When will you buy eTap AXS?

Back by popular demand, the general all-things Road forum!

Moderator: robbosmans

The question is when...?

Poll ended at Thu Feb 28, 2019 1:50 am

Right NOW!
8
3%
Soon, when I get a better deal.
10
3%
April, when Force eTap AXS would appear.
18
6%
Want it, but no plan.
46
16%
My current groupset is just fine.
198
69%
Never! Single Speed FTW!
7
2%
 
Total votes: 287

FlatlandClimber
Posts: 2491
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2020 3:37 pm

by FlatlandClimber

... and pairing is super easy. You have a master component (on Roadbikes that's the RD, on TT/Tri that's the Blipbox), and just pair the other components directly to that. If you go from 2x to 1x, you just unpair everything and not pair the FD again. That's all... 2 Minutes.
Cervelo P5 Disc (2021) 9.1kg
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orange77
Posts: 37
Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2015 4:23 pm

by orange77

Hi,

Just a question I don’t know if someone has asked before, but Im sure someone can answer me.

Current bike setup has 11s red mechanical, is there any chance to use Etap AXS with 11 speed cassette? Is there some sort of configuration on the AXS or this isn’t possible and the only way to use AXS is to upgrade also the freehub, cassette and chain?

Thanks in advance

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Ypuh
Posts: 673
Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2019 10:20 pm
Location: The Netherlands

by Ypuh

No. You need to spend $$$$ to upgrade. No free lunch with SRAM.
Cervelo S3 - 7.3kg
Time ADHX - 8.7kg

spdntrxi
Posts: 5790
Joined: Sat Jul 20, 2013 6:11 pm

by spdntrxi

freehubs are cheap.. I think I picked one up for 50ish. The cassette is pricy if you chose RED @ $350. I mean if you are already spending the big bucks on Shifters/RD/FD why skimp ? I upgraded from Etap11 because I didn't need to full cranks, just ended up getting Rotor2x rings for $120 for my SRM Power cranks .. so all is good. I still hate their FD though.
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orange77
Posts: 37
Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2015 4:23 pm

by orange77

Thanks ;)

Greg0rE
Posts: 24
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2016 11:41 am

by Greg0rE

I am double posting here, but I thought it was helpful for others as I've spent some time looking at gearing ranges and recommended usage for various cassettes under 400g. Based on the below and comments by 3T, I would be tempted to go Eagle XX1 with the Rotor 11-39 cassette (although I know some folks had mixed experiences):
Rotor’s 12-speed 11-39T cassette. Yes, this one also works with the Eagle AXS rear derailleur and Eagle chain! The range is small, but bigger than the 10-33T (355% vs 330%). It’s great for riders (I happens to be one) who don’t care about their top gear because they are a relaxed descender. You can use this cassette together with a small chainring (maybe 36T, depending on your strength and terrain) and enjoy very nice, small steps between the gears. […] Cassette for road use: If you also want to use your gravel bike for serious road riding/racing, Rotor’s 12-speed 11-39T is great, and again the small steps will be appreciated. Just combine it with a bigger ring than you would for gravel, so maybe something in the 40T to 46T range
Image

User avatar
MarshMellow
Posts: 158
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2020 10:47 pm

by MarshMellow

SRAM 1x derailleurs (Force XPLR, Rival XLPR) are not designed to take up chain slack, instead optimised for only moving across the cassette. It's not eXact Actuation or X-Sync - I forget right now. When doing it, the derailleur's movements are idea'd around SRAM cassettes and SRAM intervals.

For instance - an old CX1 Force allroad bike would always need alot of tinkering when going from Gravel to Road, even w/ an 1190 cassette.
RimClencher wrote:
Tue Apr 15, 2014 10:56 am
That's your own fault for riding with no clothes on.

Steve Curtis
Posts: 1314
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 12:20 pm
Location: Hampshire UK, Dublin Ireland and Geneva Switzerland.

by Steve Curtis

Quick question, as this thread has some good knowledge of AXS.

In a x1 set up, do XPLR rear mechs work well with 10-33 sram cassettes?

Thanks
Edit also, do the up to 33 rear mechs work with a 36 ?
I've seen this possible but not much information available.

