It’s fair to say that over the last decade or more, SRAM has been the most consistent instigator of new groupset technology. More often than not those innovations have been first exhibited on the road in the brand’s Red platform. It has debuted road disc brakes, eTap wireless shifting, X-Range 12-speed gearing and AXS mix-and-match componentry, yet from not long after the groupset’s last major overhaul in 2019, SRAM’s newer, lower-tier families have been in danger of showing it up, most notably in ergonomic terms.
2019’s Red eTap AXS may have introduced plenty in the way of techy new features, but its controls left something to be desired: their oversized, blocky shapes were a hangover from the brand’s early HRD (Hydraulic Road Disc) system combined with mechanical rim brake Red22’s ‘Double Tap’ shifter and lever architecture.
Rival AXS’s release less than two years later quickly improved on its bigger sibling’s control design, offering a much more compact form. Last year the shape was adopted by Force AXS and latterly even fourth-tier Apex AXS XPLR too. A revised control shape was arguably top of the list for any new Red AXS, and in this area the latest generation has not only stepped up to the design of the groupset tiers below it but stepped past.
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Before reading Cyclist’s in-depth review of new SRAM Red AXS, be sure to check out our dedicated news story detailing the groupset’s new features, as well as our coverage on the supplementary products SRAM has launched at the same time – a Hammerhead Karoo computer, plus new Zipp tyres and bars too.
- Read more: SRAM Red AXS reclaims lightest groupset mantle and updates ergonomics
- Read more: Hammerhead Karoo has new internals and longer battery life
- Read more: Zipp ups integration with SL 80 Race bar and Goodyear-made Vector R tyres
Taking back control
The new controls are very different to anything SRAM has produced previously, in appearance very similar to the small pommel and backswept lever of Shimano’s GRX Di2 models but with a touch of Campagnolo’s elegantly curved Ergopower design sprinkled in as well. It’s an interesting move not just to adopt the well-received shape of Force AXS et al., but to develop on top of that, and I think the groupset is better because of that.
‘The move to a higher lever pivot location and push-piston hydraulic system, combined with a recognised need for greater reach adjustment, drove the change,’ says Jason Fowler, SRAM’s road drivetrain product manager.
The new shape both looks and feels a lot more modern, and better accommodates the hand position contemporary riding styles favour. For example, being smaller, the pommel of the control now sits in the palm of the hand more naturally when in a ‘forearms flat’ riding position. The longer control body, which was necessary to accommodate the new push-piston of the hydraulic system, further helps in this regard by creating a touch more reach to hunker down and forward into. The 6mm increase in control body length may prompt some riders to reconsider the sizing of other components, however, but Fowler doesn’t generally think this should be an issue.
More positively, it does have the knock-on effect of offering plenty of space for wrapping three fingers around the lever body. That is itself comfortable, with no indents or bumps under the hood rubber, and more rounded in shape than the rounded rectangle cross-section of Shimano’s Dura-Ace Di2 control bodies. The rider’s index finger naturally falls over the top of the brake lever. Despite that position being disadvantageous from a leverage perspective, updates to the braking system means that the rider can still apply a meaningful amount of force – but I’ll come back to Red’s braking performance properly later.
That more aggressive reach created by the control shape has been balanced by SRAM recommending a setup angle of 7° above horizontal. I’ve found this works to ensure that while there’s the opportunity to get low there, the levers don’t feel too far round the bars when riding in a more relaxed position, as they rise to meet the riders’ hands. If 7° sounds a little too specific, SRAM says the hood grooves are arranged to help make correct setup easier in both horizontal and sagittal planes.
That’s indicative of a design attentiveness that I think SRAM are market leaders in. For example, there’s the obvious simple setup benefit of wireless gearing, but there’s more evidence even down at smallest scale: the hydraulic brake hose barbs have been machined with Torx T8 heads so it’s easy to wind them into (and out of) the hose, and their outside surface is reverse threaded so that olives can securely screw on, as opposed to the more imprecise push-fit approach taken by Shimano and Campagnolo at their hose joins.
Modern groupset reality: touch screens and buttons
New Red AXS’s co-development with Hammerhead’s new Karoo computer is an attempt by SRAM to further extend the groupset’s ease-of-use theme and represents a bonafide area in which SRAM is pioneering new features. After some painless initial setup procedures, the computer connects to the groupset automatically. Features like being able to assess battery life of individual components and alter shift button functions from the head unit itself mean that this is the best-integrated computer on the market (for SRAM users).
The user interface as clean, intuitive and informative, but I wouldn’t say the computer incorporation into the wider groupset system is game-changing at this point in time. However, the co-dependency of the Karoo and Red AXS undoubtedly makes connectivity between the two slicker, and has to be a good move long term: electronic components will only get more advanced (read: complex), requiring more sophisticated and specific operating systems to modify and control them. In that situation, proprietary head units would seem essential, so it seems smart that SRAM has put the infrastructure in place for this progression earlier than its competitors.
