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Electronic shifting is one of those things that seems to divide opinion a little, particularly among mountain bikers. We’re a real fickle bunch. We love anything new and exciting, so long as it fits roughly within our parameters of what’s normal and acceptable. We also love to complain about new ‘standards’ and anything that adds extra complication to our rides. Rather than immediately rejecting a new idea or standards, I prefer a healthy amount of skepticism and critique before making my mind up. After all, some of these ideas can turn out to be pretty great — remember when dropper posts first started to become commonplace? Some ideas are also total flops; remember plus-size tires?
So how about electronic shifting? Well, it’s obviously fairly new in the mountain bike world, and it definitely presents some extra complication to what in years past had been relatively simple — the derailleur. Thing is, derailleurs have been getting more and more complex in recent years even without the integration of any electronics, so surely why not continue along that path, right? Anyone who remembers how simple to set up and easy to adjust Shimano 9 speed rear derailleurs were might be inclined to disagree, and I’m not sure I agree either.
Maybe to figure this one out we need to look at the problem electronic shifting aims to solve. It eliminates the need for a shift cable, which means two things. It makes a bike easier to build and the drivetrain easier to fit since there’s no need to spend time routing a cable through the frame, at least for SRAM’s AXS groupset. It certainly does cut down on install time, but not by a whole lot, and if that’s the main problem, why don’t we just go back to externally routed cables? Don’t get me wrong, wireless shifting makes a LOT of sense when it comes to aero-road bikes, and probably goes a long way to explain why we’re seeing more SRAM wireless groups on road bikes now that we’re seeing more integration — but don’t forget, SRAM’s eTap wireless road groups have been around for quite some time already. More integration is starting to creep into the mountain bike arena too, and again it makes sense to go wireless if there’s physically no nice way to route a mechanical cable.
An electronic drivetrain means there’s no degradation of shift quality due to the corrosion/wear in the cables, which is great if you’re the kind of person that likes their bike to work with minimal maintenance. That said, if the aim is to make things easier for the home mechanic, well that doesn’t make much sense to me because most home mechanics likely work on their own bikes because they don’t want to pay somebody to do work they can do themselves. Any budget-savvy rider is not likely to spring for an AXS drivetrain. That just leaves the people that take their bike to a shop, and changing a shift cable isn’t exactly a big or expensive job, unless you own an aero road bike.
So again, what problem are we solving here? Complexity/mess? I’ll admit that the two-hose view from the cockpit of a SRAM AXS-equipped bike is quite nice, particularly when compared to the tangled mess aboard some bikes where the manufacturers still insist on using fork and shock lockouts, but that’s a rant for another day. If we’re aiming for a setup that makes life easy for the majority of riders, SRAM wireless AXS Reverb makes a lot of sense; not only does it mean a SUPER easy install, no cabling, and easy maintenance, it also means it’s easy to swap between bikes if necessary. But most of all, it means you can easily adjust the seat height without having to push and pull cables, potentially kinking them or messing up the tension. This makes sense, and I’m on board.
The problem is, I’m still struggling to get on board with electronic shifting. SRAM’s AXS Eagle definitely shifts nice and crisp every single time, but it lacks the haptic feedback in the shifter that I’m used to. That’s something I’d likely get used to, and most people running electric have. It definitely makes installation and maintenance a little easier, but not appreciably. It’s still susceptible to many of the same issues that plague mechanical derailleurs: bent hangers, bent cages, worn pulley wheels, sloppy pivots, and all the other mechanical problems that are still present. In my experience, the shifting seems to stay good marginally longer than a mechanical setup.
I have yet to talk about the actual electronic aspects of electronic drivetrains. Did you know you can wirelessly update the firmware on an AXS derailleur from your phone? But hold on a second, did you know that you never need to update the firmware on a mechanical derailleur? That’s right, never! Nor do you need to charge the batteries in your mechanical derailleur, or replace the coin cells in your mechanical shifter. Pretty convenient, am I right? Your mechanical derailleur will never stop being a derailleur without giving you a good reason — usually that it’s exploded into a gazillion pieces. It’s not often that they refuse to move no matter which way you physically persuade them. However, this is something I’ve seen AXS derailleurs do at least a few times.
