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Unveiled! New 2012 SRAM Red – Lighter, Quieter, More Aero, Better Ergonomics

2012 New SRAM Red ExoGram crankset
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2012 New SRAM Red ExoGram crankset

First things first, it’s being called the new 2012 SRAM Red, not 2013. Second, it’s simply the new Red, there are no new group names. We hear there was some internal debate on renaming it to ease confusion for OEM customers and distributors given that there is Red Black, Red LTD Tour Yellow, etc., but turns out, no. And the rumored hydraulic disc brakes? Yes, they’re coming. Officially. Just not until Fall. Now that we’ve got that cleared up, let’s dive into details.

The overriding goal with the group’s redesign was to make it more aerodynamic, lighter weight and resolve some of the niggling issues that kept forum trolls busy. Issues like excessive noise from the cassette, weak front shifting on TT bikes, particularly with the first generation original Red front derailleur, and the lack of proper front derailleur trim.

All three could merit design changes on their own, but the new group tackled all major complaints head on. Then they looked where seemingly no one else was looking: aerodynamics. While Shimano and Campy were busy rolling out new electronic groups and apparently working on adding cogs, SRAM was quietly toiling away to make the lightest component group even lighter. Their stated goal was to refine the parts down to the bare minimum, removing any “glitz, smoke and mirrors” to make the best performing, most comfortable system on the market.

Here’s how they did it…

OVERVIEW

In addition to the noise and front shifting, particular attention was paid to the lever ergonomics and overall appearance. The official PR statement is:

For 2012, SRAM RED continues the tradition as the leader in light weight, flawless shifting, superior ergonomics, aerodynamics, and aesthetic styling. How did we improve on the world’s best mechanical gruppo? We started with everything we knew, and then we literally started over. Each component was engineered with the twin goals of eliminating the superfluous while focusing on an overall synergy that translates into unmatched performance. Elegant and simple, SRAM RED perfects the riding experience through genuine innovation.

Claimed weight for the system with BB30 cranks is a mere 1739g. Pretty good considering the front derailleur actually gained 16g. More impressive is that those running standard bottom brackets will see an even larger overall weight drop.

The new color is called Falcon Grey/Black. The group will offer a new power meter system from Quarq with a full integrated crankset option.

YAW FRONT DERAILLEUR

2012 SRAM Red YAW front derailleur

The piece getting the most pre-launch attention is the front derailleur, and for good reason. Chainrub is among the most annoying noises on a ride, and not being able to trim the FD to fix it makes your head want to explode. About a year ago, SRAM’s road PR manager Michael Zellman told us about an upgrade to Red that would allow for trim in the small ring. Then, on the eve of our embargo date ending, they pulled the plug on it. Now we know why.

2012 SRAM Red front derailleur YAW diagram

The new YAW front derailleur uses rotating cage that maintains “a consistent angular relationship with the chain”. Essentially, by using uneven parallel arms that, combined with a heavily shaped cage, keeps the front derailleur cage in the same plane as the chain regardless of its position on the cassette. They claim it eliminates the need to trim. It’s a simple solution that wasn’t simple to achieve:

“This technology is the reason our original concept for fixing trim was canceled. It requires brilliant engineering. They had to dream. When you get something that rotates unnaturally, it takes real out of the box thinking. As the tail of the FD cage lifts up, it twists such that’s always generally pointing at the center of the cassette.”

To improve strength and stiffness to get better shifting, they moved away from the hardened titanium cage of the original. The YAW front derailleur gets a steel inner plate to push the chain outward and alloy on top to pull it down. This is the same as current Force and Rival FDs.

2012 SRAM Red front derailleur features with integrated chain catcher

Given the rotational movement, initial setup is key. The top of the cage has guides to help you line it up with the chain. Lastly, it gets a super low profile spring and integrated chain spotter to protect your frame. The Chain Spotter installs independently of the front derailleur and adjusts with a clever little side facing bolt that’s hopefully accessible through the chainrings. It adds just 12g if you choose to use it, and a little piece of K-Edge’s soul dies every time you do.

