The Flattop design allows for a narrower chain without compromising strength or durability. With the new 12-speed RED eTap AXS groupset, out go traditional gearing ratios and in comes something entirely new: As you can see, the chainring sizes are reduced and the cassettes look broadly similar, but what you actually get is harder and easier gears at both ends of the spectrum, across all combinations (Fig 1). You can keep track of battery levels within the mechs and shifters and also assign up and downshifts to whichever lever you want. For the road test, I was handed a Trek Checkpoint gravel bike equipped with the new eTap AXS parts, Zipp 303 tubeless ready wheels and the bike brands sweet vibration damping tech. According to srams website, when that happens, they will discount it by 50% but its still seems like added complexity when a spider based system works fine. However, Shimano still attaches the chainrings using bolts, although we've certainly never noticed any amount of flex. You will find snaps of Warrens daily rides on the Instagram account of our sister publication, Cycling Plus (@cyclingplus). It is compatible with 1x and 2x eTap AXS drivetrains. They didnt have the left arm available at the launch (uninstalled, anyway), but Ill pull one off the test bike and weigh, look for an update to the post soon. To increase the rear cassettes range it needed to have a 10-tooth bottom sprocket. Similar bikes won't keep up with the Vitesse EVO Red eTap AXS while riding downhill or sprinting. Most of the downsides with AXS clearly arent going to be present with a brand new drivetrain. Adding a 12th sprocket to the cassette reduced the space in between the cogs, so SRAM designed a new 12-speed chain which it took as an opportunity to create the distinctive looking flattop chain now in use. 2021 Road & Gravel Groupset Weight Comparison Updated Apr-2021 (added Rival AXS 12-speed) Crankset weights will vary depending on size and length. Also, maybe Im in the minority here, but Id LOVE to know when I might be able to get my hands on a Force 24 mechanical group. Ive come to expect great ideas with mediocre execution from SRAM. At 181g for a 10-28 its light; by comparison, the existing 11-28 is 185g and a Dura-Ace 11-28 is 193g. The weight differences come down to materials and construction. Also, Ive already built 3 different bikes with the group and have yet to run into compatibility problems. The Rival crankset uses polished aluminum arms that are stiff, tough, and come in a variety of lengths (160mm-175mm). All these sites are paid to promote therefore we cant expect them to be BRUTALLY honest because that means a blacklist from the sponsors in future. Then again, might it just live up to the hype? Its based on Quarqs top of the range D-Zero unit and offers plenty of metrics, including left-right balance. The roads we used were mostly dirt, looping in and out of Saguaro National Parks western district (check out our Where To Ride guide for more on this sweet winter training area!). Theyve addressed what few issues the first group had, made it faster and more capable, and its better looking than ever. Perhaps the most enticing feature of the Rival AXS group is the new, more affordable, spindle-based Quarq power meter. Complete Rival power meter cranksets comes in standard and Wide versions. The pistons also retract 10% more than the previous generation callipers to help reduce the likelihood of brake rub. Plus detailed bike, kit and accessory reviews from the experts! Secondly, theres compensating; this smooths out gear shifts, so when you change the front ring up or down, it compensates at the rear derailleur, moving either one or two cogs to keep your gear progression even and your cadence steady. Suplests 2023 cycling shoe lineup has sleek options for road, gravel, XC, and trail, and they all look amazing. Gear ratio range: 280 - 330%. Its rather odd that sluggish shifting was the biggest complaint that a lot of people had about eTap v1, and it seems like SRAM hasnt addressed it to any significant degree. But with a Force AXS group coming in April, that would be good timing. Gear percentages, as seen in the above chart, refer to the gear range of the cassette, or the difference between highest and lowest available gears. It's worth noting though that this means that once a chainring is worn you need to replace both. Which leads me to the last big change: Gearing. Direct-mount chainrings are available in 38t through 46t in two-tooth increments.Read more about the difference between 2x and 1x drivetrains on gravel bikes. Theres also an all-new motor with more power and faster signal transfer, to go along with the groupsets overhauled chipset thats running things. Newly formed Denver Disruptors NCL team to make its debut at Tucson Bicycle Classic, Paris-Nice 2023 route: demanding and hilly course awaits riders, pros were doing at least a year in advance, Improve your performance with our expert practical, nutritional and training tips, Every week get exclusive interviews, fitness tips and product reviews. Wolf Tooth is working on one but its a little further out. They use a CR1632 coin cell each with a similar battery life of around two years. It's more comfortable than a smaller lever as hand pressure is distributed over a larger area but might be less easy to grip for smaller hands. The power meter spindle can also be purchased alone, to instantly upgrade any DUB road or road wide crankset. Small vision with great execution. