SRAM offers fully wireless electronic shifting with its AXS groupsets, a🙈nd, until the most recent iteratio﷽n of Shimano Di2, had the lead on in-built configuration via a Bluetooth app.
Here's a run-through of the SRAM road bike g💧roupset range and what it offers. But first, a quick guide to SRAM's groupset terminology.
SRAM road groupsets: Terminology and hierarchy
SRAM divides its road bike groupsets into four ranges. At the top is 'Red' which is its premium groupset used by its sponsored pro teams. Next down is Force, then Rival, and finally Apex. The same hiera🍰rchy is applied to its 12-spee💜d AXS electronic groupsets and its older 11-speed and 10-speed groupsets.
AXS is SRAM's name for its 12-speed wireless electronic groupset tech, and its ❀accompanying configuration app. The 11-speed SRAM Red electronic groupset was labelled eTap and SRAM ported this label to its 12-speed eTap AXS groupsets too, but it's now dropping the eTap f♏rom the nomenclature, just calling them Force AXS, etc.
Within each groupset tier, there are double chainring (2x) and single chainring (1🤡x aka one-by) options. AXS groupsets also add wider range XPLR cassettes and derailleurs, aimed at gravel riders.
In August 2024, SRAM launched its latest iteration of 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Red XPLR AXS for gravel riders. This 1x groupset adds a 13th sprocket in a cassett🅺e with a 10-46t range. There's als🅰o a new Full Mount rear derailleur configuration, ported from the brand's latest Eagle Transmission MTB derailleur.
Chainrings 2x: 46/33t, 48/35t, 🌌50/37t (plus 52/39t, 54/41t, 56/43t aftermarket power meter options)
Chainrings 1x: 50t (plus 48t, 50t, 52t, 🅺54t, 56t, 58t, 60t, 64t, 68t power meter options)
Cassette: 10-28t,10-30t,10-33t,10-36t
Reasons to buy
+
Fully wireless shifting
+
One finger braking
+
Cross compatibility with MTB components
+
Wide range
Reasons to avoid
-
Expensive at RRP
-
Power meter and chainrings are a one-piece inseparable unit
Red AXS is th♑e second generation of SRAM's wireless groupset which in 2024 saw the entire system overhauled from the ground up. Now available in disc brake only, the 10-tooth smallest sprocket only allows it to be used with an XDR freehub and there's a specific flat to🙈p chain to match.
At the back, the rear mech features Orbit - a speed-sensitive fluid damper which does the same job as a roller-bearing clutch. The fluid damper allows the derailleur cage to rota♔te forward smoothly during shifting so as not to overtax the motors or battery. This system also eliminates chain slap and improves security, meaning the same derailleur can be used with both 1x and 2x front chainrings.
The standard rear mech wไorks with cassettes up to 36 teeth and one or two chainrings. Front and rear derailleurs have their own separate batteries attached to the back of the derailleur body to power their 𝔉shifting for a claimed 60 hours. They are quickly removable for recharging on a USB powered cradle and swappable if one (usually the rear) gives out.
The cranks will accept both single and double chainrings, which are all single piece in construction - you can purchase them with a built-in Quarq power meter. While this creates a stiffer and lighter unit, if you wear out or damage one of the chainrings, you'll need to replace the entire unit, including the power meter. The retail cost is over €100⭕0, although SRAM offers a 50 per cent discount on a replacement unit.
SRAM is offering four one-piece cassettes milled from a single steel billet; 10-28t, 10-30t, 10-33t and 10-36t, which combine with both 1x and 2x chainrings — the jumps between the 2x chainrings are 13-teeth 💯in every combo.
Even if you opt for a smaller chainring at the front, the 12-speed cassette offers an extensive spread of ratios thanks to the 10-to𓄧oth smallest cog. In most cases, this offers a broader range than traditional road gearing. There's a new iridescent option and a matching chain too, if you want to show off a bit.
Complete Red chainsets are available in 46/33t, 48/35t and 50/37t. This sounds as if it would give low gearing, but when paired with a 10-tooth cassette sprocket🗹, this still offers a bigger top gear than the more commonly found 52x11t. You can also buy a separate power meter kit, which adds 52/39t, 54/41t a🐓nd 56/43t options, designed for pro riders and time trials.