Batteries on mountain bikes are also something I struggle with a little personally, as I’m an impulsive rider, I tend to go riding at the drop of the hat, and I’m definitely the kind of rider who forgets to charge my Garmin or my lights. I don’t want to have to think “did I charge my phone, my Garmin, my lights, my seatpost, my derailleur, my shifters, my power meter, etc?” There’s something to be said for just grabbing the bike and riding. That’s the beauty of cycling. We’re all ever-more connected to technology, and riding is a great way to get away from that. Admittedly I don’t usually ride without a Garmin, and I know that makes me something of a hypocrite, but I could also ride without it if I had to. If you’ve forgotten to charge both your derailleur and dropper post and only have one spare battery, it’s pretty much game over. Even worse, imagine you run out of battery mid-ride without a spare.
You may note that I’ve mostly been writing about SRAM’s AXS groupset for the duration of this article, and that’s because it’s gained relatively widespread acceptance in a short time period. By contrast, Shimano’s XT Di2 groupset has been around for a number of years now but is rarely seen on the trails. Admittedly it’s a lot more complex to set up than an AXS groupset since you need to route wires and find room for a junction box and battery, but it solves some of the same problems as SRAM’s AXS groupsets such as reliable shifting and lacks some of the pitfalls such as the need for frequent battery charging and lack of a wired interface for troubleshooting.
Personally, I’ve always found XT Di2 to shift incredibly well, and it retains the haptic feedback associated with a mechanical system. I’ve always suspected that Shimano just never marketed XT Di2 well enough, but maybe it was a little too ahead of its time. Either way, if their newest 12 speed DuraAce and Ultegra groupsets are anything to go by, we might eventually see a system from Shimano that has the best of both worlds — that is reliable shifting, easy setup, and infrequent charging.
What do I really think about electronic shifting then? Personally, it’s a “cherry on top” type of thing. If you can afford it, love having the latest and best tech, are the kind of person that has a neatly organized charging station in your bike dungeon, and can’t stand seeing any more cables than you need to, then sure, electronic shifting probably makes sense for you. For me, it’s probably the last thing I’d ever upgrade on my bike, and even then I’d prefer just to have a reliable and user-friendly mechanical groupset that I don’t need to think about, like XO1 Eagle. I just don’t fully understand the problem SRAM and Shimano are trying to solve. I might even go as far as saying that they’re approaching the problem from entirely the wrong angle and that the derailleur as we know it should have died shortly after the clutch came about in favor of gearbox drivetrains. I will say however that I’m always happy to be proven wrong, and with the way the bike industry is headed over the next few years, who knows, maybe electronic mountain bike drivetrains will make a lot more sense soon. Or maybe electronically shifting gearbox e-bikes will be the next big thing?
Love love love it. Need? No. Want? Yes. I’m not someone who buys new bikes and components every year or two. I built my dream bike, and will ride it for the next decade. Cost isn’t a thought. The shifts are still crisp since May 2020. Cables will need adjusting in that time. AXS is what I’m referring to, BTW.
Battery thing is a non issue. Plain and simple. That’s the hanging point of literally EVERY single person who doesn’t want to get on board with these. The coin batteries in the shifter/actuator (seatpost) are proven to last for a year or more. The derailleurs? Charge every week. They’ll last 7 days unless you’re doing 30mi+ with constant shifting every day.
Do you let your cell phone die? No. Do you let your car run out of gas? No. See my point? Do you use your phone or other GPS device while you ride for tracking and other purposes? Yes? So what about those batteries? See? You’re already doing it, without knowing it.
And as you should know, SHOULD the derailleur battery die, drop your post and use that battery (if you have the AXS post too, I do). Or just carry one in your camelbak. It’s not a hard problem to avoid.
I do quite frequently forget to charge my Garmin/lights actually, that’s my point! AXS is one more thing to remember to charge every few rides. I haven’t lived with it long term however that will be changing soon – keep your eyes peeled. I may well live to eat my words.
My biggest concern right now (I’m more gravel minded than MTB these days) is price. If building a bike, GRX 11 speed is like $120 cheaper than AXS Rival, which to me is nuts. I’d be down for a 12spd GRX if that was a thing, but from what I can find, the mechanical shifters are considerably more expensive than the Rival AXS shifters (or Force), and I don’t understand that—and that’s coming from somebody who has only ever ridden Shimano across all bike types.
Also, the batteries can allegedly last for up to 620 miles of riding or something ridiculous, so charging shouldn’t be a huge issue.
I agree completely with 87vr6, need has nothing whatsoever to do with it. I don’t have to need something to want it and if I want it bad enough, I get it. I certainly didn’t need a carbon frame bike as compared to aluminum but its what I wanted so its what I got. If you want to attempt to “justify” buying an E shift setup,,, I think that’s going to be very difficult to do. But if you want one, you should absolutely go get one if you can afford it. Be happy.