Thanks
Last edited by Steve Curtis on Fri Aug 05, 2022 12:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
MarshMellow
Posts: 158
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2020 10:47 pm

by MarshMellow

XPLR are only made for 1x. A WW thread with a whole bunch of noise going on appears to have proven otherwise so long as you just love one set of front chainrings and one cassette and also share true passion for turning a screw jussstt riiight...

Since all XLRP gets made for 10-36 and 10-44 cassettes, the 3t size reduction and reduced OAD of the gears scaling outward do make for less-chain being made part of the each downshift. It may work, but - why? It's not going to work best in long term compared to a Force RD made for 10-36
RimClencher wrote:
Tue Apr 15, 2014 10:56 am
That's your own fault for riding with no clothes on.

andy4g63
Posts: 199
Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2020 7:02 pm

by andy4g63

Steve Curtis wrote:
Fri Aug 05, 2022 8:34 am
Quick question, as this thread has some good knowledge of AXS.

In a x1 set up, do XPLR rear mechs work well with 10-33 sram cassettes?

Thanks
Edit also, do the up to 33 rear mechs work with a 36 ?
I've seen this possible but not much information available.

Thanks
It is both yes to to answer your questions...

The 33 t cassette it works with the XPLR RD.

The problem I had is you hàve turn the B screw almost all the way out otherwise wouldn't shift from the Largest to the second largest cog.

Otherwise is fine, especially if you are doing 1X setup.

In a 2 X it will work with some caveats:

In the small ring you CAN'T USE the cassette bellow let say 17, or 15 t cogs, otherwise chain is loose.

I have a thread under my name on the GRAVEL section for the XPLR as a 2X , etc. Read it for more info...

The second question is YES again with some exceptions like short/very short chainstays .

Otherwise is working fine.

I suggest to size the chain 1 inch longer.

andy4g63
Posts: 199
Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2020 7:02 pm

by andy4g63

MarshMellow wrote:
Fri Aug 05, 2022 11:38 am
XPLR are only made for 1x. A WW thread with a whole bunch of noise going on appears to have proven otherwise so long as you just love one set of front chainrings and one cassette and also share true passion for turning a screw jussstt riiight...

Since all XLRP gets made for 10-36 and 10-44 cassettes, the 3t size reduction and reduced OAD of the gears scaling outward do make for less-chain being made part of the each downshift. It may work, but - why? It's not going to work best in long term compared to a Force RD made for 10-36
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=169523

It works totally fine as 2X.

I have been using like this for almost 3 months, works great and if I decide to go 1 X I only need to swap a cassette.

User avatar
MarshMellow
Posts: 158
Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2020 10:47 pm

by MarshMellow

andy4g63 wrote:
Fri Aug 05, 2022 1:17 pm
MarshMellow wrote:
Fri Aug 05, 2022 11:38 am
XPLR are only made for 1x. A WW thread with a whole bunch of noise going on appears to have proven otherwise so long as you just love one set of front chainrings and one cassette and also share true passion for turning a screw jussstt riiight...

Since all XLRP gets made for 10-36 and 10-44 cassettes, the 3t size reduction and reduced OAD of the gears scaling outward do make for less-chain being made part of the each downshift. It may work, but - why? It's not going to work best in long term compared to a Force RD made for 10-36
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=169523

It works totally fine as 2X.

I have been using like this for almost 3 months, works great and if I decide to go 1 X I only need to swap a cassette.
Thanks for the opinion but I'll be passing.

Some people enjoy being difficult.
RimClencher wrote:
Tue Apr 15, 2014 10:56 am
That's your own fault for riding with no clothes on.

Greg0rE
Posts: 24
Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2016 11:41 am

by Greg0rE

Just checked my current setups for
- road (~7.3kg) 48/35 chainring with 10-33 cassette (occasionally could do with a few extra gears on climbs)
- 26" XC bike (~9kg) with 38/26 chainring with 11-36 cassette (occasionally feels undergeared)

Any suggestions on chainring for 1x and cassette range for a ~7kg gravel bike? Pretty sure I saw gear calculators and co but my brain is mush after staring at ratios and co for days.

Steve Curtis
Posts: 1314
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 12:20 pm
Location: Hampshire UK, Dublin Ireland and Geneva Switzerland.

by Steve Curtis

andy4g63 wrote:
Fri Aug 05, 2022 1:12 pm
Steve Curtis wrote:
Fri Aug 05, 2022 8:34 am
Quick question, as this thread has some good knowledge of AXS.

