XShifter and NXSWireless

[JerseyJim]

Yeah it is fun. I went with 105 first, but upgraded to SRAM AXS Force 12-speed. Initially I had the brifters on it, which are still amazing, but now I have the wireless blips, and they are even better. No more shifter wires for me to worry about.

I'm going wireless with shifting too, but I'm using a universal system so I can use any mech I want. I already use the xshifter on the T50. That's been great. I'm going to the next version on my current build. It's nice to have choices. https://www.nxswireless.com/

 

[cpml123]

I'm going wireless with shifting too, but I'm using a universal system so I can use any mech I want. I already use the xshifter on the T50. That's been great. I'm going to the next version on my current build. It's nice to have choices. https://www.nxswireless.com/

Wow that looks very interesting, especially with the picture showing the shifter mech mounts into the derailleur directly.

 

[Rolling Along]

Funny someone should mention xshifter and nxswireless...

I have a friend who uses xshifter on a CA2. So I decided to try it on my CA2. It has 2 parts; a part that connects to the derailleur to change gears and a wireless button. My wireless button was defective. So I tried to contact the company. There is no phone number. So I filled out the support form, e-mailed, etc. Crickets. They have zero support and no way to contact. I had to use my credit card company to get a refund. I am not sure if the credit card company ate the cost. I gave the friend the working part that connects to the derailleur so that he has a spare. They don't make xshifter anymore. It was replaced with nxswireless...

The nxswireless has a history too. I read up on it on a Singletrack forum. People with orders gave up on it and had to resort to their credit card company for a refund. The nxswireless company moved from one country to another and kept making excuses about delays without filling orders. I would beware and at least make sure you get some kind of support before ordering. Be sure you use your credit card and that it can refund your money if there are issues. Also there is a time limit for using a credit card to get your money back.

The xshifter was simple. There was a part to pull cable for the derailleur to shift and another part (remote) to activate. The nxswireless has a third part - a wireless hub that has to go somewhere. It is not as simple or elegant. But the part for shifting does seem less bulky. The cost of the system is not that much. So you can always take your chances.

There is a competing product from Archer Components that I also tried on my CA2. It seems more geared to mountain bikes. They have excellent support. However, their product is more bulky and the part that pulls cable to shift has failed for me under warranty after less than 3 months. They repaired it, but I went back to manual shifting.

There is a lot more detail I could add, but I tried to summarize. My conclusion for me after all this is to stick with the big guns, Shimano, SRAM, etc for your wireless shifting.

 

[DavidCH]

Xshifter....https://www.electrifybike.com/products/x-shifter-universal-electronic-shifter

They are still selling here

 

[Rolling Along]

DavidCH, when I go to the site it says sold out.

 

[DavidCH]

OK... I just emailed Paul Galagher... the xshifter guy... let's see what he says?

 

[JerseyJim]

OK... I just emailed Paul Galagher... the xshifter guy... let's see what he says?

This is speculation, but with all of the Kickstarter drama around the Xshifter project, they probably aren't selling them anymore. I think the production rights were sold to CELL and then they developed the new NXS shifter to replace it. I think it's a smart marketing move to leverage the Xshifter engineering and technology but ditch baggage attached to the name.

As with anything, caveat emptor. There are many cases where sound technology is corrupted by bad business practices. I took a chance on the Xshifter because I was able to get it at a discount through a liquidator. I knew I didn't have the customer support by going that route, but for the price I paid, it wasn't an issue.

I've been using it for almost 4 years now. The shifter servo is excellent. It has been pulling cable accurately and actually makes lower quality mechs perform better because you can fine tune the cable pull to a tenth of a millimeter for each shift. It also saved my butt in France when I had to replace my 9 speed cassette with a 10 speed one due to parts availability. Having that shifter made it a simple swap. I just reprogrammed it and instant 10 speed.