The head unit itself deserves a dedicated review, but suffice to say it is an excellent product in its own right, even if Shimano Di2 users aren't offered the same level of groupset connectivity. Thanks to an Android OS and upgraded processor, the user interface is much closer to that of a phone than competitors and near doubled battery life adds some much-needed longevity to the Karoo’s runtime. The high-resolution touchscreen is bright, detailed and responsive, although tactile buttons can operate the computer from its sides too. Red AXS’s ‘Bonus Buttons’ – new buttons on the inside-top of each pommel, again much like the ones on Shimano’s GRX Di2 levers – seem a natural option for toggling through the head unit’s screens. That, in turn, can be programmed from the head unit itself: it’s all nicely thought through, closed-circle stuff.
Alternatively, those pommel buttons are a nice location to actuate shifts from, given that the rider’s thumb is basically already on top of them much of the time, but most gear shifting will obviously be done with the primary shift paddles. Versus old Red eTap AXS, these have been slimmed down and lengthened so that lever reach and bite point (both settings are simply modifiable via easy access screws in and around the levers themselves) can be adjusted to a greater degree without risk of bar contact if the levers are squeezed hard.
In the paddles’ shape shift lies one of my only gripes with new Red AXS. Being thinner fore-aft now, I've found that when I’ve gone to shift gears, my fingertips were often overlapping slightly onto the brake lever. As that doesn't move laterally like the paddle, part of my fingertips would squash/twist against it when I press the shift paddle inward, which was uncomfortable. I would have liked to have seen SRAM step the shift paddles out a millimetre or two relative to the brake lever, in the same way Di2 upshift paddles are. That way, clicking them in would bring them in plane with the brake lever rather than past, avoiding any half on/half off discomfort.
SRAM’s chief engineer, Anthony Medaglia, says this wasn’t feedback the brand received during its extensive development process, and suggested that adjusting the brake lever reach outward may alleviate the issue.
‘We also test rode designs with protruding shift paddles and found that it resulted in frequent unintentional shifts while braking,’ he says. While it’s good to know it was considered, that isn’t something that I’ve ever experienced (or known anyone else to have an issue with) using Shimano’s GRX Di2 levers.
Driving forces
Subjective findings concerning shifter ergonomics aside, the performance of the derailleurs they actuate is more objective. They are pretty darn metronomic in their accuracy and speed. In the rear derailleur that isn’t surprising: since it went electronic, Red’s rear shifting has been beyond reproach and the new Red rear derailleur isn’t all that new, receiving mostly superficial upgrades, such as the cutout outer parallelogram plate and fancy, lower pulley wheel that mimics the look (but not function) of SRAM Eagle Transmission’s ‘Magic’ pulley wheel.
The same consistency could not be said for old Red’s front shifting though, so this is where the new groupset has taken a stride forward. SRAM has introduced a thinner derailleur cage in an attempt to speed up the derailment of the chain from ring to ring (less space in the cage should in theory mean when the derailleur moves it contacts and therefore shifts the chain more quickly) and combined it with an auto-trim feature to ensure the thinner cage doesn’t produce any rub when the chain is at the extremes of the cassette. This has had the effect of speeding up the front shifts and making them more accurate.
In my experience, I’d say that there’s now less to distinguish SRAM Red AXS from the Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 benchmark. Dependent on the individual setup Di2 may still edge AXS, but I do think SRAM has closed the gap enough to make the choice between the two rivals a matter of preference elsewhere rather than front shifting performance.
Gearing up
It’s worth mentioning that SRAM says both derailleurs offer this performance across all Red cassette and chainring ratios in just a single guise respectively, too: i.e. there are no short cage/long cage variants of the rear derailleur or chainring size limits on the front derailleur. This is a win for user-friendliness as it makes it easier for the rider to select the right gearing for them.
It's impressive too when it’s considered that the chainrings are offered in six pairings: 46/33, 48/35, 50/37, 52/39, 54/41, 56/43 (although SRAM says 48/35 is the most popular by a huge margin), and there are now four cassette ratios, with 10-30t and even a wide range 10-36t joining the 10-28t and 10-33t already offered. The way SRAM has gone about its drivetrain should ensure that ideal gearing options should be easy to find and implement for almost everyone.
That said – and I’ll caveat this by saying the following observation is almost too niche to justify including – it would have been nice to see smaller 1x AXS Aero PM chainrings than the 48T and 50T currently offered, as most normal fans of 1x don’t ride at the WorldTour pro speeds required to make those rings plus the 10-36t cassette a viable 1x road setup.
