Will SRAM AXS work with a Shimano 12 speed cassette?

[@cel440]

Thanks for the vid although now a few months old. Pretty much have the same set up but bought a cheap 12spd cassette and chain. Shifts perfect and didn’t touch the micro adjust. Switching chain takes about 2 mins with the quick links. Got the chain for $25. Meant to add the 12spd parts are 105 - fine for trainer

[@JMCyclingVideos]

Glad to hear a Shimano chain helped out. That's excellent info to know.

[@timesignal]

Thanks for doing this 😊

[@JMCyclingVideos]

Lots of people wanted it and I needed a new cassette for my trainer. So win win for all!

[@willhayes1976]

I run AXS 1x on my TT bike with an Ultegra cassette, but I also run 11sp pulleys and 12sp Shimano chain. I found the Shimano chain didn't get on well with the AXS pulleys, it lifts off due to the deep gulleys for the larger rollers.

[@JMCyclingVideos]

Good insight there. Since my bike is 100% AXS on the road, every other part is AXS including the chain. I originally thought that would cause additional wear on the cassette (or chain) but I really didn't observe that on the 11 speed cassette I used previously. Were you able to tune your AXS derailleur to the Shimano cassette? I'm tempted to try tuning it with the micro adjust, but I know it'll throw off the tuning on my AXS cassette on my wheel set.

[@willhayes1976]

@JM Cycling Videos it tuned in fine, I wonder if what you're hearing is partly the chain clattering through the cogs? It's worse on the pulleys as they're so small and have a lot of chain wrap, and you've got the opposite with the bigger rollers on the smaller gaps. I'd love to get hold of an AXS cassette to measure the spacing as I've heard it's not even across the range, there's only about .5mm difference in the total width though so I can't see it causing a huge issue over time

[@Rudyjosephjr]

Running SRAM Force axs D2 12S on 12S ultegra cassette. Runs perfect. Smooth shifting. Problem? None so far after more than 1000miles.

[@JMCyclingVideos]

Good to hear! Indoors only or full-time indoors and outdoors?

[@Rudyjosephjr]

@@JMCyclingVideos full time outdoor.

[@affandieko9921]

What chain did you used?

[@JMCyclingVideos]

SRAM flat top 12 speed chain.

[@affandieko9921]

@@Rudyjosephjr you? What chain?

[@irondistance4313]

Thanks for making this I’m going to give it a try on my trainer as well. Roughly how many miles have you put on this setup?

[@JMCyclingVideos]

I’d say I have about 300-350 trainer miles on it. My trainer miles slow down in the summer as I do a lot more outside riding. No difference in noise and no noticeable wear.

[@ata_473]

Hi, I was thinking of using a shimano cassette for indoor training as well. For context, I have the Rival eTap group-set. Have you noticed any extra wear on your drivetrain after months of usage?

[@JMCyclingVideos]

I haven't noticed extra wear. Even with the 11 speed cassette, I didn't notice anything. I think being indoors probably helps not being exposed to dirt and grime from outdoor riding.

[@nationsnumber1chump]

the axs rollers on the chain are a different size than a shimano chain so it will wear like twice as fast.

[@JMCyclingVideos]

Rollers are different. However, I ran an 11 speed cassette and really didn’t notice any abnormal wear after a year and a half,

[@nationsnumber1chump]

@@JMCyclingVideos you'd probably lose alot of watts though if you run hot wax

[@JMCyclingVideos]

Hot wax is legit. Definitely the way to go for max performance. But I’ve been there and done that and it’s just so time consuming. I’d love to have all the time in the world to hot wax all the time but unfortunately I don’t.

[@reeceweinberg-ff6ic]

Thanks for the video! I want to put a Shimano 105 12 speed cassette the R7100 on my kickr core to use with my SRAM AXS components and chain on my Trek Madone, with the wahoo adapter for the thru axle. How have you found the Shimano 12 cassette and the AXS chain and other components since you made the video? recommend it? Apparently the wahoo adapters for thru axle are not compatible with sram cassettes? So other than the cost of buying the sram cassette it seems also the incompatibility of the sram cassette is also a reason to almost have to use the Shimano cassette?

[@JMCyclingVideos]

So I used this set up for the better part of a year (I switched to a dedicated trainer bike that I can leave on 100% of the time). Honestly I think the Shimano cassette would work perfect if you took the time to tune the derailleur. I did not because I used my bike outdoors most of the time and didn’t want to throw off my alignment on my outdoor set up. As you can see in the video, it’s not perfect but it was definitely usable. And I did not know that about the thru axle adapters and a sram cassette. That’s a huge miss on Wahoo’s part. If you’re ok with imperfect alignment in a gear or two OR you take the time to adjust it every time you use it, I think the 12 speed Shimano cassette is a good option.

