SRAM Rival AXS 101: Building up a new bike with the electronic groupset

A deep-dive into the components that could drive your bike The post SRAM Rival AXS 101: Building up a new bike with the electronic groupset appeared first on Canadian Cycling Magazine .

When I was building up a Trek Checkpoint and had the option of mounting a 12-speed, 2-by Rival eTap AXS groupset to it, I jumped at the chance. If you’re building a bike from scratch, this is definitely a groupset worth looking at, especially if an electronic setup is on your bingo card. Of course, if you’re looking for a complete bike and are convinced the 2-by Rival eTap AXS is your groupset, then there are some off-the-shelf rigs that come with it.

The Specialized Tarmac 8 Expert comes with this option, as do some of the Trek Madone offerings. SRAM has a handy-dandy Rival AXS bike finder if you want to learn more. The eTap AXS ecosystem If you’re not familiar with it, the eTap AXS is SRAM’s electronic groupset line.

There are varying levels of the groupsets. The top is the Red AXS, the mid-range is the Force AXS and the lowest end is the Rival. So if you’re building a bike and want to save some money, you can do so by putting a 2-by Rival AXS on it.

What do you sacrifice? Well let’s get into it. The final build.

Colin Field photo. The SRAM Rival AXS drivetrain For me, mounting what is primarily a road groupset to a gravel bike, the first thing I needed was a front derailleur mount. And not just any mount: it needed to be the SRAM wide-spacing mount.

Nothing else. I also learned I needed a rear wheel with an XDR Freehub. I got the bike to a certain point of togetherness, then passed it off to some mechanics to work the final touches: brake bleed, derailleur setup and overall completion.

When it came back, it was awesome. The shifting was smooth and precise. Under power, not under power—it didn’t seem to matter, shift whenever you want.

The front derailleur slid the chain from side to side with ease, the rear derailleur was smooth, quiet and effortless to move. The whole system will not allow you to put the rear derailleur into the highest gear unless you have the front derailleur on the biggest ring. So if you’re a cross-chainer, not to worry.

You simply can’t with this setup. After about a month of riding the bike, I did have one ride when everything wasn’t quite shifting right. It still worked; the gears just changed a little slower than I had been experiencing prior to that.

Why did this happen? I have no idea. Digital cable stretch simulation?

That’s what it felt like. The solution? I watched the SRAM video on how to adjust the derailleur.

SRAM’s how-to videos are top-notch: short, concise and to the point. There’s no need to make a 15-minute video on how to adjust your derailleur. After watching the tutorial, I knew what to do.

The fix was as easy as the video said it would be. I simply went to my garage, threw the bike on the rack and opened my SRAM AXS app. I selected the Drivetrain Settings, then selected MicroAdjust.

From there, you can adjust the derailleur up or down the cassette by 0.25-mm increments. You can work on each gear individually. It was easy, it was precise and my next ride was as smooth as ever—even when I rode a bunch of muddy doubletrack in the rain.

If I face this issue again, it’s super easy to pull over, link up your phone and get it smooth again. If you’re rocking a Quad Lock type phone holder, you could probably run the fix without even getting off the bike. The 12-speed Rival derailleur.

Colin Field photo. Charge ‘em up The big concern everyone has with electronic shifting, especially people new to the system, is the batteries. I field numerous questions about how long they last.

You know what the answer is? A long time. I charged them to full capacity, rode the bike 3-6 times per week and the batteries lasted for nine weeks.

Avoiding dead batteries isn’t difficult. I’m not one that loves opening an app every time I ride my bike, and generally I don’t. But once every five or six rides, I check on it quickly to make sure the batteries are in good shape.

If you have the Hammerhead Karoo head unit mounted to your bike, that will also let you know the status of the batteries when they get low. One major advantage of having a front derailleur with the AXS system is that you have two batteries at all times. Unless the universe is conspiring against you, it’s likely only one of the batteries is going to die at a time.

In a dire situation, you could switch batteries over to get you home. I was a bit bummed when I realized the cable that plugs into the charger is not a double ended USB-C cable. It’s a USB-C with a Micro-B on the charger end.

It’s not an unusual cable, but wouldn’t it be great if you didn’t need to remember another cable every time you head out? My phone, my camera and my drone all charge with the same USB-C cable. I wish my bike could be added to that list.

Not the case here. Not a big deal, but a minor gripe. SRAM claims the batteries take 60-minutes to charge.

I have to say, that’s not something I tested. I noticed my batteries were dead one day, plugged them in and when I went to grab them later that day, they were fully charged. Next time the battery dies, I’ll be sure to watch the charger and time how long it takes for the light to go from orange to green.

For now, I’ll assume SRAM’s claims aren’t too far off the truth. The thing that is easy to forget is that the levers have batteries in them too. That means those coin cells can also die.

Those are the ones that’ll catch you off guard (although the app also lets you know their status). It’s probably worth throwing a couple new CR2032s in your emergency repair kit. And maybe watch the video on how to replace them before you’re stuck somewhere with no service and no shifting.

The battery in the Quarq power meter was the first thing to die on me. It wasn’t a dire situation, and I simply replaced the battery before my next ride. SRAM recommends using lithium batteries, which I bought, but boy are they pricey: $27.99 for four at Canadian Tire, or $29.99 for eight.

I went with eight. The front brake with 160 mm disc. Colin Field photo.

The Rival system works with centre-lock discs. Colin Field photo. SRAM Rival AXS brakes Let’s face it, brakes either inspire confidence or they don’t, right?

These brakes are more the former. Going down a 14 per cent grade gravel road in the rain was no big deal. The brakes didn’t squeak, grab too hard, not grab enough or exhibit any inconsistencies.

