I have both Red XPLR13 and X01 Transmission for the same bike. I just swap the cassette, chain, and derailleur. The whole thing takes maybe 10 minutes since its always the same bike I don’t even need to fine tune the shifting. I only need the 52 for about 1 or 2 long and steep climbs around so I just swap when necessary. Flatter rides I like the 13 speed better.
BTW- Around here “long and steep” means 29 miles with 6000 feet of elevation gain on a rocky, dirt road.
Good to hear. I have XXSL on my MTB and now 13 speed on my gravel bike and that’s my plan as well, swap over when needed. Do you use the transmission chain with a road front cassette? Or your 13 speed chain with the transmission cassette and derailleur?
I use the transmission chain with the 10-52 and a Red Chain with the 10-46.
Just a PSA, there is some talk that Sram could release a firmware/software update that would open their XX/GX/X0 T-Type transmission rear derailleurs to shift a 13 speed cassette.
My problem is my body weight at the end of the day! I’m a lean 210lb and ftp is 280-320 depending on if I’ve been consistent. I have dieted to single digit bf% @ about 200lb but ftp tanked massively and it was counterproductive
Climbs are my nemesis, my road bike has a 35/33 lowest gear, my local “climb” has me averaging 300ish @ 60rpm in bottom gear, at the end of a long day a 25-28min threshold effort isn’t much fun just to stay upright.
Maybe a 52t isn’t such a bad idea…
My problem isn’t weight as much as age with my FTP declining to about 270 (from 340) as I got to my mid-sixties. So, on my gravel bike I have a 38T chainring because of the steep climbs. Compared to 35/33 a 38/46 is over 20% lower gear. And the 38/10 high gear is about the same as a 50/13. On the downhills I just spin or coast. They are never the challenging part of the ride. Simply changing the chainring for different rides can make a big difference.
As others mentioned, the new shifting changes for MTB and e-bike (Hyperglide+ and Transmission) hold the chain at set points while the chain engages. If you’re in a big cog with a slow moving tire, it’ll feel slower. Transmission AXS waits for a set point in the cassette to shift (not sure how).
One thing I found, I think the fancier XO / XX cassettes have more ramps than the GX one. Additionally, SL is XC only, it might have different logic for aggressiveness.
I actually think cable shifting, specifically Shimano HG+, is WAY better than metered eshifting for MTB. Being able to move the RD 4 gears in one push is fantastic.
Glad to see SRAM allowing 13sp on current stuff. I fully expect to see Red XPLR and XX SL to merge into a non-ebike “1x road/gravel/XC” group with a mid-derailleur. Trail/Enduro doesn’t really need all the gear steps/cogs and weight savings XC and gravel do; they just need price point options, gear range, and durability.
Yup. That’s also why shifting with larger range cassettes is slower in the easier gears even though it is noticeably faster on the speedy end of the cassette.
I really hope you are right. This move would make a lot of sense to me, it’d be great if you could use the same RD with a 10–52 and 10–46 cassette.