SRAM sells single chainring cranksets with between 36 and 50 teeth in two-tooth increments as they feature a narrow-wide tooth profile to better mesh with the chain, and 48t, 🍸50t and 52t power meter kits. All have fil🤡led-in, rather than drilled chainrings to up their aero quotient.
To make room for that extra cog at the back, the gear spacin꧑g has once again got smaller resulting in a narrower chain. SRAM has bolstered the chain by introducing a new flat-top construction, wh꧋ich is claimed to add strength and improve shift performance.
The second-generation Red AXS has a new lever design with a less pronounced rise at the front. SRAM has repositioned the brake😼 lever pivot and brake fluid reservoir so that there's now greater leverage. It boasts light touch, one finger braking as a result.
The new groupsetಞ is integrated into SRAM's AXS ecosystem, meaning it will play nice with the Eagle AXS derailleur should you want to use the 12-speed MTB cassette on your gravel bike, or the RockShox Reverb AXS dropper post should you feel the neeꦛd to get extra rowdy.
AXS can also talk wirelessly to a companion app and allows you to customise the shifting controls, including the Blip remotes as 🌳well as monitor the battery lif✱e and firmware updates.
Most Red AXS groupsets are supplied with SRAM HRD hydraulic disc brakes and levers, but you can al🎐so purchase Red rim brakes and the associated mechanical shift/brake levers. SRAM sells aero brake levers for TT bars as well as wired and wireless Blips satellite shifters that can be linked into the AXS system.
The latest edition of SRAM Red XPLR AXS has grown from 12 speed to 13 speeds. There's a new derailleur to change gears across the 10-46t cassette, which mounts directly to the rear axle, removing the mech hanger. Since this was designed to be the weakest link in shifting,ꦕ bending or breaking if the derailleur took a hit, its absence can allow more precise alignment.
The Full Mount derailleur connects to either side of the frame's dropout, so the connection is very sturdy. It's the same design as SRAM's Eagle Transmission MTB derailleurs and SRAM has videos on its site of riders standing on that without impacting its shifting. Full Mount also means that a host of adjustment screwܫs are not needed.
The swi꧂tch to 13 spee☂ds means that Red XPLR AXS has lost some cross-compatibility with Red AXS 2x, although both use the same shifters, chain and brakes.
There's only one cassette, with a 10-46t range which gives a good spread and close ratios at the top end and only two chainring options, 40t and 42t. The non-power meter crankset has direct mount repꦡlaceable chainrings, as used in road-going SRAM Red; the power meter uses a new Threadmount standard, which makes them replaceable separately from the power meter, unlike with the road chainrings.
The Full Mount derailleur will only fit on a bike frame that follows SRAM's UDH derailleur hanger standard. There's a good range that do, but equally plenty that do not, although more gravel bikes are being launched which have a UDH dropout. There are als💟o chainline and chainstay length constraints.
(Image credit: SRAM)
SRAM Force AXS
Trickle-down tech at its finest
Reasons to buy
+
Same guts and performance as Red AXS, just a bit heavier
+
Huge range of configurations
Reasons to avoid
-
Heavier than Ultegra Di2
SRAM Force AXS is the perfect example of trickle-down technology. It 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:had an upgrade in early 2023, which has🐠 given it a new look and simplified some components.
Yes, it's slightly heavier and less bling than the Red equivalent but on the road, Force AXS offers more or less the exact same performance. The new Force AXS groupset🐻 even looks more like Red than its predecessor. Instead of the separate chainrings and crank s🦩pider, it gets the one-piece direct mount chainrings used by Red. As with Red, the power meter is integrated, so you need to replace the whole unit once it's worn out.
All the electronics are the same, but the new Force groupset has had its shift levers slimmed down. This makes them easier to grip, but removes bite point adjustment for the brakes and the option to fit wired Blips satellite shifters꧅, alth🤡ough you can still use wireless Blips.
Other differenc꧙es carried forward from V1 Force AX🐎S include the cassette, which is pinned together as opposed to a one-piece machined unit.
Like the Red AXS groupset, the rear derailleur also employs the Orbit fluid-based damper meaning the same derailleur works for both 1x and 2x applications🐬 and offers added chain security. There's also a 1x-🔯only XPLR derailleur which works with a Force-level 10-44t cassette.
The🌱 crank arms are aluminium wrapped in carbon rather than hollow carbon fibre. Force eTap AXS still gets a flat-top chain, though the pins are solid and the chainrings are stamped rather than milled.