Mark Santurbane, the lead designer on the front derailleur, says “What’s unique about the YAW derailleur is that when the cage moves outward, it doesn’t maintain parallelism with the chainrings. There’s a virtual pivot point that allows it to stay in line with the extreme ends of the cassette, and it allowed us to completely eliminate the trim in the shifter lever, too. It makes for a more fluid, quicker lever feel, too.

“Our goal was to do things that make sense to us and make our rides better. We wanted to make front shifts and never have to think about it again. It wasn’t just about creating no trim, it was also to improve up and down shifting. We started playing with the four-bar linkage, and that allowed us to keep a really narrow Q-Factor and come up with the new motion. It wasnt so much of an ‘aha’ moment. We knew what we wanted to achieve, so we messed around with a lot of different mechanisms to create a custom solution.”

Now the bad news: It’s not compatible with the current gen (original) Red levers. Because of the modified pivots and links, SRAM had to change the cable pull. Those looking to upgrade in sections will at least need to get the new levers along with the front derailleur. It’s optimized to work with the new X-Glide chainrings.

AEROGLIDE REAR DERAILLEUR

2012 New SRAM Red AeroGlide rear derailleur

The new Red rear derailleur promises quieter, smoother action. And it’s lighter, thanks to a hollow titanium cable anchor bolt, leaner inside carbon cage arm and basic shape refinements. It also gets an updated spring-fixed barrel adjuster to make quick tweaks easy, and it’s more aero.

One of the complaints with the old system was noise, particularly from the back end, and it’s not all from the cassette. To address this, SRAM developed new, heavily shaped AeroGlide pulleys that claim to damp sound. They come stock with ceramic bearings.

Thanks to an extended B-knuckle (the part between the cable barrel adjuster and the mounting bolt), it’ll better clear 28T road cassettes. While the front derailleur won’t be compatible with Exact Actuation, the rear derailleur is, which means you can swap in longer cage XX / XO derailleurs and cassettes.

2012 SRAM Red rear derailleur cable run is vastly improved

Lastly, anyone that’s installed a Red rear derailleur knows it’s all to easy to run the cable incorrectly from the entry point to the anchor bolt, resulting in a very frustrating 10 minutes of not being able to figure out why in God’s name it’s not shifting correctly. Thankfully, SRAM has revised the cable run around a leverage arm that should not only eliminate misguided installation attempts but actually make it much easier to hold and secure the cable.

“We touched every detail, and part of improving the overall experience was making it easier to get on quickly and correctly,” said Santurbane. “The new lever arm that routes the cable on the rear derailleur also helps reduce shifter pressure required to move the chain up and down the gears.”

POWERDOME-X CASSETTE

2012 New SRAM Red Powerdome-X cassette

This is the one upgrade we could have told you was coming three years ago. After the success (and extremely light weight) of the design on SRAM’s mountain bike groups, it’s only natural the road going version got machined out, too. Weight savings 20g less than the original, which may not sound like much at first, but that includes StealthRing elastomers between each cog.

The middle eight cogs are machined from a solid piece of heat treated, high grade tool steel, resulting in a piece they say is lighter even than a titanium cassette while offering better durability. The largest cog is aluminum and has a machined backplate to both reduce weight and improve stiffness. Interestingly, the cutouts between cogs are only between the 7th, 8th and 9th cogs.

Why not more cutouts?

“Our engineers got to a point where they had to balance strength with weight savings,” said Zellman. “It also adds cost and complexity and time to manufacture. As it is, it takes 70 minutes to manufacturer each cassette.”

Size ranges aren’t listed yet, but we expect them to mimic the 11-23 up to 11-28 range currently available.

2012 SRAM Red Powerdome-X cassette with StealthRing elastomer noise damping diagram

Beyond the hardcore chiseling, the X-DOME cassette gets StealthRing elastomer inserts to quiet the ride by damping noise and vibration. Along with enhanced tooth profiles, SRAM says the new combination of AeroGlide rear derailleur and Powerdome-X cassette is very quiet and very smooth.

What about StealthRing wear and replacement?