In a x1 set up, do XPLR rear mechs work well with 10-33 sram cassettes?

Thanks
Edit also, do the up to 33 rear mechs work with a 36 ?
I've seen this possible but not much information available.

Thanks
It is both yes to to answer your questions...

The 33 t cassette it works with the XPLR RD.

The problem I had is you hàve turn the B screw almost all the way out otherwise wouldn't shift from the Largest to the second largest cog.

Otherwise is fine, especially if you are doing 1X setup.

In a 2 X it will work with some caveats:

In the small ring you CAN'T USE the cassette bellow let say 17, or 15 t cogs, otherwise chain is loose.

I have a thread under my name on the GRAVEL section for the XPLR as a 2X , etc. Read it for more info...

The second question is YES again with some exceptions like short/very short chainstays .

Otherwise is working fine.

I suggest to size the chain 1 inch longer.
Thank you. XPLR x1 ordered 👍🏻

TobinHatesYou
Posts: 12456
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2017 12:02 pm

by TobinHatesYou

In the past few weeks I bought a Red AXS upgrade group from Europe due to the current weakness of the EUR vs USD. I also bought a Force AXS upgrade group from my LBS because they had it on sale for 33% off.

Gotta say I'm kicking myself for not upgrading from eTap 11-speed sooner. It's so much more refined, though setting up the FD is still a pain in the ass. (Get the cage as low as it can possibly go without getting caught on the tallest teeth of the big ring. Tail guide mark perfectly parallel or slightly inboard. High limit set to 0.2-0.3mm.

1 week impressions:

It's the quietest group I've used in recent memory, quieter than eTap 11-speed, Ultegra 6500, Ultegra 6800, DA R9100 Di2, Super Record 12spd mechanical, and a mullet AXS build with a 10-52t cassette. I have not used the newer generation 12-speed Shimano.

I attribute most of this to the flat-top chain. It's so narrow, there's plenty of space between the link plates and adjacent sprocket teeth. The plates being so thin also probably reduces amplification.

I also think the fluid-damped clutch goes a long way. CyclingTips tested the efficiency of clutched rear derailleurs a few years back and found that SRAM RDs had zero additional drag while the slop in the pivot points on Shimano clutched RDs introduced some friction losses. The reduced chain bounce in all situations, even on smoother road surfaces is instantly noticed. Shimano MUST add this to their next generation road RDs IMO...they should have introduced a clutch on their R9200/R8100/R7100 RDs.

Mullet is louder, but mostly because of the very large, very hollowed out 10-52t cassette. It just makes a tinny noise in the largest and smallest cogs due to the 5.25mm chain and some very demanding chainlines, particularly the 44x52t or sometimes 46x52t combo I run.

The Red/Force AXS lever body is of course, noticeably narrower than the old eTap HRD lever body...I already knew this.

The chain works just fine on Praxis Buzz 10/11/12-speed chainrings.

The FD in its highest unmodified position on my Madone's integral hanger barely accommodates a 50t big ring. It definitely does not accommodate a 52t big ring, but I suppose I could use a plastic adapter to mount it higher.

Sramano did not work with an previous v1.0 KMC X12 chain (labeled SRAM MTB-only) and a Dura-Ace 11-34t cassette. The chain made rasping noises in all sprockets despite exhaustive micro-adjustment attempts. Shifting worked, but backpedaling in 50x34 resulted in the chain dropping into a smaller sprocket, potentially jamming the chain. I don't know if this is primarily the chain's fault, but I am unwilling to test this further. AFAIK Eagle, Shimano HG and YBN chains are 5.25mm, KMC are 5.2mm, Campy Road are 5.15mm, SRAM Road Flattop are 5.0mm and Campy Ekar are 4.9mm. I've seen various reports here of Shimano cassettes working eTap AXS, so I am a bit baffled. A Sramano hybrid build was my original plan because I wanted to run 52/36x11-34t for road race season...with Connex 12-speed quicklinks to facilitate easy chain waxing. Now I'm pretty sure I'm just going to run 50/34x10-33t and rely mostly on UFO Drip, reserving my wax baths only for a single race chain...and only for priority races.

by Weenie


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