Force AXS Wide
With its emphasis on gravel riding, SRAM offers single chainring and double chainring Wide cranksets. Thes🌃e have a 5mm wider axle than a standard chainset that shifts the chainline 2.5mm outboard, allowing you to🍒 fit wider tyres. They also offer lower gearing, with a 40t single chainring chainset and power meter and 43/30t chainset and power meter (with separate chainrings and spider) sold. There's a Wide front derailleur that's needed to work with this. Wide chainrings are not compatible with non-wide ones due to a different bolt circle diameter.
As part o💛f the AXS ecosystem, Force AXS components can talk to Red AXS and Eagle AXS parts and can be mixed and matched without concerns about compatibility. The new Force AXS gr💮oupset is disc brake only.
168澳洲5最新开奖结果:SRAM Rival AXS ports the brand's 12-speed wireless electronic shifting to a third price point. It uses less exotic materials tඣhan Red or Force AXS - think steel instead 🍌of alloy for the front derailleur cage, alloy instead of carbon fibre for the brake levers and a weight that increases by around 230g over Force and 700g over Red.
The Orbit rear mech damper from SRAM's pricier options is replaced by a mechanical clutch. The hydraulic disc brakes 🍌don't feature SRAM's Bleeding Edge design, making it a bit harder to bleed them and they too are heavier than Red or Force AXS components.
You still get much of SRAM's 12-speed functionality though,🐷 with the same wireless gubbins and AXS app compatibility,🌄 as well as mix-and-match potential if you fancy a bit of Red with your Rival or a mullet build with an Eagle AXS MTB rear mech and cassette.
As with the new Force, you can't use wired Blips with the shift levers and there's no bite point adjustment to the (disc only) b𒁏rakes. There's only a single sided power meter option, which is also available as an upgrade (although all Force power meter configurations except the normal width double chainring are also single sided).
Also similar to Force, there are Wide single and double chainring options and a 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Rival XPLR 1x-only r💎ear mech and 10-44t cassette for gravel riders. &🏅nbsp;
SRAM's fourth tier Apex groupset is 1x12 speed only and offers both AXS electronic♕ and mechanical shifting options.
For 🉐each, there's a narrower range XPLR variant which uses a 10-44t or an 11-44t cassette. There's also an Eagle variant, which works with Eagle MTB cassettes to offer wide ranges with♍ 50 or 52 tooth largest sprocket cassettes. XPLR and Eagle variants use different chains and cassette spacings, so you choose one or the other.
The crankset uses the Wide spacing and as with Rival, there's a single sided power meter option. The 11-tooth smallest spr🦋ocket cassettes make Apex compatible with standard Shimano/SRAM freehubs, rather than requiring an XD or XDR wheelset.
SRAM legacy groupsets
SRAM continues to sell its older 11 speed groupset compon♏ents. While electronic Red eTap AXS 22 is essentially discontinued, you'll still occasionally find 2x11-speed or 1x11-speed mechanical groupsets specced on new bikes. Apex 1 11-speed, in particular, is sometimes specced on entry-level gravel bikes.
(Image credit: SRAM)
SRAM Red eTap
Now old but still gold
Reasons to buy
+
Intuitive shifting
+
Wireless
Reasons to avoid
-
Can't customise shift commands
-
22 gear combos only
-
Iffy front shifting
SRAM's Red eTap was the first commercially available wireless road groupset, which laid the groundwork for AXS. While it's been superseded for a couple of years now, it's still available and an option for roadies looking for electronic shifting and content will 𓆏11 speeds. Red 🦩eTap marked SRAM's intuitive shifting system; push the paddle on the right shifter for a harder gear, the left shifter for an easier gear, and both together to shift at the front.
Available in both rim- and disc-brake HRD versions, it was the first product to feature SRAM's Airea wireless protocol. According to SRAM, it decided against Bluetooth or ANT+ because the company wanted🌃 to avoid interference and stave off would-be hackers, too.
Red eTap turns 11 cogs at the back and is compatible with brakes, chains, chainrings and caꦏssettes from the Red, Force or Rival mechanical groupsets if you're hop♉ing to mismatch and save cash.
There are no cables connecting the shifters to the derailleurs. ﷺEach derailleur is powered by a separate battery and SRAM says the rechargeable cells should last about 1000km. In contrast, the shifte🍒rs are powered by CR2032 coin cell batteries but only need to be replaced every couple of years.
