Bought them, for my road bike, because of all the positive reviews of braking improvement, and I was impressed enough that, I bought another set for my off road bicycle.
The reviews are spot on regarding the improvement in braking performance over the previous generation. MUCH greater braking power with less lever force required. No more feeling like my hands are cramping up on long rocky downhills.
The grip and ergonomics have changed but for me it is not a big deal however, I did put on a shorter stem (80 from 90) because of the change in reach (I am 65 so I do not bend as readily as I used to.)
I replaced only the levers and calipers and I use them with my first generation Force eTap AXS front and rear derailleurs. They work fine.
The big improvement, shifting-wise, is the addition of the Bonus Buttons.
Using the AXS app I set the bonus buttons to shift the front derailleur. First generation shifters required pressing the left and right shift levers simultaneously which could be awkward. The buttons can be programmed to perform other functions but shifting the front derailleur is GREAT for me.
Sometimes I buy stuff and later question whether or not it was a good purchase but this one is a no brainer. Worth every penny to me.
Once you understand what needs to be done for the chain length, and setup for a full mount derailleur, the process is simple and shifts perfectly after the first attempt. I have raced, and ridden on this setup for a few months now and have not had to make any adjustments to shifting at all. The braking power is unmatched, I feel confident that using one finger to actuate the brake lever is more than enough to brake when needed.
Necessity for SRAM AXS road flattop chains. Stock up on a bunch especially if you need to take your chain on/off frequently (like for waxing). Not 100% sure on the one-time use aspect, but better to be safe than to risk damaging your drivetrain.
Really make sure to line up the notches and make sure it's securely locked. I've had times where I line up the notch on the front, but the notch looked "OK" in the back. Nope! That resulted in a snapped power lock
IMO best looking rotor on the market, also very reliable and works great in mixed conditions. The edge of the rotor is polished so wont cut your hands/skin. And the rotor is very sturdy, wont warp as easily as the Shimano ICETECH Steel/aluminum/steel sandwiched rotors. Cheaper than Shimano/SRAM rotors. Great value. Not the lightest rotors on the market, but it's only 20g of difference, 2 rotors is 40 ish grams. Equiped all my bikes to these rotors.
