SRAM AXS App Review

With the widespread adoption of electronic groupsets came the ability to improve their use, particularly by customizing gear shift management, but also by precisely monitoring battery charge levels and updating to the latest evolutions. In this case, SRAM and its proprietary system called AXS (pronounced “access” and not “A-X-S”) aims for personal management of its groupset via an application that allows all these parameters to be controlled. This should satisfy all users, from beginners to experienced riders.

Text: Olivier Dulaurent – Photos: 3bikes.fr, Sram

When SRAM eTap technology was released, the change was quite radical compared to competing groupsets from Shimano and Campagnolo. It must be said that with the total absence of cables and the use of only one button on each shifter, the American manufacturer had thrown a wrench in the works for equipment manufacturers.

Despite many advantages (clean aesthetics, weight, ultimately very intuitive shifting), battery life was a parameter that lagged behind the competition, with approximately 1000 km for the rear derailleur. So much so that many users may have been “caught out,” unable to finish their ride with the original rear battery, despite the fact that a red indicator on the rear derailleur should have alerted them! However, another advantage of SRAM electronic groupsets is that the two batteries are interchangeable. Thus, it is always possible to finish your ride by using the front derailleur battery, which obviously disables the use of the front derailleur but allows you to ride using the rear cogs. Another trick is to ride with another battery in your pocket. Light and compact, this backup solution can also save a ride! In any case, being able to regularly monitor the status of your batteries on a SRAM electronic groupset was a way to avoid these minor inconveniences… which is what the AXS application offers to do.

Step-by-step customization

Once the free SRAM AXS application is downloaded to your smartphone, communication with the drivetrain (shifters and derailleurs) begins here. The application is intuitive from the start, by creating a user profile linked to your own bike. It is even possible to begin customization by using a photo of the bike in question, or even by giving it a name.

As a reminder, when the drivetrain is not modified by the application, gear changes operate in the classic SRAM way: pressing the right shifter button moves the chain down one cog, pressing the left button moves the chain up one cog, and simultaneously pressing both buttons shifts the chainring. Under these conditions, extreme cross-chaining like large chainring – large cog is always possible, and when shifting chainrings, the user must decide which cog to adopt to maintain a comfortable cadence. It should be noted that with two chainrings and 12 cogs, theoretically 24 usable combinations, there are ultimately only about fifteen significantly different gear ratios due to overlapping developments. Indeed, with the chainrings (43/30) and cassette (10-36) of the test bike, a 30×17 combination is almost identical to a 43×24, both offering a 3.75 m gear ratio.

With the application open, it is necessary to “wake up” the drivetrain through its four components to be able to communicate with the smartphone.

Once the elements are connected using the dedicated function, it becomes possible to enter configuration mode. The next step defines the following functions: “configure controls” and “drivetrain settings”. During this action, the user has access to the precise battery level. By connecting individually to the drivetrain components, information about an update is provided.

Configure Controls

This feature theoretically allows you to customize your gear changes. For example, it would eventually be possible to shift the chain up the cassette with an action of the right shifter. However, the intuitive nature of the SRAM drivetrain would then be significantly affected. As it stands, it is probably preferable to stick to the original operation, as described above and reiterated here: pressing the right shifter button moves the chain down one cog, pressing the left button moves the chain up one cog, and simultaneously pressing both buttons shifts the chainring. By definition, since the SRAM drivetrain only has two buttons, the possibilities here are fewer than with Shimano or Campagnolo, which have to manage four buttons.

Drivetrain Settings

This is a sub-menu that appears to be much more comprehensive than the previous one and offers operation adapted to your own preferences.

First, using the Multishift function, it is possible to customize the number of cogs changed during a prolonged press on the shifter, both when shifting up and down. By default (and like a SRAM electronic eTap drivetrain without AXS technology), the setting is based on All, meaning that a prolonged press on the shifter allows you to sweep through all (“All“) the cogs on the cassette. As for the application, it offers the possibility of sticking to two or three cogs, at the user’s choice. This feature will be especially appreciated by cyclists unfamiliar with the SRAM drivetrain who might tend to change more cogs than they wish in a single (prolonged) action.

Secondly, and this is the most technical and interesting aspect of the application: the compensation and sequential modes.

With compensation mode, the benefit lies in chainring changes, both up and down. The user can then choose to automatically compensate by one or two cogs (to be defined by the user), for the large change in gear ratio linked to this chainring change. This therefore has the effect of reducing or even eliminating the difficult-to-manage cadence change when changing chainrings without simultaneously changing cogs. Certainly, an experienced cyclist can perform these operations themselves, but in the heat of the moment or in case of advanced fatigue, it is sometimes possible to miss the perfect maneuver.

Sequential mode, as its name suggests, is a way of using all the gear ratios without voluntary action on the front derailleur. That is to say, the user will shift up or down until the drivetrain itself decides to change chainring to obtain the desired gear ratio. For example, when the large chainring – large cog cross-chaining is close (or offers less efficiency) and the requested action is to have an easier gear, the drivetrain then shifts to the small chainring with the cog corresponding to the desired cadence. The same process occurs on the small chainring when the smallest cogs are progressively used: to avoid cross-chaining, the drivetrain automatically shifts to the large chainring with the cog implicitly chosen by the cyclist. The idea here is to have a progressive use of the different gear ratios, without a break in cadence linked to chainring changes and, above all, without having to ask questions or adjust the correct cadence with the rear derailleur.

For whom and when?

Beyond the well-thought-out aspect of the application (battery level monitoring, drivetrain customization), the SRAM AXS application also has the merit of not confining the user to a forced mode of operation. In this, it proposes… the cyclist disposes. It is up to them to activate or not the possibilities offered. In practice, for classic use, the vast majority of experienced cyclists will prefer to keep the original operation to extend habits linked to tens of thousands of kilometers covered during which a physical action leads to a bike action. This user profile will feel disoriented, for example, when the usual action that allows only one cog to be shifted up will lead to a double gear change (chainring and cogs at the same time). The impression given is then of losing control over one’s drivetrain. However, “taking the temperature” around us, it appears that a performance-oriented use can be linked to sequential mode: the management of a Time Trial, an effort smoothed by definition. Here, the cyclist close to a threshold effort, with hands on the extensions and less lucidity due to the intensity of the effort, may prefer to only have to manage two actions: harder or easier.

But it is especially for cyclists who are new to cycling or even to a SRAM electronic drivetrain that gear shift customization finds its full value. Managing gear ratios according to the terrain under the wheels becomes easier, which maintains a more constant pedaling cadence, a parameter leading to reduced fatigue and thus increased enjoyment!

And in all cases, regardless of the cyclist’s profile, being able to monitor battery charge levels and easily update their drivetrain with a few clicks on their smartphone is always appreciated.

Finally, it is worth noting the AXS Web dashboard (https://axs.sram.com), where the user can analyze their ride with gear changes, gear ratios used, etc.

=> SEE ALSO: All our Gear articles