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SRAM Eagle GX AXS - New Wireless Drivetrain Made Affordable! [Video]

Words by: Liam Woods

Why you might want to Upgrade to AXS Shifting with the new SRAM GX Eagle AXS

Just over two years ago, SRAM rocked the mountain bike world when they released SRAM X01 and XX1 AXS drivetrains. They went full wireless with the 500% Eagle gear range, and on top of that dropped a new beautiful rainbow cassette and chain. Now, in March of 2021 SRAM is once again doing what they do best and bringing their AXS technology to a more affordable price with SRAM GX AXS. It’s available as a full upgrade kit or al-a-carte as a rear derailleur and controller. If you were considering making the upgrade to AXS before, this might really make that choice easier for you considering the new GX AXS upgrade kit retails for $600! It comes with everything you need to upgrade your current SRAM Eagle drivetrain from cables to wireless. We are stoked to see such an amazing product get trickled down to the GX level, especially with a price as competitive as this.

Why This is Exciting:

I think it goes without saying how exciting this can be if you were on the fence about getting SRAM AXS or previously thought that AXS drivetrains are too expensive. Beyond the price, SRAM GX is really aimed at the all day, any terrain rider. It’s at home on anything from an XC bike to the biggest enduro bike. No matter the terrain and the travel, you get amazing AXS shifting at a lower cost. Everything is new for the GX AXS rear derailleur and controller, and they’re dedicated to making the best parts possible for all day riding.

In addition to new riders getting the option for AXS shifting, SRAM GX AXS is also a great option for any riders who are already on AXS shifting and happened to destroy their rear derailleur. The replacement cost just went way down to $370 USD for a single GX AXS rear derailleur. One of the last very cool and new parts you will see with the GX AXS is a new battery cover. For only $20 you can get a battery cover to help protect the battery from getting hit or knocked while on the trail. While this hasn't been an issue for me, I don't see the harm in adding a little insurance policy in the form of a little piece of plastic to protect your battery, rear derailleur and anything else that might get hit. You can also mix and match all the other SRAM Eagle Drivetrains if you want some color too.

Parts, What is Available:

SRAM is offering GX AXS products in three different packages. First and foremost, you have the upgrade kit, which includes the rear derailleur, controller, battery, battery cover, charger and b-tension gap tool, all for a grand total of $600. Then you have the rear derailleur by itself for $370 (does not include battery or charger), and finally the controller for $150. The last two are great if you already have some AXS parts, batteries or chargers.

There is also the battery cover for $20, a great little part to get that doesn't weigh really anything but can protect your derailleur and battery. Plus it also works on any SRAM AXS mountain derailleur, so it’s a really cool addition if you have X01 or XX1 AXS already.

Specs:

Speed: 12 Speed
Max Tooth: 52t
Color: Lunar
Weight Rear Derailleur: 472g
Weight Controller: 75g
Compatible w/ SRAM Eagle Ecosystem
Compatible w/ SRAM AXS Ecosystem

Highs & Lows:

Highs:

Price, down from $800 to $600
AXS Technology more affordable
Eagle Ecosystem Compatible
AXS Ecosystem Compatible
Clean, subtle looks

Lows:

Still expensive to some
Weight penalty compared to X01 and XX1 AXS

What is Worldwide’s Takeaway?

We have been a huge fan ever since SRAM released the first AXS groups with XX1 and X01. The wireless shifting is amazing, the lack of cables looks awesome and it’s all so easy to set up, so when we heard about GX AXS coming out at a lower price we knew this would be amazing. SRAM GX is already our best selling SRAM group and now with an AXS version there are no limits to how many bikes we will see rocking GX AXS. While we didn’t get some product in time for testing, if it's anything like XX1 and X01 AXS combined with GX mechanical shifting, we know how great this new GX AXS will be. We will be following up with a full review in some weeks to come. For now, we are stoked for the upgrade kit pricing at $600 and the lower individual pricing of each GX AXS product. As always, seeing new technology trickle down is great for the consumer.

This article was written / authored by Liam Woods. Liam has been in the bicycle industry for over 10 years as a racer, professional mechanic, service manager and as of late, media and content creator. Liam has ridden thousands of different bikes, ridden countless components, tested endless MTB apparel of all kinds and written reviews on it all. He's a key piece to the Worldwide Cyclery "All Things MTB" content creation puzzle. He also makes consistent appearances on the Worldwide Cyclery YouTube channel and Instagram.