This next ingenious gadget is simply awesome for cycling enthusiasts. Whether you do your cycling runs by the side of the road or you go mountain biking off-road, any truly experienced cyclist should know that when using a mechanical shifting system, timing their gear-shifting at the lever with their pedal stroke ultimately allows them to have a better performance overall. However, while the tactile feel offered by a mechanical shifting system might keep you on “clickety gears” at first, not every cyclist out there can be bothered to deal with the overly complicated cable routing paths when seeing themselves forced to change cables at the first sign of a slow shift. While mechanical shifting systems used to be the norm, the reality today is that electronic geared systems are the simpler option for most. That’s simply because, in comparison to mechanical shifting systems, electronic shifting systems are more likely to work without intervention, thus allowing you to stay more focused on the ride. This brings us to the Archer Components D1x Trail Electronic Shifter.
The Archer Components D1x Trail is a programmable wireless electronic shifting system that adds high-performance wireless shifting to your bike’s mechanical drivetrain, simplifying shifting like you’ve never experienced before.
Not only is this electronic shifter compatible with any rear derailleur on any bike, but the whole kit is also fairly simple to set up, as well as super-easy to use, so even less experienced “bicycle mechanics” can get it installed in no time.
Additionally, since electronic shifting systems are easier on your hands, any cyclists that suffer from arthritis or even from limited range of motion would experience less wrist pain and fatigue when using a programmable wireless electronic shifting system like the D1x Trail Electronic Shifter.
Basically, the D1x Trail Electronic Shifter gets your bike running with the best retrofit shifter that’s currently available on the market. With it, you can transform your bike’s mechanical drivetrain into a high-performance electronic shifting machine that’s digitally tuned and capable of shifting ultra-smoothly.
So, let’s have a more detailed look at the Archer Components D1x Trail and check out everything that this electronic shifting system has to offer you.
DESIGN & SPECS
Starting with the system’s overall design, the D1x Trail Electronic Shifter comes at a reasonably compact size and also has a very light weight to it, weighing just a measly 8.28 oz. (235 g).
All that makes it a really nice addition to your bike’s mechanical drivetrain without you ever having to worry about it weighing you down while your cycling along the road or on the trails.
Not only that, but this electronic shifting system also features a very sturdy build, coming with all of its electronic components tightly sealed and very well protected inside its ultra-durable outer shell.
Now, keep in mind that this electronic shifting system works via the simple combination of two elements: an Electronic Shifter that can be programmed and fine tuned via the system’s proprietary App (discussed in greater detail further ahead at the SET UP / INSTALLATION Chapter of the article) and a Micro-Adjust Remote that’s installed on your bike’s handle bars.
As such, note that this electronic shifting system works together with its proprietary Micro-Adjust Remote, which, via its two built-in Shift-Up and Shift-Down Micro-Adjust Buttons, allows cyclists to fine tune their bike’s gears with small micro-adjustments for each individual gear, right from the riding position and all without requiring them to use their Smartphone.
Thanks to that, cyclists can easily perform these micro-adjustments for their bikes’ gear by simply using the system’s Micro-Adjust Remote’s built-in Shift Buttons to adjust individual gears on the fly.
On a final note, I’d also like to mention that this electronic shifting system is the company’s newer model of their D1x Trail Electronic Shifter, and as such, this electronic shifting system is now around 1.5x faster on changing gears when compared to its older version(s).
COMPATIBILITY
Another great feature about this electronic shifting system is that the Archer Components D1x Trail Electronic Shifter also comes together with a MatchMaker compatible mount, which ultimately makes it compatible with literally ANY rear derailleur from ANY bike, meaning that it works with any derailleur, any number of gears, and any cassette.
In other words, the D1x Trail Electronic Shifter is fully-compatible with a 1x, 2x, 3x, SRAM bikes, Shimano bikes, Box, or even TRP.
