Its the strongest chain SRAMs ever produced, apparently. 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. Anyone willing to spend thousands on this mess will soon discover that SRAM completely missed any opportunity to develop/refine the many awesome features of ETAP 11. You will not be able to swap between 2x and 1x set-ups like you can with the Force and Red cranksets. One thing that isnt mentioned here is that the powermeter is built into the rings, thus once you wear the rings out, you have to buy a new powermeter. 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. No mention of the throw-away crankset + power meter when you need or want new rings, no mention of the need to replace your hubs to work with XDR, coin batteries in the shifters, 10 tooth cog.the list goes on. That Trek Checkpoint is now in our offices for long term review, too, so Ill report on long-term durability and function after many, many more miles. It's geared to flat time trials as well as gravel, with larger rings designed to be aero. The less pronounced jumps between gears make the best use of your efforts and create a more controlled cadence, as the seven 1-tooth jumps are between the gears you will use the most is better than anything currently available (bar a custom time-trial straight through cassette) and thats the Holy Grail for smoother pedaling. The effortless shifts, easy installation, user-friendly customization, and clean, cable-free cockpits have made them a must-have for high-end road and gravel bikes. Were a year on and availability is still sketchy, and theyve had to go back to the drawing board one hubs and cranks, after releasing them a year ago. Always a strong suit of SRAM, the braking is better than ever, looking and feeling like something dedicated for the road and not something cobbled from a mountain bike parts bin. 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. Bath The levers offer two ports per side for SRAMs accessory blips, which allow you to change gear anywhere you like on the handlebars. Yeah I figured, but I have to fix my bathroom and rotten plumbing first so Im like 4 months out at least. Campagnolos answer was to add a 12th sprocket to fill the gap in the centre of the block, which works to an extent but doesnt entirely solve the problem. I just think theyre an inconsistent company when it comes to quality. A radical drivetrain reinvention that feels every (gear)inch the future, Yes, I might have to learn a whole new set of gear ratios, but it opens up so much potential for experimenting with gear ranges, SRAM claims a 2.518kg complete weight for the group (and add 36g for the power meter), GBP 3,349.00 RRP SRAM Red eTap AXS 2518g / RRP 3,794 You'll save yourself around 100g by opting for Dura-Ace over Red eTap, although the latest 12-speed Dura-Ace is actually a few grams heavier than. Now, a more affordable little brother has joined the AXS family. If youve been itching to ride AXS technology, Rival eTap AXS might be the group youve been waiting for. Cycling Expert; . 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:. SRAM RED eTap AXS Actual Weights Road 2x (48/35 combo) - 419g with powermeter Road 1x (48t X-Sync) - 395g with powermeter Left crank - 156g Front derailleur - 165g with battery Rear derailleur - 247g with battery 10-33 Cassette - 211g Shifters - 233g/234g with coin cell batteries installed Updated Blip Box - 24g How often do people wear out the big ring and small ring at the exact same rate? Rather, it means that you can set shift points within the app to make it work better for your style of riding and allow the rear derailleur to drop or gain 1-2 gears when you shift the front. In contrast, Shimano has stuck to cassettes that start with an 11-tooth smallest sprocket, as it claims that this is less prone to wear as a greater number of teeth are in contact with the chain. Especially because coming our way in the near future is a more affordable rival to compete with Shimano Ultegra Di2. Do they work? Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 2403g / RRP 3,701. But of course the reduction in weight and improvement in aerodynamics comes at the penalty of increased friction, wear, and incompatibility out the wazoo. How has SRAM done it? That makes them more agile but less capable. SRAM RED and Force AXS rear derailleurs use Orbit Fluid Dampers to prevent dropped chains and chain noise on rough roads. 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. Whereas the previous generation Dura-Ace's levers were a miracle of miniaturisation, the R9200 ones have actually grown a bit so they're just slightly smaller than SRAM's. The material its used is both harder and stronger, and finished in what its calling Hard Chrome. That type of publicity is infinitely more effective than being the official drive-train sponsor of some random WT team. Ive already though about that exact thing. Red eTap AXS: MSRP $1,453-2,690. Many thanks!! He has covered all the major innovations in cycling this century, and reported from launches, trade shows and industry events in Europe, Asia, Australia, North American and Africa. As the name suggests it isnt a new standard but something that works across the myriad press-fit standards and traditional designs (BB30, PF30, BBright, PF30a, 386, PF86.5, GXP and BSA). Shimano meanwhile has a single central battery that's usually mounted in the bike's seat tube and powers both derailleurs via wires. SRAM seems to be kicking Shimanos butt across the board- mountain and now road. If breaking batteries becomes an issue for me, thats where Im going. With its 12-speed groupsets, rather than develop new road-specific parts Shimano has used some components from its MTB range, one of which is the chain. SRAM expects Rival eTap AXS to be spec'd on complete bikes in the $3,500 to $4,000 range. Published 1 March 23. 