“They last a long time. We’ve been doing testing and they’ve never failed, but they are a replaceable part. And you can use the cassette without them. For a normal rider, you’ll wear out your cassette and chain first,” Zellman said.

“The real noise reduction comes from the cassette. The cut outs on the back plate mean less resonance, and the elastomers really damp it.”

EXOGRAM CRANKSET

2012 New SRAM Red ExoGram crankset

The new ExoGram cranksets are a true hollow core design, eliminating the foam core of yore to drop more weight while retaining arm stiffness. It’s hollow all the way to the spider with a metal insert at the pedal threads. It’s also bigger, but uses less material. The result is an astonishingly lightweight crankset that comes in at just 557g for BB30 and 609g for GXP. Granted, these weights are for a 172.5mm length and without BB, but they are with full size standard 53×39 rings.

To do this, they used a patented process that they aren’t really revealing, but imagine something that’s able to to expand then be removed through a very small hole and you get the idea.

“We think they’re likely the stiffest cranks available, they’re definitely the stiffest we’ve ever made,” claims Zellman. “We don’t have an exact percentage of how much stiffer than the prior generation. Yet.”

2012 SRAM Red ExoGram crankarm cutaway

One of the weight savings tricks for the BB30 crankset is that they’ve co-molded the spindle into the non-drive crank arm, which reduces total material use.

Further increasing stiffness a new full carbon spider design with a hidden bolt pattern and the new X-Glide chainrings. In the diagram above, you can see the fifth chainring bolt attaches directly into the arm, reducing independent arms to four, which improves stiffness while also lowering weight. The rings are thicker, machined from 5mm 7075-T6 aluminum plates, with improved ramps and pins for quick, precise shifting, particularly under power. These are optimized to work with the new YAW front derailleur. They’ll be available in GXP, PressFit, BB30 and PressFit30 in a wider range of lengths. Look for at least 170, 172.5, 175 and 177.5 at launch with some new, shorter lengths on tap.

Thankfully, they use current 110 compact and 130 standard BCD’s, no new standards. Both chainrings mount using a single set of bolts.

QUARQ POWER METER EXOGRAM CRANKSET

2012 New SRAM Red ExoGram crankset with integrated Quarq power meter

SRAM took full advantage of the group redesign and fully incorporated a Quarq power meter into the crankset, their first integrated cooperative effort since acquiring the brand in 2011. The only visible part is the (tool-free, user replaceable!) battery cover, everything else is hidden inside the crankarm and spider for a seamless look. The design also protects the electronics from the elements and debris or wrecks. Using new stress flow technology, SRAM says accuracy is improved to +/- 1.5%. The design measures power independently of the chainrings, meaning you can easily swap rings, including TT chainrings, without affecting the calibration or performance. It uses PowerBalance and ANT+, and the ANT+ ID number is clearly marked on the crankset to ease setup. A small LED indicates battery and power, and the system uses a common CR3032 button battery.

PowerBalance is their new feature that measures left and right leg power measurements. Here’s how:

“What it does is compare the first half of the pedal stroke, which is dominated by the right leg, and the second half, which is dominated by the left leg,” said Jim Meyer, Quarq founder and technical director. “If you were doing one-legged drills, you’d see a 50/50 split evenly. But when you’re pedaling normally, it’ll give you a very good idea of true side-to-side power.

“It won’t be able to detect if you’re driving with your right or lifting with your left, but you’ll be able to see the differences between each side. Basically it shows the useful part of side-to-side power balance, particularly for injury recovery. We’re testing now with pro athletes to better learn how they’ll use the additional information.”

This is their first complete power meter redesign for Quarq since they launched in 2006, and it’s built around the new Red group exclusively. The new OmniCal technology is what allows the power measurement to be independent of chainring selection. Particularly with solid disc TT rings, chainrings can have a different physical effect on the cranks. Stiffness matters more than chainring diameter according to Meyer. They used FEA analysis to determine how to work around that. It’s a strain gauge based technology, with 10 gauges buried under an aluminum cover near the base of the spider. And it’s compatible with any ANT+ power meter as long as you’ve got updated firmware. In the future, they’re looking to move it to other brands of cranksets, but it’s currently not backwards compatible with existing Quarq power meters.

