SRAM RIVAL eTap Shifter L+R Shifter Combo Controlling Karoo
Hey im driving a 1x12 drivetrain with SRAM RIVAL eTap.
Is there any way to map Karoo controlls to the L+R Shifter Combo like switching to the next Datafield?
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Got my Karoo (Version 3) yesterday and tried it out.
All SRAM AXS devices have already been in the sensor section of the karoo (I connected the Hammerhead App with the SRAM AXS App before i got the karoo). I think, searching the AXS would also be without issues.To set the different functions the SRAM AXS must be connected and has to be awake.
After that i can set every combo or single click to what i like in the sensors section.I set the R+L Combo to "Show the Map". It works with my SRAM Force AXS XPLR and also with my SRAM Red AXS XPLR.
If nessesary i can also try it out with the Rival AXS from the bike of my wife if it does not work with your Rival...
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I have to say sorry. I tested this to fast yesterday :-(
With the Force it is only possible to set the L+R to shifting up and down on the Karoo. With the red it is possible to put karoo actions on the two extra buttons. Nothing else.It only works with my garmin edge 1050. On this device it is possible to define ANT+ Functions in the AXS App (it is only shown with the garmin device connected to garmin connect) and link them to Buttons like L+R. Then on the Garmin it can be set to a lot of actions like bell, show map, swipe display right or left,...
I hope, SRAM and Karoo will be able to implement this too.
I can't understand why things can be done between Garmin Device and SRAM Groupset and not with SRAM-SRAM. I also wrote this to the support. For a 1-by Setup it is unusefull to leave L+R empty.
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@LG Hey thanks for your response. I tested it again this morning after I've red your post. And yes, unfortunately, you can't select any option other than downshift and upshift in either the AXS app or the Karoo itself. It's kind of weird that it's working on Garmin since, as far as I know, Hammerhead is owned by SRAM.
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This is what I remembered and confirmed today. You **cannot** configure the L+R of the shifters for anything but shifting (at least on 1x) from the AXS app. I think this is a clear miss by SRAM, and it should be added, because it would make a great feature (and otherwise there is not really any purposeful setup for L+R). If it's really possible to configure this with a Garmin, then I'd say it's even embarrassing and rather careless that it is available for 3rd-party devices but not for SRAMs own ones.
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I wrote to the support and got an answer:
"I totally understand your sentiment, LG! I previously had my L+R paddles on my gravel bike set to ring the bell before the bug was corrected on Karoo.
To explain further, the concern is around being able to use the shift paddles to shift derailleurs from other manufacturers. More companies are bringing wireless drivetrains to market and some of them use ANT+ for shifting commands. If the shift paddles can be set to perform ANT+ functions, it's possible that someone could engineer a way to use SRAM shifters with non-SRAM derailleurs. The AXS team decided the best solution at the time is not to allow shift paddles to be configured for ANT+ actions.
They are reviewing that and may come up with a better solution in the future. We have seen some interest from the community to allow combo paddle actions to be configured for ANT+, and will likely hear more when it stops working on Garmin devices as well."In another mail they told me that on garmin devices this will not be possible as well in the short future.
Maybe they find a way to make it possible for SRAM AXS User with Karoo (SRAM) an not for other brands...
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So they're essentially saying they rather do not implement a useful feature in order to prevent AXS shifters being used with non-AXS FDs/RDs, unless I miss(understand) something. This is very disappointing, because they are saying they rather secure their sales instead of making cool features. I think we're only talking about the L+R action, so RD action could not be fully covered, FD only. Since SRAM is - in my understanding - taking a rather "not so long" shot at getting rid of the FD altogether, this is not a good argument and not a good choice (imho).
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This is a bummer. My Apex AXS levers don't have extra buttons, leaving only L+R press/hold as a possible control for Karoo actions (1x system, don't need front-shifting feature)
At least allow us L+R press/hold to control Karoo actions.. this will help all Apex AXS users.
No user who buy from competitor would like shifting with L+R combo constantly. -
This is the answer i got a few month ago:
May 5, 2025, 12:29 EDT
Hi Jonas,
Thanks for writing back to us.
I completely understand your concern and it is valid. I will certainly share your feedback with the product team as the feature to control the Karoo with SRAM AXS Controllers is only available with SRAM RED AXS system.
As support team, we are doing our best to share these sentiments from the community to the Product team. Your feedback is enormously valuable to us and we always value those who are keen to give us their feedback.
In the meantime, please let me know if there’s anything else that I can help and have a great rest of your day!
Best Regards,
Hari
Hammerhead -
I contacted them too, just to show more interest in this topic:
Hi, I just bought a new Karoo 3 and I am reaching out to you to make my voice heard.
It seems like the Karoo actions are disabled for shifting buttons of the AXS systems.
In my opinion, this particularly affects users who have no extra buttons apart from the shifting buttons/levers, such as Apex AXS. However, as Apex AXS is a 1by system, L+R combo is empty and can be used for Karoo actions without interfering with anything.
There seems to be a forum topic about this and other people seem to also think similarly:
Here's the answer:
Dear Doruk,
Thank you for reaching out and for sharing your thoughtful feedback about the Karoo 3 and AXS shifting buttons.
I really appreciate the time you took to explain your perspective and also for pointing us to the forum discussion. Your input helps us better understand how riders are using the system in different setups like Apex AXS.
To clarify, this is not a limitation unique to Hammerhead/Karoo. Drop-bar AXS shift controllers are not compatible with ANT+ actions on any head unit, so this behavior would be the same across other devices as well. However, if you would like to assign extra functions, you have the option of adding AXS Wireless Blips, which can be paired and used to trigger Karoo actions.
I completely understand the value of this feedback, and I’ll ensure that it is shared with our product team as we continue to explore ways to expand integration and usability.
Please don’t hesitate to keep sharing your experiences and suggestions. We want to make the Karoo 3 as flexible and rider-friendly as possible.
Warm regards,
(...)Blips are cool and all, but I won't be mounting one under my handlebar wrap :P and around my stem is already crowded and mounting there is counterintuitive ...I'd just use the screen if I have to fiddle around stem
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Thanks for sharing. Since the combo-press has worked with Garmin Edge 1050, the answer does not appear to be correct. From a technical point of view (at least for Force and Red), there is an ANT+ transmitter in the brifters that make the bonus buttons work with ANT+. I assume that all buttons are simply feed to a uC (MCU), which has the ANT+ transmitter integrated (this is not a feature of the buttons).
I think they just don't want this. Sad.
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While I agree that the bike isn't awesome (it isn't on other devices either), I am mild on this issue (I would love to have it though), because I appreciate the features and commitment of Hammerhead. I have been a long-time user of another bike computer company (not Garmin) and have been extremely disappointed with their reaction to feature suggestions, updates, etc. Hammerhead is far ahead.
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