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In today’s send I’m going to talk about SRAM Transmission drivetrain, and….

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Review: SRAM Transmission Drivetrain

I am a certified SRAM hater. Maybe I am not that bad, but I do like to give them a hard time for poorly designed products. It seems like “good enough” is their product design benchmark. The NX and SX drivetrains are trash. It’s borderline impossible trying to get them to shift cleanly long term. The Rock Shox Reverb dropper seatpost is terrible, and it has been since it first came out 15 years ago. All the reasons it was terrible then are most of the reasons it’s still terrible. SRAM and Rock Shox are the same company. All that said, they knocked it out of the park with Transmission.

SRAM Eagle Transmission is a 12 speed wireless electronic drivetrain. This drivetrain is well designed top to bottom, and it has a lot of value baked in, in the form of durability. Whether you buy a bike with XX, XO, GX, or S1000, or you buy an upgrade kit for your current bike you will be getting a high quality product. The S1000 is an OEM only option for now. That means it’s only available to manufacturers to be installed on complete bikes.

Transmission is a drivetrain system that includes a wireless shift pod, wireless derailleur, cassette, chain, crankset, battery, and charger. A kit in a box for XX, XO, and GX will include all of those items. Any of these parts can be purchased separately as well. To my knowledge you can mix components between the various trim levels.

For the review I will covering GX. Between two bikes I have logged about 400 miles on this drivetrain. I went into this with very little expectations of this drivetrain. I had spent a little time on the old AXS system, and it was fine but nothing special. After my first ride on Transmission I knew this was something special.

This drivetrain is made up of shifter, cassette, chain, crankset, and derailleur. The shifter is very unlike traditional shifters. Instead of levers it has two buttons. The buttons do function like a traditional shifter. The upshift is done with the top button, and the downshift is done with the bottom. The action feels a little different than a wired setup, but with the buttons being the a familiar location it’s an easy change. One of the main differences here is that you can program the buttons to do different thing like shifting twice with one touch, or you can hold the button to cycle through gears until you let go. You do all of those things through the SRAM AXS app. Through the app you can also check battery levels on both the derailleur and shift pod. The shift pod uses a CR2032 battery, and changing them is easy. With regular riding you will go through a battery every four to six months. Carrying a spare CR2032 and derailleur battery is a good idea. I have never had to use either while out riding, but it’s nice to know they are there if I need them. You can also borrow a friends since they are universal within the SRAM world.

The derailleur is where you will see the biggest difference from traditional drivetrains. The derailleur will attach to the frame via the universal derailleur hanger(UDH). The genius of this drivetrain is the UDH. SRAM was able to convince manufacturers to start adding UDH to bikes a few years before Transmission actually came out. Once it was released all of those bikes were upgradeable to Transmission. The UDH will also work for a traditional derailleur. The derailleur attaches to the frame on both sides of the hanger adding to it’s strength. The derailleur is considerably more substantial than the more traditional modes. When it first came out there were videos of people standing on it, and then showing how it still shifts perfectly.

The cassette is a standard XD cassette. It’s all one piece that threads onto the hub. They are more expensive to produce since they are all one piece. The really high end ones are machined out a block of aluminum. They are very light and expensive. The lower end ones are machined aluminum and bits of steel and aluminum pinned together. SRAM claims that you need to use one of their cassettes in order this to work. As of this point I am not aware of any aftermarket cassettes available. The cassette need to use a flattop chain. Instead of being shaped like a 8 the one side of the link is flat. The crankset is pretty standard. In typical bike industry fashion they created a new chainring mounting standard. I was happy with their three bolt system. Now that have an eight bolt system. It does work as designed, and the chainring only goes on one way which is nice when installing an oval chainring. It takes any guesswork out of the orientation. The kit also includes a USB powered charger. The included one only charges one battery at a time. There are some multi battery options. If you have a wireless seatpost this can be useful, but overall they don’t take too long to charge.

The ride is really where this drivetrain shines. The magic of the wireless drivetrain is that it isn’t ever affected by outside forces like a traditional drivetrain. There are no cables to snap or fray. There are no ferrules to bed in or break, and there is no cable housing to break or kink. Once that derailleur is set on the first cog, it always goes back to the exact same spot. The result of that is a clean shift every time. There is no ghost shifting or unintentional dropping gear or hitting the lever twice to make a single shift. You can also change gears under load. As in you can be out of the saddle cranking up a hill firing through gears, and it shifts every time without issue. If you try that with a traditional drivetrain, and you will likely suck your derailleur into your wheel. The shifts can sometimes feel like they take a second longer, but I’ll take that for clean shifts every time.

There are a lot of upsides to Transmission like function, ease of setup, and durability. The only cons I see so far are cost and lack of aftermarket options. The initial setup isn’t too hard, but it needs to be done correctly.

I went into this rather skeptical that any drivetrains, especially made by SRAM, could be this good. It really is. I highly recommend this product.

Bike I’m Eyeing: Rare Earth's Rascal Saint

How not to behave like a jerk on the trails!

I consider myself lucky to spend as much time as I do in the woods. A big part of that reason is being in nature is pretty awesome. There are lots of others who feel the same. One of the most important things for a ride to know is how to not unintentionally be a jerk to other trail users. Short of riding downhill bikepark or some other pay to play type situation, you will likely encounter other trail users. How you interact with those other trail users could have future impact on trail access. Land managers can and will close a trail for mountain biking if there are too many issues involving bikes and other trail users. Luckily for you there are some basic rules to follow.

Yield to other users: As a mountain biker, your first rule of the trail is to yield to other trail users. When you encounter a hiker or horseback riders, pull off the trail, and let them pass. A friendly hello and have a nice day goes a long way.

Respect the Environment: Stay on marked trails, and avoid muddy trails after it rains. Practice Leave No Trace principles, and pack out your trash. Don't move rocks, logs, or change the trail.

Be prepared: Bring food, water, tools, first aid, and warm clothes. Plan for the unexpected, like a change in the weather or getting lost.

Be considerate of others: Let other trail users know you're coming, and yield to non-bike users. Pass wide and slow, especially around horses. Be aware of animals, and give them space and time to adjust to you.

Be a good steward: Obtain permission from private landowners before riding on their property. Leave gates as you find them.

Ride Responsibly: Stay focused, check your speed, and control your bike. Avoid skidding, which can damage the trail.

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