[@reeceweinberg-ff6ic]

@@JMCyclingVideosthanks for the response, I’m going to look into this option, the alternative it to spend on a whole new setup with SRAM components. I did some research and I was mistaken before - it’s not the thru axle that isn’t compatible, it’s the fact that I would also then need to get a SRAM compatible free hub body which is another expense since the kickr I have came with a Shimano free hub body that holds the cassette 🤷🏼‍♂️ I’m worried over time that running the sram chain on the Shimano cassette may slowly damage the components!

[@JMCyclingVideos]

Thanks for the update on that. Yes the SRAM freehub body is a lot of extra money on top. Plus the seal cassettes are significantly more expensive. Take a look at my other videos. I ran an 11 speed cassette with 12 speed SRAM for a long time and did a close up look at cassette wear.

[@malachaskos]

I have a crankset shimano r7000, i want to use it with sram rival Axs 12s it s possible with chainrings 12s for shimano chain?

[@JMCyclingVideos]

I haven’t tried this specific combination so I can’t say for sure. I suspect it will work, but I do know the chains are different which may cause excessive wear. If you try it, report back and let me know how it goes. I’m curious.

[@stevefry4317]

What size cassette on your bike and what cassette on the trainers. I run Force 10-33 on the bike so thinking Shimano 11-34 on the trainer.

[@JMCyclingVideos]

I actually run a 10-28 on my bike and 11-34 on the trainer. But I used to interchange with a 10-33 so the chain is sized for that. I think that’s the best way to match the cassettes.

[@coolkid8608]

This is exactly what I’m trying to do rn lol. Did u use any spacer like 0.5mm between cassette and kikr?

[@JMCyclingVideos]

Nope. Just bolted it on and went with it. I intentionally left it set up for my SRAM set up to see how close it is without adjusting anything.

[@coolkid8608]

@@JMCyclingVideos cool how long did u use this setup for? Any abnormal wear on chain/crankset? I heard regular sram cassette makes even noisier sound with kikr so people intentionally use shimano 12spd on trainers.

[@JMCyclingVideos]

I didn’t actually run that set up too long. But, I did put a lot of time on an 11 speed Shimano cassette with my AXS bike. Check back through my videos where I look close in for wear on that. In reality, there may be some extra wear, but not a significant amount more than with standard use.

[@davidhuffman4768]

I have a similar question. I have a Wahoo Kickr version 3. It won’t work with the Sram XDR free hub. So I am thinking about trying the PG-1231 Apex XPLR 12-Speed Cassette. It HG and works with flat top chains. I realized the Force D2 rear derailer probably won’t allow shiftig into the 38 and 44 tooth cogs, but I don’t need those indoors. Seems like a reasonable solution to try. Anyone tried this?

[@JMCyclingVideos]

Wow I had no idea that SRAM made an AXS compatible cassette that works on 11 speed HG. I’m curious to know the answer as well! Hopefully someone in the comments can chime in.

[@arnoldmckz]

may i ask what type of chain are you using on this setup? im using the similar setup on my trainer with axs groupset, flattop chain and shimano cassette and the chain can't stay in the cassette(keep skipping)...thank you!

[@JMCyclingVideos]

I’m using the standard Force AXS flat top chain. No issues other than what you see in the video…

[@joefu1581]

Hey man. If I have a bike with Sram red 10-28 cassette and another one with force 10-33 cassette, what size Shimano cassette should I put on the trainer?

[@JMCyclingVideos]

As always, I have to say that neither SRAM nor Shimano would recommend this, but I would probably split the difference at 11-30 and call it good. Unless your bike with the 10-28 is at its limit on chain length. Then you might run into issues on that one.

[@cosinus_square]

i'd be interested to see how a chinese 12 speed cassette works with axs

[@JMCyclingVideos]

This was also requested quite a lot, but I’m not sure how different in spacing and such that one of those would be, and I actually picked up this cassette for only $45 USD so, it was definitely cheap enough.

[@kenmilne8902]

Chinese 12 speed "Sunshine" cassette works fine with Force AXS derailleurs and chain

[@pieeredas]

Are u using shimano chain and cranks or sram

[@JMCyclingVideos]

All SRAM except cassette.

[@mickaelrogell7958]

Are you useing a flattop chain?

[@JMCyclingVideos]

Yep flattop. It’s all SRAM AXS except the cassette. Because I didn’t want to swap to an XDR freehub.

[@kamoteadventures23]

You should have tried using a shimano chain

[@JMCyclingVideos]

I certainly thought about it, but it kind of goes against the thought of making it easy to swap a SRAM bike onto a Shimano based trainer. I definitely wouldn’t have wanted to swap chains every time I put the bike on the trainer. It might’ve helped shifting though.

[@YellowfinCoachMatt]

so you are saying it does not work for you?

[@JMCyclingVideos]

Not saying it does or doesn’t work. Just demonstrating how it works on my particular set up so people can make their own determination. I personally wouldn’t run it on a wheelset outside, but I think it’s acceptable for use indoors on the trainer. Spacing is certainly a bit different