SRAM Rival eTap AXS

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Dude… spindle-based power meter seems new for SRAM to me. Presumably cheaper than the spider based ones and may be single-sided as a result of the design? Gotta dig a bit on that for function and pricing.

  • Yup, single-sided, left-only.
  • Rival AXS crankset (2x, w/ power meter): US$349 / AU$526 / £322 / €360
    • This seems super reasonable for the money.
    • Lama also mentions an “upgrade” option for the arm and spindle at US$249 (not sure on others).
    • 1x option only seems available as a full group.
    • Maybe a bummer to not get auto-zero. But at least it has the needed temp compensation.
    • Totally hoping for a similar spindle PM option for the MTB side, maybe GX level? :crossed_fingers:
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It is left sided. Initial review seems to point to accuracy problems.

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This is really exciting news. This will probably be my next group set. Wondering if Shimono‘s hand is going to be forced now with respect to 105 Di2.

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Nice offering. The one thing I wish (and this is for AXS in general) is that there was a middle of the road cassette and RD. Something in between 10-36 and the mullet 10-50 would be nice for 1x for a N=1 type bike. A little bit more range but not quite such big steps (and a lighter cassette). Pairing a 42t chainring with a 10-42 would be nice. Top gear would be equal to the 50/12 gear and you would have a 1:1 for the easiest gear

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I think Di2 at 105 level was an inevitability and my first thought seeing this news was, Shimano is falling behind if they don’t make a similar move.

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$1600 for power meter, wireless shifting 12speed 2x set up.

Thats a very good deal.

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I personally haven’t ridden a bike with SRAM… but correct me if I am wrong, but it seems so much easier the approach that SRAM has taken with electronic gears, compared to Shimano?

Also looking at the whole app eco system that SRAM has, almost feels like Shimano is falling behind?

Who wants to pay 2500 euro for something with wires and no power meter, when you can pay 1500 euros, get wireless, PM…

Of course we will have to see what Shimano drops, but if they don’t introduce 105 Di2 I think they will be missing out…

Also, 105 looks visually way way more entry level than Rival does…

Get a bike with Rival and then just change crankset to Red AXS and I wouldn’t notice the difference… between the groups.

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As an entire eco system it’s really nicely linked up, with most of the road and MTB bits being cross compatible.
Just need some third party compatible chainrings in my opinion.

Is it possible to run a SRAM AXS MTB rear derailleur and a shimano 10-45 cassette? I have seen some info that the shimano and SRAM 12 speed MTB stuff is a bit cross compatible but I’m not sure about this specific combo.

This guy does that (doesn’t mention cassette he’s running)

(If you’ve already seen it, info for others)

1 Like

From the picture it looks like the 10-51. I know the chain and everything would mesh correctly. I’m just not sure if the SRAM derailleur could be adjusted to shift smoothly on the smaller cassette. i.e. if the b-tension and derailleur geo can accommodate it.

But if someone has the disposable cash to buy everything to try it out it sure would be interesting to know!

Really going to put pressure on Shimano and ultimately will be good for the consumer. I currently use AXS Force, and to be honest, it has been absolutely flawless. The only reason I would change it if I had unlimited funds would be to reduce weight.

I use the ethirteen 9-46 with AXS, so I’m sure Shimano 10-45 would be fine.

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Is there any cost effective to run this on tt bike? The rear mech seems great but the blipbox + blips is still $700. Would it be worth trying the eagle shifter?

New bike with SRAM Force AXS eTap, and I have some impressions. Ultegra shifting feels crisper and the entire drivetrain smoother, however SRAM is 12 speed (flattop chain only, sigh) vs my 11 speed Ultegra and:

  • SRAM Force with non-wide front derailleur only supports 4 chainrings in a 2x setup (46x33 and 48x35) which is annoying but not a show stopper. There is a wide 2x crank with bigger Q factor, but thats another crank. I just spent 3 weeks learning about compatibility.
  • 33x36 low gear is one reason I wanted SRAM
  • the Quarq power meter spider is the other reason I wanted it
  • in 3 weeks I’ve already encountered a) a bug with AutoZero on the Quarq power meter (easy enough to turn it off), and b) a bunch of minor but annoying bugs with AXS app (they pulled firmware after I updated), and c) somewhat randomly a gear shift will cause headunit to have a 1-3 second dropout on power recording, so to be honest I’d rather have wires if it wasn’t for that nice clean look of only having two brake cables coming off the bars.

Like everything in life, its all about tradeoffs. Happy with my new Quarq PM, lower 33x36 gear, and no issues with 46x10 big gear. Wish the drivetrain and shifting felt smoother, no biggie. New bike, don’t care about Di2 wires vs eTap no wires. Overall I’d say its a wash between Force eTap and Di2.

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Nope. You’ll need an AXS chainring & chain in combo with an AXS rear mech… It can be Rival, Force, or Red, but it has to be AXS. I’m not saying it’s absolutely impossible. You might be able to get a Shimano 11sp ring to kinda-sorta work, but you really don’t want to.

AXS chains have larger rollers, generally not compatible with anything else

For clarity, that’s Road AXS, but not MTB AXS.

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That’s the setup in going to run if I ever wear out my X01 hardware