Road bikes are faster and more capable than ever, and riders are expanding what’s possible with drop bar bikes. X-Range offers wider range, more useful and smoother gear progression, as well as smarter shift settings—enabled by AXS. X-Range achieves this by moving some of the gear range from the front of the drivetrain to the back. We’ve employed a smaller, consistent difference (13 teeth) between the chainrings while giving the cassettes wider range (up to 10-36T, or 360%). That means you can stay on the same ring longer, requiring fewer front shifts, which are inherently less efficient than rear shifts. And when a front shift is executed, the smaller jump is smoother and allows you to get to the right cadence with fewer compensation shifts in the rear. Fewer, faster front shifts make it easier for you to find the right gear, and that’s a distinct performance advantage relative to traditional drivetrains.
You might notice that X-Range relies on cassettes built around a 10-tooth start. This allows us to keep the cogs and chainrings smaller overall, eliminating the potential weight gain of a wide-range 11-tooth start drivetrain.
To learn more, see our article on X-Range Gearing.