SRAM Goes 1×13! SRAM Red XPLR. Sorry MTBers, it’s gravel only

Today, SRAM is launching SRAM Red XPLR – a brand new 13-speed, single chainring groupset. Before mountain bikers get too excited, although it’s an off …

By chipps

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SRAM Goes 1×13! SRAM Red XPLR. Sorry MTBers, it’s gravel only

nice. How long until I can pick the groupset up half price @ Merlin?

Although it requires a UDH frame? Which is virtually no gravel bikes (at the moment)?

Any backwards compatibility?

i.e. Could those new hoods work with 12 speed mechs?

How about the shiny new Direct mount mech?

Can the batteries from ‘old’ Rival AXS 12 speed fit in the new Red mech?

Have any of you journalists asked SRAM yet?

I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess probably not to most of the above…

But also 10-46t cassette except with one extra increment?

If it’s really pitched at ‘gravel’ surely SRAM should be offering a bit more range?

I think this is more aimed towards nudging Endurance Road bikes to go 1x.

44t chainring with a 10-46 cassette is pretty close to the range of 50/34 with an 11-32 or 11-34…

It might be ‘new stuff’ envy but I always get the impression that gravel and road stuff (In modern advertising that should probs read GRVL and RD, apologies) is just a bit better designed. Or at least had more though to aesthetics and design in the development process.

Mountain bike stuff always look a bit agricultural by comparison.

Sorry MTBers, it’s gravel only

No need to apologize.

If it’s really pitched at ‘gravel’ surely SRAM should be offering a bit more range. I think this is more aimed towards nudging Endurance Road bikes to go 1x.

Gravel Racing groupset innit.

I’ve completely lost track of what groupsets SRAM does these days. I remember when it was Apex, Rival, Force and Red in 1x or 2x for drop bars and SX through XX1 for MTB.

Now it’s all Transmission, XPLR but also with the other ones that already existed?

Tbh doesn’t really have a huge impact on my life.

I only like groupsets with an even number of gears (8, 10, 12)

Odd numbered sets make my teeth itch.

Just me?

@elray89 – think of it like this:

There’s Road – which is eTap, gravel which is XPLR and Mountain bike which is Eagle.

The bands within road and gravel (the Dura Ace, Ultegra etc) levels are: Red, Force and Rival.

Mountain biking has XX, XO, GX, NX and SX… I think :-)

@nickc and @cookeaa – as for the extra range, I think the idea is that at the top end of the range, you have close ratios 10, 11, 12… and you have a couple more teeth with the 46T at the other end. SRAM has always said that anyone needing more low end than the original 10-44T should look at an Eagle AXS 10-50 or 52 setup, which works with the drop bar shifters fine.

My big theory is that there are two, diverging groups of gravel. One is all about aero and power meters and going fast on graded cinder tracks. And the other group is doing 1990s mountain biking. The first group wants smooth shifting and regular cadence, whereas the second group wants lower gears and better brakes… Unfortunately, I’ve found that many of the product developers at both Shimano and SRAM tend to be flat-out-fast ex-road or cyclocross racers who are all about ultimate speed over trail versatility…

My big theory is that there are two, diverging groups of gravel. One is all about aero and power meters and going fast on graded cinder tracks. And the other group is doing 1990s mountain biking.

exactly. This should really work for both camps though – it has way more range than the 1×11 GRX I’m running at the moment. I would buy it but for a) the horrendous cost and b) won’t work on my bike :)

@chipps – thanks! That makes sense a bit more now. I use Shimano generally but for some reason I’ve always been a dork about groupsets. I have let my knowledge slip the past 3 or 4 years!

I’m just glad Campag doesn’t have an mtb kit, then I would really be in trouble.

SRAM Goes 1×13! SRAM Red XPLR. Sorry MTBers, it’s gravel only

13, unlucky for some

All arguments about ratio, shaven or hairy, compatibility and SRAM usual over complexity aside, that’s a very nice looking group set.

Who needs this?

Personally I’m not interested at all.

Give me 10 speed and I’m happy.

@cookeaa I’ve been sifting through the FAQ for you…

Are any of the components on the new SRAM RED XPLR AXS groupset backwards compatible?

The shift-brake controls of your new SRAM RED XPLR AXS will work with prior generations. It is also compatible with all AXS controls, all road Flattop chains, and all wide 1x crank arms. However, because the 13-speed Full Mount rear derailleur is optimized to work with the RED XPLR XG-1391 cassette, those parts of the drivetrain are not backwards compatible.

What is the difference between SRAM RED XPLR AXS and Eagle Transmission?
With our lightest Full Mount derailleur, SRAM RED XPLR AXS was designed especially for gravel riders and to fit gravel bikes. Featuring optimized shifting speed and smoothness with a 13-speed 10-46 cassette, RED XPLR AXS provides the range and tighter gearing steps that gravel riders need. SRAM Eagle Transmission also utilizes a robust Full Mount rear derailleur, but is designed around a 12-speed wide-range 10-52t Eagle cassette and is specifically designed for mountain bikes.

As for the battery, SRAM only makes one AXS battery as far as I know. SRAM says “The same battery is compatible with front and rear eTap AXS derailleurs, Eagle AXS derailleurs, Reverb AXS seatposts, and Flight Attendant suspension.”

Looks amazing, but £4k is a bit steep!

