Carrying spare AXS batteries

[weaponsgrade]

I just stepped into the 21st century with AXS. Who here carries spare batteries? My Garmin head unit shows the charge levels of both the derailleur and shifter batteries so I don't really see the point. Have people found the indicated charge levels to not be accurate sometimes? I've only got a few hundred miles in and so far everything is showing fully charged. Part of me didn't want to like it even though I bought it, but so far things have been flawless. There's a little bit of noise in the lowest cog, but I think I just need to adjust the gap.

[Alistair]

Originally Posted by weaponsgrade

I just stepped into the 21st century with AXS. Who here carries spare batteries? My Garmin head unit shows the charge levels of both the derailleur and shifter batteries so I don't really see the point. Have people found the indicated charge levels to not be accurate sometimes? I've only got a few hundred miles in and so far everything is showing fully charged. Part of me didn't want to like it even though I bought it, but so far things have been flawless. There's a little bit of noise in the lowest cog, but I think I just need to adjust the gap.

I run 2x, so between the head unit/app warning and being able to swap the FD to the RD battery in a pinch, I haven't bothered.

If I ran 1x did a lot of rural rides far from home, I'd carry one just to be safe.

[Likes2ridefar]

I have two bikes with axs. One has 1 battery, the other has two. I carry one extra on the first bike. The second I don’t because one is a dropper post I don’t mind borrowing from in a pinch.

The charge indicator is not useful, lacking granularity. You’ll have green and then it shifts to red indicating not much left.

[Dave]

I always have a spare derailleur battery and a 2032 battery, along with something that I know will open the cover over the shifter batteries. It's not as easy to change as you might think.

[benb]

Remember to charge the spare too...

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by Dave

I always have a spare derailleur battery and a 2032 battery, along with something that I know will open the cover over the shifter batteries. It's not as easy to change as you might think.

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

[proletariandan]

I carry a spare (1x, lots of rides out in the woods) but have not had to use it in an emergency. I just rotate them.

[David Kirk]

I carry a spare just because it's so small and light that it's hard to find a reason not to. I keep it in my seat bag and will most likely never need it but if I do I'll have it.

dave

[GParkes]

I always carry a spare and a 2032. Almost all my riding pals are on AXS, so having a spare can come in handy for everyone. And just like tubes, someone inevitably has a failure and no spare...............

[KonaSS]

While good practice, I have never carried a spare.

I have gotten a warning from my head unit several times and always had enough juice to finish my ride without issue.

[Jdm]

I don't carry a spare. If I get a low battery notification on my garmin, I still have a few hours of derailleur battery left.

[bikerboy337]

I learned a lesson this summer on a 2 day charity ride, one of my cr2032s died mid ride on Sunday… ended up taking mine from my HRM So I could shift again.

Now I have 1 plastic wrapped 2032 on my AXS bikes in my bike bag… no idea why I had no notice when it died… only thing I can think of is possibly had the shifter engaged for a 1.5 hour ride when the bike was on its side in the back of a car…was new this spring and only had about 1000 miles on it… energizer with no child coating

Anyways… I don’t carry AXS extra batteries on my bikes, I just always check to make sure things are charged. I have an off brand battery I bought in the event I’m doing super long rides though and will toss it in. But as mentioned, for 2x I have no issues just swapping to make sure my rear is working if one dies. 1x is a little trickier but I just charge every few weeks to make sure batteries are all good…

[kppolich]

I carry a spare shifter 2032 battery in my flat kit pouch and a monthly recurring calendar reminder to charger the FD/RD batteries.

Yeah, a spare AXS battery isn't too bad to carry either if it fits in your kit. But if you are running 2x you have options. Most modern computers also tell you when the shifter or FD/RD batteries are getting low far, far ahead of time.

[ghammer]

I have 2 bikes w wireless parts: a road one that is 2x, and a 1x gravel. For road, i don't carry a spare, but for gravel i do. one never knows.

[djg21]

Originally Posted by weaponsgrade

I just stepped into the 21st century with AXS. Who here carries spare batteries? My Garmin head unit shows the charge levels of both the derailleur and shifter batteries so I don't really see the point. Have people found the indicated charge levels to not be accurate sometimes? I've only got a few hundred miles in and so far everything is showing fully charged. Part of me didn't want to like it even though I bought it, but so far things have been flawless. There's a little bit of noise in the lowest cog, but I think I just need to adjust the gap.

I haven’t found a need to carry an extra battery. I charge the batteries every couple days, and before races or events, and as you note, you can monitor your battery charges on your Edge. The batteries last for at least a handful of days, and in a pinch, you can switch the batteries between the front and rear derailleurs on my road bike, assuming a 2x.