Archer Components launched their D1x universal wireless shifter mod kit a couple years ago at Sea Otter, and now they’ve made a few improvements all around. Inside the control box, there’s a 1.4x faster motor that’s 1.5x more precise. And, it has 2.5x better battery life, thanks to better power management. They say it use to draw about 5mA between shifts just to stay “awake” and ready for the next shift. Now, they’ve dropped that down to just under 1mA, so it’s drawing a lot less power when idle. Translation: About 80 hours of riding between charges, which is a huge improvement.
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Another huge improvement? The battery door on the motor unit gets an oversized flathead screw door. This replaces the tiny allen bolt that was so small most mini-tools didn’t have the right allen wrench on board, which made traveling with the group a bit of a pain…although, you may still need it for the remote. We forgot to check that, so we’ll report back when the new group arrives. But, there are other updates:
The remote gains a micro-adjust button on the top. Press and hold it for half a second, then use the shift buttons to fine tune the rear derailleur’s position, then press it again to take it out of adjustment mode. Or just wait seven seconds and it’s back to shift mode. It’s an option that puts the kit at $419. Without the micro-adjust button it’s $389.
They get rubber covers over the round plastic buttons, and you’ll have the option of soft touch buttons (for folks who prefer a light click, or maybe have arthritis) or ones with a firmer click so people coming from the mechanical drivetrain will still have that hard tactile response.
We’ve been testing the original kit and will be writing that up based on current experiences, but we have the new version en route to swap out and compare.
