2025 XC Bike & Equipment Thread

I’m with you, never was impressed with the old sram axs stuff. I preferred shimano and X01 mech over AXS. I do have to say though that the new GX transmission is pretty damn good. I have not had any chain slap issues like I did with the old AXS stuff. der is super tough and shifting is perfect… Always. especially under load

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The GX T-Type also has, in my opinion, a superior battery mount

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Quite the opposite in fact.

I’ve seen a bunch of people have this issue as well.

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Hmm, no issues with my GX Transmission RD so far. I watched that video and he talked about the battery interface not being waterproof. There is a seal on the battery interface and it doesn’t look any different from the previous AXS or Eagle stuff. I’ve heard of people having issue with those battery pins long before GX transmission came out, so I’m not sure this is anything new but I’ll keep an eye on mine. I always assumed it was people who pressure wash their bikes maybe getting some water in there (or leaving the battery off without putting the plastic seal in place in a dirty/wet environment).

I’ve been running Eagle, Road, and Xplr AXS since it came out over 5 years ago and I’ve never had an issue with those battery pins. One of my Eagle AXS RD’s is over 5 years old and has a crazy number of tough miles on it and all I’ve ever serviced were the jockey wheels.

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The issue is more the angle.

Looking at the X0 vs GX battery mount the X0 is vertical which will allow water to pour out vs the GX which is horizontal so it would pool. A plus if you store your bike vertical I suppose.

I’ve definitely been treating my GX Transmission differently since I saw that video. Fingers crossed.

What are you doing to treat it different? I’ll keep an eye on mine going forward, but it’s not clear to me what might be causing the issues (or if it’s any different from the pin issues reported on the prior versions). The guy in the video makes it sound like it’s a common occurrence unique to the new GX. Maybe that’s just youtube drama or maybe it’s something unique to certain use cases. I’ve got a bunch of hours on mine in really wet/gritty/muddy conditions. There is dirt/grit in every nook and cranny of the RD, but the area under the battery seal is clean.

I took another look at my GX transmission compared to a couple of my old style road and MTB AXS RD’s and the pin design and seal all seem to be the same design. And all of them are dirty around the seal, but clean beneath the sealed interface. And while the new GX has the battery interface at a much flatter angle, I’m not sure why that would matter. Maybe it’s an issue with more debris building up in the area where the battery sits since it’s more enclosed. With enough debris, I guess it could build up or affect the seal if someone didn’t notice. The only thing about the new design that I don’t like is how the locking clip pivots rearward and hangs backwards when a battery isn’t in. It just looks like it would be more prone to getting snapped off if moving the bike around without the battery in. I use the little plastic dummy battery much more often on the GX Transmission RD than I did on prior versions.

I just wish Shimano would get with the times and release something that competes with SRAM Transmission. I’m hearing rumors of it happening this year, and I hope that’s the case because I’ll be in the market for a new MTB in a few years and hopefully the prices will be much lower by then :grin:

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First time I’m seeing the red sid

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I did a bit more digging…apparently it’s definitely not just GX Transmission based. I guess just making sure those pogo pins are as dry as possible after rides/washes.

With the exception of direct mount derailleurs, is there anything really needing upgrading on the current Shimano platform?

I say this as someone that doesn’t want electronic shifting and does want high end cable systems.

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Today Kate finally made the no secret public saying she will be riding a “newly updated” BC40, I see nothing on Allied website or anywhere regarding what’s “newly updated” about the BC40. does anyone know of anything?

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It is on their website. Ligher Frame, chain retention, bb area is better new stem/bar… I think that is it.

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Has anyone put a 52mm Chain line crankset on the new Yeti ASR which is designed around 55mm? Looking to upgrade my frame from a SB100 to the ASR soon and hoping to swap over the crankset and power meter.

The Yeti manual says maybe but cant test before purchase.

"WHAT CHAINLINE WAS THE ASR DESIGNED AROUND?
The ASR was designed around a 55mm Boost chainline. Depending on the crank and chain ring
configuration you can run other chainlines but you will have to do a clearance check first. Minimum
clearance from the chainring teeth to the chainstay is 3.5mm. "

Cheers

I don’t know the answer, but it will likely depend on what size chainring you run. You might want to verify a specific chainring size (or range of sizes) before pulling the trigger.

Thanks grwoolf. Will use 32T and 34T chainrings

I see it now! their stem/bar combo is sweet! 3k5, didn’t their frame use to cost a lot more?

$1k more

I just wanted to highlight the slightly updated 2025 Giant XTC SLR 1. If you are looking for a budget ($2200cad/~$1500usd) xc race bike this seems to be one of the best options available. Geo might scare some of you away with the 69.5/70 deg head angle, but if you have more mellow trails locally, then it is absolutely capable enough. In 2025 it now comes with a dropper, which obviously helps a ton. The only fumble is the fork, I would have specced a 120, but that’s not a huge deal. You’d expect the house brand fork to suck, but I’ve only heard great things about this one.

The reason I noticed it is because it is nearly identical in geo and spec as my 2021 Epic HT, and I know my bike is amazing so this should be too. I’ve also added a dropper and my bike is red, so essentially this is the same bike but aluminum. This is just a better version of the Specialized Chisel imo. The chisel specs have always been crap for the price. The newest chisel comp costs $3k and you get way less for that money.

Not sure it’s actually available to buy anywhere yet, but it’s on the Canada site.

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Seeing the Press are at Pivot HQ this week, so something new is coming. Rumors are for a new T429…but probably still SuperBoost

I finally am getting around to removing the AXS to put XTR back on.

My only electronic bike with be the Dura Ace. Only because I can’t talk myself into buying 105 to get rid of it.

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