Carrying spare AXS batteries

[JMT3]

I have AXS 1 X 12 on two bikes, fat and mtb, and Red eTap 11 speed 2 by on my main road bike. The road bike was set up in 2019. While I have had to replace 2 right shifters I have never had a battery die while riding. When MTB or fat biking I do keep a spare in my Camelbak and have never needed to use it. Also even though some of my batteries are almost 6 years old I get a week plus out of all of them. I keep 6 batteries in rotation.

[mcteague]

I don't carry a spare but would if doing an long, important ride. My Wahoo lets me know when they need a charge, about every 6 weeks or so. I ride 4-5 times a week and have yet to have one die on me. Famous last words.

Tim

[StressStrain]

1x AXS setup here.

SRAM AXS does a poor job reporting state of charge. I've had my derailleur batteries go from green to not working quickly.

So, I carry an extra derailleur battery with me. I've had to use it in an emergency twice. Easy to carry, easy to save the day.

Incidentally, I get about 800 miles on a charge, which is great!

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Likes2ridefar

Certainly best to cover all, but I don’t carry the coin batteries knowing I can very inconveniently shift temporarily using the derailleurs.

Makes no sense when shifting up to 500 times per ride.

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by Dave

Makes no sense when shifting up to 500 times per ride.

I guess my point is they don’t die if you change them once a year. I’ve found it is obvious when the coin batteries start to get low yet still show green in the app. Same with the power meter.

[benb]

Originally Posted by dolface

I carry a spare (two bikes, each w/ one battery).

There are some nifty (but also not really necessary) after market gadgets to store the spare on your bike, I got this one because I like gadgets

https://leapcomponents.com/product/s...-saddle-mount/

This guy also makes some but I haven't tried them (and I'm sure you could print your own if you have a 3d printer).

https://jankcomponents.com/collectio...tery-holders-1

Do these SRAM batteries have some kind of sliding cover or something to protect their contacts?

I would want some environmental protection.. putting the battery under the saddle is a great way to end up giving it a saltwater/chemical bath if you live where I live.

If I was going to store it on bike I'd kind of want one of those bikes with the sealed downtube storage.

TBH this thread makes me want to go full Grant Peterson though. This is a lot of ridiculousness to go through to avoid cables.

Am I understanding this correctly a setup with AXS and sensors could have:

- 5x coin cell - PM, each shifter, speedometer, HRM
- 4x Lithium Ion for the derailleurs and GPS computer, spare
- Maybe 2 more lithium for lights?

11 batteries to go for a ride and have everything functioning!

This isn't the end of the world but riding is supposed to be fun, I don't even have any electronic drivetrains and I think my highest battery bike has 3 coin cells. It never enhances my ride to get the warning that "XXX battery critical", the coin cells are probably more annoying than electronic drivetrains.

[thermalattorney]

Originally Posted by benb

TBH this thread makes me want to go full Grant Peterson though. This is a lot of ridiculousness to go through to avoid cables.

Am I understanding this correctly a setup with AXS and sensors could have:

- 5x coin cell - PM, each shifter, speedometer, HRM
- 4x Lithium Ion for the derailleurs and GPS computer, spare
- Maybe 2 more lithium for lights?

11 batteries to go for a ride and have everything functioning!

This isn't the end of the world but riding is supposed to be fun, I don't even have any electronic drivetrains and I think my highest battery bike has 3 coin cells. It never enhances my ride to get the warning that "XXX battery critical", the coin cells are probably more annoying than electronic drivetrains.

Everyone has their reasons but for most people it's not about avoiding cables, it's about shifting performance and/or ergonomics/braking performance.

All GPS and lights use lithium batteries. Not sure why you're lumping them with electronic drivetrains.

The coin cell batteries are maybe an annual change at worst. My GX Eagle shifter still shows a green charge after two years. I've had the original eTap on my gravel bike for 4 years and changed the shifter batteries once.

If you're the type of person who gets battery anxiety, then do go full Grant Peterson. The rest of us aren't even bothered in the slightest.