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. With the exception of a brake warranty issue (albeit a pretty big one), this is hardly the truth. It is more important for R&D than for marketing. The Force eTap AXS group is slated for April 2019, and while we dont have tech details on yet, its a good bet it, too, will use the revised gearing. The only / or last one I can remember that looks decent are the original XX double MTB cranks. Force uses this same spider for the 2x system, making it easy to swap chainrings from 2x to 1x with the swap of chainrings and chainring bolts only. Such is the design of eTap AXS, the clutch isnt needed. You can also run a 10-36 cassette with a specific, compatible wider-range Red derailleur. The wide crank requires a matching wide front derailleur. SRAM now gives you the 50/37t chainrings previously reserved for Red, but the test bike was specced with smaller 48/35t rings - SRAM's version of the mid-compact chainset. I think lots of the coverage is skipping the cost of this new group set. Proven AXS technology at a more affordable price. they executed that new xtr real well. The difference between Shimano and Sram is that SRAM accepts compromise in order to innovate. However, on the road side it lacks any type of damper or clutch. SRAM 12-speed cassettes will only fit on wheels with SRAM XDR freehub bodies. Short for 10-26 up to 10-33T / Medium for 10-28 up to 10-36T Weight without battery 36T Version Rear derailleur max. SRAM Red derailleurs each have their own removeable battery attached to the rear of the mechanism. SRAMs solution comes from its innovation in mountain biking and single ring 1x drivetrain used on road and gravel bikes in recent years. Similarly, aftermarket groups should be shipping now, too, and you will need the complete groupsadly, nothing from the original eTap group will work here. These are then mounted onto the crank arm directly using a splined interface. 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. Any improvement in the new group with a 212 set up? The move to 12-speed could have been just another trinket to get people to part with their hard-earned cash, but what SRAM has achieved with eTap and its fresh approach to modern bike drivetrains could well be the shape of things to come. Both also let you fit satellite shifters elsewhere on your bars. 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. Suplests 2023 cycling shoe lineup has sleek options for road, gravel, XC, and trail, and they all look amazing. The bike suitable for a body size of 163-173 cm. The SRAM AXS app is used to configure its electronic groupsets. Adding an extra sprocket reduces space, which means the width of the chain must be reduced. Note that the former gives you a 1:1 lowest ratio when paired to the wider range 11-34t cassette, matching SRAM's lowest range configuration. This is called compensating shifting by SRAM and semi-synchronised shifting by Shimano. Numerous reviews have been written but none that I have read comment on what is in my opinion, Reds biggest shortcoming noticeably slower shift speed relative to Di2 and for that matter mechanical. Electronic drivetrains are the future of cycling, and for the last two years, SRAMs wireless Red eTap AXS and Force eTap AXS groups have been at the top of the food chain. SRAMs break with traditional gear ratios has meant some radical design changes chainset included. Rival AXS provides a more affordable alternative to the Force eTap AXS group and the top-of-the-line Red eTap AXS group. Even better, theyre now available consumer direct and in select shops in the U.S. and Canada. But sometimes people dont have unlimited budgets. Enjoyed your comments Tyler. I agree, the mechanical group will really help usher in their new gearing concept to the masses. In his time as a cycling journalist, Warren has written for Mountain Biking UK, What Mountain Bike, Urban Cyclist, Procycling, Cyclingnews, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike and T3. With AXS I expected some improvement and a wider range of gears, but I wasnt totally convinced about how essential it would be. The lack of chain slap was nice, but as a complete system, the overall quietness of it surprised me. Rival AXS derailleurs feature the same shifting precision and reliability as their Force and Red AXS siblings. > Also, Ive already built 3 different bikes with the group Its already an option on all of Zipps wheels and as most wheel brands already offer an XD option we cant see much of an issue with compatibility. As mentioned above, both SRAM and Shimano offer either rim or disc brake options. Rival and Force chains also use solid pins while Red uses lighter, hollow pins. Namely, the clutched rear derailleur. A remote mount for the battery would give even more clearance at the front derailleur. Cycling Weekly is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Shifting is as smooth as ever, but just the general running and operation was nearly imperceptible. The problem in reducing size