SRAM GX AXS Upgrade Kit [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. 

Wireless electronic shifting, sounds a bit weird when it comes to mountain bikes. But, it has been proven by some of the best riders in the world. Our friend, Matthew has also been on the GX AXS kit to see if it's worth it. See what they think! 

Overview

Everyone I know jumped on the e-bike wagon this season. I showed up to the trails to meet my riding partners one day and EVERYONE had forgotten to charge their new e-bikes. I was forced to ride solo that day while everyone else called it “quits” and went to grab early drinks. All the while swearing to remind each other to charge up next time. I can’t afford an e-bike right now so it got me thinking; how can I have something to charge like my friends? Then…boom…I found out about the GX AXS upgrade kit. Now I too have something to forget to charge, so I too have an excuse to ditch my pals when convenient.

In reality, I have been eyeing this product up since release or shortly thereafter. I was very excited to see SRAM bring its innovative technology to the GX price point. Particularly because I tend to live primarily at the GX price point (or below). I have a Santa Cruz Nomad V4 that came with the GX package that I properly beat, bashed, and loved. I know that many people are doing mixed brand jobs in order to upgrade to this tech but lucky for me I already had full compatibility. I happen to really like full compatibility so that is a big plus for me. I’ve seen and heard that it tends to work either way though so nothing to really stop anyone from upgrading, although more tinkering may be involved if you’re up for that sort of thing.

When it came time to order my upgrade I looked to Worldwide Cyclery because of the great customer service I have received including a special order Fox X2 shock earlier in summer. Not to mention all of the amazing information that they are putting out there with their videos, podcasts, and blog articles. This is one of the primary reasons I even knew about the GX AXS upgrade kit, to begin with. And of course, they came through in great fashion as usual.

The shifting performance is absolutely excellent. It is fast, crisp, and quiet.

Installation was a breeze. I was able to accomplish it in an afternoon without much trouble. I went ahead and replaced my chain while I was at it but otherwise be sure to have a new PowerLock link on hand for the install. The installation video on the SRAM website was not updated regarding utilizing the included tool for setting up the tension. After some short-lived head-scratching, the online manual and another independent installation video helped me through. Another point of confusion during install was that the system is movement-activated and otherwise goes into sleep mode. While setting it up, such as during the positional fine-tuning or if you walk away and come back, be aware that you will need to shake it every now and then in order to keep it responding. This obviously posed no issue on the trails but I did have a confusing moment or two in the shop attempting to figure this out and thinking that there was a pairing issue. The tension, fine-tuning, and limit setup were otherwise pretty straightforward and doable by someone of moderate mechanical skill.

I personally hung my old derailleur from the rear triangle and waited until the end to disconnect it — after I knew everything was set up and running smoothly. It was a very satisfying feeling to finally pull that cable out and it definitely cleans things up a little bit. One less cable may not sound like that big of a deal but it definitely is. The shift lever took some time to get positioned where I liked it. That being said I will probably be giving the rocker paddle upgrade a try in the near future as I am not totally happy with the feel of the stock shifter. An unanticipated benefit was the physical ease of shifting that the setup provides on your shifting fingers. As far as the AXS app goes its very cool and being able to personalize everything from the direction of shifting to the number of shifts performed when the shifter is held is absolutely game-changing. Everyone should be able to find a setup that works ideally for them or a particular situation. As for me, I am satisfied with the settings after activating multishift. It made sense for me and my riding after testing a few different setups.

Out on the trails riding it impressed as much as it did during setup. The shifting performance is absolutely excellent. It is fast, crisp, and quiet. So quiet in fact that it took a little getting used to. The ability to hold and move through the gears is unbelievably awesome. I heard about the capability of AXS to shift well under load so I intentionally tested it many times. The shifting continued to be pretty crisp and smooth under all load conditions that I could throw at it. I have ridden it in wet conditions, hosed it down without regard, and have had no issues thus far. As you may know, already there is a very minor weight penalty for this upgrade over the mechanical (GX) model. Since this was going on my enduro rig that was not a consideration for me but it may be for many others. It is very beefy and feels so well built-in hand. I could not bring myself to kick my own to test the overload clutch but I have seen it done by others and it seems to take a beating well and reportedly performs well under abuse. As far as the battery charge is concerned I have not brought myself to fully test the claimed battery life. I have been charging it between rides in order to maintain a full tank and have not put any 8+ hour days on it yet. I am satisfied with the battery life and have shown a “good” charge in the app after rides. For what that is ever worth. I eventually plan to get a spare battery to keep charged in my pack but that will mostly be for peace of mind. With the movement sensing tech though do keep in mind that traveling to and from your riding spot may count against your battery life. My average travel is short and I have not bothered to take my battery out.

I think this is a good upgrade for passionate riders and tech heads who love having the latest and greatest. You will certainly not be disappointed with this upgrade at all. If like me you are in a position to upgrade, replace, or repair your rear mech then I think this upgrade is a no-brainer if budget allows. If there are other things on your bike that you aren’t totally satisfied with then this product would probably move further down the list. It is certainly a great upgrade but there are other upgrades that will make a bigger difference in your riding, especially with how well all of the traditional drivetrain products perform these days.

Final Thoughts

So…Is it worth it?

For me, I definitely think it was worth it. I have already upgraded many other “sub-optimal” parts on my bike though and didn’t currently have much else on the shortlist. I am very pleased with the quality and performance of it. The quality is actually better than expected, makes a noticeable difference in my riding, and is really fun to use. However, if there are other upgrades on your list then your budget may be of better use on those. It is probably not a must-have but is definitely a nice-to-have. I would buy it again in a heartbeat and would highly recommend it with the few caveats mentioned previously in mind.