SRAM's new 2023 Drivetrain allows full power shifts

Alexbn921

Well-known member
Sep 27, 2021
545
511
East Bay CA
I've never bent a hangar despite obliterating several derailleurs
In the last 20 years I've bent hangers 40ish times and only destroyed 1 derailleur. Most of the time I just bent them back. I always take a hanger on trips as it's small and easy to bring. I've seen 20+ derailleurs destroyed by riding buddies.
 
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Dax

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
May 25, 2018
1,726
2,112
FoD
The Mech can move both inboard (via the overload clutch, absorbing some side impact forces) as well as rotate backwards, absorbing / moving out of the way from frontal impacts.

Rebuild kits are also available at reasonable prices.

Could it be broken in an unlucky crash? Yes, of course.

This is how I usually destroy mine, I’m not sure there would be much left to rebuild, but maybe if they can pivot up, I’ll only smash the cage off not the whole mech?

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G-Sport

Active member
Oct 7, 2022
324
259
Yorkshire
I like the look of this and the concept of letting the mech move backward on impact seems fine. If you hit a rock at 20mph something is going to break on any system but probably better to have a rebuildable mech than a flimsy hanger to replace AND a non-rebuildable mech AND a frame with a dropout that is half the thickness it could be in order to accommodate the replaceable hanger. The UDH compatible dropouts are MUCH thicker and stronger than any replaceable hanger dropout I have ever seen.
However, I don't want the hassle of charging a battery and replacing one in the controller AND the inability to fix anything myself, so I would rather stick with a cable actuated mech. Also my Levo SL does not use a UDH so it's not compatible anyway.
BUT, I do find myself wondering if I can run the new cassette and chain with my existing X0 cable actuated mech, If so that seems like the obvious way to go when I need to replace the cassette, better shifting and longer life are the main advantages I see with this.
 

Rob Rides EMTB

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Staff member
Subscriber
Jan 14, 2018
6,260
13,700
Surrey, UK
I believe you can power the derailleur from a motor outlet

Scott Patron Eride ultimate 900:

View attachment 110371

The controller battery (cr2032) should last about 2 years with an average 15 hours riding a week (say SRAM).
Trek Fuel EXe also has this dummy battery, as does the 2023 Trek Rail. It works well, less things to worry about and charge.
 

SEBA

Active member
Sep 11, 2019
357
135
French Provence High Alps
Shimano new sram xx ebike ep8 e8000 exxx chainring not compatible with xtr m9100 chain , it makes noise which is not here with for example with a Shimano hope chainring ebike(cannot use xx chain because loss of hg+)
 

Mikerb

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
May 16, 2019
6,565
5,055
Weymouth
Most of the "crash" benefits also apply to the ordinary AXS (90 degree and 180 degree impacts) and for me ( so far at least) it beats my X01 cable operated mech ( other bike) on a number of fronts..........cleaner gearchange, easier set up and consistent performance. The mech battery last ages and gives plenty of warning that it will shortly need a charge. As for the shifter 2032 battery I carry a spare...plus a penny as a tool to remove the cover...........and to change the battery it is a one minute job, so that is not an issue.
I fail to see any real a dvantage over the AXS.........certainly nothing to justify the ridiculous cost. Full power gearchange?? I can change gear with AXS with absolutely no noise at all with only the absolute minimum of fleeting and partial back off from the power........so no benefit there. What I left with in exchange for a cost I would certainly never pay is the removal of the UDH hanger from the set up.........in exchange for any force that would break that potentially being transmitted into more important parts of the bike. One thing for sure is that I would not fit this sort of arrangement on a carbon chainstay........but then I would not buy a carbon MTB anyway!!
One aspect has not been talked a bout as far as I can tell. The system relies on being reinforced by the axle which is inturn supported by the hub and freehub bearings.................until those bearings start to fail...as they do in some builds.
 

Mikerb

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
May 16, 2019
6,565
5,055
Weymouth
I've been working on a new Jockey wheel which is fully compatible with all systems and also has the "magic wheel" effect built in if you do happen to get an allen/hex key stuck in there as you ride along... At the moment the production time is quite high for each unit, but if there's interest I can probably speed things up.

View attachment 110395
you need to do an ally version.................mud and grass etc sticks like....well mud....to that black plastic crap!! Now it might sound counter intuitive but an ally version with much more spindly spokes actually enables mud and grass etc to be thrown off ..........it would not pass the allen key test though, but I can honestly say I have never had an allen key jam my jockey wheel. Maybe I have just been lucky!
 

Dave_B

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Aug 29, 2020
1,467
1,593
Newquay
The X0 version would defiantly not pass a technical Allen key section. The lower cog is one piece.
 

Zimmerframe

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Jun 12, 2019
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Brittany, France
Derailleur's are quite simple, yet quite clever and complex at the same time. Incredibly efficient at about 98/99% and incredibly light - compared to any alternatives (other than single speed ...)

