New bike.
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New bike. Just changed the freehub on the best wheels. Kept the other bike as it’s a gravel.
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Just do it. I made the switch to SRAM AXS in May of 2019 and have been pleased. I cannot think of a reason to switch back to Shimano.
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Trying to think of ideas for some wide range gearing. Can I use 2 Rival AXS shifters with a GX AXS Eagle derailleur?
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Yup! If you go that route you do Eagle all around (chain and cassette too). But shifters will shift any AXS derailleur, they don’t care if it’s road or mountain.
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I know what I’m doing on once this stuff is back in stock!!!
I changed on my current bike. I went all Force, but changing on your current bike will allow you to customize what you want parts wise. Save $$ and get a Rival FD or RD, Force shifters (or Rival) and a Force crank to save weight. Or mullet group, etc.
I think getting it on a bike makes sense also. 6 of 1, 1/2 dozen of another.
The biggest PITA with the swap over is changing free hub bodies over if you have existing wheels- and making sure they’re compatible.
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New bike is the way to go…unless you want to get the run around looking for parts or gouged on eBay. Rival shifter/caliper sets should be $200 each for left and right. A set with L&R is upwards of $750 on eBay since they’re out of stock everywhere.
I just started looking and I’m glad I’m not in a rush
All eTap AXS components are compatible with one another, the compatibility chart is super easy. 
(Note that AXS implies you have a 12 speed drivetrain, you can’t match older 11-speed Red eTap shifters with 12-speed front and rear derailleurs.)
I think the best bang for the buck is a Rival eTap AXS groupset with a Red crank.
Parts availability is a nightmare.
I had to wait 4.5 months until my bike was delivered and assembled. And I had to jump through some hoops (e. g. my bike shop organized a RTP frame at no extra cost and had it painted for a modest amount). And I forwent Red cranks, because those would have needed another 2+ months. I didn’t want to wait until June or July for a bike I ordered in January.
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SRAM all day every day! Shimano while fast and precise is too dainty at least when comparing mechanical. As for electronic as many have said the SRAM shift logic is so superior. Also never liked how close Shimano shift controls are to each other.
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They are both sealed systems. If you have moisture in your system, something is wrong.
I haven’t dealt with hydraulic road systems yet (have GRX on my gravel bike), but I just bled the brakes on my GF’s MTB (Sram Code) and on my XTR. She bought her bike used and it was spongey, now it is great. I just bought a new frame so I had to replace the brake hose. Both jobs were easy.
The Code brakes on my E29 have been flawless for 5500 miles now (that’s a long time at 7 MPH).
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Ive had it happen on 3 different sram brakes. Asked my shop about it and they said that happens with dot fluid. Im not saying it happens in a month, but if you dont bleed on a regular schedule, the fluid does in deed starts to expand. Is kinda nice as your brakes dont get squishy, they actually get more firm. The problem is when you want to put new pads in, the pistons dont go all the way out, so you need to lets some fluid out. If you bleed on the recommended schedule, you wont have this problem. I have too many bike and some of them sit around for a while so the fluid gets a bit old before i run thru pads.
I’ve ran a few different group sets (Shimano, Campagnolo and Microshift) but until last month I had never used SRAM. The bike I have borrowed has mechanical SRAM. I quite like it for shift down the cassette/ rings, it’s nice smooth, fast and precise but I less enamoured with it going the other way, its pretty much the opposite.
Maybe my hands are too weak but I have a particular mental block taking my hands off the brake near the bottom of a sharp hill etc to enable me to get enough fingers on the gear lever to change up the cassette and get a low enough gear to restart.
I like the concept of ETap but I can’t see me getting a mechanical SRAM bike.
The combined brake-shift function of the brake lever on Shimano’s drop bar STI levers always drove me nuts. I come from the world of mountain biking, so I really dislike having to use the same fingers for braking and shifting. Downshifting while modulating the brake is a pain. Yes, it is possible, but having dedicated levers like you do on SRAM and Campag is just better in my opinion.
With SRAM — mechanical or electronic — you simply use multiple fingers, I use index and middle finger most of the time, but sometimes also the ring finger if I use index and middle finger for braking or am in the tops and am too lazy to move my hand. The lever throw of SRAM’s STI levers is smaller, so you don’t need as much force. That’s even more true when you have eTap. (The huge lever throw of Shimano’s mechanical drop bar groupset is another strong dislike of mine.)
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Anyone tried new shimano 12s di2 vs sram etap
I have to make a decision on which to buy
I haven’t even seen it in the flesh. But from all I have heard it pretty much is like Shimano’s 11-speed Di2, just with an extra gear. I think that’s a good enough basis to make your decision on. I’m sure it will be reliable, but I wouldn’t get Shimano’s power meter.
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To rehash a lot of what’s been said, but with a focus on the 12 speed.
