New one for me yesterday, the right shifter started to intermittently dropout. At one point it was dead for nearly a minute. Everything else was fine.
Thought it was the battery, but battery life almost full. Been on AXS since last summer and ridden it regularly since. Worried it’s dying like the rear derailleur did a few month ago!
Anyone had this before and know what causes it?
Funny you should mention this, ive had it with my force right hand shifter a couple of times. First time I assumed the battery had just died, even though it wasnt that old.
Second time was a couple of days ago. I pulled to the side of the road and gave the battery door a bit of a wiggle and the shifter started working again. No idea whats causing this though
Just back from a long one and had a lot of time to get a feel for it! It definitely wasn’t a one off yesterday, happened from 40mins on today’s ride and then it was just random for the whole ride.
When I squeeze the area under the hood where the battery is, it works again!
This lines up nicely with what you did too. Maybe a loose connection?
Going to get cleaned up then have a look. Will email SRAM too, got a feeling we’re not alone here…
Yeah thats my exact experience and diagnosis too.
I remember a similar common problem with some of the early stages power meters. The “easy fix” solution recommended on various forums was to either prise the battery connector out a bit or put a bit of folded paper/card between the battery door and the battery, to ensure that the battery fits snugly against the contact.
My issue has been rare enough so far that I havent looked for a solution but if it becomes more common then i might employ a similar tactic.
Nicely spotted! SRAM support guy I had said he’d never heard of the issue and suggested warranty process. Wasn’t interested in that, will take a look at the battery connectors. Today no problems at all funnily enough!
Update!
Sunday it was dropping out a little at random as usual but 10 minutes from home… died completely!
Worst yet. Was right after a steep climb too so was stuck in the easiest gear. Didn’t realise how impossible it was to get going from a standstill at crossings in a 33T cog.
Yesterday finally took the battery out and bent the connector to the extent there’s no way it’ll not make contact, and today had a 3 hour ride. Not a single dropout! So I think that’s it definitively sorted and thankfully didn’t go the SRAM support route and start warranty.
Cheers!
I sympathise with you! The first time it happened to be I was in the 12t at the bottom of a steep climb. Assumed the battery was dead so rode uphill for a good 30 mins in a huge gear!
Glad you seemed to have fixed it!
Given the flexible nature of the connectors, I suspect they could easily “flatten” over time and lead to the same problems in the future. A longer term solution is maybe a little spacer of some sort between the door and the battery so that everything stays snug.
Hi I have the same issue you seemed to have. Can I ask is your issue completely resolved?
for me it’s always the right shifter that drops out, sometimes for a few seconds but I’ve had a few times where it’s been over 10 minutes.
There doesn’t seem like there is an issue with the battery connection pins. It’s so intermittent that getting someone else like a SRAM service engineer to play with it is going to be tricky
I didn’t see this in anybody’s response but are any of you using Dura Cell batteries or any other that have the bitter coating? If so that could potentially be a problem as the coating can cause connectivity issues. The solution is a wipe with alcohol prior to installing.
I have had the left shifter stop working. I don’t believe it was a drop out. I swapped the derailleur battery out and that fixed the issue. I think it was not enough power to pull the chain up the cassette because of a low battery.
I first experienced the issue in early July. To troubleshoot, I swapped the shifter batteries from left to right, which temporarily solved the problem. However, when the issue returned, I decided to replace the battery entirely—even though it was still showing sufficient charge in AXS App. Since then, I haven’t had any problems.
SRAM really needs to address showing correct battery through the AXS app.
>>>SRAM really needs to address showing correct battery through the AXS app.<<<
So far the app works for me, but it has to be presently connected to awake components for the battery level to be correct. With the app open, I shake the bike to wake up the derailleurs and press the AXS button on the levers. That said, I usually rely on the lights on the components and the battery alerts on my Garmin.
