SRAM has just released a brand new wireless electronic shifting group, RED eTAP AXS with X-Range Gearing! SRAM developed this new system to allow riders to go Simply Beyond. They realized that riders are more capable than ever before with bike and gear choices. This new group gives these riders the tools to take them wherever they want to go!
X-Range Gearing is a whole new way to look at gearing. It gives you a wider range of gears while offering a closer progression throughout those gears in a smooth-shifting and remarkably quiet system.
Let’s take a look at all of the parts that make up the new SRAM eTAP AXS system with X-Range Gearing!
Starting at the front of the bike, the hoods have been improved with better texturing to the top of the hoods and shifter paddles for better grip and feel.
The shifter paddles also have a new adjustment feature that allows the rider to make micro-shift adjustments quickly and easily, even on the fly while riding.
The brake pad contact point is done at the top of the shifter, just under the hood cover. This allows you to adjust the contact point of the brake pads to reduce some of the annoying noises that can come from brake pads that are super close to the brake rotor.
Now, the really cool stuff!
RED eTAP AXS (pronounced Access) is a 12 Speed group that utilizes their X-Range ! SRAM accomplished this by developing a XDR driver system similar to the Mountain XD driver but narrower to fit into road frames. By using the XDR driver instead of a traditional freehub, SRAM is able to use a 10 tooth cog on the cassette.
The range of the cassette is an new development in road gearing. By reducing the rear cog, you are able to also reduce the size of the chainrings in front. Not only does this reduce weight, but it also improves shifting performance because the gaps between the small ring and the big ring are smaller so the chain doesn’t have to travel as far up during shifting.
Now, this can cause some confusion because we’re all so used to the gearing that has been available up to this point. Gone are the standard 52/36 front chainring combinations with an 11-30 cassette. In it’s place is a 48/35 chainring combination with a 10-33 cassette. When you work out the gear rations, you come away with virtually no change in the “fast” gearing but an improvement in the “climbing” gearing! That’s pretty impressive.
“Standard” Gearing Chart
SRAM RED eTAP AXS Gearing Chart
The new RED chainrings, even the double chainrings, are machined out of one piece of alloy. This makes the chainrings both lightweight and stiff, which allows for very efficient shifting by reducing, almost eliminating, flex in the chainrings.
As was mentioned before, the cassette features a 10 tooth cog. By going to 12 speeds, SRAM was able to make the gaps between the cogs closer which gives you more subtle gear changes. With the 10-33 cassette, the first 6 cogs change in one gear increments, allowing you to fine tune your speed as you desire.
SRAM is offering the new Red cranks in a Quark Power Meter that offers an accuracy of +/- 1%. This all new power meter system, which consists of the chainrings and power meter, only adds 36 grams to the non-power version of the same cranks! There will be non-power options available as well.
The SRAM RED eTAP AXS uses a DUB 2 bottom bracket interface so, no matter the bottom bracket standard that your bike uses, the cranks will be compatible.
Connecting the chainrings to the cassette is the all new Flattop chain! The name should be obvious with one look. In order to fit 12 gears on the cassette, the chain had to be designed narrower to fit. That was the necessity. The chain had to be narrower to fit. SRAM took it a step further and strengthened the system by adding material to the top of the chain where it didn’t need to be shaped. This adds overall strength to the chain allowing for not only enough clearance to fit on the 12 speed cassette but it goes even further by allowing the chain to be narrow enough to eliminate unwanted chain rub on the neighboring cogs! This results in a quieter system that also adds 35% more wear life to the chain.
So, what’s the final result of all of these changes? Stiffer chainrings, stronger chain, flattop chain design, and closer gaps between the small and large chainrings all work together to give you noticeably smoother shifting! Gone are the days of grinding the chain away up front just to get into the big ring! The front derailleur is allowed to move the chain up and down without skipping or grinding. And, the shifting is now virtually silent.
“When I was riding the bike, I purposefully shifted the front derailleur up and down under load and it was ridiculously smooth. I wasn’t ever worried about the chain slipping, even when I was shifting while pedaling hard.” – Joe Kreitzer, ERIK’S Bike Product Manager after a recent ride on the new RED eTAP AXS group.
On the back of the bike is the all new RED eTAP AXS rear derailleur with the totally redesigned hydraulic clutch damper system. This damper system functions much like a soft close drawer that you may find in your home. It applies light pressure to the chain while under normal, smooth conditions. This allows rear shifting to operate smoothly and quietly. When forces are applied to the chain in bumpy conditions, the hydraulic clutch applies more force when needed to reduce chain slack, keeping the chain taught and fully engaged on the chainrings and cassette cogs! This new hydraulic system eliminates the manual lock or switch that is seen on other spring clutches.
The chips and the motors in both the front and rear derailleurs were refined to offer faster shift times without adding any weight or sacrificing the battery life. You will still get about 60 hours of ride time on one charge.
Even more exciting is the fact that the AXS system has been developed as a whole group of products, road and mountain! All AXS products will integrate seamlessly. 2x systems, 1x systems, road and mountain. If it’s AXS, it’s compatible! So, if you want to use 10-50 Mountain cassette with road shifters, AXS will handle it!
The final amazing part of the AXS system is the all new AXS App. The AXS App lets you personalize and customize your groupset to fit your preferences! This app allows you to customize your shifting mode, your multi shift options, and even switch up which levers control which function! But, don’t worry, if you need to get back to the factory settings, it’s just a click away!
But, you don’t HAVE to use the app! This app is 100% optional and if you want to just run the system with the factory settings, it will function great!
The new SRAM e-TAP AXS with X-Range Gearing is a super exciting group that can be seen today on the brand new Specialized S-Works Tarmac and on many more bikes over the coming year! This is just the beginning of where SRAM is taking their wireless shifting systems as well with much more to come. Stop into your local ERIK’S location for more information!