Personally I think this “cable free” wireless phone business is just a fad. I’m perfectly content to stand in my kitchen and talk with that 25 foot long curly cord all tangled up while I play with my remote control car and it’s 5 foot long tether.
I have battled the underwhelming GX drivetrain on my trailbike for a couple of years. I have replaced derailleur hangers, cables, housings, chain, chain ring, and cassette hoping to make the GX decent. Nothing really improved the performance.
My LBS had some GX AXS upgrade kits in stock a couple of months ago so I decided to give that a shot. Installation was a piece of cake and the performance is definitely better than mechanical GX. My only quibble is that it is easy to bump the shifter when riding tech. Battery life has not been an issue.
I have XT Di2 since 2017 on a XC hardtail. In my case it was electronic shifting or give up mtb due to an athritic right thumb. Mechanical shifter have no option for people who have any thumb problem. With Di2 I now use my left thumb with synchro-shift and even if my thumb was fixed I would never go back to mechanical. It shifts even better if you open up the shifter and remove all the mechanical bits by removing one c clip. There are no electronics inside the switch so nothing to upset. What I have now is a spring loaded shifter with much better shifting and probably less chance of RSI. Di2 needs very little maintenance, no cable wear or stretch and when the time come to clean your bike just unplug and remove the derailleurs.
Thought I’d throw out another point of view on the electronic shifting from a female. I first learned about it when I was doing a custom build mountain bike in 2020 and thought it had the cool factor but expensive. I was trying desperately to keep my build under 5 figures so opted for X01. Fast forward to March of 2021 and an innocuous rock caught me off guard and I endoed. Wasn’t a big deal until I realized I buggered up my right thumb that had to be fused 8 years ago. Prognosis was partially torn tendon but after convincing my skeptical orthopedic surgeon (he knows me really well!) that I could “behave” and let it heal without surgery because I knew I’d be off my bike longer and not be able to ride with my number one riding partner, my husband. That wonderful riding partner surprised me for my birthday that same spring with the AXS GX so I could tape the heck out of my hand and get out on the trails with him and the electronic shifting made it possible. I’ve hit the half century mark so any gadgets or technology that helps me keep up with our friends/family that is half our age, I’m all for it. Don’t want them waiting on the old peeps!
Electronic shifting is great for those of us with a touch of arthritis in our thumbs
For recreational riding I don’t see enough of an advantage to justify the cost yet. However, I do think wireless, electronic derailleurs are a good choice for professional racing. Derailleur pit swaps are rare, but if you do break a rear D in a race, a cable-less version could save a lot of time, and potentially save your race. At such a competitive level, even a very small advantage can be justified.
SRAM says their AXS wireless drivetrain saves 5-15g of weight over the equivalent mechanical system which also isn’t going to sway recreational riders like me. That’s such a minor difference that even racers likely won’t claim that as an advantage either, at least not with a straight face.
This author brings up the good and bad to my satisfaction. I believe electronic shifting is a boon to road racers in a big way. Not so sure about MTB bikes. Gravel bikes probably would work well also. Bicycle racing on derailleur equipped bikes are the biggest benefactor for this technology. For manufacturers this is such an easy fix to having routing issues with cables and cheaper. For the recreational or commuter I believe electronic shifting may hold much less value to no value. Battery maintenance comes to mind. Issues about reliability and availability for service come to mind. This is where a cable operated system really shines and no battery system can achieve. This is due to charging maintenance and reliability of electronic components in an unrelentingly outdoor environment. Even this author admits seeing shifting system electronic failures. I can’t remember the last time I had a failure to shift with my cable operated systems. However change is inevitable and one day we may see $79.99 Walmart derailleur equipped bicycles with electronic shifting.
Yes, was thinking the same thing! We’ll probably see electronic shifting trickle down whether riders need it or not.
I have seen plenty of failed shift cables also (usually in the bends inside a road STI shifter), but I also work on a lot more mechanical drivetrains than electronic. Electronic problems are also almost always a lot more complex to diagnose.
Replacing cables is also significantly cheaper than replacing a battery. My LBS owner rides road with it and loves it, says it’s much more consistent (and he has previously HATED SRAM with a passion). Another guy has Di2 on his gravel bike and loves it.
I’d just be happy if parts were available for anything.
