Hey all, seeking some advice on the above.
I have two SCs that I love. The Megatower has been running 1×12 GX mechanical with a GX crankset, and the Tallboy on GX AXS with a X01 crankset. However I’m considering downgrading both to a mix of Advent X/Deore like outlined [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=431uBfks__8).
Chiefly it’s because I don’t want to worry about replacing 2 $200 cassettes, a $300 RD and $100 shifter down the road. For consumables I simply think it’s crazy that they cost so much.
I commute on my bikes daily, and ride them on the weekends too. I lend the spare bike to friends who want to dip their toes into MTB occasionally.The GX cassettes seem to be wearing out a lot faster than I expected, which to me is crazy for such an expensive piece of hardware. On top of that I’m not that great a MTBer, and do crash. I’d have much better peace of mind with cheap parts that I can easily replace when I smack it into a rock down the line. I’ve crashed the GX AXS a few times.. $300 for a new RD seems like an eventuality sooner or later.
GX AXS is nice to have, but mine hasn’t been shifting great. GX mech is super precise and crisp, but I can live without it.
My riding buddy thinks I’m insane to downgrade, but I think it’s insane to have a $800 timebomb in parts to replace. I don’t understand why the new stuff costs so much, shifts worse (in the case of my GX AXS) and is so finicky to adjust.
I know, I know, I own 2 SCs, but I’d simply rather put the money elsewhere. Where I’m from the resale on the GX AXS can get me two MS/Deore groupsets with enough left for a used DT Swiss wheelset/more goodies..
I used to run 1×11 NX on my previous bike for 2 years, which worked beautifully across 4000+ km on the same chain and cassette before I sold the bike. I had zero complaints. I don’t see why another cheap drivetrain can give me the same level of satisfaction.
So what are your thoughts? Am I dumb to do this or nah. Much appreciated!
by chansumpoh
9 Comments
You will never need to replace the shifter, especially on AXS. The cassettes will wear out, can’t deny that (maintain it and keep a new chain and this will help), but mechanical setups require cables and housings to be replaced, which although not hugely expensive is a pain. In some cases the magic of AXS might be better if you crash it, since it is designed to move a bit.
I would just ride it til it dies. Let this be a problem for your future self.
The mechanical GX stuff is good/very good and the replacement cost parts really aren’t that bad. I think you are a little crazy to downgrade the mechanical GX stuff.
The AXS GX stuff, I don’t think you are crazy. I’d just switch to Mech GX though to save some $$ and have arguably a better setup than what you are proposing.
I have mechanical GX and Shimano XT right now on 2 different bikes and they shift similarly well.
My vote is switch to mechanical GX and put on an XT shifter to get that Shimano feel you might be after (works really well)
Replace it and sell me the axs for cheap 😗
Maybe not crazy but certainly eccentric. Replacing used but functional part to prevent future maintenance costs is just accelerating this costs to the present.
I would just swap stuff as it wears out. Also there is no reason you can’t swap the cassettes to deore 12speed once they wear out. It requires a driver swap, but so does your current plan. The shifters and derailleurs will last a very long time though. Once they break, get some deore stuff
Me and a lot of my uni student friends have replaced Eagle with either 10 or 11 speed Deore for similar reasons and we’re all perfectly happy with it. Cheap cassettes and mechs, the shifting and gear range is fine for enduro riding (think it might annoy me on a Tallboy though if I was trying to do faster XC rides). A 10 speed Deore M5100 mech, Saint shifter (big paddles, double up shift), and the Advent 11 48 cassette seem to be the sweet spot.
I’m running an XT shifter with SLX derailleur and it’s running fine.
I find the nice thing about the XT shifter to be that it shifts multiple gears both ways, SRAM doesn’t do that as far as I know.
Also XT and SLX cassettes have the smallest 5 sprockets as individual parts, so you should be able to just swap those if they become worn out.
Is the rear derailleur generally considered a consumable?
I don’t think that’s crazy at all, having gone from a base Advent on my hardtail to a GX AXS on my enduro bike. The GX shifts nicely for the most part, but I don’t really see the value add justifying many hundreds of dollars. How often are you actually going to be replacing these parts though?
You could also just get a cheap commuter road bike with 105/Tiagra. That’ll save tons of $$$. A lot of the parts wear, imo, is from commuting on them. These parts aren’t designed for big miles.
Shimano cassettes are cross functional with SRAM shifting, and work better due to the ramped in both direction nature of hyperglide +. Having owned both, and ridden Sram transmission as well as Shimano slx 12 speed with hyperglide+ (which is the same as advent tech as far as I’m aware) the performance difference between hyperglide+ and eagle is shocking. Like truly, I’m never going back. Transmission is somewhat better than Shimano but not as much better compared to Shimano hyperglide vs eagle.