Sram's most affordable eTap AXS groupset ridden and rated - but does the performance justify the cost? Weight 169g. To reduce costs, there is a slight weight penalty. The spindle-based unit measures left side power and doubles it to calculate total watts. With 48/35t chainrings, 175mm cranks, a 10-30t cassette, and hydraulic disc brake calipers, the claimed weight of a complete Rival eTap AXS group is 2,783 grams. Rival AXS rear derailleurs use a more traditional mechanical clutch. Shimano just has a much bigger market share and marketing budget. Hes also a regular presenter on the BikeRadar Podcast and on BikeRadars YouTube channel. Let's take a look: Derailleur weight is the only functional difference in SRAM's AXS line. A complete group. About this item. For one, you could put ETAP 11 on basically any frame and an 11 speed wheel set. Is there even a pro world tour team riding Sram anymore? SRAM RED eTap AXS Replacement Hydraulic Shift/Brake Lever - Left/Front, Black $446 When purchased online. The derailleurs and shifters each contain their own battery, and the connection between them happens over an encrypted, wireless protocol. There are similar, less visible material choices other components. Manage Settings Add contacts to an eTap battery block, pogo pins to an eTap battery cover, wire them together, and secure the battery under your bottle cage or somewhere. Theres also an all-new motor with more power and faster signal transfer, to go along with the groupsets overhauled chipset thats running things. The principle behind the damper is that the faster it moves, the more the resistance builds. The two most obvious material differences arefound in the brake levers and crank arms. A quiet, secure and smooth ride, whatever the terrain. A Force eTap AXS group with a similar set-up weighs 2,600 grams, a difference of 183 grams. You will find snaps of Warrens daily rides on the Instagram account of our sister publication, Cycling Plus (@cyclingplus). Yes, those crank arms are homely. Some were smooth, but there were plenty of riddled washboard sections that would rattle your bones. This set-up has greater capacity than SRAM's and Shimano claims a range of 1000km between charges. New 10-36 cassette and crank with 30/46 rings make Force eTap AXS more gravel and fondo friendly. Thats all they had available at the launch, but Ive pulled the left arm and cassette off our demo bike and added those weights to the post. The power meter has a long, 400+ hour battery life and uses a replaceable lithium AAA battery. The shift speed feels very close to existing eTap, but the real plus is just how quietly it carries out those shifts. SRAM Gravel SRAM XPLR SRAM Red eTap AXS This is the option for you if you want no wires Specifications Speeds: 1x12, 2x12 Chainrings: 46/33T, 48/35T, 50/37T, 36T, 38T, 40T, 42T, 44T, 46T, 48T, 50T Cassettes:. 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. Thats an example of real substance whereas much of their lineup is pure marketing. With Rival, more riders can upgrade their ride with a fully wireless design, X-Range gearing, and an integrated Quarq power meter. I just wish a little devils advocacy were present in your review. Shimano's is also the cheaper groupset albeit only marginally, saving you around 90 at full retail price. Would you like to receive offers, updates and events from BikeRadar and its publisher Our Media Ltd (an Immediate Group Company)? Ever bigger cassettes have been in vogue for years now, not just among committed amateurs like me and you but the pro peloton too. 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. Youll regularly find him commuting on an ebike and he longs for the day when everyone else follows suit. Weight: 135g; Additional contact mail (leave blank)* SRAM says that it's engineered its chainrings to up their longevity by 50% over its older 11-speed groupsets. More specifically, the batterys placement, which is now a couple millimeters further outboard. The * means that its not actually checking your power and efficiency to optimize cadence for you, personally. Since top end mountain bikes have been 12-speed for several years, the XTR chain has been proven to be robust. While Warren loves fast road bikes and the latest gravel bikes, he also believes electric bikes are the future of transport. Shimano meanwhile has a single central battery that's usually mounted in the bike's seat tube and powers both derailleurs via wires. Or not being able to use your wheels without swapping out parts on them? Specifications : Feature 1 Wide: tire clearance up to 700x45c and 27.5 x 2.1". Both of those features make the best fit possible for any rider. The weight differences come down to materials and construction. My response was specifically regarding shift speed. The Dura-Ace R9200 chainset carries forward the looks of its 11-speed predecessor. 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. Theres a limit as to how fast you can move the chain from one cog to the next and still have it engage the teeth properly, and the multi-shift (holding down the shifter to run up or down multiple cogs at a time) is already pushing that limit. 