For me, SRAM’s big advantages were ratios, shift logic, and the ability to fit to (just about) any frame. Di2 won out on shift speed, reliability and lighter weight.
To a degree, Di2 now going 12 speed removes (or at least limits) the ratio argument; a 52/36 and 11-34 is as close to 48/35 and 10-33 as makes no difference, and the 50/34 combo effectively equals 46/33. Admittedly SRAM still gives more options here, though, especially with the 10-36 cassette. Having a 46/33 setup also lets you spent a lot of time in the big ring in flat/rolling terrain and minimises FD shifts. So, still advantage SRAM IMO, but not enough to sway me, either.
Di2 does do its core job of shifting, IMO, ever so slightly better than AXS. However, I think you only notice at the front, and AXS is still faster than any Shimano or SRAM mechanical (and very similar to Campag here). The new 12sp Di2 has apparently increased this gap. Advantage Shimano, but again, no biggie.
AXS does seem a bit more prone to chain drops than Di2, but this is largely down to setup, IMO; if you absolutely nail the FD setup, it works very well. +1 Shimano.
The shift logic argument remains unchanged, as does the frame fitting aspect. +1 SRAM
Di2 remains lighter, but not by much.
Rival AXS wins out massively on value.
So all in all, if money is no issue, and you’re buying as part of a complete bike, then I’d probably go Di2 for a performance road bike, but tbh there’s not much in it. Personally I’d buy a Rival AXS setup, then use some of the savings to swap in a Red chainset and cassette (as someone suggested above). It’ll work out not much more than half the price of Di2 and you save over 300g compared to the ‘stock’ weight of Rival. Do note that you can’t fit sprint shifters/blips to Rival, which may annoy you (or be a complete irrelevance!)
I’m a mechanical fan, but I do think Rival AXS is a bit of a game changer.
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Pulling the trigger on red group set over ultegra di2 12s. Seems like everyone loves sram ergonomics, better gear combos, and lighter with a better power meter. Was thinking of going 52/39 since it would keep my chain line straighter but that will take an extra derailure. Going to go with a 50/37 and max rear so I can go with a 36
Digging up this old thread to add another opinion.
In my current quiver I have
Mtb with 2021 XX1 AXS / p2m ng powermeter
Mtb with XTR 9100 12s mechanical / easton spindle powermeter
Road with di2 ultegra/dura-ace / assioma powermeter
If you were to ride any of these bikes pretty much anyone would be delighted with the shift performance. Riding them back to back makes the XX1 AXS feel like a crude rough noisy experience in comparison. This is only noticeable in a back to back comparison. XX1 shifts just fine. It gets the job done and has proven to be durable and reliable, it just isn’t as razor sharp precise as the shimano.
The di2 ultegra/dura-ace with a 12s chain is hands down the best of the bunch in terms of shifting and drivetrain performance. It does everything best, IMO. Ergonomics, aside, as that is entirely subjective and personal, it shifts with such precise authority that it continues to make me smile every time I bang a bigger gear.
The mechanical XTR group is slightly slower than the di2 but not by much. It is crisp and precise.
For braking… a much different story. I’ll never buy another bike with SRAM brakes. I’m done with their bs. My xx1 axs bike came with the g2 ultimate. Worst brakes I’ve ever used. DOT fluid is antiquated at this point. Numerous changes to pads, replacing the discs, spending endless amounts of time trying to adjust the calipers to make them quiet. Nothing worked. Two different shops told me that’s just how SRAM brakes are. I eventually switched this bike to Shimano XTR brakes and discs and life is 100% better. With some adapter brackets, everything is even mounted up to the sram levers in a relatively factory-looking setup.
The SRAM app is 10x better than the shimano etube garbage. BUT i practically never use either app for anything, so I’m not sure that either actually matter. A nicer app has a lot of appeal but in practice it doesn’t make that much difference to me.
The mix-match of SRAM is nice but I’ve not encountered any limitations with Shimano that ever made me consider other options. 1x 12s is great for my straight trail riding but frankly totally inadequate gear range for my road and gravel riding. A single chainring just doesn’t cut it. Do you want to do some real climbing, or do you want to go fast on the flats? Pick one. A single ring with the biggest cassette spread just isn’t as good as two rings. I know… not a very sexy opinion these days.
I’ve encountered low battery issues with both AXS and Di2. Di2 has some semi-graceful low battery behavior to help get you home. The AXS just died on me. Both were 100% my own fault for forgetting to charge. No fault of SRAM or Shimano.
The integrated shifter/brake lever of the dropbar gear makes SRAM a complete nonstarter in my book. It doesn’t matter how good SRAM shifting might be, their brakes are intolerable.
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Sram 2-pot breaks let you find the lord and save your soul. Anyone telling you otherwise is
a very light person
racing-riding xc only
using gigantic disks
thinks 900m is a mountain.
Change my mind.