The mini wireless shift remote is just OK. It works fine, but the build quality could be much better. Changing the battery is a PITA with 2 tiny screws that hold the circuit board down to the case and the battery is underneath. The battery lasts a long time, almost a year, but if you ever have to change it on the road (I have) it's a pain. Also the rubber cover has to be in right place or water can get in. I learned this the hard way and lost a shift remote to corrosion. Luckily, I bought a few extra remotes with the unit. I now spray the circuit board with CorrosionX at the start of every season to waterproof it just in case.

The new NXS flatbar shifter looks more robust and I like the little "BIT" buttons you can hide under bar tape. I'm looking forward to trying it along with the new servo. I like to tinker so this is right up my alley. If you're a plug-and-play person, best stick to Di2 or eTap AXS.

 

[JerseyJim]

BTW, I just checked out the forums on the nxswireless web site. In particular I checked the "troubleshooting" topic. Users are getting responses and resolutions from support staff. The problems seem pretty typical for a new product release. If this stays consistent, I don't think one will be left "high and dry" if there is a technical issue with the product. As for warranties and repairs, I have no idea. At least they are trying.

 

[Rolling Along]

You really can't trust nxswireless forum. When it was Cell and Xshifter, I posted my issue but it would not appear. Only what they want to appear will show up. To me it is all a facade. You need valid outside reviews and posts. Here is the Singletrack forum if you want one thread on the topic:

'Alternative' wireless shifting (PSA 50% off)

June 28, 2022 - I've been using a cell cycling X-shifter for a while on my road/gravel bike(s). I originally bought it for my bamboo bike to get around cabling issues,

singletrackworld.com

I still receive e-mails from their sales! I received one back in November apologizing for delays, etc. In that e-mail they state that their biggest markets are Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea. Perhaps those parts of the world have better luck than other parts.

 

[JerseyJim]

You really can't trust nxswireless forum.

Point taken. I'm not trying to convince anyone to do anything. I'm just making observations and sharing my own experience. Once a customer has been burned once, it's not likely they are ever going to have their trust restored. If nxswireless forum is fake and they are posting only problems they are solving or for which they have solutions and not the ones they do not, I'd say on the one hand that's unethical behavior, and on the other hand, why post problems at all? It seems self defeating if you're trying to manufacture an image of competence. Just post solutions and "attaboy" responses. The posts I saw don't make the product look good. It looks like they are still working on it. They've got some stuff figured out and other stuff is pending resolution. As I mentioned, my impression is that this is typical new product stuff. Maybe there are heaps more problem reports they are holding back. I have no way of knowing that. But I do know the forum exists and it's open to anyone who wants to look, whatever that's worth.

It's clear from browsing the forums that Xshifter is dead. There were a few posts from their support staff that says they aren't making parts for the product anymore and therefore it's an orphan. The new product is the focus. For me, I don't really care because I didn't invest much in the product and I figured out how to make it work for me. I never had a stake in the Xshifter saga. It's just something I saw and I got my hands on one.

Anyway I didn't mean to hijack this thread from it's original poster. If there's a discussion to be had, it's probably better in it's own thread. Once I get my hands on the new product, maybe I'll start one.

 

[ratz]

it's probably better in it's own thread

agreed and done

 

[DavidCH]

I never got a reply from Paul so I bet he lost his shirt on the venture. He put absolutely everything into it. 20 hour days ... just to have it flop. I think its a well cool idea. I have been thinking of putting my xshifter into the boom but then there are two issues; how do you charge the battery easily and if its encased in the boom... Bluetooth comms is not going to work because of the Faraday effect. Maybe drill some holes... and add a cable connector.
Nothing lasts forever in which case... I would probably try nxswireless.

 

[DavidCH]

I have a stretch of road where I am determined it hit 50 kph and sustain it for a duration... the xshifter still causes turbulence even being behind the boom so it would be better to be able to hide it. I can get to 45kph with the monocote disc wheel. I have a 3d tail box project in the pipeline. I don't want to do it wind assisted either. I like xshifter because it's so lightweight and I can put the cable down the chainstay instead of the fork. It's more aero.

 

[JerseyJim]

I have my xshifter strapped to back of the drive side fork leg. This minimizes the length of the cable and it's nearly completely hidden from the wind by the fork leg. It doesn't look great but it works.

