Help with SRAM Red AXS

[username]

A friend just picked up an Aethos S-Works with Sram Red AXS. The crank has a power meter, he's pretty sure, and he's hoping to find a computer/head unit that will tell him his cadence, power, etc. He has no idea what he's doing, and neither do I. But you might! If you do, he'd be grateful for any help you might provide. Thanks!

[kppolich]

Literally any cycling computer will tell those things to the rider after you pair the sensors for power/cadence/shifting, etc.

Garmin
Wahoo
Hamerhead Karoo
Bryton
Pioneer
Stages

[username]

Originally Posted by kppolich

Literally any cycling computer will tell those things to the rider after you pair the sensors for power/cadence/shifting, etc.

Garmin
Wahoo
Hamerhead Karoo
Bryton
Pioneer
Stages

Thanks!

[mcteague]

No idea what he is doing yet buys an S-Works with Red AXS???

Tim

[Alistair]

Yep, any current generation bike computer that has Bluetooth or ANT+ will report the power.

Wahoo Element Bolt is my current pick. Roam is basically the same with a larger screen if that's desirable to your friend.

[cmb5286]

Originally Posted by kppolich

Literally any cycling computer will tell those things to the rider after you pair the sensors for power/cadence/shifting, etc.

Garmin
Wahoo
Hamerhead Karoo
Bryton
Pioneer
Stages

Learning curve might be a little gentler with the Wahoo. If they have a smartphone, sending routes and syncing rides are a bit easier. Just my personal opinion though.

[fa63]

Why not, if you have the money? A super nice bike could also give added motivation to ride more.

Originally Posted by mcteague

No idea what he is doing yet buys an S-Works with Red AXS???

Tim

I agree the Wahoo might be easier for the uninitiated. Or the Hammerhad Karoo.

[username]

Originally Posted by mcteague

No idea what he is doing yet buys an S-Works with Red AXS???

Tim

He's ridden at least 7.5k miles/year—and sometimes considerably more than that—for 14 years on a Cervelo R3, which he's just replaced with a used Aethos. Before now, he's never owned a cycling computer of any kind; he's been fully analog on the bike. All of sudden, he's got a bike that will tell him lots of interesting things, and he'd like to hear from it but has no idea how to go about setting up the lines of communication.

In short, I meant that he has no idea what's he's doing when it comes to purchasing a head unit.

In fairness, I could have been clearer. But you could have offered a more charitable reading. I know, I know: it's the internet. Charitable readings are vanishingly rare. Regardless, others have answered my question, for which answers I'm grateful.

[kytyree]

I'd be sure there's a power meter before I sprung for a computer too. If it's got the Sram Red cranks they're not radically different between the powermeter spider and the regular one. If it's the sram red powermeter spider there'll be the extension on the back end of the drive side crankarm where the battery goes. Thats's the plastic cover for the battery, if it needs changing. Spin the cranks and look for the hopefully green light.

You can use the sram app on a cell phone to look for the powermeter and the rest of the axs components. There are some pictures at the link below. It's worth connecting the bike to the app and checking for firmware updates for all of the components, battery status, shifter trim and you can configure how the shifters work

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.sram.com/contentassets/7ec65ae0892a443187ba7da977432ce9/gen0000000005113-rev-c-quarq-power-meter-basic-troubleshooting.pdf

[username]

Originally Posted by kytyree

I'd be sure there's a power meter before I sprung for a computer too. If it's got the Sram Red cranks they're not radically different between the powermeter spider and the regular one. If it's the sram red powermeter spider there'll be the extension on the back end of the drive side crankarm where the battery goes. Thats's the plastic cover for the battery, if it needs changing. Spin the cranks and look for the hopefully green light.

You can use the sram app on a cell phone to look for the powermeter and the rest of the axs components. There are some pictures at the link below. It's worth connecting the bike to the app and checking for firmware updates for all of the components, battery status, shifter trim and you can configure how the shifters work

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.sram.com/contentassets/7ec65ae0892a443187ba7da977432ce9/gen0000000005113-rev-c-quarq-power-meter-basic-troubleshooting.pdf

Thanks so much. Very helpful. I'll pass this along.

[HowardCosellsPR]

Is your buddy a technophobe or just hasn't wanted tech, which they use in other parts of their life, to intrude into cycling?

I ask because folks who struggle with tech seem to get on well, as FA63 gently suggested, with Wahoo. They are simple. The Hammerhead, which is kind of the 'native' system for SRAM/Quarq is not that much more complicated by, IMO, way more useful.

[username]

Originally Posted by HowardCosellsPR

Is your buddy a technophobe or just hasn't wanted tech, which they use in other parts of their life, to intrude into cycling?

I ask because folks who struggle with tech seem to get on well, as FA63 gently suggested, with Wahoo. They are simple. The Hammerhead, which is kind of the 'native' system for SRAM/Quarq is not that much more complicated by, IMO, way more useful.

He's computer literate but not a digital native. Put another way, he's neither enthusiastic about technology nor a luddite. I'll point him to the Hammerhead as well, thanks!

[bigbill]

Last year I added power meter chainrings (Quark Red) to my Open. It was my first power meter after almost 40 years of cycling. My Garmin recognized the power meter and only took a few seconds to pair with it. As a Luddite, I was amazed with Red AXS and how easy it was to set up.

[November Dave]

Have him download the AXS app on his phone. He will have to hit the AXS button on his shifters and derailleurs (good for him to find and know about these - I think the app tells you where to look but they're not hard to find) in order for the app to find them. The app lets you configure shifting preferences, make micro adjustments to derailleur positions to dial in shifting perfectly, and monitor battery status.

I don't have a SRAM power meter so I'm not sure about the app's interaction with it but my understanding is that if there's one there, the app will find it. There will also be a blinking light somewhere on the crank if there's a power meter there.