[Josh_W]

I have the older Red eTap 11-speed, system, so I can't monitor battery levels in the AXS app. I carry a smaller capacity/size generic eTap battery and a CR2032 for the brifters in my seat bag. I also tend to top off my eTap batteries after at least every-other ride because I am paranoid like that.

I went electronic purely for the extra shifters. I have some clip-on aerobars on my road bike and like having blips on those so I don't have to move to the brifters to shift. Now if they would come out with wireless brakes so I could put an extra set of levers on the aerobars...

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by thermalattorney

Everyone has their reasons but for most people it's not about avoiding cables, it's about shifting performance and/or ergonomics/braking performance.
.

This is a good reason to use it and why I do. It makes me very happy to say that every single shift I’ve made on my axs bikes the last 3 years has been exactly the same: perfect.

[BRad704]

Originally Posted by thermalattorney

Everyone has their reasons but for most people it's not about avoiding cables, it's about shifting performance and/or ergonomics/braking performance.

Then I'm in the minority because for me it's 99.9% about avoiding cables and being as svelt as possible.

For AXS (which is 3 bikes for me), if the preride check is a green light... no spare. I'll only carry a spare for ultra long race events (like 6+ hours) since I'm already carrying a day's-worth of emergency roadside repair items anyway.

[bigbill]

This past summer, I got the battery warning for the Quark powermeter. I had a 2032 in my toolbox that I bought from Radio Shack. All those years in my toolbox, still in its packaging and it worked like a champ. Coin batteries are easy to change in the powermeter and shifters and I plan on short cycling the powermeter and doing all the coin batteries in March. The other batteries involved (FD, RD, HRM, and Garmin) are rechargeable.

I've heard stories about AXS batteries dying when transporting the bike on a rack, but that's not my experience. I take my AXS bike from AZ to Wyoming and back each summer. One day is 9 hours, the second day is 7 hours, all with the bike on a rack and bouncing around.

My AXS bike was my midlife crisis sports car. I have arthritis in my hands that is worsening with age, but I'm still okay with mechanical groups, but I'll probably convert my MTB to AXS because the thumb sweep to downshift is starting to hurt more.

[tv_vt]

Timely thread, as I might be joining OP in going wireless AXS 2x. Really, really don't like the idea of basically charging up batteries every week, though.

Guess this is like getting a two-wheeled EV.

I'm more favorably inclined towards Di2 because of the very infrequent charging needs, like a few times a year. But people don't like wires, for sure. Anyone remember cordless phones when they first came out? Who knew it was the tip of the iceberg.

[kppolich]

"Do I need a spare?"

Think about spare batteries like you think about ride snacks. Do you need a bag of gummy bears on every ride? No. Does it save the day when you feel the bonk coming? You bet!

Your AXS batteries bonking mid-ride is unlikely, as they will last hours upon ride hours depending on component:

Road derailleurs: 60 hours
MTB derailleurs: 25 hours
Dropper posts: 60 hours
Suspension: 20-35 hours


From:
https://www.sram.com/en/life/stories...-axs-batteries

[dolface]

Originally Posted by tv_vt

Timely thread, as I might be joining OP in going wireless AXS 2x. Really, really don't like the idea of basically charging up batteries every week, though.

Guess this is like getting a two-wheeled EV.

I'm more favorably inclined towards Di2 because of the very infrequent charging needs, like a few times a year. But people don't like wires, for sure. Anyone remember cordless phones when they first came out? Who knew it was the tip of the iceberg.

I have never had to (and never heard of anyone having to) charge AXS batteries weekly. I think I charge mine once every ~3 months (that's ~12 hours of MTB rides/week).

[dr50470]

I swap front and rear batteries weekly and charge monthly. I carry co2 inflator with extra cartridge and a cr2032 battery in my pocket. Yes I also find the battery charge indicators to go from green to red quickly and have needed the spare battery a few times. Small bag full of insurance in my pocket is very reassuring.