SRAM RED eTap AXS™ is much more than an evolution; it's a revolution. SRAM created a groupset that's as capable as today's riders and the bikes that they choose. It offers more range, a smoother gear progression, and the simplicity of eTap® shift logic so that you're always in the right gear. AXS™ allows you to easily personalise the groupset right from your phone and enable your choices while riding. Orbit™ technology offers next-level chain management for all the places a drop bar bike can go. Add exceptional disc brake performance from SRAM's award-winning HRD platform, and it’s true innovation, for true advancement.
A more capable groupset for today's riders.
Road riders are going beyond where they've ever gone before. You're going further and faster, and when the road stops, you keep going. One thing hasn't changed: you want to push those boundaries without any distractions. Exploring new limits has never been easier. SRAM Red and Force eTap AXS - Simply Beyond.
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Always in the Right Gear
X-Range gearing offers wider range and closer progression so you're always in the right gear.
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Quiet, Secure and Smooth
Orbit chain management and the Flattop chain give a reassuringly quiet, secure and smooth ride
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Easily Personalised
AXS offers unparalleled control, personalisation and insight into your bicycle's performance
Modern Gearing
Road bikes are faster and more capable than ever before, and riders are expanding what's possible with drop bar bikes. X-Range offers wider range, more useful and smoother gear progression, as well as smarter shift settings - enabled by AXS.
X-Range Gearing
Today's curly-bar bikes are faster and more capable. Riders want a bike with the wide range gearing to match their wide range of cycling pursuits. However, the range is only one half of the equation; they also want a drivetrain that offers the right gear for any situation. So, SRAM has developed X-Range gearing: 3 new chainring sets and 3 new cassettes that cover all riders' needs, from WorldTour to endurance and gravel.
X-Range achieves this by moving some of the gear range from the front of the drivetrain to the back. That is, SRAM have employed a smaller, consistent difference (13 teeth) between the chainrings while giving the cassettes wider range (up to 10-33, or 330%!). That means you can stay on the same ring longer, requiring fewer front shifts, which are inherently less efficient than rear shifts. When a front shift is executed, the smaller jump is smoother and allows you to get to the right cadence with fewer compensation shifts in the rear. Fewer, faster front shifts makes it easier for you to find the right gear, and that’s a distinct performance advantage relative to traditional drivetrains.
You might notice that X-Range relies on cassettes built around a 10-tooth start. This allows SRAM to keep the cogs and chainrings smaller overall, eliminating the potential weight gain of a wide-range 11-tooth start drivetrain. The smaller package reduces system complexity. Only one rear derailleur is required to cover all the chainring and cassette combinations. So, if you’re a flatlander who likes a tight-range cassette, you only need to swap your cassette and chain for a mountain tour. With X-Range, getting everything you’ve always wanted in a drivetrain has never been simpler.
Super Smooth
On tarmac or gravel, 1x or 2x eTap AXS gives a quiet, secure and smooth ride. Thanks to the ultra-lightweight Orbit fluid damper and a unique Flattop chain, you'll ride more confidently and efficiently than ever, no matter the terrain.
Orbit
Reducing chain bounce is a crucial need for today’s riders that frequently venture off smoothly paved roads. SRAM’s Orbit™ technology limits chain bounce by controlling the chain’s downward movement when riding over bumps.
Orbit is a new, patented design that consists of a silicone fluid damper with a one-way valve that controls the rear derailleur cage’s counter-clockwise rotation. This prevents the lower derailleur pulley from moving forward when bumps in the road cause g-force spikes that pull the chain downward. The damped cage rotation keeps the drivetrain quiet and helps prevent the chain from derailing off the chainring.
The beauty of the lightweight Orbit fluid damper is that it is speed sensitive, meaning, the harsher the bump, the more resistance it applies to keep the chain under control. So, when the derailleur cage rotates counter-clockwise slowly as it does during a downshift to an easier rear - the damper offers so little resistance, it’s as if the damper isn’t there. This allows you to get the benefits of a mechanical friction-style clutch when you need it, without the excessive chain tension these clutch types provide when you don’t. It’s the best of both worlds. It’s a maintenance-free design so you spend less time wrenching and more time riding.
FlatTop
What if you could add range to your drivetrain while also smoothing the gear progression with smaller differences in tooth count between neighboring gears? Also, what if you could gain that without losing drivetrain efficiency or having to replace your chain more frequently? SRAM's unique Flattop chain link design is a key element that makes all of these improvements possible.
To gain a wider gear range with smaller gearing steps, the chain has to get narrower. With Flattop, material has been added on the flat side of the chain plates to strengthen every link. The Hard Chrome surface treatment on the pins, inner plates, and rollers also extends the life of the chain and keeps it shifting precisely over the long haul. Additionally, Flattop chains feature longer wearing large diameter rollers that help deliver the same drivetrain efficiency as SRAM's 11-speed drivetrains. All of these technologies together have enabled SRAM to engineer a narrower 12-speed chain that lasts 36% longer than their 11-speed chains.
With the Flattop chain design it’s like having your cake and eating it too, except this cake actually helps you to be faster on the bike, and you don’t have to buy cake as often. There might be a better metaphor to explain it, but we like cake, so we’re sticking with it.
AXS Enabled
Control, personalise and monitor. AXS - SRAM's new bike component integration system takes eTap wireless shifting to the next level. The SRAM AXS app allows riders to see battery status, change component behaviour, personalise controls, get maintenance reminders and update firmware.
When SRAM launched the original RED eTap in 2015, one of its most exciting features was that it was wireless. Now, they've taken eTap wireless to the next level with AXS. AXS™ is SRAM’s new bike component integration system that connects electronic bicycle components and software.
Even if you ride a bike to escape modern technology, here’s how AXS can improve your ride:
CONNECT
AXS lets you connect your AXS-enabled components to an app. Everything speaks the same language, and you can even combine road and mountain bike parts to build the party bike of your dreams.
PERSONALISE
Wireless controls open the door to new levels of customisation. With AXS, you can personalise your component behaviour to match your riding style and preferences. Turn on enhanced shifting modes, or reassign shifting actions.
MONITOR
AXS allows you to monitor your bike’s performance and readiness. It’s an easy way to keep tabs on your battery levels, including the CR2032 batteries in eTap shift levers, and keep AXS component firmware up-to-date.
SRAM’s approach to design is always about simplifying the complicated. So even while AXS brings a lot of new options and potential to the way you can build and ride a bike, SRAM were determined to only add features that are truly meaningful to the rider. It’s not tech for the sake of tech. You don’t even need a smartphone or the AXS app to enjoy many of its features and benefits. You can change shift behaviour directly through the components themselves as well.
One of the highlights of AXS is the ability to personalise shift settings. Turning on Enhanced Shift Mode gives you access to two shift settings.
Sequential shifting activates the next available gear using the assigned upshift and downshift buttons. Automatic actuation of the front derailleur keeps your gear ratio and pedaling cadence steady. You can still manually command a front shift if you need to.
Compensating shifting smooths gear transitions. When a front gear change is performed, the rear derailleur compensates for the large change in gear ratio by shifting one or two cogs (you get to choose how many), keeping your pedaling cadence steady.
Within the AXS app, shifting actions can be reassigned to new buttons on the shifters using the Configure Controls environment. This mode allows riders to have the most control over how and when they shift. Want your right eTap shift lever to shift to an easier gear instead of a harder one? Or to raise and lower your wireless-electronic dropper post from your levers? AXS lets you do that.
Whether you’re a technophobe or a technophile, AXS is here for one sole reason: to help you forget about bike parts, and simply enjoy a better bike ride.