The only issue was that my hands started cramping up, which is more user error than gear malfunction. I think my hands would have cramped up on just about any kind of brake on that hill. The Rival levers.

Colin Field photo. The Rival hoods are plenty comfy. Colin Field photo.

Levers for the SRAM Rival AXS system So the brake levers and gear selectors worked great. They’re comfortable and so far are easy enough to work on. I haven’t had to bleed any brakes yet, and will cross that hurdle when I need to, but it shouldn’t be too hard.

Like I mentioned before, SRAM has done a great job of providing short, concise videos on maintenance. I did try using the app to alter how my shifters worked, but since there are no Bonus Buttons near the top of the hoods, there was not really any way to change anything. I could make it

so I could only shift up, but not down, or down, but not up, but obviously, that’s pretty useless. It would be fun to prank your buddies though if you could get control of their AXS app. The hood shape on the Rival is narrower than the Red and Force hoods and is plenty comfortable.

The levers are also alloy which adds a bit to the overall weight, while also keeping costs down. The Quarq power meter. Colin Field photo.

Quarq power meter The newest addition to the groupset is the Quarq power meter. It’s pretty slick. It simply slides into the left side of the crank spindle.

Performance wise, the power meter linked with my Hammerhead Karoo unit flawlessly. It also linked with my Coros watch on the first try, without an issue. Replacing the battery was slightly finicky; you have to hold a switch open with a small flat-head screwdriver, then twist the locking ring 90 degrees.

I’m not sure SRAM have an up to date video on how to do this yet, so I went with this one . SRAM claims the battery will last 400 hours. Now this power meter only measures the left crankarm.

It then doubles the number to produce a wattage value. So if you’re a serious athlete looking for comprehensive metrics, maybe that’s a deal breaker. But for us regular folk, I’m more than happy with a one-sided power meter.

It supports both ANT+ and BLE wireless communication protocols. Cranks No, they’re not carbon, but they do have a hole in them, and honestly, that makes them look pretty cool. This is one of the big reasons for the price and weight differences between the Rival and the upper-level groupsets.

Mine came in 170 mm and they kept my pedals attached to my bottom bracket just like they should. I had no issues with them. Gear ratios My only beef with this whole setup is the gear ratio, which is more my fault than anything.

This is a setup for someone who rides road for the majority of time. That’s not me. I generally ride gravel, doubletrack and winter maintenance roads.

I’m hard on the bike, but I also rarely need gears this tall. I’d prefer lower gears if anything. Probably the proper setup on this bike would be the Rival XPLR AXS.

It’s a 1-by, but you’re able to get a lower overall gear. And I suppose that’s what N+1 is for right? My next bike will be perfect.

I went for the widest range with a 10-36 tooth cassette and the smaller 46/33-tooth front chainrings. If there was a slightly smaller front chainring option, I would have gone with that, but there isn’t. Here’s how the 2-by range shakes out according to SRAM with the 10-36 tooth cassette.

For 48/35-tooth rings, you get a 494 per cent gear range. With the 46/33-tooth rings with a 10-36 tooth cassette (my setup), you get a 502 per cent gear range. The Rival chain is $10-55 cheaper than it’s (ahem) rival chains in the SRAM ecosystem.

Colin Field photo. Price and weight comparison with other SRAM groups Retail for the 2-by SRAM Rival drivetrain with power meter is $2,589. Comparing apples to apples, the 2-by Force with power meter is $3,785.

And the Red goes up significantly from there. It’s quite a difference as far as price is concerned. So why is the Rival groupset so much cheaper?

There are a couple differences. The Rival levers don’t have the “Bonus Buttons,” which allow you to alter the interface between you and your bike. The Red and Force eTap AXS derailleurs have their Orbit fluid damper system while the Rival has a spring clutch for chain retention.

The materials used for the Rival are slightly lower end, so the entire set is a bit heavier. Here’s the breakdown on weight: the Rival AXS groupset weighs 2,993 g in a 2-by with power meter, 48/35-tooth chainrings, and a 10-30 tooth cassette configuration. The Force AXS groupset weighs 2×776 g in a 2-by thread mount power meter, 48/35-tooth chainrings, and a 10-30 tooth cassette configuration.

The Red AXS groupset weighs 2,496 g with a 48/35-tooth chainrings, power meter and 10-28 tooth cassette. So, like most things, the cheaper version is heavier without as many options. So compared with the Force, you’d save about $1,200 and your bike would be about 200 g heavier.

There are few questions to ask yourself when you are considering your options. Do you need bonus buttons? Does weight matter?

Does construction matter? That’s for each rider to figure out. It’s worth mentioning that replacement parts also differ in price.

A Rival chain is $55, a Force chain is $65 and a Red chain is $110. Likewise, a Rival cassette is $145, a Force cassette is $215 while a Red cassette is $430. Who is the SRAM Rival AXS group for?

If you’re looking at this groupset, you’re probably building a bike from scratch. And let’s face it, that’s an expensive (but fun) way to build a bike. If you want electronic shifters, and you’re convinced SRAM is your brand, then this is a solid option.

You’ll save nearly $1,200 by getting this lower-end groupset, but your bike will be about 200 g heavier than it would have been with Force, and you won’t have any bonus buttons on your levers. Again, if you’re looking for a complete bike with this groupset, check here . If you’re racing at a high level, the weight and lack of functionality may be a deal breaker.

But if you’re an avid cyclist who doesn’t need the lightest and most option-laden components, it’s a solid choice. Performance-wise, I thoroughly enjoyed this groupset and had little to no issues with it. I’m always excited to hop on this rig and look forward to riding it for years to come.

Rain and mud and no issues. Colin Field photo. The post SRAM Rival AXS 101: Building up a new bike with the electronic groupset appeared first on Canadian Cycling Magazine .