UPDATE: ExoGram Power cranksets will be $1995 for GXP and $2045 for BB30. Standard 53/39 GXP will be available in April, other sizes and BB30 models will follow in May.

AEROLINK BRAKES

2012 New SRAM Red AeroLink brakes

While we thought we’d hear more about aerodynamics across the entire group, it’s the brakes that are getting the most attention in that department. The new AeroLink brakes use a small leverage arm to increase braking power without adding weight or too much complexity. Using a simple multi-link mechanism, the cable pulls a small arm that, through the link, magnifies the travel of the caliper arms to improve power and modulation.

2012 SRAM Red AeroLink brakes diagram

Remarkably, even with the added linkages, the entire package is both smaller and lighter than the previous model.

2012 SRAM Red Aerolink brakes features and aerodynamic details

To improve aerodynamics, virtually every point was considered. The biggest improvement simply comes from the narrower frontal profile, of course. But every little piece was tweaked, from a directional barrel adjuster and slim release lever to low profile cable pinch bolt and recessed spring tension adjuster screws.

SwissStop Flash Pro pads are included, and the brakes open up to a max of 31mm, letting you run them on the current crop of wider road wheels and clear fatter tires, up to 28mm.

ERGODYNAMICS HOODS – DOUBLE TAP SHIFT / BRAKE LEVERS

2012 New SRAM Red ErgoDynamic shifter brake levers

The DoubleTap shift/brake levers get a number of refinements, mainly to do with ergonomics and comfort. They retain the carbon fiber levers and titanium construction, but get new ErgoDynamics hoods with easily accessible independent reach adjust for both brake and shift levers.

  • Narrower hood with new ErgoGrip texture and redesigned finger wrap shape. Not only should this be more comfy, but it’ll offer a more streamlined transition to the bar, particularly when running thin bar tape.
  • Reach Adjustment is now, um, more reachable and easier to adjust, using a small allen wrench to change the angle of the shift lever.
  • Larger ErgoBlade shift lever for easier shifting from the drops, but upper arms is thinner for more finger clearance on the hoods. It’s also a bit longer, which gives you more leverage and contributes to a lighter overall feel.
  • Zero Actuation feature remains, meaning they start moving cable as soon as you start moving the lever.
  • New clamp/mount for easier adjustment and fit, particularly on carbon and ergo handlebars.

2012 SRAM Red ErgoDynamic brake levers diagram

All told, these changes play into the “Performance Advantage” theme SRAM’s touting. After all, a comfortable rider is a faster rider. The ErgoGrip’s narrower profile lets you more easily get your fingers around the hoods and put more fingers under them. That, combined with the more pronounced knob on the end, gives you a better grip, particularly for out-of-the-saddle sprints. It’s also great for riders with smaller hands.

Will it remain narrower when they introduce the hydraulic version? “No comment.”

OTHER BITS

While the weight stays the same, the new PC 1091R chain gets revised chamfer outer plate profiles and a new inner plate finish and chrome hardened hollow pins. The result claims to be improved durability (less chain stretch) and quieter operation. It’s still omni-directional, though, not directional like with Shimano’s newer chains.

WEIGHTS & PRICING

Without resorting to trading performance (stiffness) or durability (carbon cogs) for weight, we’re reaching the limits of how light major components can get. SRAM did manage to drop the New Red group’s weight down, but we’re imagining future improvements are going to continue to lean toward performance gains (continual refinement of aerodynamics, stiffness, ergonomics) and functionality (say what you will, but 11-speeds and  electronic shifting will eventually come to SRAM, too, if we were betting folk). Enough with the speculation, here are the facts:

