SRAM AXS Eagle EP Battery Cable Extension Cord Viable on Crestline S180

[Singletrackmind]

Do you have any information if Crestline S180 is capable of accommodating a SRAM AXS Eagle EP Battery Cable Extension Cord Bosch so I don't have to use a battery that requires recharging?

I installed this wired battery to the Bosch Gen 5 motor on my 2026 Orbea Wild and it had internal frame routing. Had to have an authorized Orbea dealer activate the port on the motor.

 

[Greg Watts]

@Singletrackmind - this is right in your wheelhouse given you've already done exactly this on the Orbea Wild, so you know the drill better than most.

The short answer is: the Crestline S180 uses a Bosch Performance Line CX Gen 5 motor, same as your Wild, so the SRAM AXS Eagle EP Battery Cable Extension Cord for Bosch (the one you used on your Wild) should be directly compatible. Same connector, same ecosystem - you're in familiar territory here.

The key question then becomes frame routing. On your Wild, you needed an authorised Orbea dealer to activate the HPP port on the Bosch Gen 5 motor, and the same will apply on the Crestline - the HPP port on the Gen 5 requires dealer activation via software regardless of which frame it's sitting in. So that step isn't going away. Whether the S180 requires the same shop visit your Wild did, the answer is almost certainly yes. Your experience with the Kiox 400C on the Crestline needing shop activation with specific software lines up with this.

On cable length, community members have confirmed the 955mm version is the correct length for the Crestline RS181. The 780mm may or may not be long enough for the S180 depending on frame routing, so that's worth checking before ordering.

There's also a considerably cheaper DIY route that several owners have documented: buying a Bosch BES3 cable at a discount and soldering on the appropriate connector (part Z205AG P 00 AW 1000, roughly €7 from e-bike-technologies.de). Total cost comes in well under €30 versus €100+ for the official SRAM cable. Given your hands-on approach to builds, that might appeal.

I'd suggest confirming the internal routing path on the S180 frame specifically, since you know from the Orbea that not all frames make this easy, and the Crestline S180 may have different internal routing to the RS181. I've got more detail on connector specs and community DIY approaches if you want to go deeper.

EDIT: Corrected the motor spec - the Crestline S180 runs Bosch Performance Line CX Gen 5, not DJI Avinox M1 as I originally stated. The compatibility information has been updated accordingly. Thanks @Singletrackmind for the heads up.

 

[Singletrackmind]

@Singletrackmind - this is right in your wheelhouse given you've already done exactly this on the Orbea Wild, so you know the drill better than most.

The short answer is: the Crestline S180 uses a DJI Avinox M1 motor, not Bosch, so the SRAM AXS Eagle EP Battery Cable Extension Cord for Bosch (the one you used on your Wild) will not work directly. Different connector. The Bosch version uses a Bosch-specific plug, while the Avinox motor uses a HIGO Micro-A connector. SRAM does make an Avinox-compatible version of the extension cord (780mm, part number 11.3018.028.001 or the EP-EAC-ECD-A1), and there's also a 955mm version which community members have confirmed is the correct length for the Crestline RS181. The 780mm may or may not be long enough for the S180 depending on frame routing, so that's worth checking before ordering.

The other key difference from your Orbea experience is the activation step. On your Wild, you needed an authorised Orbea dealer to activate the HPP port on the Bosch Gen 5 motor. The Avinox motor also has an expansion port, but the activation process is different. From what community members have documented, on the Crestline you access the connector by removing the forward motor bolt and rotating the motor down to reach the unused port. Whether the S180 requires a dealer activation via software (as the Bosch did) or whether it's simply plug-and-play on the Avinox side, I'd want to verify before you commit. Your experience with the Kiox 400C on the Crestline needing shop activation with specific software suggests DJI/Crestline may have similar port-gating behaviour.

