Review Wireless shifting: SRAM AXS / Cell-Cycling E-Link / Archer D1x

[Gyre]

Product Image:

Product name: Wireless shifting: SRAM AXS / Cell-Cycling E-Link / Archer D1x
Price paid: 600-1000 USD / 260 USD / 390 USD
Score (out of 10): 8 (AXS) / 5 (Cell) / 4 (Archer)

Review: For anyone who may be interested in wireless electronic shifting, I've tried these three systems over the years and have been meaning to share a few words about their pros and cons.

One thing worth mentioning beforehand: While AXS seems to be a servo-actuated derailleur in a mechanically similar vein to DI2, Cell-Cycling and Archer appear to use a mini-jackscrew system that pulls on a mechanical cable to a traditional derailleur.

If you think electronic shifting is nonsense, then kindly just move along and have a nice day.

SRAM AXS Pros:
- Very polished software
- Easy setup
- Extremely fast derailleur actuation
- Extremely long battery life
- Available integration with Garmin via Connect IQ.
- Very simple micro adjust
- Very nice purpose-made shifter pod.
- Trailside battery swap is easy.

SRAM AXS Cons:
- GX is extremely heavy.
- All versions are extremely expensive.
- No option to tune gears individually.
- No options other than 12 speed.
- Remote pod and rocker switch can easily interfere with other grips and clamps (i.e. occludes more handlebar real estate than you'd expect).
- Rocker switch actuation is not as light or ergonomic as you might expect.

Cell Cycling – Ride Connected (cell-cycling.com)

Cell-Cycling Pros:
- Most affordable option.
- Will work with just about any mechanical derailleur, including front derailleurs.
- Supports anywhere from 3-12 "gears" (i.e. indexes) and this could be expanded with a software update.
- Very fast actuation, especially with v3 Elink.
- Each gear can be individually tuned.
- Trailside battery swap is extremely easy.
- Batteries charge with standard mini-USB connectors.
- Mini pod buttons have an excellent light touch (very much like clicking a mouse).
- Ergonomics of standard mini pod are pretty good when mounted vertically under the handlebar on a Lindarets Remount 22 (However, the basic mini pod is a zip-tie mount and therefore a bit loose. Have yet to try the MTB clamp on the Remount 22.)

Cell-Cycling Cons:
- Initial setup and calibration is a fiddly pain in the ass (Ride - adjust - ride - adjust - etc etc)
- Recently some issues with losing calibration (not sure about what's going on here, normally it's fine for years once the calibration gets dialed in. Possibly some kind of v3 issue going on.)
- No status available for remote battery on iOS (Android software is a little different and may be an exception)
- iOS app hasn't had a significant update in the last 4 years.
- Reliability issues on older E-links (I've had two failures during normal riding).
- Warranty situation very iffy. (Lots of warranty disclaimers peppered throughout website. Of my failures, one was granted by a local distributor, the other warranty request was denied by the manufacturer.)
- No option for trailside adjustment unless you pull out the phone app.
- Does not use even the barest Bluetooth security protocols (*Any* smartass with the app can access your shifter)
- If multiple Elinks are active, selecting the right one in the phone app is a matter of random chance.
- Ergonomics of mini pod are marginal when mounted directly to an MTB handlebar and extremely poor when zip tied to brake hoods on drop bars.
- You'll need to bring nail clippers and zip ties if you want to be prepared to change the mini pod battery on the trail.

Haven't used a D1x for a few years, but this is what I recall:

Archer Components Electronic Shifting for Every Bike

Archer D1x Pros:
- Will work with just about any rear mechanical derailleur, just about any number of speeds (not sure if 13 speed (Campy Ekar / S-Ride M700) is supported yet)
- Each gear can be individually tuned
- Non-proprietary batteries (Not sure if non-branded batteries will cause warranty problems).
- Nice ergonomic shifter pod available with light or firm touch buttons.
- Micro-adjust remote allows trailside adjustment without relying on phone app.
- DBR Remote option to integrate with TRP Hylex RS brakes.
- Customer support is accessible, friendly, and responsive.

Archer D1x Cons:
- Expensive. GX AXS isn't exactly affordable either but ~$400 without a derailleur for what amounts to an off-brand hack vs $600 for a complete system with a major brand is hardly a no-brainer.
- Batteries are very impractical to change on both remote and shifter (difficult to extract on shifter, and remote involves removing tiny screws that would be very easily lost if you fumble them on the trail).
- High latency and slow actuation after pressing a shift button*
- Phone app has weak Bluetooth discrimination (trying to make adjustments with the app anywhere where you might encounter a lot of other Bluetooth IDs can be a nightmare).
- Shift buttons feel the same, so it's possible to shift in the the wrong direction if your hand is somewhat out of position from usual.
- Light touch buttons seem a little too light (Button feedback is a little too subtle through gloves, but at least there is a firm option available - hopefully not *too* firm but haven't tried it.)
- No option for front derailleurs

*Archer now sells "Sprint" batteries that are claimed to trade off endurance for faster actuation speed. I haven't tried these and they do sound like a much needed improvement to shift speed, but I can't imagine they would improve the shift latency issue.

 

[apac]

Thanks for making the time to do this review. It's time consuming to do and helps keep the forum engaging. ?

Anyone know how much heavier a AXS GX kit is compared to a eagle GX derailleur, cabling and shifter?

 

[apac]

Thanks for making the time to do this review. It's time consuming to do and helps keep the forum engaging. ?

