SRAM GX Eagle 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. 

When electronic shifting hit the industry, everyone questioned if it was worth the price. SRAM then made the price a more digestible with the GX AXS kit. Our friend,  Aaron, has been trying it out. See what they think about the wireless shifting!

Overview

Unboxing
The upgrade “kit” came with the obvious shifter and derailleur but also includes a gap tool (new and improved, much easier to use than the old red one), a battery cover, and even a little SRAM multitool which is actually pretty nice. One thing to note, I had a hard time figuring out if the charger was USB-C or micro-USB. I was told it was USB-C before buying it, but it is in fact micro-USB. Not a deal-breaker, but this is one more cable to pack bikepacking or on bike trips.

Setup
Installation of the AXS kit was a breeze. I installed this on a new build and it couldn’t have been easier. I bolted on the derailleur and the shifter, paired them together, and a few seconds later it was shifting. Out of the box, the shifting was ever so slightly off but this was easily fixed by using the micro-adjust feature. Each adjustment you make will shift the cage about 0.25mm, I made a total of 0.75mm adjustment and now it shifts perfectly. All in all, the setup took about 15 minutes. Any questions I had were easily answered with the setup guide accessed through SRAM’s website or by scanning the QR code provided in the kit.

It is also worth mentioning SRAM has an AXS app you can use on your phone. It was easy to add my GX kit to the app. On the app, you can adjust shifting functions such as which button press shifts up vs. down, as well as a multi-shift feature. I set it up so holding down the shift button will shift 3 gears in either direction. This has been really helpful for quickly dumping gears and works very well. The app itself is otherwise quite limited in my opinion. I hope they add more features in the future, but one thing I was disappointed to see missing is a simple battery percentage. Basically, all it tells you is if your battery is green, yellow, or red which each corresponds to a percentage range.

In Use
The GX AXS kit shifts great. I have been using this build for bikepacking and general trail riding and so far it has been excellent for both. I was concerned about battery life while bikepacking initially, but so far this has not been a concern.

On a recent bikepacking trip, I was able to ride about 16 hours over a recent weekend and the battery was still “green” when I got back home.

I also carry a spare battery I bring just in case and they are quite small, about half the size of a tic-tac container. Time will tell if this poses an issue, but so far I am very happy with the battery life.

I don’t have much to write about shifting, which speaks to its primary strength. It just works. I have not had any issues with it after about 400 miles. One other “strength” is the cleaner cockpit, that probably doesn’t matter to many but I really appreciate it. It also makes cable management a bit simpler when attaching a dry bag or other gear on the handlebars. 

The shifter/controller itself takes a minute to get used to, but after a few rides, I have gotten along with it well. I have it set up with a Matchmaker clamp on my Guide brakes, which gives a very clean cockpit look! One downside of the electronic shifter is that you can very easily shift on accident if you bump it with your hand as there is no resistance in it like a mechanical shifter. It took me a bit of adjusting the setup to get the shifter in a spot where I don’t accidentally hit it, but also within easy reach when I need it. Not a big deal but worth pointing out.

Final Thoughts

Would I buy it again?

In short, absolutely. I was torn between the GX AXS kit vs. mechanical X01 and given the same situation in the future I would definitely choose the AXS kit, I am sold on it. If I was not building a new bike and I was just considering upgrading, though, it would be a tougher choice from a financial standpoint. I would likely wait until I needed to replace my derailleur, as the price is still quite high to get into AXS. That said, for a new build or a new drivetrain, the GX AXS kit has been worth it so far in my opinion.