IMHO the new Pod Controller is a very nice upgrade from the original on the AXS. I hated the rocker on the original but replaced it with the paddles and found it much better.
When my Transmission group arrived and I played with the new Pod Controller my first thoughts were - I don’t know, I don’t think I’m going to like this at all. The buttons seemed very firm with definite click when engaged. But after getting it installed and adjusted I found it to be just about perfect and took no time to get acclimated to it. The firmness when on the handlebars felt just right to me and detent click before the button is actuated makes for a much more positive shifting experience. Plus, the buttons see to be positioned in just the right place under my thumb. Not everybody agrees with this but for me it just works. Plus, it is compatible with the original AXS which is nice.
Berm Peak review mentioned that shift speed is slow when the drivetrain is not under load, e. g. on a bike stand or out in the field. But that shift speeds are much better when you put out power while shifting, i. e. completely opposite to how you’d use a non-Transmission drivetrain.
I find it slow when I am pedalling also, at least slower than AXS and XTR. It can be problematic when you need to grab a bunch of gears at short notice. I also do still get the crunching noise if I am in the wrong gear.
Are you running a 52mm chainline using a standard crankset on the Evo? Or did you buy a newer wide style crankset with 55mm chainline? Sram told me it needs a 55mm chainline but I know the Epic Evo frameset was designed around a 52mm chainline.
The transmission groupset uses the dub wide standard which is a 55mm chainline. So even though the bike is designed for 52mm, the transmission cassette is outboard 2.5mm more than the Eagle cassette and the crankset/chainring is a 55mm chainline. In summary, any bike with a boost rear hub and a udh should work with transmission regardless of whether it was “designed” around a 52mm or 55mm chainline.
The topic of chainline has become much more complicated. Some manufactures like yeti have been using a 55mm chainline with boost rear spacing and the “old” Eagle components.
Were you running SRAM or Shimano before XO transmission? I’m looking at a bike that comes with the SRAM kit and to date, have much preferred shimano XT and XTR to any SRAM mechanical or the non-transmission AXS kit. Still thinking about pulling off the XO while it’s new and selling it and setting the bike up with Shimano.
I had XT and SRAM X0 Eagle on bikes within the 6 months. I preferred mechanical Shimano shifting feel and ability to shift under load, but the new SRAM transmission bridges the gap and brings the advantages of electronic as well. I think for now until Shimano comes out with new tech, I’m fully converted to Transmission.
Thank you for the reply. Helps quite a bit as I’m a long time Shimano fan and while I’ve embraced Di2 electronic shifting on the road (and not going back to mech) I have not found the same experience to be true with AXS off road. It’s the lag in the shift occurring that will likely take a bit of retraining on my part. A lot of years of momentary soft pedal for shifting are pretty ingrained.
I have had GX Transmission rear mech and cassette on my gravel bike now for two months and I love it.
Now I would like to add shifters on aero bars for some ultra rides. I know that SRAM Wireless Blips are the easiest solution, but I don’t like the idea to replace them for high cost for two years.
I wonder if I could buy a new AXS pod controller as it seems to be easy to fit in the end of aero bar. It would be nice to could be able to replace the batteries when needed. Do anyone know if this would work? I assume that the AXS pod controller and AXS buttons on road shifters work both as a shifter buttons which could be paired with the derailleur which works as a main device in the AXS system.
Ok, thanks. Maybe it’s worth a try. In Powertrain system second pod could be added to control the motor I think so why this wouldn’t work. Maybe Shimano has the patent on third button and SRAM couldn’t add it because of that?
I wouldn’t be surprised. Patents are often the reason why Shimano has an edge and the answer to “Why didn’t the engineers use the superior solution here?” Although it does force SRAM to think outside the box.
Faster than Ultegra Di2 on my road bike and GRX810 mechanical on my previous bike. Zero adjustments needed and it shifts very well under load. I haven’t noticed that it would be sluggish.
Transmission is super slow. It’s noticeable switching from from my Shimano bikes, maybe those coming from previous AXS don’t notice such a difference.
Does it matter? Undecided.
But there are instances it’s annoying. For one, I was just in Bentonville and a lot of their trails feature “hubs” where you roll up onto a built structure that leads into multiple downhill lines – they allow you gain a little speed before the first features. I had it happen a few times where I’d bang-off a few up-shifts while rolling down and it would still be shifting well after I expected it to be done. Makes it kinda herky-jerky when you’re trying to setup for jumps and what-not.
I find the same to be true for sudden, steep climbs. Yes, it gets through the gears, but not before you’re putting power down.
I like how low-effort it is to make shifts, especially compared to the long lever throws of Shimano down-shifts.
Honestly, if it was just faster it’d be nearly perfect.