What is going on with Sram AXS?

Equipment
21

Yikes! That is pretty expensive.

However, I guess $800 doesn’t seem that bad to me considering this group is likely going to be on a $10,000 + bike.

22

It looks cool but I will definitely pass on it, imo having the chainring and power meter integrated is an idiotic decision, not to mention that it is something like 400? grams heavier. I do like the change with 13spd on the back and it could be nice to use but the trade off is not worth it.

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23

fyi: your guess is off by a factor of 10x . . . 36grams heavier :slight_smile:

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24

They might as well be done with it and integrate the crank arms in a one piece design. Throw the the whole thing away when you bend a ring in a crash.

Mike

25

yep, but they have hinted that they will make lower cost versions available in the future (very similar to what Shimano did with their drive trains over the years).

26

Shimano is way behind on the ultra bling game. Their top end group sets need to crank up their numbers is they are going to compete with campag and sram. Looking down right discount at this point.

27

Yep, always tradeoffs to make; in the case of AXS, it’s durability and weight vs cost.

FWIW: They didn’t integrate the power meter to allow users to buy the drive train separate from a bike. In the case of Specialized’s S-Works, it’s offered as part of the $11k package.

28

That may be the case but 7800 is still the best functioning group set they’ve ever made (in my opinion), which is half of the problem with all of these developments: solving a problem that doesn’t really exist.

Mike

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29

Stages singles sided SiSL crank is 20 grams heavier than the original Cannondale arm and up until a year ago single sided was good enough for Sky to win multiple grand tours with.

If you’re wallet’s deep enough though.

Mike

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30

Ironically, this is the first introduction by e-Tap of sequential shifting while Shimano has now had it available on Di2 systems for 2+ years. I’m not sure how many people use it though (I don’t).

What I find really interesting is e-Tap adding compensating shifting (when you shift your chain rings up or down, it will also adjust the rear cassette one or two teeth to smooth the transition).

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31

I hear you, Mike!

The truth is that you can buy a perfectly great functioning bike for $1,000-$1,500 (technology that cost $3500-$5000 10 years ago). But, I would venture to guess that there is a large percent of TR users that have spent a lot more than that :slight_smile:

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32

I was more commenting on DuraAce Di2 looking like the cheapest option.

33

grabs popcorn :sunglasses:

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34

According to Bikeradar the total groupset weight for axs is 2518 + 36 for the power meter. Old red etap is 2322 according to road.cc so 314 total difference if my calculations are correct.

35

Bob Mac do you work for sram? Or compensated in any way?. You seem to be quite the cheerleader for a new product role out.

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36

This is the least scientific “reading between the lines” but if you look at the quoted battery life, it’s only 20 hours for Eagle AXS.

This leads me to believe they have significantly increased the signal strength or refresh rate on the rear mech (since they quoted 60 hours on the previous version of eTap for rear mechs on road). It looks like a very similar battery design as well.

I’d love to get a bunch of wifi/bluetooth devices in the same room to try and over-saturate the frequencies to try and fuzz up the signals as a test.

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37

@bobmac is a very detail oriented guy. He’s done his homework as far as I can tell reading his previous posts.

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38

I have to LOL at anyone b@#$%@%^ about the price of this when you are buying a $12k+ bike…

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39

I didn’t see that on BikeRadar data, but here’s a link that compares 2019 groupsets.

I think the relevant comparison is:

  • SRAM Red eTap AXS - 2317gm
  • Shimano Durace Di2 R1970 - 1996gm

So it it 321 gram difference. However this weight gain is offset by the following:

  • The weight is in the center of the rotation and not at the edge:
  • There are 6 step ups of one cog only on the e-Tap vs 4 on the Di2 (i.e. smoother cadence = efficiency of pedal stroke)
  • Depending on crank/cassette combo you choose: 5% (more leverage) at the upper end and 5% lower at the lower end (higher cadence)
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40

:smile: No, in fact I have always been a “Shimano guy” and was ready to purchase the S-Works with Di2 when a fellow cycling club mate mentioned the AXS.

But, I’m a self-described “analytical nut case” (physics, math, mechanical engineer by early training) and LOVE to dive deep on cycling matters :slight_smile:

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