NEW RED OLD RED SAVINGS PRICE
Front Der. (braze-on) 74g 58g -16g $137 (€118)
Rear Der. 145g 153g 8g $358 (€308)
Cassette (11-23) 135g 155g 20g $335 (€289)
ExoGram GXP Crankset (Std) 714g 760g 46g $451 (€388)
ExoGram BB30 Crankset (Std) 610g 630g 20g $494 (€425)
DoubleTap Shift Levers 280g 280g 0g $639 (€550)
Brakes 240g 265g 25g $351 (€302)
PG 1091 Chain (unchanged) 255g 255g 0g $84 (€75)
Powermeter GXP Crankset 883g $TBD (€TBD)
* crankset weights include BB, separate weights lists within post
BB30 GROUP WEIGHT 1739g 1796g 57g $2,398 (€2,067)
GXP GROUP WEIGHT 1843g 1926g 83g $2,355 (€2,030)
* group weights are claimed & exclude cables

AVAILABILITY

SRAM says all items will be available March 1 or thereabouts. The chain and bottom brackets, unchanged, are available now…which means the new stuff will work with current gen (see chart below). They’ve been showing it to OEM partners for at least 6 months, many for up to a year, so look for it to start coming on 2013 bikes or even mid-year rolling model changes very early this year.

ANYTHING ELSE?

2012 SRAM Red new parts compatibility chart

Just to recap, here’s what will work retroactively and what you’ll need to upgrade. It’s also perhaps why some folks were hoping for a new group name.

Look for AG2R La Mondiale, Astana Pro Team, Liquigas-Cannondale, Omega Pharma-Quick-Step Cycling Team and Team Saxo Bank to be riding the new parts this season.

They’ve also already put out this tech video about derailleur installation.

Given the speculation about disc brakes coming with the new group, it’s easy to forget about the fairly amazing advances already mentioned. But, once the cat’s out of the bag, whether true or not, the rumors need to be addressed:

WHAT ABOUT HYDRAULIC OR DISK BRAKES?

Yes, they’re coming, but not until Fall 2012. That’s as specific as they’d get with a date. Here’s the official statement:

It’s been rumored that SRAM is developing RED level road hydraulic brakes. We want to confirm this and let you know that we are currently working on a hydraulic disc brake and a hydraulic rim brake. Information on pricing will come at a later date and no photos are currently available. Key features:

• Hydraulic disc brake: RED level / Drop bar DoubleTap lever actuated / All new master cylinder and caliper / 140-160mm discs
• Hydraulic rim brake: RED level / Drop bar DoubleTap lever actuated / tire clearance up to 28C / Firecrest rim compatible

Why not launch with a disc option?

“The focus here is on the Red group, and that’s what we want to focus on for now,” Zellman said. “Hydraulics is a big discussion, you might see something at Sea Otter.”

WHY NOT ELECTRONIC OR 11 SPEEDS?

Our internal sources indicated this group has been in development long before 11-speeds starting making the rumor rounds. Those same sources suggest anyone would be a fool to dismiss such progress. Read into that what you will.

As for electronic, SRAM’s made a pretty significant “No Batteries Required” marketing statement. Whether that eventually looks shortsighted or not, here’s Zellman’s official statement on both matters:

“No comment.”

TESTING

We’re pretty excited to get some hands on time with the New SRAM Red. It addresses all of the concerns folks had with the original, gets lighter and more aero and even claims to improve comfort. So far, we’re not seeing anything we don’t like. SRAM says test units should be available for us to play with before  they hit the market, so look for some actual weights and more as soon as we get them in.

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34 Comments
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Brattercakes
Brattercakes
12 years ago

No comment.

Rick S
Rick S
12 years ago

Zzzzzzz….

Gerald
Gerald
12 years ago

It’s “Quarq” not Quarc…..

Matthew
Matthew
12 years ago

I’m sorry, but after all the fuss this falls very short to Campagnolo Record, not to mention SR. And Shimano Di2 and Campagnolo EPS play a completely different game that is th future of cycling and Sram will enter soon or just will be out of the top end.