Unlike the AXS kit, Red eTap is not equipped with any sort of clutch or damper, so there's no 1x solution. There are standard or WiFli versions of the mech which can handle up to 28t and 32t cogs respectively, offering less range than the ꧋newer AXS groupsets.
(Image credit: SRAM)
SRAM Red 22
Still one of the lightest groupsets available
Reasons to buy
+
Lightweight
+
Positive and accurate shifting
+
Comfortable hoods
Reasons to avoid
-
Doubletap takes some getting used to
-
Hydraulic levers have a divisive aesthetic
Red 22 is the most weight-weenie friendly groupset out there, weighing in about ~200g less than Dura-Ace 9100 and mechanicꦯal Super Record. Mechanical shifting is also still a hyper-reliable method of shifting that can be fixed at the roadside using traditional methods.
The DoubleTap shifters move the chain with a positive click; half a push shifting the derailleurs down to a smaller cog, a꧟nd a longer stroke pushing it up the cluster. Red 22 also allows cross-chaining without the need to trim the Yaw front derailleur — though SRAM doesn't necessarily recommend riding this way.
The rear derailleur is available in a standard- and a long-cage WiFLi version which allows for a 28t or 32t cog at the rear, and t🌌here are front chainrings available from 39t up to 55t.
(Image credit: SRAM)
SRAM Force 22
Best for the privateer racer
Reasons to buy
+
No loss in performance, just a few extra grams on the scale
+
Lighter than Ultegra 11-speed
Reasons to avoid
-
Rim brakes lack in power
Remember what we said about Force AXS eTap and that it's mostly the same as Red just a bit heavier? Well, the same a꧒pplies to SRAM Force 22. It uses the same DoubleTap mechanical shifting, features the Yaw front derailleur and there are both standard and WiFLi versions of the rear derailไleur.
Available in both rim- and disc-brake versions, Force 22 is lighter than Shimano Ultegra too, but it's also more expensive.
With carbon-fibre cranks, Force sees a two-piece arm and 🔯spider design which adopts the hidden bolt design used in the previous Red 10-speed crank. Chainrings come in comboꦅs ranging from the burly 53/39t, down to a mountain friendly 46/36t.
(Image credit: SRAM)
Force 1
High-performance CX and gravel grinding groupset
Reasons to buy
+
Clutch rear derailleur
+
Narrow-wide tooth profiles
Reasons to avoid
-
Cassette has a few big jumps
Previously known as CX 1, 🔯SRAM Force 1 ta🐽kes the same materials and performance as Force 22 but ditches the front derailleur. SRAM forced the extinction of the MTB front mech as well as leading the road/gravel/CX 1x movement.
Only available with hydraulic disc brakes, the main differences between Force 22 and Force 1 are in the rear derailleur and 1x crankset. Force 1 is designed for bikes likely to spend most of their time away from paved roads, so it's no surpri✃se to see it borrowing design features from 💙the brand's MTB derailleurs, including a roller-bearing clutch. This system adds a bit of friction to shifting but drastically reduces chain bounce and dropped chains.
The second big difference is the narrow-wide X-Sync tooth profiles found on the front chainrings and jockey wheels. Alternating between tall square teeth and traditional triangles, the wide edges grip the chain and prevent it from falling off, while the sharp teeth keep everything running in linওe. X-Sync chainrings are available in sizes from 38t up to 54t.
The rear derailleur can handle both an 11-36t roa🐲d cassette and a 10-42t MTB casset𒀰te, granted you fit an XD driver body and long cage.
(Image credit: SRAM)
Rival 22
Just like Red at a fraction of the cost
Reasons to buy
+
Lighter than 105 gearing options
+
Crank and frame compatibility
Reasons to avoid
-
Same lack of brake power as Force
Occupying roughly the same space as Shimano's 105 groupset, Rival 22 leans heavily on technology from Force andꦬ Red. With the 22💧 moniker, you get a double chainset paired with 11 gears at the back, utilising the same DoubleTap trim-free shifting over the entire cassette.
The levers feature the same ergonomics as their more expensive cousins in both the rim-brake and hydraulic-disc versions, but all the carbon bits have beeไn re🗹placed by aluminium. If we're honest there's no real loss in performance, the scale just reads a bit higher.
At this level, a 52/36t is the largest chainring combination available, along with 50/34 and 46/36. At the back, the cassette is available in 11-26t, 11-28t and🔯 11-32t and can be had in both short cage and WiFli rear mech options.
