Wheeltop EDS GeX

[Nomuetze]

From what I saw….it should be enough to just charge the RD for a bit, then it will connect with shifters.
That’s what I experienced.

[trcycling]

From what I saw….it should be enough to just charge the RD for a bit, then it will connect with shifters.
That’s what I experienced.

Hopefully that's what I'll find in the morning :-). With limited resources on these (in English at any rate), I thought I'd raise the 'help' flag early.

[kanuto]

I also had a hard time figuring out how to pair due to the manual not clear. But i found the pairing process in one of tracevelo's video.

Basically what was done is,
Double check the shiffter batteries if installed properly.
Try to shift left and right it should be white light. Once confirmed.

Plug the rd, unplug the rd, immediately shift the right shifter followed by the left shifter.

Hope this helps.

[trcycling]

I also had a hard time figuring out how to pair due to the manual not clear. But i found the pairing process in one of tracevelo's video.

Basically what was done is,
Double check the shiffter batteries if installed properly.
Try to shift left and right it should be white light. Once confirmed.

Plug the rd, unplug the rd, immediately shift the right shifter followed by the left shifter.

Hope this helps.

Thank you . That helped me sort it out.  I wrote up the details to help others

   1. Remove batteries from front shifters
   2.  Attach the charger cable, then disconnect it to get a flashing blue light
      - The RD has TWO LEDs. The one near the power connector indicates charge status. But there is another one in the arm, behind the translucent panel that goes blue/green for pairing.
   3. Re-insert batteries in a shifter. It might need you to push a shift lever. The manual suggests yes, but I'm not sure if that was actually necessary. Certainly works if you do.
   4. Look at RD to see it flash green, then back to blue flashing for the next pairing
   5. Repeat for the other shifter

- To access shifter batteries, the caps are beveled/lopsided. Easy enough to turn open. Look for the arrows for the open and closed positions. They are different on each side. When replacing the caps, pay attention to the flat underside for alignment. The bevel top will confuse you. Put it in right and press down for a light snap. Then turn.

- Trace Velo video on pairing is titled "A Chinese Wireless Electronic Groupset - Wheeltop EDS TX - First look" and you can jump to 6:28 (sorry link doesn't post)

[eeney]

2nd ride with GeX today.  6 hours on gravel, 3 hours of which were wet and raining.... heavy rain and very sandy bush trails.

I purposely didn't attempt to clean the groupset all day, regardless, it just worked perfectly.  There is the odd time when one or two gear don't quite engage perfectly, but it may be my fault.  Because the groupset changes gear so easily, I've been changing under load, sometimes 300+ watts on a climb, it just changes without issue.

The other thin, coming from Sram Rival, is the bakes, they are brilliant, I was able to descend on the drops, braking with a single finger.

6 hours riding, battery went from 90 to 80%.  30 minutes of charging and it was back to 95%.

My first ever electronic groupset and I am one very happy camper.

[tybrisbane]

My GEX has arrived. Build quality seems quite a lot lower than Ltwoo. Hood rubber sticks out, RD finish is a lot rougher. Jockeys are *bad* (ordered hope replacements). That said, I am hoping that they made smarter choices than LTWOO - more serviceable, better charging point, more configuation options, larger range, better hanger connection. I'll update once it's had some ride time to compare more fully.

Did you put it on your tideace? I'm in the process of installing the RD on mine. Had a 5 minute play last night and can't get it to shift to 1st cog in initial calibration, however I didn't back off the high limit screw yet so I think that will fix it.

[eeney]

....... can't get it to shift to 1st cog in initial calibration, .......

when I first put it on my frame, the gear 1 position was aligned somewhere around gear 2.5..... I had to release screw K, lower limit screw, this moved the derailleur outward.  I got these instructions from Wheeltop support.

[tybrisbane]

I think I've got it to shift into 1st cog. What a faf

[trcycling]

First ride report:

So, I got my GeX setup fully installed without too much trouble. The only real issue was that I was installing it on my 2019 Cutthroat which is post-mount and the Wheeltop calipers are flat-mount. But that also means I can confirm that the levers work just fine with Shimano calipers.

