SRAM X01 Eagle AXS wireless electronic drivetrain £1,900

SRAM’s electronic drivetrain uses an encrypted wireless network to let the shifter and rear mech communicate with each another. With no gear cables, it’s a doddle to fit. Included in the £1,900 bundle are the rear mech and shifter, crankset, cassette, chain, battery and charger. Alternatively, an upgrade kit for your current Eagle set-up (mech, shifter, batteries and charger) costs £975.

The rear mech houses the easy-to-fit/ release 24g battery and is where much of the AXS innovation sits. As well as a gearbox, motor and roller-bearing clutch (to help keep the chain taut) it houses an Overload Clutch. This disengages the motor and gearbox if you whack a rock or stump, allowing the mech to move out of the way and then return to your last shift location. It’s a neat idea that works well. Our mech is visibly scuffed up but we never noticed any impact on the shifting – good to know, when a new one is £670. With all of that tech, the 388g mech is 144g heavier than Shimano’s top mechanical option (XTR M9100), but SRAM’s lighter cranks, shifter and cassette, plus the lack of cables, leave the AXS drivetrain lighter overall.

The shifter has three buttons, actuated by a single paddle. Using SRAM’s AXS app, you can tweak the functionality of the buttons and adjust the multi-shift function, via Bluetooth. We’d recommend doing this, simply because the paddle is so different to a regular shifter that it’s worth experimenting until you feel comfortable. The force needed to push it differs slightly too and it has a very short throw, but each shift is accompanied by a positive, easy-to-feel click. No matter what sprocket you’re in, the effort needed to change gear remains consistent.

After many hours of riding and loads of mud, grit and hosepipe action, our AXS drivetrain is still shifting smoothly, even under power. On one grotty ride, shifting into the 50t sprocket became a little

noisy, but a quick bit of ‘trimming’ via the shifter (essentially, gear indexing) fixed this. Battery life is 25 hours according to SRAM, and that seems fairly accurate. Charging takes about an hour.

Is it better than a mechanical drivetrain? It depends what you’re looking for in terms of performance and how deep your pockets are. If you’re in the market for a highly-innovative, wellexecuted drivetrain, X01 Eagle AXS delivers. It’s not cheap and the shifter shape won’t suit everyone, but it really does work well. Rob www.zyrofisher.co.uk