SRAM Eagle AXS Right Hand Rocker Paddle [Rider Review]

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for. 

SRAM's AXS drivetrain has become increasing popular among riders of all skill levels. Something about a wireless drivetrain just gets everyone excited. There was however, one setback to the design and that was the original shifter design. The unconventional design left riders confused on how to properly shift as the design failed to resemble what any rider was used to. Since then SRAM has released a revised version of the paddle to give us, a more comfortable and natural feel while shifting on out on the trails. Our buddy Brian recently made the $20 upgrade. Let's see what he thought!

Brian's Review:

A SRAM AXS accessory for only $20? Certainly not the cheapest bike upgrade around, but for the SRAM Eagle AXS system that retails for $1000 for the derailleur and shifter, it sure seemed like a no-brainer to try this out.

The original paddle that comes on the AXS shifter has taken some getting used to. It’s very different from the standard SRAM cable shifter that most riders are familiar with. The paddle has a large surface area, and I’ve found that I need to roll my thumb up quite high to rock the paddle upwards to downshift. On a standard cable shifter, the downshifts are at a neutral height, and the upshifts are low. Although the Matchmaker clamp is adjustable, for my comfort my hand would rub on the AXS shifter during normal riding if I slid it right enough to try to mimic the cable shifter.

Although the awkward ergonomics of the original paddle were at the top of my cons list with the AXS system, I did adjust to it and stopped thinking about it while riding.

The new rocker paddle design is clearly intended to look and feel like the standard Eagle cable shifter. Instead of a single large surface to use for both upshifts and downshifts, the rocker paddle is split into separate areas for each action. I’ve found that this solves my major complaints with the original design – the area for downshifts is lower and requires less of an upward push, and upshifts are moved down and to the right. This feels more natural for my fingers, where I don’t feel like I’m stretching my thumb upwards to shift.

One interesting quirk I haven’t seen mentioned elsewhere – the large paddle can also be rocked downwards for upshifts, so it can behave identically to the original paddle. This actually increases the number of ways you can shift from three to four: with the original paddle you could upshift with your index finger (a feature I still sometimes miss from my Shimano days), and the new rocker paddle can also be shifted with your index finger. I found I never used this additional shift point on the original paddle and expect I will forgo it here as well, likely due to dedicating my index finger to braking.

Install:

Swapping the new paddle in couldn’t be easier. I removed the paddle from the Matchmaker clamp so I could work on it at a table, but you certainly don’t need to. It took me 5 minutes to swap the paddle (with no instructions), and I’m sure you could do it in a couple minutes in-situ on the bars. Simply unscrew the pivot bolt with a 3mm Allen key, pull the paddle off while trying not to lose the return spring, and swap in the new rocker paddle with the included new spring and pivot bolt.

Conclusion:

"I think this is a nice upgrade to the AXS system. It’s definitely not necessary, but if the original paddle has ever felt awkward to you then I’d recommend trying it. The only real downside I see is that you lose the neat Eagle logo on the paddle." - Brian