Nathan
12 years ago

The cable pull shouldn’t matter on the friction-based TT shifter so the FD should work fine in that application I assume?
However, does this mean a revised R2C shifter is on its way / is required?

sever
sever
12 years ago

haha…these Debbie Downer comments make me laugh. Ignorance is bliss, I guess. Still, if the future of cycling has a price tag of $2500 for electronic shifters (that you push a button, and, wow, it shifts!…kinda like mechanical, eh?), FD, RD, and then you still have to buy a crankset, BB, brakes, then I think the mechanical option will be viable for some time to come. I think we’d be crazy to assume SRAM hasn’t at least got electronic on the radar, and when it comes out, the boo-birds will be back just like they were when DI2 and Campy EPS were released. The one rule of forums that always holds true is “Nobody likes anything”.

ti
ti
12 years ago

someway looks like XTR 😀

Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck
12 years ago

I was looking forward to SRAM Orange for 2012. Maybe by the time 2013 comes around they’ll decide that SRAM Yellow can be the hotness.

This is all until SRAM UV drops in 2019!

wv cycling
12 years ago

This is… their third cassette redesign? PG / OG / the Red solid cassette, now this?

Xris
Xris
12 years ago

I’m looking forward to the new lever design. The old ones just never seemed to fit correctly. The FD yaw angle is interesting and hopefully it works as well as they say it does. Not the insane weight savings everyone was thinking of but a fair chunk is gone anyways. I’d love to try it for a new build but I think my heart is still set on Di2.

Chris
Chris
12 years ago

The new levers look pretty comfy and I’ve always like that Sram has a lot fewer parts inside than Shimano or Campy.

I think the most interesting and innovative part is the built in chain catcher for the front derailleur. That’s an idea that’s been long overdue.

As for the whole aerodynamics thing, anyone who thinks that matters is an idiot. BTW am I the only person old enough to remember DuraAce AX, Modolo Kronos, and some of the other aerodynamic components from 25+ years ago? Just goes to show there’s very little that’s truly new in cycling.

Russell
Russell
12 years ago

Aerodynamic barrel adjusters are just what are needed to help me finally win a race!

Gregory
Gregory
12 years ago

Many nice features but the branding is a bit much. It’s going to take a lot of work to remove that stuff but I’ll do it anyway.

DRC
DRC
12 years ago

I guess this means my current Red setup is going to sell for less when I upgrade to Ultegra Di2…

JR Z
JR Z
12 years ago

Whoa, that whole group weighs as much as one of my fatbike tires…ONE…and costs more than my entire fatbike! I bet I have more fun with mine, though…o7o…

Derek
Derek
12 years ago

FEA analysis.

ATM machine.

PIN number.

LCD display.

WannaBeSTi
WannaBeSTi
12 years ago

I’ve been riding SR since it came out. The only thing I’ve had to replace were a few chains and break pads. I think SR has a place against S and C, but I think it is a little narrow sighted to blast them for coming out with another mechanical group. In typical SRAM fashion, they are coming up with new ideas to answer problems/ issues.

What’s being said in my shop about the new group:
*Shifter design looks like it will feel better (from a Campag or die kind of guy)
*Cassette looks like it’ll be a lot quieter…Ronnie, I’ve never noticed yours…
*Crank looks awesome
*Can’t wait to install a front derailleur. Looks like it’ll take a lot of guesswork out.
*Awesome reach adjustment location

Xfimpg
Xfimpg
12 years ago

I buy the cheapest SRAM parts I can find. Next.

TheDude
TheDude
12 years ago

as Grandpa Simpson says: “bitch bitch bitch.”

this new Red looks like it’ll be great.

satisFACTORYrider
12 years ago

how frail does a roadie have to be in order to tell the weight savings?

Adam
Adam
12 years ago

So according to SRAM you have a HUGE error on this page- This is the 2013 product. The Sram Red 2012 is already out, in stores and on bikes…

Gillis
Gillis
12 years ago

@adam: It’s clearly pointed out several times that this is 2012 product. What is out now I’m assuming is just turned over 2011 product. “AVAILABILITY: SRAM says all items will be available March 1 or thereabouts.”
They are clearly not holding to typical model/year calender in this case.

I’m curious if that new shifter profile is adjusted to accommodate the master cylinder or if they will use a whole new shape for that.