is that you also reduce strength, so SRAM both flattened the top and made it out of a new material that is both harder and longer wearing than its old model. Honestly I would not, because the existing system is still so good. The Rival rear derailleur, for example, has steel bearings, steel hardware, and an aluminum pulley cage. At the front, Dura-Ace offers the usual 50/34t and 52/36t options. A couple of advantages to this are that it's easy to take the battery off and recharge it somewhere convenient with SRAM's recharging cradle and that if one battery goes flat (usually the rear) you can swap them about and keep going. It developed a new type of freehub body the XD Driver for the dirt, which introduced 12-speed gearing to its flagship Eagle groupset, and has cleared the path for use on the road too. In comparison, Shimano's crankset is created using the brand's Hollowtech II technology. SRAM took a new approach to road bike gearing with Red eTap AXS. I am eager to hear more of your feedback. So which other groupsets is SRAM AXS compatible with? By pairing these to smaller chainrings, SRAM has been able to provide more gear range at the back that exceeds the top and bottom gearing of traditional ratios, as well as seven consecutive one tooth changes. The 10-26t, 10-28t or 10-33t can run with a standard Red derailleur. Shop now RED ETAP AXS HRD SHIFT-BRAKE SYSTEM Allow Necessary Cookies & Continue Can its new 12-speed eTap AXS repeat the trick? Another smart move SRAM made was ensuring launch day delivery of parts, with a number of brands ready to go with new AXS-equipped models for road, gravel, monstercross and triathlon. To increase the rear cassettes range it needed to have a 10-tooth bottom sprocket. For one, you could put ETAP 11 on basically any frame and an 11 speed wheel set. Perhaps because they coudnt say anything positive about it Thanks again. The Sequential mode effectively turns it into a big 1x system by automatically shifting the front and rear together all the way up and down the range. Di2 is faster and better in my opinion and from a performance standpoint, that matters. This narrower grip is possible because Rival eTap AXS doesnt have contact point adjustment for the brakes, and also does not allow for blips (auxiliary remote shift buttons). Not sure where youre getting your info. The fact that the rings are machined together is a huge issue to me. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Visit our corporate site. Highlights. The pics show only the drive side arm crank weightedso not sure if 395g with powermeter refers to the whole crank or to only one arm (this latter case would make no sense). You shift one (usually the right one although that's configurable) to move to higher gears and the other to shift to lower gears. Rival eTap AXS 2x cranksets use an integrated spider, while Rival 1x cranksets have a single direct mount chainring. Shimano doesnt release duds and sram does? The Dura-Ace rear mech includes the battery charge port and uses the Shadow design to wrap around the cassette. table { }tr { }col { }br { }td { padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 1px; padding-left: 1px; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; vertical-align: bottom; border: medium none; white-space: nowrap; }.xl63 { text-align: left; vertical-align: middle; white-space: normal; }.xl64 { text-align: left; }.xl65 { text-align: left; vertical-align: middle; white-space: normal; }.xl66 { text-align: left; vertical-align: middle; white-space: normal; }. AXS app allows users to customize shift options. I ride mile after mile on 50/34 chain rings, and the best part is that I dont have to throw away my power meter if I want a change. Yes, I might have to learn a whole new set of gear ratios, but it opens up so much potential for experimenting with gear ranges a road 1x setup with a 10-51 rear block is a real option for those mad enough to try! One thing we did notice in our testing was that the SRAM groupset was significantly more silent than its Shimano Dura-Ace rival. Last year, Merida revitalized its line up of trail and enduro bikes with the launch of the 2023 Merida ONE-SIXTY and ONE-FORTY, the former of. The Rival AXS front derailleur is optimized for X-Range chainrings and uses Yaw technology, so theres no need for trim to compensate for extreme gear combinations. In the world of bike tech game-changing is a hyperbolic phrase that gets bandied left, right and centre. All the pros and cons explained and. Force uses 11-26 cassette. Shimano Dura-Ace and SRAM Red eTap AXS both have very distinctive designs, but both are very functional. Agreed. I wasnt constantly chasing that sweet spot thats so elusive on something like a 50/34 combo. I hope that puts it into perspective. The group offers 33/46 and 35/48 chainrings but not the 37/50 option. Doing so without affecting its strength is a challenge, which led SRAM to rethinking its chain design. SRAM says that this ability to absorb water is an advantage if you do get damp in your brakes, as it means that it's less likely there will be free water droplets in the hoses than with an oil-based system, where it would boil at 100C and so potentially impact performance. The combination on the new tooth patterning and increase in clearance means that shifts across the rear block are sharper than before and impeccably smooth and quiet. So Dura-Ace runs a 12-speed chain from the XTR groupset.