Individual cog alignment is a bit of a faff but works. I've set up SRAM AXS and LWTWOO before with less fussing. That said, the Wheeltop setup does allow me to micro-adjust the individual cogs should that have been the issue. I would prefer that it worked better based on the speeds and gear one alignment. I found I had to move nearly every cog in the same direction like the preset just didn't understand 11-speed spacing. 

Tips:

• Make sure you index the smallest cog first. Get it right.
• Don't be afraid of the numbers. Just move them a few at a time. I took to moving in blocks of 5 'units' for consistency
• Make sure you move the number (buttons or direct entry), then shift one way, then back. After the first pass, go up and down the cassette one step at a time
• Get the B-screw adjustment right. It doesn't matter in the smaller cogs for rough alignment. But it matters a lot for a big cog like a 50t and does impact them all. (Wheeltop calls this the 'backward adjustment screw H)
• Go through the setup until you're basically happy then walk away. Come back again and run through the gears again one at a time.

In operation, it worked great today. Nearly perfect, immediate shifts. Nearly because I'm paying too much attention and a couple of times there was a hesitancy. Maybe that cog needs more microadjust or maybe it just happened. It worked into each and every cog without hesitation. It ran noticeably quietly. No skipping, no clunks. Just worked

For context, this bike originally had an 11-40something cassette which I changed to an 11-50 with a modified (extended cage) Force mechanical RD. It 'worked' but was never really happy. Very sensitive to tension drift and dirt, always a little 'off' making subtle noise.  I then tried an LTWOO eGR RD which is also out of spec with a 50t, but did work. But it was sometimes 'cranky' about getting in and out of the bigger two cogs. And I think the B-screw setting that allowed the 50t, made it imprecise in the smaller cogs. Based on stand testing and this first ride, the Wheeltop (which is designed to support up to 51t) seems much happier with the wide range 1x

I did reverse the controls to SRAM style (big paddles on each side with a direction) with a bonus small button config to allow shifting both ways with the right control.  I like this better than right side only up/down finding the separate buttons and it's compatible with another bike I ride.

More to come as it gets pushed harder

[gloscherrybomb]

For context, this bike originally had an 11-40something cassette which I changed to an 11-50 with a modified (extended cage) Force mechanical RD. It 'worked' but was never really happy. Very sensitive to tension drift and dirt, always a little 'off' making subtle noise.  I then tried an LTWOO eGR RD which is also out of spec with a 50t, but did work. But it was sometimes 'cranky' about getting in and out of the bigger two cogs. And I think the B-screw setting that allowed the 50t, made it imprecise in the smaller cogs. Based on stand testing and this first ride, the Wheeltop (which is designed to support up to 51t) seems much happier with the wide range 1x

This is exactly my reason for getting the GeX, so very glad to hear it.

[eeney]

I'm waiting for someone to try the GeX with a 52t cassette.  Wheeltop said to me it works on a lot of frames but not all in their testing..... I can confirm that it works easy and perfectly with a 50t, looks like it'll do 52 but I don't have such a cassette to try.

[trcycling]

I'm waiting for someone to try the GeX with a 52t cassette.  Wheeltop said to me it works on a lot of frames but not all in their testing..... I can confirm that it works easy and perfectly with a 50t, looks like it'll do 52 but I don't have such a cassette to try.

Given they say 51t and how well it works on 50t, I would be surprised if it didn't work ok with a 52t. But who knows.  I'm actually surprised they explicitly tested 51t and not 52t given how common 52t cassettes are.

[eeney]

Wheeltop said that they had tested 52t cassettes, that it worked on most bikes/frames tested but not all.  So they've played it safe, officially setting the max to 51t.

I just need to borrow a 52 cassette to test, although I'm happy with the 50

[trcycling]

Wheeltop said that they had tested 52t cassettes, that it worked on most bikes/frames tested but not all.  So they've played it safe, officially setting the max to 51t.

I just need to borrow a 52 cassette to test, although I'm happy with the 50

Interesting. Probably bikes with unusual chain lines cause issues. But then again, that would be an issue for all derailleurs I'd think.

[federic000]

hi all
can you suggest a reliable/supportive AliExpress shop for the GeX? that's because it's possible to use coins and other discount to get the GeX at a convenient price rather on the official wheeltop site you pay full load of $$$.

thanks