Gillis
Gillis
12 years ago

small addendum to my comment above:
While new/updated groups are usually introduced to the public in the fall at Euro or Interbike, typically they aren’t available for sale until the spring. This case isn’t too far off that metric

Matt
Matt
12 years ago

I love how everyone is talking bad about the new stuff but NO ONE has ridden any of it yet. Maybe all this stuff they have done they actually did for a reason. No electronic, PERFECT! No 11 speed PERFECT! I dig it and can’t wait to try it out and make in informed decision once i get it on my bike.

Larry Falk
Larry Falk
12 years ago

One thing all the electronic boosters are forgetting is that many of the upgrades are transferable to an electronic SRAM group (if SRAM builds one). If the yaw FD works on a variety of frames and really doesn’t need to be trimmed, then all of a sudden SRAM has potentially figured out the geometry for an electronic FD that doesn’t need power trimming thereby saving battery power/ wear & tear, etc… I personally think this version of RED looks awesome (and all the other top groups looks awesome, too!)!

Frank
Frank
12 years ago

Was there any word on if Force or Rival will be getting the upgraded hydraulic brakes in fall? Some of us can’t afford $600+ brifters.

WannaBeSTi
WannaBeSTi
12 years ago

@Frank~ SRAM hasn’t released the RED system and you’re already asking for Force and Rival!? You’re like those auto-flush toilets that flushes before your done. The new RED looks to be the sh!t. Let them pinch it off.

ejprez
ejprez
12 years ago

Mechincal will be around for a long time. The fact that SRAM didn’t produce an electric shifting group is probably because they don’t quite have the resources to produce one. Let the other 2 guys make and refine their groups and make one that surpasses them. Dura ace Electric, but mostly mech is going 11 speed supposedly so Shimano isn’t giving up on it anytime soon.

Specialized Rider
Specialized Rider
12 years ago

talk trash all you want, coming from a mechanic AND rider standpoint, this new RED is amazing. I dont sit and read articles and go to the nearest shop and pay them to put it on then complain. These designs are changing the game, even if you dont really realize it. Criticize that they arent making 11 speed or electronic, who cares if this weighs as much as your one fat tire. How much does your groupset ON your fat tire bike weigh? As much as your fat tire frame?? It’s the lightest groupset out there, what happens when they decide to make 11 speed and/or electronic? They will make the lightest, most efficient 11 speed and electronic, and then you will all look like idiots for saying they are falling behind. They are learning to walk before they run, this way they wont run right into a wall… Electronic is cool and all, but what happened to the aesthetics of tuning your bike to feel flawless? building up your bike, getting on it and feeling that shifting YOU dialed in. Would you encourage your workplace to design robots to do your job?? And how often are you out riding and find yourself searching for that 11th speed… stop sitting and spinning and power up that hill..

LOOK586
LOOK586
12 years ago

hahahahahaha
A lot of douchebags in here and useless coments like this one from…

JR Z – 02/01/12 – 12:45pm
Whoa, that whole group weighs as much as one of my fatbike tires…ONE…and costs more than my entire fatbike! I bet I have more fun with mine, though…o7o…)

Ok fat boy, congratulation on your fat bike.

How can you comment on a group that is not even out yet. The new upgrades seem very smart especially the FD and I love the design of the crank. SRAM is reminding me of 991 911…they still sell cars with a stick.

funnytanlines
funnytanlines
12 years ago

i’m interested in how the new design will trickle down to force, rival and apex as well. the majority of consumers don’t buy the highest-end components. shimano & campy have always had excellent lower gruppos with little sacrifice in performance or reliability. from my personal experience with rival (two broken rear shifters), sram cares little for reliability in the lower end.

123
123
11 years ago

I’m just curious about the chaincatcher business. Also,how does that chaincatcher solve the problem where A.Schleck’s chain in 09 derailed from the bottom of the inner chainring instead of the top?

Shortandcurlies
11 years ago

Well my order is placed and when it comes I will fit it and then go for a ride!
I have always foundSR to be superb and look forward to the re-designed FD as this has been the only area of concern that I have ever had.
As for weight saving and better aero, at 6’2″ and 14st I doubt that it will make much difference for me so I will just stick to eating one less pie before I go for a ride!

Yarrow
Yarrow
11 years ago

technical prowess aside this groupo is really very good looking.

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