My ONLY problem with the AXS system is the levers. I have both because I couldn’t get comfortable with the stock lever. No probs if you’re just cruising around but get in the technical, gnarly stuff and I invariably hit the wrong lever…I’m just ham fisted I guess.
I don’t consider myself a ‘Luddite” tho I am a die hard SRAM grip shifter fan…may aid individuals with limited thumb biomechanics or when wearing bulky mittens in winter.. Nice article tho I doubt AXS is in the future for me tho there still are some nagging, persistent, mid casette, lags in 1X12 downshifting.
My year round rigid Fatback fatty with 2.8″ rubber on the front and 2.6″ rubber on the back during non-snow seasons…does that qualify me as a residual plus tire ‘flat earther’?
So… how far away are we from automatic shifting? I would pay for the ability for the bike to determine the optimum gear while climbing. That would be awesome.
I have found electronic shifting to be a big plus, particularly endurance space. Getting the chain over the big cog over and over can fatigue the thumb and subsequent tendons which are attached at the elbow. Electronic shifting essentially eliminates that over use injury, especially when our fingers are already exposed to over use in a keyboard heavy world we live in off the bike. As mentioned the performance is crisp, even in muddy conditions. Except making sure your battery is charge, heck of less easier to maintain then cables. Both Di2 and AXS are very durable. With SRAM’s cheaper groupset, cost is not really a big issue when considering the overall cost of the modern frame. I think the simplicity of the AXS wireless set up and 12 speed is currently an advantage over Di2, but both work great.
I have osteo arthritis in my hands and electronic shifting really helps. My thumbs used to throb after a ride.
Nope. I’ve got enough batteries to charge!
I just bought GX/AXS and have not installed or used it yet (hopefully this weekend!), but I really get the vibe of this argument. My road bike and CX bike still have rim brakes, and I’m trying to stop riding in any kind of kit. I’m also a forgot-my-lights, didn’t-charge-computer kind of guy, kinda. But I’m also a brought an extra multi-tool and tube and jacket kind of guy, so hopefully it’ll work out.
However, I mostly just logged in to point out this is only the second usage of the word ‘haptic’ that I could find on singletracks.com! YMMV.
I’ll hold out for a Pinion which is planned for my next rig. No exposed delicate parts and a gearbox is capable of shifting while stopped. No dead battery on a ride no need for replacement battery in the future.
Budget does come to consideration with all of drive train choices and the closer a traditional derailleur system gets to the Pinion the easier the decision since the frame is a custom that remains a CAD file.
I don’t have electronic shifting, yet. The main attraction for me, beyond the techiness, is that I have relatively small hands and problems with my thumbs. A day on the trail with mechanical thumbshifting leaves me in pain.
Which is why I shifted (pun intended) to grip-shifters. But they have disadvantages also.
Being able to tap a button to move up or down a cog sounds blissful. Being able to move up/down several cogs simply by pressing and holding the button even more blissful.
I am totally up for shelling out $600 or even $800 to be able to spend all day shifting up/down without pain.
I see two options to really improve shifting tech in the long term
-first would be applicable for mechanical bikes to maintain the efficiency of chain drive: derailleur with just a strong and very short spring to maintain tension on the chain and two motors/solenoids to control the derailleur position in 2D. first would align the derailleur with the sprockets, second would control the chain tension and control derailleur/cassette clearance. first time you match the derailleur to the cassette it needs to go through all the gears once to sense and learn the derailleur positions. then when you shift the derailleur can briefly release tension on the chain, move to the next gear then reapply tension. no need for a clutch anymore, the derailleur has zero slack in any gear, and you can adjust the tension in software. the shifts can be much smoother and quicker and with less wear on the whole drivetrain.
if matched with a low/medium torque mid drive ebike the mid drive motor could shut down pedal assist or even act as a generator to reduce pedal torque until the shift is done.
if electronic shifters became more mainstream they could mean return of 2x or 3x front derailleur with smaller and lighter rear cassettes and better chain line.
-the other solution is for ebikes, pinion gearbox integrated with the motor for improved reliability and low maintenance. the perfect bike transmission would be a DCT that would seamlessly shift under load or even multi clutch gearbox like Koenigsegg jesko 3×3 9 gears gearbox which is smaller and lighter than a traditional 7 speed dct.
My riding buddies and I were talking about this just the other day. My opinion is basically that I’d never upgrade to wireless, but I’d seriously consider going wireless if I was building a new bike.
BTW, this only applies to the shifting. Having to swap a cable once a season is more than a fair price to pay to not have a Reverb…,