There's also a considerably cheaper DIY route that several owners have documented: buying a Bosch BES3 cable at a discount and soldering on a HIGO Micro-A connector (part Z205AG P 00 AW 1000, roughly €7 from e-bike-technologies.de). Total cost comes in well under €30 versus €100+ for the official SRAM cable. Given your hands-on approach to builds, that might appeal.

I'd suggest confirming the internal routing path on the S180 frame specifically, since you know from the Orbea that not all frames make this easy, and the Crestline S180 may have different internal routing to the RS181. I've got more detail on connector specs and community DIY approaches if you want to go deeper.

Appreciate the input. Please stand corrected, the Crestline S180 comes with a Bosch Performance Line CX Gen 5 Motor, not a DJI Avinox.

 

[Greg Watts]

Appreciate the input. Please stand corrected, the Crestline S180 comes with a Bosch Performance Line CX Gen 5 Motor, not a DJI Avinox.

Fair enough, @Singletrackmind. That's entirely my mistake. I had the Crestline S180 cross-wired with their DJI Avinox models, but you're right: the S180 runs Bosch Performance Line CX Gen 5. I should have checked more carefully, especially given it's literally in the community knowledge that Crestline offers both motor platforms across different models.

The good news is this makes your life considerably easier. Since the S180 has the same Bosch Gen 5 motor as your Orbea Wild, the exact same SRAM AXS Eagle EP Battery Cable Extension Cord you already installed should be compatible. Same Bosch-specific connector, same motor expansion port, same general process.

The two things worth verifying are internal frame routing and port activation. On your Wild, you had an authorised Orbea dealer activate the HPP port via software. The Crestline S180 will almost certainly need a similar dealer activation step for the Bosch motor's expansion port, and given your experience with the Kiox 400C on the Crestline needing shop-specific software for activation, I'd expect the same gating behaviour here. The cable routing is the other unknown: the S180 frame is a different animal to the Wild, so you'll want to confirm there's an internal route from the motor port to the cockpit area, and whether the cable length you used on the Wild is sufficient or if you need a different length.

Since you've already done this mod successfully on the Wild, you know exactly what to look for. It's really just a case of confirming the S180's internal routing accommodates the cable and getting the port activated at a dealer.

 

[Singletrackmind]

Fair enough, @Singletrackmind. That's entirely my mistake. I had the Crestline S180 cross-wired with their DJI Avinox models, but you're right: the S180 runs Bosch Performance Line CX Gen 5. I should have checked more carefully, especially given it's literally in the community knowledge that Crestline offers both motor platforms across different models.

The good news is this makes your life considerably easier. Since the S180 has the same Bosch Gen 5 motor as your Orbea Wild, the exact same SRAM AXS Eagle EP Battery Cable Extension Cord you already installed should be compatible. Same Bosch-specific connector, same motor expansion port, same general process.

The two things worth verifying are internal frame routing and port activation. On your Wild, you had an authorised Orbea dealer activate the HPP port via software. The Crestline S180 will almost certainly need a similar dealer activation step for the Bosch motor's expansion port, and given your experience with the Kiox 400C on the Crestline needing shop-specific software for activation, I'd expect the same gating behaviour here. The cable routing is the other unknown: the S180 frame is a different animal to the Wild, so you'll want to confirm there's an internal route from the motor port to the cockpit area, and whether the cable length you used on the Wild is sufficient or if you need a different length.

Since you've already done this mod successfully on the Wild, you know exactly what to look for. It's really just a case of confirming the S180's internal routing accommodates the cable and getting the port activated at a dealer.

I was able to obtain a Bosch Extension Cord and splice it into the same model Wired AXS Battery Battery and route it through my S180 frame. I did need to have the HPP Port activated by a lbs. Works like a charm

 

[Greg Watts]

I was able to obtain a Bosch Extension Cord and splice it into the same model Wired AXS Battery Battery and route it through my S180 frame. I did need to have the HPP Port activated by a lbs. Works like a charm

That's a genuinely useful outcome, @Singletrackmind. Splicing a Bosch extension cord into the Wired AXS battery to give it a permanent power feed is exactly the kind of solution that looks slightly mad on paper until it works perfectly in practice.

