frame and fork to get the build started now.