SRAM X01 Eagle AXS Upgrade Kit [Rider Review]

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We all hate messing with our cable tension on our derailleurs. When it comes to shifting we can all agree it would be much easier to just set and forget. SRAM does just that with their AXS drivetrain. Our friend, Larry, has been running the X01 AXS. See what they think! 

Overview

Since Sram’s AXS setup has debuted, I’ve been interested in trying it. The price point just made it something that I determined I didn’t want to try that bad, however. How good could it be, right? Plus I forget to plug in my phone some nights, now I would have to plug in my bike! After having an issue that required a warranty, and no ETA for when a warranty shifter might be available, I finally got curious enough and put up the money.

I decided to keep my Shimano cassette, chain, and chainring and go for the hybrid Shimano/Sram drivetrain. I had read success stories so knew it was possible, I just had to figure out how to do it as no “guide” existed. The longest part of the installation ended up being the removal of the old cable housing, derailleur, and shifter. Once off, the AXS install went quickly. The B screw adjustment was the only thing that required a little more finesse. The new style B tension tools don’t fit on a Shimano cassette with the chain in the second largest cog. Luckily I had an older style Eagle adjustment tool which worked to get it dialed in for the cassette.

I wondered how much I may notice any missed shifts or oddities as a result of mixing brands, but honestly, there have been zero issues. Shifts snick off with extreme ease and quickness and I have no mis-shifts to report in the past few months of riding the setup. The only thing I can complain about is the physical size of the shifter. It’s larger than an equivalent mechanical and getting it in just the right bar position took some playing with as my TRP brakes are a little on the bulky side as well.

The ergonomics took a little getting used to as well. It’s not worse or better, just different. The location of the paddles is just enough different that it does take a little retraining of your hand. When you’ve been doing something one way for so long, it just takes a little adapting. As a result, I found myself shifting in the wrong direction on the first couple of rides. This hasn’t been an issue since then.

The issue of remembering to charge hasn’t been a problem so far. In the couple of months that I have run the setup, I have only had to charge it twice. To make sure I remembered the battery, I would hang the battery cage on the end of my handlebar. I’m sure sooner or later I will forget to grab the battery but it needs to be charged so rarely that there won’t be many opportunities.

Final Thoughts

This for me is not groundbreaking or making me any faster, but I do like everything it does. Shifts are fast and effortless. I retain all the Shimano benefits of shifting under power. To clean more thoroughly and for traveling with the bike, it’s much easier to remove the derailleur. Reinstalling is easy as well as there's no resetting of cable tension. Just mount it and go. It is a total commodity for sure but one that I enjoy. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.