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. I am eager to hear more of your feedback. Rival is only available with hydraulic disc brakes. The photos seem to show only the chainring and drive side crank arm. New 10-36 cassette and crank with 30/46 rings make Force eTap AXS more gravel and fondo friendly. Even a 52/36 around my local roads seems to frequently leave me cross-chained. Heres a full list of everything you can buy as of February 2019, SRAM Eagle AXS Mountain Bike Group Tech Overview, Unboxed! The lack of chain slap was nice, but as a complete system, the overall quietness of it surprised me. Force cassettes use a mini cluster hybrid design, where the four small cogs are machined out of a single block of steel, and then eight additional cogs are individually pinned together to form the cassette. Updated Apr-2021 (added Rival AXS 12-speed), Older Post I am running SRAM force cranks and the red chainring. 2023 SRAM Force AXS & XPLR groups updated with lighter, better tech. The Dura-Ace rear mech includes the battery charge port and uses the Shadow design to wrap around the cassette. This groupset shifts from a more traditional 11-speed cassette arrangement to a 12-speed cassette configuration. Its a little reminiscent of a BMX/Track half link, but these are full length links, The new XG-1290 cassette starts from a 10-tooth sprocket and is compatible with XD-R freehubs, The RED eTap AXS shifters are essentially the same shape as the previous shifter but with a carbon and chrome makeover and a new more ergonomic hood cover, AXS means both 1x and 2x drivetrains, but 1x doesnt just mean cross and gravel, SRAM also has this new 1x aero chainset for TT and triathlon with a spider mounted Quarq power meter option, The cross 1x chainset also has a power meter option, If youre not a fan of disc brakes SRAM also offers the new eTap with a rim brake option, A fluid damper built into the rear mech takes care of chain retention meaning eTap is now an option for cyclocross and gravel riders, With SRAMs AXS app (for iOS and Android) you can run firmware updates to the system (and power meter), look at battery levels, and assign actions to the shifters, as well as add-on blip controls and activate the shift modes, SRAMs reworking of gear ratios compared to its Shimano equivalents, SRAMs range of gearing offers a wider spread than we would have imagined, The new rear mech uses the exiting eTap battery as does the front mech, SRAM has finally produced a dedicated rotor for the road, and with its sculpted carrier and stainless (round-edged) brake track it looks the business, The new cassette keeps a close ratio of single-tooth jumps for the first seven sprockets, Ive been riding the new eTap for a few months now on Orbeas new Orca, which is available with the new eTap and Mavic Cosmic carbon Pro UST wheels and FSA K-Force carbon finsihing kit for 7,649. A quiet, secure and smooth ride, whatever the terrain. AXS app allows users to customize shift options. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Heres how it works. Even the current RED E-Tap is a pretty rare thing to find on a shop floor so its difficult for an interested rider to experience. 2023 SRAM Force AXS & XPLR groups updated with lighter, better tech. This is the increased weight of using the hydraulic calipers and hydraulic shifters. SRAM RED eTap AXS 1X D1 Electronic HDR Flatmount Groupset $2,654.00 Was $3,792.00 SRAM Force eTap AXS 1X D1 Electronic HRD Flat Mount Groupset $2,218.99 Sram X01 Eagle AXS Upgrade Kit Red $1,450.99 Sram XX1 Eagle AXS Upgrade Kit Carbon $1,812.99 Sram X01 Eagle AXS Upgrade Kit Lunar $1,449.99 SRAM GX Eagle AXS Upgrade Kit Lunar Grey It also offers a 50% discount to the original owner when they buy a replacement power meter/chainring set within five years. And apparently the same capability but at ultegra price or less. SRAM Red eTap AXS 12-speed Wireless electronic shifting Rim brake and disc brake options 10-tooth smallest sprocket requires XDR driver freehub body Orbit Fluid damper rear derailleur Power. Shimano's shifting is also faster than SRAM's and significantly faster than the old 11-speed Dura-Ace. The sheer quality of the operation is magnificent and the addition of an app adds the last piece of the puzzle to the user-friendliness of eTap (both old and new). Just dont pretend that either have been hitting the others nail on the head. A Force eTap AXS group with a similar set-up weighs 2,600 grams, a difference of 183 grams. Hes been riding gravel since before gravel bikes existed too, riding a cyclocross bike through the Chilterns and along the South Downs. Here they are. SRAM Force eTap AXS