Anyone know how much heavier a AXS GX kit is compared to a eagle GX derailleur, cabling and shifter?

answer my own question, found this on a Bike Radar review...

Weight-wise, the GX Eagle AXS derailleur and shifter tip the scales at 545g. The same setup in GX Eagle mechanical level weighs 434g, while Shimano’s XT M8100 is a svelte 418g. For comparison, the same XX1 Eagle AXS components weigh 459g, while mechanical Shimano XTR M9100 parts weigh 373g.

 

[Doomanic]

That doesn’t appear to account for the cables.

 

[Doomanic]

According to Shimano an XT 12 sp shifter (not i-spec) is 117g and an SGS mech is 284g so that’s 401g plus cables.

 

[Gyre]

answer my own question, found this on a Bike Radar review...

Weight-wise, the GX Eagle AXS derailleur and shifter tip the scales at 545g. The same setup in GX Eagle mechanical level weighs 434g, while Shimano’s XT M8100 is a svelte 418g. For comparison, the same XX1 Eagle AXS components weigh 459g, while mechanical Shimano XTR M9100 parts weigh 373g.

I just weighed the equivalent Cell Cycling setup with an XTR 9100 derailleur and the Remount 22 "hack". It came in at 401g and as a whole still costs less than GX AXS.

GX AXS still makes more sense for a typical rider who may be interested in wireless shifting with minimum hassle, but Cell can be a good value / weight proposition for someone willing to put up with its many quirks.

 

[apac]

I'm currently very tempted with going fully wireless with AXS.

 

[Gyre]

I'm currently very tempted with going fully wireless with AXS.

I'm using AXS on my Wild with a Shimano 12-speed cassette and chain. Works quite well and I'm pretty sure you'd find that the derailleur does what it promises.

If by "fully wireless" you mean AXS Reverb as well, just make sure you read about the reliability problems people have had with that seatpost. Maybe it's a vocal minority, but I expected better for the price they charge.

 

[jbrown15]

I'm currently very tempted with going fully wireless with AXS.

Once you go wireless AXS you’ll never look back. It’s one of those things that until you give it a go you might think to yourself that you don’t need or want it.

but it’s super nice to have and honestly has been the most reliable derailleur I’ve had in a while. I have X01 though, but my buddy has both X01 and GX and he said they perform identical.

 

[Bigtuna00]

Once you go wireless AXS you’ll never look back. It’s one of those things that until you give it a go you might think to yourself that you don’t need or want it.

I've been on full AXS (XX1 + Reverb) for about a year. My new bike is full XTR with a KS LEV CI dropper. Reasons:

• Cost obviously. If I break my derailleur or dropper it's an absurd amount of money to replace (aside from the absurd up front cost).
• Weight. The drivetrain is not significantly different, but the Reverb is super heavy.
• Build quality. For $750 the derailleur is junk. Lots of play in the linkage (I posted a video about here). My Reverb has vertical grooves in the stanchion, as if the bushings aren't clean. It's not from a lack of service, I take care of my stuff. Likely a manufacturing defect but it still works fine so I never tried to deal with returning it.
• Shimano shifts better, especially under load. You can achieve more or less the same with a Shimano Cassette and chain on an AXS system, but it's not an insignificant investment depending how easy it is for you to convert to Micro Spline.
• I prefer the Shimano shifter, especially the ability to upshift 2 gears with a solid mechanical feel. Even after a year, I still misshift all the time on AXS, even with the "traditional" replacement paddle. There are advantages to being able to choose 1, 2, or 3 gears to shift at a time via a lever vs pressing a button repeatedly. For me it's more precise.
• The XTR dropper lever is really good. Good enough that I don't miss the Reverb at all so far. It has a very short throw though, so YMMV depending on the post you have. And I know KS has a bad rep but I have had good luck so far with the LEV CI especially the newest one (2020ish) with the updated clamp.
• Nothing to charge. The AXS batteries last a decent amount of time (not nearly as long as they claim, but still good) but I have been skunked more than once on a ride by dead batteries. I found that the warning range is much shorter than SRAM advertises. It's supposed to start flashing red at 25%, but I had a battery go from flashing to non-functional on a single ride, when 25% should still be good for several hours based on their quoted lifespan. And what they don't tell you is the derailleur starts to perform like shit when the battery gets low (as opposed to just stopping). Yes, if you have the Reverb, you can swap batteries but you're still left with one non-functional component for the rest of your ride.

You can definitely look back from AXS But I'm one to tinker too, so I'll probably be on AXS again when I get bored

 

[Bestak CZ]

Once you go wireless AXS you’ll never look back. It’s one of those things that until you give it a go you might think to yourself that you don’t need or want it.

but it’s super nice to have and honestly has been the most reliable derailleur I’ve had in a while. I have X01 though, but my buddy has both X01 and GX and he said they perform identical.

Hello, I fully agree with your comment. I have an AXS X01 Dec 2019 and about 2,5 years of AXS GX on the other bike and after more than 15000 km no problem at all. Absolutely reliable shifting.

 

[mtbboy1993]

Archer Components are going out of business, so can't buy their products anymore, I got some spare parts before it was gone.
But they released a new Shifter, which I never got to try. And the one one on my enduro bike died.
I love the ergonomics of the Paddle remote, it improved the ergonomics over the two button remote.
Super light action, perfect position and angle for my thumb.

The last ride before the ride it died.

Good I had another one on my shopping bike.
This get seemed to have an issue with the motor dying after a year or two.