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. The levers offer two ports per side for SRAMs accessory blips, which allow you to change gear anywhere you like on the handlebars. The Red eTap AXS 10-33 cassette weighs 215g. Note: Mechanical weights do not include cabling. All Shimano's cassettes are backward compatible with wheels with 11-speed Shimano freehubs despite having a different flange arrangement. A geartrain without friction? It uses a nickel-chrome plated cassette with full pin construction for durability and light weight. SRAM seems to be kicking Shimanos butt across the board- mountain and now road. The action is smoother, quieter and arguably quicker than the first generation, and its adaptability, in that you can run it 2x, 1x, or combine it with any of the new AXS mountain bike gearing launching soon, is impressive, making this an electronic groupset you could run on the road, gravel, cross, mountain and downhill. Heres all of our tech stories from the SRAM AXS launch event: Tyler Benedict is the Founder of Bikerumor.com. Dura-Ace levers have grown from the 11-speed version. The Dura-Ace rear mech includes the battery charge port and uses the Shadow design to wrap around the cassette. 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. If I do go down the AXS path this year, I think an Easton crank might be the way to go. Finally, the 46/33 with a 10-33 is the same as a 50/34 with an 11-34 cassette. So what compromises are made to bring down the cost? Gone is the two-ring design held in place by bolts on a spider. The rear mech on the AXS has also had an upgrade. Both also let you fit satellite shifters elsewhere on your bars. The power meter spindle can also be purchased alone, to instantly upgrade any DUB road or road wide crankset. Turn them on in the app, and the derailleurs will dance together to keep you at either an optimal cadence* or optimize gear steps. You can also pair Shimano's Di2 mountain bike derailleur and levers with Shimano's road equivalents. Shifting is as smooth as ever, but just the general running and operation was nearly imperceptible. We've removed bottom bracketweight as these are frame dependant. The brake/shift levers are bloody awful too. So SRAM Red cassettes are offered in four options. By far my favourite, however, is the compensation shifting. If breaking batteries becomes an issue for me, thats where Im going. To pair with the Rival AXS 12-speed chainrings and cassettes, there is a matching Rival AXS Flattop chain. SRAMs new wireless RED eTap AXS road groupset has 12 gears, approaches road gearing in a totally new way, is available in either 1x or 2x setups and features a clutch. Ummmm no, they just downsized things. That means that there's a range of Red XPLR eTap AXS components, including a rear derailleur with 44 tooth maximum sprocket capacity that works with a 12-speed XPRL cassette with 10-44t range. 124K views 1 year ago Is Shimano Ultegra Di2 the best electronic groupset to buy in 2021, and how does it compare to its main rival, SRAM Force eTap AXS? Yeah I figured, but I have to fix my bathroom and rotten plumbing first so Im like 4 months out at least. Enter the roll-up tool bag. Battery-to-tire clearance was a known issue with the 1st gen eTap group when running anything larger than a 70040 tire. Sponsoring teams IS marketing. Upon reflection, I wasnt constantly chasing that sweet spot thats so elusive on something like a 50/34 combo. While it was some way behind its major competitors Shimano and Campagnolo, whod had electronic systems for years, it jumped ahead of both by becoming the first to dispense with cables and operate wirelessly. I love my shimano road group, and when I have sram on one mtb and shimano on the other. Thanks! 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. Also like SRAM, Shimano's shifters communicate wirelessly with the derailleurs. Now theyre just bringing the model to road bikes. Winning my award for Most Improved Front Derailleur category isdrum roll pleasethe front derailleur! SRAM RED eTap AXS 12-speed and wireless, it's the ultimate in modern shifting Specifications Shifting: Wireless Braking: Disc, dual pivot rim Speeds: 1x12, 2x12 Weight: 2101g 2x rim /. > SRAM unleashed a whole new concept of gearing and gear ratios. Most of the downsides with AXS clearly arent going to be present with a brand new drivetrain. The smaller articulation angle between the chain links as they pass over an 11-tooth sprocket should also lead to lower friction, although SRAM claims that the 12-speed Red eTap with a 10-tooth sprocket is as efficient as its previous generation 11-speed system with an 11-tooth smallest sprocket. Shifting is actuated by switches on the brake levers, which send a signal to the derailleurs to do their thing. 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. Shimano's E-Tube app provides similar lever customisation, but you can also alter the speed of shifts. Fully wireless design with no cables, housing, or wires to manage. 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. 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. 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. Also looks pretty much like the red from far so IMHO a nice upgrade. Every major publication/website has only talked about AXS since it came out. I just think theyre an inconsistent company when it comes to quality. The lack of any real critical analysis here is disappointing and lacks any credibility. Orbit is a fluid damper contained within the pivot at the top jockey wheel axle. SRAM has a history of making products that consumers love but mechanics hate. 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.