WheelTop EDS TX Full Wireless Groupset (Chinese SRAM)

[Tijoe]

First listing I've seen on AliExpress:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006338885203.html

Hydraulic disc install video:

Here is the kicker for me...

[cramy]

wait for the groupset to be released in February and more sellers will have it.

[avocadobike]

For a rookie like myself what cassette and chain can I run on this group set?

Really keen on pulling the trigger, 900AUD on Ali atm.

I should prob wait till reviews come out tho haha

[TidyDinosaur]

For a rookie like myself what cassette and chain can I run on this group set?

Really keen on pulling the trigger, 900AUD on Ali atm.

I should prob wait till reviews come out tho haha

Yeah, you don't want to be a beta tester like all those people with their faulty Ltwoo sets... Not for this kind of money...

[RDY]

I'm assuming it should be possible to swap out for Magura or Shimano calipers?

Hoods and calipers are an unknown quantity, but I doubt Wheeltop will release derailleurs with the kind of problems LTWOO and Sensah have had, if their MTB offering is anything to go by.  Software ... we'll see.

[Tijoe]

For a rookie like myself what cassette and chain can I run on this group set?

In theory, if they have similar/same software as on the MTB version, any brand cassette 7 to 13 speed.  The software will let you adjust to the cog number and cog spacing.   Regarding the chain,  its compatibility with the cassette and front chain-rings would be the primary factor.

[jonathanf2]

Yeah, you don't want to be a beta tester like all those people with their faulty Ltwoo sets... Not for this kind of money...

My issue with the Wheeltop groupset is the lack of replaceable batteries, weather proofing and overall mechanical durability. Not to mention price-wise it's already creeping into 105 Di2.

LTwoo eroded so much trust in their ERX/9, it's like playing Russian roulette with the groupset. The least they could offer are definitive revisions so you know you're not buying old stock.

Right now 11 speed Ultegra mechanical components are being sold for great prices. That's a solid groupset in terms of price, weight and performance (minus the crankset). An Ltwoo/Wheeltop/Sensah electronic groupset would need to reach that bar of reliability to be considered worthwhile.

[patliean1]

Electronic groupsets have been a game changer for all the bike builds and reviews I do. Especially with SRAM eTap. Literally cuts my bike building time from 3 days down to same day in some cases. During Christmas 2022 you could find SRAM Force D1 mini-groups (Levers, Calipers, Both Derailleurs, Centerline CLX-R Rotors, Batteries, and Charger) for $900 USD. Comparable Rival sets were like $600. And SRAM/Quarq Spider Power Meters for $300. What a time to be alive...

However, my longest withstanding bike currently has 6000mi/10000km on it. Ultegra R8020 Mechanical 11sp. I can't recall any time I've ever missed shift or needed to adjust the barrel adjuster. Extremely reliable and quite frankly it shifts just quickly as eTap/Di2. Maybe 2 milliseconds slower but I bet in a blind test I probably wouldn't notice.

As mentioned above, Ultegra R8020 can be had cheap these days. Even Shimano's new 105 12sp Mechanical is on sale now too. Sure routing 4 cables internally is a pain. But if you plan to keep the bike for a long time I'm taking either of those groupsets over LTWOO eRX or WheelTop EDS every single day of the week.

[toxin]

Their website is down right now so I'd guess they're probably working on updating it for the launch.

[pearl]

Man I'd love to put this on my 2004 CAAD4 just to be that guy. I use this bike in crits so I don't want to drop 1000 on shifty bits, but $600... maybe

[Sakizashi]

I have high hopes that this will be more functional than the Ltwoo groups, but the lack of removable battery is an issue for me.  When I moved to an electronic group i didnt think about it, but its been THE factor in me going Sram for my last few builds. Its just way easier to keep a spare battery or two than worry about charging. Well worth spending an extra 10-20min on more fiddley FD setup.

Electronic groupsets have been a game changer for all the bike builds and reviews I do. Especially with SRAM eTap. Literally cuts my bike building time from 3 days down to same day in some cases. During Christmas 2022 you could find SRAM Force D1 mini-groups (Levers, Calipers, Both Derailleurs, Centerline CLX-R Rotors, Batteries, and Charger) for $900 USD.

You can still get the $900 kit here: https://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=113939

Man I'd love to put this on my 2004 CAAD4 just to be that guy. I use this bike in crits so I don't want to drop 1000 on shifty bits, but $600... maybe

The cheapest AXS setup is either getting Rival levers on sale (target <$300 for left and right + brakes) or the Apex AXS exchange lever ($107-$112 list price) + Apex / S300 brake calipers ($39.99/ ea list) and brake bolts ($5.59 / set list) + Flat mount adapter ($19.99 ea) + a Rival Axs 36 / XPLR RD (seem to be plenty of new ones sub $200) + Battery set. Should be really close to $600 for all the hoses + shifty bits. Might be less.

[toxin]

Unfortunately youre then stuck in sram's proprietary cassetes, chains, small front shift range, etc.

[avocadobike]

Yeah, you don't want to be a beta tester like all those people with their faulty Ltwoo sets... Not for this kind of money...

That’s the thing tho… I can buy the EDS TX currently for $900-$1100 AUD, SRAM will cost me $1900-$2400AUD for a etap rival set.

The pricing is decent for me, I just gotta figure out if the risk is worth it.

[Fleckinger]

Advantage of erx/eds is not only the price, but customization. You can set number of gears, you can set up each gear individually. If, for some reason, you want to change cassette from 12 speed to 10 or 11, or vice versa, you just unscrew old components, install new, and do a few clicks in the app to tune your gear. With big brands you need to buy a new shifters and derailleurs.
So if erx/eds will be reliable as shimano/sram, and cost the same as 105/rival, it still be a good choice.

[Sakizashi]

Unfortunately youre then stuck in sram's proprietary cassetes, chains, small front shift range, etc.

You aren't though. The only thing is Sram chains are needed for Sram cassettes. You can definitely use non-Sram 16t gap 12 speed chainrings just fine. People are using Shimano and Campagnolo 12 spd cassettes with AXS as well.

Sram Force chains also are really cheap to run because they last a long time.

Chains, cassettes and chainrings are a place where the big brands have a huge leg up right now.

Advantage of erx/eds is not only the price, but customization. You can set number of gears, you can set up each gear individually. If, for some reason, you want to change cassette from 12 speed to 10 or 11, or vice versa, you just unscrew old components, install new, and do a few clicks in the app to tune your gear. With big brands you need to buy a new shifters and derailleurs.
So if erx/eds will be reliable as shimano/sram, and cost the same as 105/rival, it still be a good choice.

I believe competition is great and that without Ltwoo and Wheeltop the Apex and GX AXS wouldnt exist. If wheeltop could have retained the removable battery, an 1x13 electronic group using the Ekar cassettes would have been amazing. I have doubts though about how usable this product will be though after the lawyers had a go.

We also dont know if the drop bar levers can work with MTB RD, right? Could be a great mullet option.