WheelTop GEX Review: I Raced This £300 Chinese Wireless Groupset For 6 Months

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Six months, two UCI gravel races and one nasty crash on a £300 wireless groupset from AliExpress. This is the long-term WheelTop GEX review, not a first-impressions unboxing.

I've had the GEX on my gravel race bike since March, through the Gralloch, the Dirty Reiver and every training block in between. In that time I've also bought a SRAM Rival E1 groupset. It sat in the box for over two months, because I had no reason to fit it.

So is this a genuine SRAM AXS killer, or should you avoid it? Here's everything I've learned.

WHERE TO GET IT
WheelTop GEX (cheapest current option): https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4efJAnz
SPEEDAO 10-50 cassette: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c2RzECAF
Thinkrider PP5 cranks: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4P757b1

THE EXACT SETUP I'M RUNNING
Alloy shifters (the cheaper of the two options)
Standard upgraded 7800 series calipers, not the Pro version
93mm long cage rear mech (rated for 50 and 52t cassettes)
SPEEDAO 10-50 cassette
44t chainring on Thinkrider PP5 cranks
160mm rotors front and rear

Roughly £500 direct from WheelTop's own site, or nearer £300 on AliExpress with a code. I paid £255 in a sale, which was an exceptional deal at the time. Depending on where you live, you may pay import tax on top.

Save money on a Strava subscription (code TOMBOWERS): https://www.strava.com/subscribe/checkout?code=TOMBOWERS

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Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/1876048
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Business: tom@tbcycling.uk

WATCH NEXT
The Gralloch race vlog: https://youtu.be/Uug8PSB3T0M
The Dirty Reiver race vlog: https://youtu.be/0Gh-lXgD0gk
LTWOO EGR review: https://youtu.be/VAz7nxqn5M4

CHAPTERS
0:00 Can £300 take on SRAM AXS?
0:48 The price story
2:42 Install and setup
5:38 The customisation SRAM won't give you
7:00 Shifters, buttons and ergonomics
10:14 Brakes, the crash and battery life
15:23 Weights, alternatives and my verdict

Some links above are affiliate links. If you buy through them I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It doesn't affect what I say about a product. I bought this groupset with my own money and nobody has paid for or approved this review.

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