Wheeltop EDS-OX YQ electronic MTB groupset first look – a viable alternative to SRAM?

Since Shimano’s move to 12-speed and the apparent abandonment of its MTB Di2 system, SRAM has been left unchallenged when it comes to electronic mountain bike drivetrains. The American drivetrain giant has leaned into this dominance – cornering the market, investing in its AXS electronic ecosystem, and steadily electrifying its entire range, from its best MTB groupset down to the OEM-only S-1000 Eagle transmission.

Chinese brand Wheeltop is looking to challenge SRAM's electronic-shifting monopoly, though with the release of its EDS-OX YQ MTB Electronic Shifter/Derailleur. This new MTB group takes direct aim at SRAM’s GX Eagle AXS Upgrade Kit. The Wheeltop system is fully wireless, promises a long battery life, and has some unique customizable features that could make it a tempting alternative to SRAM. 

I have my hands on the Wheeltop EDS-OX YQ MTB Electronic groupset and while I haven’t had a chance to test it on the trails yet, here is a full breakdown of specs, weights, and how it compares to the current MTB alternatives.

What's in the box

Wheeltop ships the EDS-OX YQ MTB Electronic groupset as an upgrade kit rather than a full groupset. In the box, you’re getting a shifter, derailleur, and charger but you will need to source your own cassette, chain, and crankset or supplement it with your existing components. 

Inside the box, there's an instruction booklet covering the setup process and all the components are neatly packaged in foam cutouts.

The Wheeltop EDS-OX YQ MTB Electronic groupset has an RRP of $764.46 / £598.61 / €699.00 although this can fluctuate depending on exchange rates. Expect plenty of offers though – at the time of writing Wheeltop is selling it at $523.86 / $410.20 / €479.00 directly through its website, and on AliExpress it’s being advertised for considerably less. 

It's worth noting that depending on where you’re based there may be additional costs incurred during or after shipping, including cross-border duties, taxes, and other related charges.

 Design and Specifications 

The EDS-OX YQ comes in three cage lengths (58mm, 75mm, and 93mm) to cater for a range of cassette sizes from 10-25t up to 10-52t. Wheeltops party trick is that the derailleur is compatible with multiple speeds of cassette and can be customized in the app to work with anything from three to 14-speed cassettes. While 14sp cassettes don’t exist (yet), this is a massive selling point for 11sp or less riders who don’t need 12 gears but desire electronic shifting.

The derailleur is constructed from a mix of alloy and plastic and is equipped with a “Multi-Level Damping System” to manage chain tension over rough terrain. In hand, the cage feels like it offers plenty of resistance to stop the chain from bouncing about although there isn't a locking mechanism to hold the cage back to aid wheel removal. 

The derailleur features a non-removable 800mAh battery which is claimed to support approximately 20,000 gear shifts. That’s a lot of gear changes considering SRAM’s 300mAh AXS battery easily lasts me around four or five rides, sometimes more depending on how trigger-happy I am with shifting. Charging is performed using a magnetic USB cable that attaches to the rear of the derailleur.

The IP67 waterproof rating indicates that it’s water-resistant up to a depth of about three feet for up to 30 minutes so there shouldn't be any problems blasting through rivers or washing the bike down with a hose after a ride, although I will put it to the true test of waterproofing by subjecting it to a Scottish winter in due time. 

The EDS-OX YQ rear derailleur weighs in at 393g on my scales which is pretty impressive considering the huge battery. That’s 73g lighter than SRAM’s GX AXS, 3g heavier than X01 AXS, and 47g lighter than the top-spec SRAM XX SL T-Type transmission. Batteries are heavy, so an electronic mech is always going to be weightier than the equivalent mechanical derailleurs, for reference Shimano’s 12sp XT weighs 282g and SRAM’s GX Eagle comes in at 300g. 

The shifter pod design uses a two-button configuration similar to the SRAM Pod Controller, although physically it's a bit chunkier than the SRAM shifter. The buttons are stepped and have different textured patterns on them to help distinguish between the different buttons while riding. There is quite a lot of travel when you push the buttons but a clear click gives some haptic indication that you have initiated a shift. If you press and hold the button there is a slight delay between the first shift and subsequent shifts which should help ensure accuracy between one and many gear changes.

The shifter is shipped pre-paired to the derailleur which is a nice touch and cuts out a step during setup. On the rear of the shifter, there is a sliding switch to toggle between shifting and pairing/indexing modes.

Rider facing, there’s an LED indicator that blinks green to indicate normal shifting or blue to show that you have entered fine-tuning or pairing mode. The shifter uses a standard CR2023 coin battery and the LED indicator will flash red to warn you if the shifter battery drops below five percent. 

A metal band fixes the shifter to the handlebars but doesn’t offer any ergonomic adjustment to change the position of the shifter, or work around your other handlebar mounts. There are no adapters to integrate with SRAM Matchmaker or Shimano i-Spec brake levers either which further limits mounting options..