Further leaning into the trend towards modern groupsets’ technological advancement, it is now more common for Red AXS to be offered with a power meter than without. The AXS spider (the Quarq brand and product that SRAM acquired back in 2011 has now been fully homogenised into the AXS ecosystem) remains embedded within the one-piece machined chainrings. It’s another aspect of the groupset that deserves its own review, but anecdotally it has given me no anomalous results or done anything to make me doubt its accuracy.
It should probably go without saying by now, but connectivity to the Karoo 3 was effortless. Fuss has been made by many – myself included – over the environmental friendliness of the integrated design though (the argument being that it’s wasteful to have to ditch the power meter once the rings are worn out) but the longer SRAM has stuck the design, the more convincing it has become in its argument that its chainring design is exceptionally durable.
‘It’s just not really become an issue,’ says Jason Fowler, SRAM’s road drivetrain product manager. ‘The return rate of consumed units has been incredibly low.’
If it brakes, fix it
If it seems remiss of me to neglect talking about new Red’s braking performance until now, know that I’ve been saving the best topic until (near) last. The new shape of the Red controls heavily influences not just ride comfort and shifting experience, but also braking performance too. The revised piston layout has allowed the lever pivot to be shunted much higher up the control body than previously. Combined with changes at the callipers, which are said to be stiffer and clamp on the rotor further outboard, SRAM has modified Red’s braking feel significantly, suggesting it takes an 80% less force to brake from the hoods and a 33% less force to brake from the drops.
While it isn't possible for me to quantify the improvement, the free stroke of the new Red levers does blend much more smoothly into pad contact, which then in turn offers a much wider window for modulation than earlier hydraulic disc brakes. I can't say whether SRAM's striking claims are accurate for certain, but the resultant changes have definitely created a more progressive, natural and easily controlled braking experience than before.
In a similar way to SRAM closing the gap in front shifting to Shimano, the American brand has closed the gap in braking feel to Campagnolo’s system, which I’d have said was previously clearly the market leader in that attribute, with a feel more akin to good old rim brakes. The icing on the cake would have been if SRAM could have afforded the callipers front and rear specific logo orientation, so that the ‘Red’ logo on the front calliper, mounted as it is on the fork leg, sits horizontally rather than precariously past vertical, but perhaps that’s just a bit of OCD on my part.
Weights and prices: SRAM Red AXS vs Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 vs Campagnolo Super Record WRL
Exhaustively assessing the differences between each main maker’s flagship groupset is worth its own article (and will receive one in the near future), but comparing their most basic stats is still worth doing here.
All weights and prices are to be taken with a pinch of salt as they are dependent on several factors such as individual component spec and even where you are in the world, but speaking in rough terms is still valid to see how each measures up.
In weight terms, with Red AXS having gone on a diet it’s broadly a non-event now, with each platform not significantly deviating from the 2,500g mark.
Shimano’s Dura-Ace, with its crankset based power meter, retails for about £4,100. In a similar guise, Red is a similar price, but includes the Karoo head unit. However, Dura-Ace is generally significantly discounted, so it remains to be seen how Red AXS will compare in reality just yet. Campagnolo Super Record WRL, with its new HTTP power meter but without any head unit, comes in around £5,500.
Perhaps more importantly given that most consumers will be buying the groupsets as original equipment on fully built bikes, Red will be consistently offered at a similar price point to Dura-Ace. The few bike brands that offer Super Record WRL are understandably significantly more expensive.
SRAM Red AXS: Wrapping things up
Overall, if feels like SRAM has done a tidy job of updating its Red AXS platform. The brand has brought its top-tier design back to the forefront of groupset technology, however, in comparison to last generation’s update this one is a lot more conservative, with more of a sense of consolidating in areas it needed to rather than forging ahead as boldly as it has done in the past.
For example, when asked why new Red AXS didn’t adopt the brand’s innovative Eagle full-mount rear derailleur design (which SRAM’s UDH hanger standard has been setting up for on road for a couple of years already now), Fowler said that ‘we wanted to shed weight over the previous generation while having marginal gains on the performance side’. It feels like a missed opportunity to push the envelope. Likewise, it would have been great to see Eagle’s threaded chainrings incorporated into Red’s crankset design as well, rather than the superficial change we got. Ho-hum – perhaps these are both things to look forward to next time.
Coming out of grump mode, new Red AXS has served up plenty of highlights. In dramatically reshaping the controls and adjusting brake kinematics, it has gone from ostensibly lagging behind the groupsets below it in SRAM’s range to surpassing them. Looking at the wider market, Red’s weight has been brought into line with rivals, as has its braking and front shifting. With rumblings of both Campagnolo and Shimano going 13-speed wireless in their next groupset updates, only time will tell whether SRAM has done enough not to lose ground this time round, but for right now, SRAM Red AXS is as good as anything you can buy.
- For more information on SRAM Red AXS, visit sram.com