 

[JerseyJim]

This is just an FYI post. While doing some research on electronic shifting, I came across this LTWOO product on AliExpress. It appears to be an XShifter clone. The body of the servo is similar, but seems simplified. I can't say anything about the performance of this product as I don't have it, however, if it performs as well as the XShifter, it could serve as a replacement.

The prices on AliExpress appear to range from $145-$230 US for the system, depending on the vendor.

Again, I'm posting this for informational purposes. I've got nothing to do with this product and I have no idea how good or bad it is. Please don't "at" me if you have a problem with LTWOO, AliExpress, Chinese cycling products, or anything related. I'll only refer you back to this paragraph. Caveat Emptor.

 

[JerseyJim]

Just to close this thread, I just want to let y'all know that I tried to get in touch with NXSwireless several times and I couldn't get anyone to answer my emails. Since this thread was started, there have been new players in the wireless shifter game and they render the NXS system pretty much obsolete.

For my build I decided to use SRAM AXS XPLR and I'm happy with that choice.

 

[Damien]

Thank for sharing. Please put your review and full description of you CB gearing configuration. I thinking about AXS too - but the most probably I will stick to Shimano di2.

 

[JerseyJim]

Thank for sharing. Please put your review and full description of you CB gearing configuration. I thinking about AXS too - but the most probably I will stick to Shimano di2.

Hi, Damien!

I posted a summary of my build with pics here:

Brand New - Cruzbike S30 - $3,200 -sold

PM sent I am looking forward to your build and pictures. Congratulations!

forum.cruzbike.com

Since my drivetrain is 1x, there's not much to it. The mech is SRAM Rival AXS XPLR and the shifter is the AXS POD 2. The shifter is from the MTB family of components and the mech is from their gravel group. Because of the brake levers I'm using, the POD makes the most sense for shifting. I'll live with it for a while and see how it goes. I just like a minimal cockpit.

The cassette is a ZTTO 12 Speed 11-46 ULT Black. I bought it from AliExpress. 11-46 is my preferred range, but its getting harder to find for the HG freehub body in 12 speed. This is also a lightweight cassette, which I thought would pair well with the carbon wheels. No sense in having light carbon wheels if you're going to fit it with a boat anchor. There are people wanting crazy money for lightweight cassettes. For under 100USD, I figured I could take a chance on the ZTTO.

As far as a review, I can only give an impression of about 200 km. The SRAM XPLR range is supposed to have a max of 44T but it takes the 46T just fine. I wouldn't go higher than that with the XPLR series. The shifting with the ZTTO cassette is better than I expected. Initially one gear was sticking but I used the SRAM phone app to fine tune the alignment and that resolved the issue. I'm using a KMC X12 chain.

Everything is working. There is one thing I don't like, but there really isn't any way around it. Generally speaking, I'm not a fan of more and more gears on the cassette. 9 or 10 speed is fine for me over that 11-46 spread. I'm only running 12 speed because there's no option to run less with the SRAM electronic shifting. The problem is that you have this narrow cog spacing and the chain is designed to just fit in that spacing. This means any misalignment has the potential for rubbing. In the smallest and largest sprockets you have the most extreme chain angles. I'm not in 46T much - that's a bailout gear - but I am in the 11T sprocket a fair amount and I can't get it so that it doesn't make noise.

With my other bike I have a 10 speed cassette and an 11 speed chain. That's heaven. There's loads of clearance between the chain and the sprockets, so no matter what gear I'm in the drivetrain is silent. I don't anticipate having that experience with 12 speed set up as 1x.

Other than the noise at the gear extremes, the AXS system was simple to install, setup and tune. The app has nice tools, such as being able to see the battery life of all your components in one place. Speaking of which, the ability to change the battery and charge it off of the bike puts SRAM AXS ahead of Di2 for me. That, and the fact that it is truly wireless, unlike Di2.

I haven't missed any shifts on the road. I'm also impressed that it works well with the odd components I threw at it; ZTTO cassette, KMC chain and Shimano Alfine crank. All are working well together. Time will tell if all of this remains.