(Image credit: SRAM)
Rival 1
1x on a budget
Reasons to buy
+
Simple and efficient
+
Clutched rear mech
Reasons to avoid
-
Gear changes denoted with a loud clang
Just like Force, Rival is also available as a 1x specific group. There are no carbon bits to be ꧑found here but, most importantly, the Rival 1x rear mech features both a roller-bearing clutch and the X-Sync narrow-wide jockey wheels and chainrings. Available as a short- and long-cage version, the derailleur can accept a 36🐼t or 42t 11-cog cluster.
Like Force 1, Ri🌸val 1 is only compatible with 🍃hydraulic disc brakes.
(Image credit: SRAM)
Apex
Entry-level gear pioneer
Reasons to buy
+
Range of gearing
Reasons to avoid
-
10-speed
-
Crank
Apex occupies the entry-level step of SRAM's road groupsets. There are only 10 sprockets on the rear cassette but Apex still sees crisp DoubleꦫTap shifting. The de🌳railleur hasn't been updated to the Yaw profile, so to avoid chain rub as you move down the cassette, you'll need to trim as you go.
Apex was the first to offer a 32t rear cog, though it didn't take long for Shimano and Campagnolo to follow suit; the rear derailleur is available in short- and WiFli long-cage varieties. The crank looks a bit dated, but the 🌌chainrings maintain SRAM's Powerglide teeth and a🐭re available in 50/34t and 48/24t sizes.
SRAM no longer lists Apex 2x1꧃0-speed on its website, although you can buy replacement shifters, so it looks as if this groupset i🐓s ripe for retirement.
(Image credit: SRAM)
Apex 1
Entry level 1x is ready to shred
☆☆☆☆☆
Specifications
Shifting: Mechanical
Braking: Disc
Speeds: 1x11
Weight: 2719g
Cranks: 165mm - 175mm
Chainrings 1x: 40t, 42t, 44t
Cassette: 11-42t
Reasons to buy
+
11-speed
+
Clutch-equipped rear mech
+
Crank with chain guide
Reasons to avoid
-
Weight
-
Shifting a little stiff
Trickling all the way down to the entry-level Apex is the roller-bearing clutch rear derailleur and its long cage capable of accepting a 42t cassette. The front chainrings still have the narrow-wide X-Sync teeth but are backed up with a chain guide for added security. Confusingly, although 2x Apex is 10-🔯speed, Apex 1 is 11-speed. That means 🎐that the two Apexes are not compatible, but Apex 1 will work with Rival 1 or Force 1 bits.
Even as an entry-level option, the SRAM disc calipers are hydraulic, though they do offer a cable-🌱driven lever should bikes be equipped with a mechanical actuation.
All about SRAM
Who is SRAM?
SRAM is an acronym for Scott, Ray and Sam, the three founders of the American-based firm that started out producing grip shifters for road bi💃kes in 1987. While these shifters didn't sell particularly well, SRAM adapted the technology for off-road use and it became an instant hit among the mountain biking fraternity.
Since then the company ♏has made significant strides as far as technological developments and world-firsts go, having introduced wireless shifting as well as pioneering wider, lower road bike gear ranges, gravel groupset𒀰 configurations and the 1x and 12-speed drivetrain revolutions.
What else does SRAM do?
SRAM doesn't just make road and gravel bike groupsets. It's a big player in mountain bike components, rivalling Shimano. A significant part of its MTB tech has spilled over into its gravel groupsets and to a lesser extent its road bike 😼groupsets as well.
In particular that includes the focus on single ring groupsets and thꦐe rear derailleur tech to shift over really large cassette𝓀s, using a clutch to keep things running smoothly.
Whereas Shimano has historically developed its MTB and road bike tech separately, resulting in a lack of cross-compatibility, much of SRAM's MTB componentry can be run with its road ♍bike groupsets.
That allows the mix-and-match "mullet builds" favoured on some gravel bikes, where road bike shifters can be used with a wide-range MTB cassette and an MTB derailleur that can handle it. "Business up front and party in back🐠", as SRAM says.
SRAM has emphasised the mullet as an option for its AXS 12-speed groupsets, where the electronic shifting allows you to use its Eagle AXS 12-speed MTB components at the rear, but its consistent cable pull ratios between road and MTB groupsets mean that you can build a mechanical mullet too i🌟f you🐬 want.
What other brands does SRAM own?
