New SRAM Red groupset – what’s all the fuss about?
SRAM has refined their road and off-road gruppo Red AXS, into a lighter and more ergonomic package.
There’s smoother front shifting, expanded gearing choices, accurate and reliable power measurement, new shift points, and a lighter brake feel with more adjustability wrapped into the new gruppo. In it’s standard configuration, SRAM says the Red AXS groupset weighs just 2496 grams – that’s a 48/35T chainring setup, powermeter, 172.5mm cranks, 10-28T cassette, 160mm rotors plus all the caliper mounting hardware, brackets, brake fluid and all the batteries. That’s 153 grams lighter than the previous edition and a very impressive number. Here’s your rundown of all the fuss points, component by component.
Lever ergonomics are all-new and the reason given is to provide a better fit across all hand sizes from anywhere on the bars. Carbon brake levers keep the weight down and the shifting paddles and hoods are textured for comfort and control. There’s independent reach and contact point adjustments to personalize the feel and prevent finger pinching or ‘bottoming out’ on the bars.
One of the benefits of the redesign is related to fatigue reduction on long rides due to a better finger wrap on the hoods. The levers also have what SRAM is calling Bonus Buttons — activated by your thumbs — to shift gears or control ANT+ devices. That’s neat.
Together with the new stiffer caliper, SRAM says they have shaved 83 grams from the unit, that’s lever and caliper. Internally, the calipers now have a push-piston design and the result is 80% less effort is required when braking from the hoods — as compared to the previous edition. When braking from the drops, the new design requires 33% less effort. SRAM is saying this improved response means one-finger braking is now possible for all riders. I reckon that’s a big deal worth a ton of fussing over — having more fingers wrapped around the hoods and bars, at any given time, is a safer way to ride.
There’s little mention of exact numbers however it looks like pad clearance has been tweaked too. Front and rear derailleurs are new too. Chainring compatibility is across the 46/33T, 48/35T, 50/37T, 52/39T, 54/41T, and 56/43T combinations while a refined cage shape is the key to a faster shifting-speed, upfront.
The rear derailleur is still the ‘heart of the AXS ecosystem’ as SRAM puts it. The new SRAM Red mech has larger pulley wheels so as to reduce chain articulation and increase efficiency. Their Orbit fluid damper keeps everything in place over rougher terrain. The new rear mech is 1x or 2x ready, for on road or off road applications and is compatible with cassette sizes from with cassettes from 10-28T to 10-36T.
Using new construction techniques, the new SRAM Red hollow carbon cranks are 29 grams lighter than the previous edition but the big news is the slew of lengths they are now available in. Chose from 160, 165, 167.5, 170, 172.5, and 175 mm lengths – now that’s very neat indeed!
The 2x chainring is a one-piece construction — think lighter and stiffer — with gear combinations of 50/37T, 48/35T and 46/33T. Then the SRAM Red 1 crankset caters to the growing population of 1x riders and is available in 48T and 50T chainrings. Naturally, both the 1x and 2x options are power meter compatible.
There’s four distinct cassette options available. The 10-36T spread will suit an all-road setup. The 10-28T is aimed at road racing and then there’s two more options: 10-30T and 10-33T. It’s a one-piece machined steel cassette that is also available in rainbow colourways – for all sizes. The chain is now 13 grams lighter, features hard chrome plated inner links to improve life-span and SRAM has stuck with the Flattop design which creates a quieter operation and stronger unit.
An option to connect, customize and control everything is the new Hammerhead Karoo computer. It’s been developed specifically to connect more easily and integrate deeply with the SRAM Red AXS groupset than any other bike computer. In addition to all the usual ride data you’d expect, it also records shift data during your rides, it pairs automatically to your SRAM AXS products providing battery reporting for all of your components. It also can be used to customize shifting options and control your Bonus Buttons.
If you are thinking of skipping on a full groupset upgrade in favour of one or two of the new parts you’ll want to know SRAM says all the parts of the new Red AXS are backwards compatible with previous generations. That’s convenient! Finally, local availability is immediate, head to your local store for more details, or just to drool. // sram.com