BATTERY & BATTERY LIFE
As said before, this is the company’s newer model of their D1x Trail Electronic Shifter, and as such, this electronic shifting system also had its built-in rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery upgraded, now having around 2.5x the battery life that its predecessors had to offer. On that note, the system’s internal battery can now offer you up to 80 hours of ride time.
Thanks to that, you can enjoy super-smooth and ultra-responsive shifts and even longer rides!
SET UP / INSTALLATION
Now, as mentioned before, this wireless electronic shifter is both quick and easy to install, and the whole process shouldn’t take you more than 10~20 minutes.
The system’s kit also comes with everything you need to fit its electronic shifter neatly in place at the rear-end of your bike’s chainstay, and so, you’ll only need a couple of your own tools like a 2.5mm Allen Key, a 5mm Allen key, a pair of Cable Cutters (to cut the system’s Cable Housing to the perfect required length for your bike) and just one or other extra tools that you might need to remove the shifter cable from your bike’s current mechanical shifting system.
Embedded right below, you can find the company’s Official Video Guide Tutorial for the kit’s installation process:
MAIN BENEFITS OF USING AN ELECTRONIC SHIFTING SYSTEM
Lastly, it’s important to note that the bike’s industry is moving in a different direction. As mentioned earlier, while mechanical shifting systems used to be the norm, the reality today is that electronic geared systems are the simpler option for most.
In comparison to mechanical shifting systems, electronic shifting systems are more likely to work without intervention, and they also offer cyclists a lot of different benefits when compared to using a mechanical shifting system.
So, embedded below, we have another Official Video by none other than Archer Components’ Co-Founder and General Manager Devin Carlson, where he explains in detail the 10 main reasons why using an electronic shifting system is better than using a mechanical one.
THE SMARTPHONE COMPANION APP – The Archer Components App
By using the Archer Components App, which is free to download for both iOS and Android devices, cyclists can program and fine tune the system’s Electronic Shifter.
To put it simply, the Archer Components App allows cyclists to pair up their system’s remote, set their gears, perform maintenance, and configure the entire system overall.
That said, within the App, users can select and configure the exact number of gears on their cassette.
After that’s done, users can also dial in each of their bike’s derailleur’s shift point by using the App’s Double Arrow Buttons for Macro-Movements and Single-Arrow Buttons Micro-Movements, which, for the latter, allows users to fine tune each of their bike’s derailleur’s shift points all the way down to a quarter-millimeter.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Archer Components D1x Trail is a programmable wireless electronic shifting system that adds high-performance wireless shifting to your bike’s mechanical drivetrain, simplifying shifting like you’ve never experienced before.
With it, you can transform your bike’s mechanical drivetrain into a high-performance electronic shifting machine that’s digitally tuned and capable of shifting ultra-smoothly.
Overall, this electronic shifting system is very, very good. It shifts super-smoothly and reasonably fast, and it is also very precise with almost no thumb pressure required, thus making shifting much more effortless than when using a mechanical shifting system. One other great thing that makes this electronic shifting system so cool is its ability to switch from say 11 speed to 12 speed with the same derailleur.
Last but not least, the fact that this electronic shifting system is compatible with any rear derailleur on almost any bike models ultimately makes it one of the electronic shifting systems that you can currently get.
In other words, this is really all you need to have your bike’s derailleur working as an amazing and flawless system.
On a last note, know that the D1x Trail Electronic Shifter is currently available in two different models: there’s a Firm Shift Button Type (for having a more “clicky” feeling when pressing the system’s Micro-Adjust Remote’s buttons), and a Light Shift Button Type (which requires less pressure to push down the system’s remote’s Micro-Adjustment Buttons – best for people with arthritis or limited range of motion).
So, if you’re interested in buying it, each kit is currently discounted from its original price of $399, now going for just $389 (saves you $10), and instead of paying full, customers also have the possibility to pay in 4 split interest-free installments of $97.25 each. You can order yours online right now, directly from Archer Components’ official shopping page, which you can access via this link here.