Enabling a chain to move to different sprockets, thousands of times in their lifetimes, giving us different gearing.

Basically a spring and a cable doing the moving, a guide and a tensioner all in one little nifty unit.

As with anything, people try and improve things. Remember when we used to change gear with two levers, no notches, clicks - you just learnt how far to move them and how fast to precisely change gear with perfection.

Things change. We started with direct mount, then had hangers, then a brief foray into direct mount again 20 years ago but back to hangers.

We have short cages, long cages, jockey wheels of various sizes - which are all better than each other ....

Then we had tiny motors with wires replacing the cables .. then wireless - replacing the ..... wires ... and now a mix of wired wireless - to replace half the wires ... Maybe soon wireless which doesn't need charging (Shimano patent for wireless charge points on the bike near enough to charge the various accessories).

Ultimately, as with just about anything bike - we have choices and a range of specifications, styles, prices .. Things for normal people and things for Dentists.

This is just another choice. On face value, an expensive choice still with many unknowns. The great thing is, we have dozens of different options still so no one has to use this if they don't want to.
 

Ridelow

Member
Mar 24, 2023
19
18
Norway
Woohoo!

Perfect timing that I could re-spec the Pole Voima ID I am waiting on with this drivetrain!
Just changed the order from the GX AXS to this!
Hopefully just a few more weeks now!
 

G-Sport

Active member
Oct 7, 2022
324
259
Yorkshire
No. Which is why it’s desirable for your mech to cost £100 not £600+
But if the upper knuckle of the new mech is less than $100 then potentially it's a wash?
As I said, the UDH "dropout" is a lot stronger than most pre-UDH dropouts so we reduce the risk of damage to an even more expensive part to replace. So UDH dropout beats non-UDH dropout.
And then we are just comparing UDH hanger with the new standard, but the UDH is so strong that I doubt any existing derailleur would survive an impact significant enough to damage the UDH.
Personally I would rather have a strong high-end derailleur where I can replace any particular part that gets damaged, than an inferior performing cheaper derailleur where I have to bin the whole thing. I have a bag of 5 Shimano mechs which I have cannibalised in the past to get one "working" one and it's a pretty unsatisfactory system but mildly better than scrapping the lot.
Sure $600 is a crazy price. But this isn't comparable to a $100 mech. When we get a GX version I imagine it will be $300 or so and if it can last 3 times as long as a $100 mech then that seems fine to me (and slightly better for the environment).
 

Dave_B

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Aug 29, 2020
1,467
1,593
Newquay
Fitted mine today. Super easy to install.
Paddle shift is ugly but functional. Probably better when Magura make a match maker for it.

Quick ride around the car park and it feels identical to the old AXS.

Hopefully will get out tomorrow for a proper test ride.

Install App for chain length takes all the faff out of the install.

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Dave_B

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Aug 29, 2020
1,467
1,593
Newquay
I didn’t change my 12sp 34t chain ring, was proving to be a pain to remove (how do you get it off? Take the whole ring off the crank and then remove the ring?). (Presume a special tool is needed for the lock ring?)

But the tooth pattern on the t type and eagle chain ring looks identical.
 

Mikerb

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
May 16, 2019
6,565
5,055
Weymouth
I didn’t change my 12sp 34t chain ring, was proving to be a pain to remove (how do you get it off? Take the whole ring off the crank and then remove the ring?). (Presume a special tool is needed for the lock ring?)

But the tooth pattern on the t type and eagle chain ring looks identical.
Its 4 bolt BCD I assume and a SRAM chainring....which is not threaded for the bolts so they are nuts and bolts. You need to use an allen key on the bolts with a slot type tool ( make your own) to hold the "nut" at the back of each bolt. Rotate the chainguard out of the way. Chainring will then come off the spider although you probably need to remove the pedal.

No need to remove the spider unless the T replacement is direct mount. If so you have to remove the crank then the undo the lockring....which on a Brose motor is normal thread so counter clockwise to undo. Tool required is Park Tool LRT-3 or similar.
 

Zimmerframe

MUPPET
Subscriber
Jun 12, 2019
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Brittany, France
Its 4 bolt BCD I assume and a SRAM chainring
This came up earlier in the thread for Levo's. I presumed the alternative was the 4 bolt 104, but Rob was using this one :

 

Dave_B

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
Aug 29, 2020
1,467
1,593
Newquay
Getting behind the ring to hold on the bolt was the problem I am having. My 10mm spanner kept slipping off. There is no way to access it. (Maybe I should have removed the battery now I think about it?!?).
 

Mikerb

E*POWAH Elite World Champion
May 16, 2019
6,565
5,055
Weymouth
Getting behind the ring to hold on the bolt was the problem I am having. My 10mm spanner kept slipping off. There is no way to access it. (Maybe I should have removed the battery now I think about it?!?).
 

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