SRAM has used its strengt🌄h in the groupset market to hoover up a significant portfolio of other cycling brands, adding them to its product family and producing cross-💃compatible products.
For roadies and gravel riders, Zipp 🎃wheels and components are the most high-profile SRAM-owned brand. Some Zipp components are cross-branded with SRAM pro🀅ducts with the XPLR label, signifying that they're designed for gravel.
SRAM also own Quarq, integrating its 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:power meters in💙to its cranksets, as well as selling them as stand-alone products.
SRAM competes in the cycling computer head unit market as well, with its Hammerhead brand cycling computer. At present, there's only one product, the Karoo. It's well-regarded though and we can expect Hammerhead to extend its꧂ range in future, just a🍒s its main competitors Garmin and Wahoo have.
Another brand that SRAM has acquired in the last couple of years is the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Time pedal business. Twenty years or so ago, Time was a significant player in the road bike pedal market, but it's languished since, despite making the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:XPRO 12 SL, the lightest🔯 (and most expensive) pedal available at a cl🐠aimed 174.6g a pair.
It🌜 has clever blade tech as well, where the pedal binding stays open until the cleat is engaged, rather than the rider having to force the cleat into the pre-tensioned binding.
Now Time is back in the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:WorldTour with the Trek-Segafredo and Movista🎃r men's teams and three women's WorldTour teams. Expect SRAM to put money into revamping the Time pedal range.
The most obvious development would beཧ a pedalꦫ power meter, expanding the Time pedal range and giving Quarq its first pedal-based product, although when it relaunched the Time pedal range in April 2014, SRAM said that this wasn't on the cards.
More MTB cross-over tech comes from the RockShox suspension business. You can buy a 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:RockShox Rudy XPLR suspension fork for your gravel bike and fit a RockShox Reverb AXS XPLR dropper post out back. As its name indicates, the Reverb seatpost is electronically operated and compa♊tible with AXS road bike components.
Finally, SRAM owns the Tr♑uvativ MTB component brand. Its cranksets have in the past been seen on a range of lower priced mountain bikes. At present, there are just three components sold bearing the Truvativ logo, so it looks as if SRAM may be merging the brand's product range into the SRAM portfolio.
What next for SRAM?
SRAM has been clever at integrating its diverse product portfolio across its brands, which we'd expect to continue. We'd anticipate further i🐎ntegration and broadening of its road bike offering, with products like new Time pedals and ༺Hammerhead computers.
Hammerhead uses an Android-based operating system, which gives it a lot of cross-compatibility with smartphone tech, so even tighter integration is possible here. It's also been first to market with features like on-the-fly climb profiles when not following a pre-planned route. It's probably got other🉐 new features in the pipeline as well.
Zipp continues to innovate both in road and gravel wheelsets, with designs like its NSW wave-form wheel profiles. It's switched wholesale to hookless beads for its road wheels, making⛄ them cheaper and lighter and spearheading the drive to wider rims run at much lower tyre pressures. It even has pressure-monitoring valves to make sure that they're staying inflated. Lenticular disc time trial wheels are becoming hot tech, but Zipp has sold a lenticular disc design for years.
Zipp has some clever gravel wheel tech too, like 🙈its single-wall Moto rims, ported from its MTB wheelsets, which are d🐷esigned to flex to conform to the surface as you ride over it.
SRAM itself is sure to continue its double-headed push in road and gravel, with more cross-compatible products. Many bike brands see the spill-over of 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:single ring groupsets onto road bikes as inevitable and a few have put their money whe♚re their mouth is, selling frames without a front derailleur hanger.
As the number of available speeds grows, there's less and less reason to have a front derailleur to allow a wide spread of gear ratios with single-tooth jumps in the mid-range, which is where most riding takes place and fine-tuning your gear iܫs most important.
Even the pros are abandoning their front mechs in some races, with 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Paris-Roubaix and flat time trials being t𒉰he stand-out examples.
Paul has been on two wheels since he was i♋n his teens and he's spent much of the time since writing about bikes and the associated tech. He's a road cyclist at heart but his adventurous curiosity means Paul has been 🌠riding gravel since well before it was cool, adapting his cyclo-cross bike to ride all-day off-road epics and putting road kit to the ultimate test along the way. Paul has contributed to Cyclingnews' tech coverage for a few years, helping to maintain the freshness of our buying guides and deals content, as well as writing a number of our voucher code pages.