groupset options, weights, and pricing are as follows; Force eTap AXS 1X Electronic Road Groupset Rim (1,983g): RRP AU$2099 Force eTap AXS 2X Electronic Road Groupset Rim (2,453g): RRP AU$2,779 Force eTap AXS 1X Electronic HRD Groupset (2,572g): RRP AU$2,779 Force eTap AXS 2X Electronic HRD Groupset (2,812g): RRP AU$3,399 I just think theyre an inconsistent company when it comes to quality. The problem with this, however, is that the bigger range of gears in an 11-speed cassette mean bigger jumps for the chain, which puts the system under stress, with less predictable chain jumps. After a few months of testing, eTap AXS has surpassed my expectations. This consistency means they only need one rear derailleur cage length, and chainring pairs are all machined as a single piece, so theyre easy to swap in and out thanks to their direct-mount design. See more When comparing identical drivetrain configurations, RED eTap AXS weighs about 300g less than Force eTap AXS depending on the groupset configuration type you've selected. This is called compensating shifting by SRAM and semi-synchronised shifting by Shimano. Front shifts are more positive and completely accurate, even when shifting over broken surfaces as the rear mechs damper increases the chain tension and prevents any chatter and bounce. Namely, the clutched rear derailleur. The integrated PM is so wack in my opinion. Granted, SRAM is a smaller company than Shimano. Would you question the quality of something if EVERY one of your friends was using it and lauded it? SRAM took a new approach to road bike gearing with Red eTap AXS. Every review of axs so far is pure fluff. But of course the reduction in weight and improvement in aerodynamics comes at the penalty of increased friction, wear, and incompatibility out the wazoo. SRAM Red eTap AXS XPLR drivetrain review The gravel variant of SRAM's top-tier shifting Our rating 4.0 USD $1,610.00 Rear derailleur, cassette, crankset By Warren Rossiter Published:. Help!? In comparison, Shimano's crankset is created using the brand's Hollowtech II technology. Based in North Carolina, Tyler loves finding new travel adventures to share with his family and is always on the lookout for the next shiny new part to make his bikes faster and lighter. Its the strongest chain SRAMs ever produced, apparently. All Shimano's cassettes are backward compatible with wheels with 11-speed Shimano freehubs despite having a different flange arrangement. Shimano researches products until there is no compromise in performance. Shimano Dura-Ace cassettes now offer an 11-30t and an 11-34t tooth option, with the former offering seven single tooth increments from 11 to 17 tooth sprockets, matching SRAM. The levers offer two ports per side for SRAMs accessory blips, which allow you to change gear anywhere you like on the handlebars. Clicking on the right-hand button moves the rear derailleur to larger sprockets, while a click on the left-hand button takes you to smaller sprockets. 36T: 36T=5mm / 33T=5mm / 30T=10mm / 28T=12mm (chain in largest sprocket) Cycling activity Bidex Code 202110 Category Road Main . Weight: 135g; Additional contact mail (leave blank)* I think lots of the coverage is skipping the cost of this new group set. Battery-to-tire clearance was a known issue with the 1st gen eTap group when running anything larger than a 70040 tire. If youve been itching to ride AXS technology, Rival eTap AXS might be the group youve been waiting for. Spotted: A New XC Race Bike from Specialized 2023 Epic? 2023 Merida ONE-SIXTY 6000 Gives a Reassuring, Responsive Ride | Review, Lezyne Digital Travel Floor Drive Pump Brings Big Features to Miniature Design, Suplest Edge+ 2.0 Cancellara Edition Road Shoe Brings Brand to North America, Granite Designs Quiver Tool Roll Stores, Stashes, and Straps Anywhere, GoFundMe Supports Two Cyclists Killed, 17 Injured in AZ Car Accident, Podcast #077 First Endurance dives deep on sports nutrition, Paragon Machine Works Celebrates 40 Years With Limited-Edition Multitool & Bottle Opener, Shimano Special Editions: Tropical Leaves With Lazer & Champagne for Spring Classics, Road 2x (48/35 combo) 419g with powermeter, Road 1x (48t X-Sync) 395g with powermeter, Shifters 233g/234g with coin cell batteries installed, Rear brake caliper 158g (with spacer, so subtract a couple grams). This directly impacts the stiffness of the chainrings, which itself has a big bearing on how well the front mech will shift as well as other performance benefits for the racers. Bikerumor Copyright 2013 2023. For example, in the eTap AXS, the largest ring on what is effectively the double chainset has 50-teeth and the smallest sprocket is 10-teeth, which means the ratio is 5:1and the wheel will turn five times for every pedal revolution. Although the 81 gram weight difference between GX and XX1 is clearly not massive (that's less than a quarter of a pound), it is . Both SRAM RED and Force crank arms are carbon; SRAM RED having direct mount chainrings for 2x, and both SRAM RED and Force having a 1x spider that works with 1x 107mm BCD chainrings.