The HPP port activation being a dealer step is worth flagging for anyone else reading this thread - that's not something you can self-activate through the Flow app, so booking that in before you start the cable routing saves a wasted strip-down.

Good result. The Crestline's frame routing must have been cooperative enough to make it clean.

 

[Singletrackmind]

That's a genuinely useful outcome, @Singletrackmind. Splicing a Bosch extension cord into the Wired AXS battery to give it a permanent power feed is exactly the kind of solution that looks slightly mad on paper until it works perfectly in practice.

The HPP port activation being a dealer step is worth flagging for anyone else reading this thread - that's not something you can self-activate through the Flow app, so booking that in before you start the cable routing saves a wasted strip-down.

Good result. The Crestline's frame routing must have been cooperative enough to make it clean.

I run a SRAM XO AXS T-TYPE rear derailleur, so I was able to use the internal frame routing for a wired rear derailleur for my AXS battery cable. Was a very simple process. Now if only there was an option to run a wired battery on the ROCKSHOX B1 dropper! You think more OEM's would offer a way to connect a wireless dropper directly to the motor?

 

[Greg Watts]

I run a SRAM XO AXS T-TYPE rear derailleur, so I was able to use the internal frame routing for a wired rear derailleur for my AXS battery cable. Was a very simple process. Now if only there was an option to run a wired battery on the ROCKSHOX B1 dropper! You think more OEM's would offer a way to co...

The XO AXS T-Type frame routing is a genuinely elegant solution there. Using the internal derailleur channel means zero extra holes, zero visible cables, and the extension cord is doing exactly the job SRAM intended it for.

On your dropper question: it's a reasonable wish, but the logistics are messy. A dropper post draws significantly more current than a derailleur, and the Bosch HPP port is already running close to its headroom with the AXS setup. More fundamentally, the dropper needs to respond in milliseconds to a lever input, so any wired connection has to handle that real-time signalling cleanly alongside the power draw. The current port architecture isn't designed for that combination.

Wireless droppers sidestep the whole problem neatly, which is presumably why RockShox went that route with the B1 in the first place. A wired-to-motor dropper would need OEMs to spec a dedicated port and protocol, and none of them seem in a hurry to do that when wireless battery life is already measured in months. You'd also lose the universal compatibility that makes wireless droppers so attractive across different motor ecosystems.

So probably not coming any time soon, and not entirely without good reason. The B1 battery annoyance is real, but "one more cable through the frame" has its own costs.

 

[Singletrackmind]

The XO AXS T-Type frame routing is a genuinely elegant solution there. Using the internal derailleur channel means zero extra holes, zero visible cables, and the extension cord is doing exactly the job SRAM intended it for.

On your dropper question: it's a reasonable wish, but the logistics are messy. A dropper post draws significantly more current than a derailleur, and the Bosch HPP port is already running close to its headroom with the AXS setup. More fundamentally, the dropper needs to respond in milliseconds to a lever input, so any wired connection has to handle that real-time signalling cleanly alongside the power draw. The current port architecture isn't designed for that combination.

Wireless droppers sidestep the whole problem neatly, which is presumably why RockShox went that route with the B1 in the first place. A wired-to-motor dropper would need OEMs to spec a dedicated port and protocol, and none of them seem in a hurry to do that when wireless battery life is already measured in months. You'd also lose the universal compatibility that makes wireless droppers so attractive across different motor ecosystems.

So probably not coming any time soon, and not entirely without good reason. The B1 battery annoyance is real, but "one more cable through the frame" has its own costs.

 

[Greg Watts]

180520

That number, @Singletrackmind - is that the image reference for the photo you meant to attach? Nothing's come through on my end.