Can see the benefits to a certain type of rider. I just went 1x on my winter (only) road bike,  cheap 11 speed Apex group from Cotic clearance shop. Running 46t ring and 11-42 cassette and range is similar to previous 2x set up but the jumps in the bigger cogs are noticeable. I usually ride alone (and slowly) so not a big deal for me, but could see for faster riders in groups, the big jumps might not be great.

I liked bikes more when things were a bit less bonkers. And more of it was relevant.

I know this isn’t a new bit of the design for this groupset but how does direct mount deal with the issue of derailleur strike i.e. does it mean either a frame break or new mech time, or is there a built in failsafe ?

@cookeaa I’ve been sifting through the FAQ for you…

Cheers, and interesting, I read that as you could perhaps pair the levers with a 12 speed MTB mech/cassette for broader range… I think(?)

But the Red mech will never talk to anything other than 13 sprockets. Good that they’ve not frigged the battery interface either.

My big theory is that there are two, diverging groups of gravel. One is all about aero and power meters and going fast on graded cinder tracks. And the other group is doing 1990s mountain biking. The first group wants smooth shifting and regular cadence, whereas the second group wants lower gears and better brakes… Unfortunately, I’ve found that many of the product developers at both Shimano and SRAM tend to be flat-out-fast ex-road or cyclocross racers who are all about ultimate speed over trail versatility…

I don’t think 2x gravel groups are some sinister closet roady conspiracy, or that ‘Gravel cycling‘ is just two polarised groups of competitors and reborn 90s MTBers.

1x is mechanically simpler, ideal if you’re not doing epics every weekend and want a bike you pick up, ride and bung back in the shed after with minimal maintenance and complexity. 2x (with a sub-compact chainset) gives you range and increments which is useful if going further and/or loaded up over a mixture of surfaces, yes as well as for racing. 1x is great, but hasn’t always been perfect for all flavours of Gravel bike… 2x still has some utility for lots of people, not just born again roadies.

…until you get to the point of having 13+ sequential gears over the sort of range this Red group offers, it’s close to the tipping point of offering the same useful ratios in similar increments to a 2x compact road group, without the faff of front shifting. like I said, I can see this getting specced on Endurance road bikes as much as gravel bikes. But they could easily have gone a bit bigger or offered the option.

Let’s not forget Campag tried flogging 1×13 clicks first with ‘Ekar’ and that was very much a Roadies 1x offering with less useful range, it didn’t sell well though did it. I reckon SRAM are hedging their bets, they know the bike companies would dearly love to bin front mechs from as much of their range as possible but plenty of their customers are convinced yet…

“My big theory is that there are two, diverging groups of gravel. One is all about aero and power meters and going fast on graded cinder tracks. And the other group is doing 1990s mountain biking. The first group wants smooth shifting and regular cadence, whereas the second group wants lower gears and better brakes… Unfortunately, I’ve found that many of the product developers at both Shimano and SRAM tend to be flat-out-fast ex-road or cyclocross racers who are all about ultimate speed over trail versatility…”

I think Chipps is right and that effectively answers the question about direct mount

less useful range, it didn’t sell well though did it

Ekar has 9-42 & 10-48 cassettes (among many other options). Demand seems low though, in the UK at least, can’t disagree with that. Will be interesting to see if SRAM have more success. I suspect sponsorship and marketing could shift the dial for them where it hasn’t for Campagnolo. Oh, and a much bigger OEM presence of course.

Ekar has 9-42 & 10-48 cassettes

Really? I was only aware of a 9-36 and 9-42, perhaps that was only on release (?), ether way I read the reviews and specs when it came out, did some quick sums and decided it was a useless, expensive drivetrain (at a time when SRAM and Shimano were offering the same or more range in 11 speed for less spend and no need for yet another FH body) and so never looked at Ekar again. 

Red/Force are of course the flagship lines, to give a hint of what Rival and Apex will be offering in due course. 10-46: 1×13 Rival AXS would definitely sell.

The other issue with Ekar is that the shift lever is just a bit, well, clonky… I mean ‘reassuringly mechanical in feel’. Compared to the ‘keep your grip solidly on the hoods shifting of both SRAM AXS and Shimano Di2 and no matter how premium the Campag, it just doesn’t shift as easily, quickly or smoothly.

I’m on holiday at the moment riding rival xplr and I think a little lower gearing but more importantly better cadence jumps at the low end would be nice, so 13 speed for the win.

In other news though the new Zipp bar is lovely. Will be installing one (and some integrated blips) when I get back.

Looks like Sram have been xplring up their own arse with this.

I have just seen the (admittedly in Euros) price for the new groupset. €3345 for levers, brakes, rotors cassette and rear mech and another €730 for the cranks. Admittedly it’s SRAM’s highest-end groupset, at the level of Dura Ace, but it’s certainly a financial commitment, eh?

13?

Holy hell, it really never ends, does it now?

No thanks, still do most of my riding on 1×9, some on 1×11, some on just that one single gear, free or fixed. I can confidently say I will never want or need any of this madness.

If only, for road and gravel, there was a way to increase the range of gears without a stupidly narrow spaced cassette and a skinny chain that snaps at extreme chain angles. Say an extra chainring at the front, which would convert your 22 speed into a 22, or 24, or now a 26 and a device that moved the chain from one chainring to the second, wouldn’t that be incredible engineering…

Just me?

No my preference is for odd numbers of gears, my favourite is 9, but have 11, but above that is asking for trouble.