SRAM GX AXS Upgrade Kit [Rider Review]

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for.

Electronic shifting has become a highly debated topic, especially since SRAM put out their GX AXS that dropped the price on electric shifting. The biggest question is: "Is it worth it?" Let's see what a paying customer thinks. 

Overview

Where do I start? I liked my first SRAM GX AXS Upgrade Kit that I bought a second one. One kit is installed on my 2019 Salsa Journeyman (my go-to bike for gravel and light singletrack) and the other kit is installed on my 2022 Orbea Oiz H20.

The install is pretty easy since there’s no cable to run (not to mention no cable stretch adjustments to be made after the fact). I did have to take my Salsa to my local bike shop for a little adjusting because my chain kept jumping off the biggest cog. When I did the install on my Orbea, I did have to make a Facetime call for a little help with getting it right (maybe because I paired it with a Shimano cassette). But once the wireless kit is set up right, it’s hard to beat.

I justified upgrading my Salsa from the NX groupset because I was going to England for the London to Brighton Off-Road Ride and I figured it would be one less thing to adjust once I got there. I was right. When I packed my bike before the trip, I just removed the derailleur, wrapped it in bubble wrap and reinstalled it when I got there. Super easy and no adjusting necessary… even when my bike fell over on the sidewalk outside a shop and got scuffed up – it went right back in to place and worked like nothing happened. The ride was a 62-mile route that I knew would require a lot of shifting (very hilly in the UK) and I took a spare battery just in case, but these batteries live up to the hype and last forever. Between that ride and the 20-mile route I found near the town where I was staying, I did A LOT of shifting going up and down the trails there, but the light on the original battery was still green when I disassembled and packed my bike for the trip home.

I decided to buy the GX AXS upgrade kit for my Oiz because I noticed on all my uphill gravel rides that I could shift under load without issue and wanted that same luxury on my mountain bike. I live in Oklahoma and while our singletrack isn’t crazy enough to do a ton of shifting, I’m 3 hours from Bentonville where the trails are a whole different animal. I’ve only done a few rides on my Orbea so far with the SRAMano drivetrain, but it works surprisingly well. In case anyone is wondering what parts work well together, I’m using the GX AXS derailleur with the 12-speed SLX Hyperglide+ chain/cassette and I don’t know if I’d know the difference with my eyes closed.

Final Thoughts

Is the GX AXS upgrade kit cheap? No. Would I recommend it? Absolutely. I never thought I’d be the guy willing to spend so much on something like wireless shifting, but the upsides like lack of maintenance and ease of use cancel out the cost. I like it so much that I’m considering the Force AXS upgrade on my road bike.