I’ve been on Shimano since the Ultegra R8100 launched in 2022. Before that, I tried the previous generation of SRAM AXS, and it wasn’t for me. The shifting felt less refined than what I was used to, brake feel was lacking, the hood shape never sat right in my hands, and the front derailleur was finicky — get the setup slightly off and you’d get rubbing, or worse, a dropped chain under load. I went back to Shimano and didn’t look back. ...
If you’ve been shopping for a gravel bike recently — new or used — you’ve probably run into the term UDH and wondered whether it matters for what you’re building. The short answer is: it depends on what groupset you want to run. The longer answer is that a lot of popular gravel frames have had their dropouts quietly updated mid-generation, which means two bikes with the same name and similar looks can have very different futures when it comes to drivetrain compatibility. ...
If you’re shopping for a gravel bike and want to run SRAM’s 13-speed XPLR ecosystem — or just want the future-proofing that UDH brings — the first question is whether the frame you’re considering actually has it. We’ve pulled every gravel bike currently listed on SRAM’s official Bike Finder with the UDH filter applied, as of May 2026. A note before you use this list: This is sourced directly from SRAM’s Bike Finder tool and reflects only the bikes SRAM has listed there. It is not an exhaustive list of every UDH-compatible frame on the market — there are likely other frames from brands not represented in the Bike Finder, particularly smaller builders and direct-to-consumer brands, that also use the UDH standard. Always verify directly with the frame manufacturer before purchasing, especially on the used market where model year matters. ...
SRAM just quietly dropped something big. As of today, the entire old Eagle mechanical and AXS lineup — SX, NX, GX, X01, XX1, and all four AXS variants — is officially dead. In their place: three new groupsets called the Eagle S-Series. S100, S200, and S500. That’s it. This is a massive SKU consolidation, and honestly, it’s probably the right call. What Is the Eagle S-Series? The S-Series is SRAM’s new simplified MTB drivetrain lineup for bikes running a traditional threaded derailleur hanger — not UDH. If you want UDH compatibility, you’re still shopping in the Transmission range. The S-Series is explicitly for legacy hangers, older frames, and OEM builds where UDH isn’t in play. ...