The shifter and handlebar mount weigh 67g, 8g heavier than SRAM’s latest AXS Pod Controller. Mechanical shifters require a lot of mechanical internals and generally weigh twice as much as electronic shifters.

There’s a partner smartphone app available on Google Play or App Store that gives a load of setup, tuning, and customization to the EDS-OX YQ. The app allows you to complete initial calibration including selecting the number of speeds, performing index adjustments, and downloading firmware updates. There are options to customize your groupset performance by inverting the up/down shifter buttons or changing the shift mode between casual and race, although I couldn't find the latter option in the app.

There is a ride tracker in the app as well that looks like it will offer GPS tracking, navigation, along with heart rate and cadence fields, although I couldn’t get it to work on the iOS app

I also tried connecting the groupset to my Garmin Enduro 2 smartwatch but it was unable to discover the shifter or derailleur, not that I ever track my shifting if I’m using a compatible drivetrain. 

Wheeltop EDS-OX YQ setup

The setup process is fairly simple albeit with a little trial and error. Bolting the parts on is straightforward as there’s no cable routing faff and everything is already paired and ready to go. It would have been nice to have a split or hinged clamp on the shifter so I didn’t need to remove my grip and brake lever to fit the shifter.

The first step is to set the speeds of your cassette, it comes default set at 12 speeds with the app allowing you to amend it as required. Connecting the app to the derailleur and shifter was very straightforward forward and connectivity has been reliable too.

I’ve initially set up the Wheeltop EDS-OX YQ with a nine-speed cassette, although I will also test it with a modern wide-range 12sp block before I write up my full review.

The indexing process begins with setting the first gear position, which is the smallest sprocket on the cassette. Set the shifter switch to ‘Fine Tune mode’ and align the top jockey wheel with the smallest sprocket. Once the derailleur has been centered, shift to the largest sprocket on the cassette and set the b-limit and high-limit screw. You then shift back to the smallest sprocket and set the low-limit screw. 

Once the zero point is aligned correctly the derailleur applies alignment values to the other gears. It's worth noting that the shifter's ‘Fine Tune mode’ doesn’t adjust individual gears like SRAM, it simply sets gear one’s zero point.

In theory, any further adjustments to individual gears can be carried out in the app although any changes I made in the app didn't seem to have any effect. I experimented further with the zero point and by making minor adjustments I was able to get the EDS-OX YQ to shift well through the cassette.

Out of the box, my shifter had a rattle as if something was loose inside. I cracked out the mini screwdriver set and did a little investigative surgery and indeed found a stray bolt loose inside. With no indication of where it was from I removed it, screwed the rear panel back on and, much to my relief, the shifter continued to work. Apart from this stray bolt, the build quality of the shifter and derailleur appears pretty good – sturdy and reasonably well-finished. 

While the derailleur seems fully functional, the app does appear to need a lot more work. The individual gear adjustments, ride tracking, and shifting mode are either not functional yet or missing from the iOS app. Hopefully, Wheeltop unlocks these features with an app update soon.

Early verdict

Huge development budgets and a six-year headstart mean SRAM is a formidable foe for any brand looking to step into the electronic MTB groupset arena. Wheeltop’s EDS-OX YQ drivetrain still has some way to go if it's going to match the polished performance of SRAM.

Saying that, Wheeltop appears to be off to a strong start by nailing the shifting fundamentals. The mysterious loose shifter screw aside, the build quality and design seem decent albeit a little bulky and basic. The derailleur weight is impressive and the stated battery life is massive, potentially offering considerably more shifting per charge than any other electronic drivetrain. Despite the app not reaching its full potential yet, my initial setup wasn’t all that complicated and everything appears to be ready to ride.

The ability to change the number of speeds is a genuinely brilliant feature. No longer do you need to upgrade your entire drivetrain to 12sp if you want to harness electronic shifting, instead you can simply upgrade your current 11sp, 10sp, or 9sp groupset. The MTB world seems pretty happy with 12sp for the moment, but if a brand decides to go rogue and create a 13sp, or even 14sp, cassette the EDS-OX YQ has got you covered. 

The direct comparison for the Wheeltop EDS-OX YQ is with SRAM’s GX Eagle AXS Upgrade Kit which starts at $568 / £529 / €550. I have been running a SRAM GX derailleur on my Cotic SolarisMax long-termer for over a year now and its performance has been impeccable. It will be interesting to see how the Wheeltop groupset performs in comparison to GX, so stay tuned for a full review once I have put some miles on it.

Tech specs: Wheeltop EDS-OX YQ

• Wheeltop EDS-OX YQ rear derailleur weight: 393g
• Wheeltop EDS-OX YQ shifter weight: 67g
• Speeds: 3-14
• Cage options: 58mm (10-28T), 75mm (10-42T), 93mm (10-52T)
• Price: RRP $764.46 / £598.61 / €699.00, Price at time of writing $523.86 / $410.20 / €479.00