- When SRAM released their
groundbreaking wireless eTap groupset in 2015,
one of the first questions asked was,
inevitably, when will the tech be available
on their more affordable Force groupset?
And then, when SRAM released their second generation
eTap AXS groupset, inevitably,
one of the first questions asked was,
seriously, when is it coming to Force?
Well the answer is now.
(upbeat music)
More affordable wireless shifting,
it has happened, and the biggest news here,
is that functionally, new Force eTap AXS
shares exactly the same DNA as its bigger brother Red.
Before we get on to what does separate the two groupsets,
we're gonna quickly recap the key points
of new eTap AXS, and as you can see,
SRAM have very kindle sent us a new groupset
on this rather stealthy new Orbea Orca,
so that we can show you.
(upbeat music)
Number one, and still the big news,
there are no cables, and no wires.
It is wireless.
Shifters communicate with the derailleurs
via SRAM's own protocol,
and both shifters and derailleurs also feature
the same hardware and software as new Red AXS as well,
meaning that they react just as quickly,
they move just as fast, and they're also compatible.
Now, as you can see, the groupset has also been redesigned
around this new flattop chain,
with its larger rollers, and narrower side plates,
which also means that the profiles
of the cassette teeth and chainring teeth
have also been changed as well.
Now the aim with this, SRAM say,
was to improve the shifting, make it even quieter,
further improve the durability,
as well as allowing for 12 sprockets at the back.
That's right, you have 12 cogs at the back.
It shares the same X range gear ratios as Red.
Now this is in essence where SRAM
have made the chainrings slightly smaller up front,
as well as keeping the gap
between big ring and little ring consistent
to 13 teeth, no matter which chainring options you choose.
Now that has allowed them then
to fine tune the functionality of the front derailleur.
The range of your gears then handled by the cassette,
where you have a smaller 10 tooth sprocket,
instead of an 11, which actually gives you
a higher top gear than you would otherwise be used to,
as well as reducing the gaps
between the sprockets at the back.
The rear derailleur also has
the same Orbit fluid-damped chain management system,
so when shifting, the derailleur arm is free
to move forwards and backwards,
so you get the same smooth and easy shifts
that you'd be used to,
but when the derailleur arm is forced to move quickly,
ie. when you're riding over bumpy ground,
that damper then adds resistance,
meaning that you don't get any chain slap,
and your chain stays in place,
if you're running a single ring one-by setup up front.
You can also connect it up to the new AXS smartphone app,
which, among other things, allows you
to customise the functionality of the groupset.
So for example, you could change
which button activates which shift,
or turn on sequential shifting,
which is where you can just forget
about the front derailleur,
or turn on semi-sequential,
which is where every time you choose
to shift at the front derailleur,
you get smaller compensation shifts at the cassette,
to lessen the jump.
(upbeat music)
The similarities between Red and Force go on, and on.
Like, the lever ergonomics,
and the braking performance,
all meaning that in use, the two feel really similar.
But there must be differences
in order for Force to retail for $1,000 less, right?
Well yeah.
Essentially though, it boils down to materials,
and manufacturing processes,
meaning that Force is more affordable,
and also slightly heavier.
Slightly.
So the disc version two-by, like this one,
is 365 grammes heavier,
and the like-for-like rim brake version
is 347 grammes heavier.
Now in total, in spite of those extra grammes,
the disc brake groupset still weighs
only 2883 grammes, without a power metre,
and the rim brake version, 2448 grammes.
And interestingly, the bulk of those weight differences
are actually concentrated in one component.
The chainset.
And grammes aside, it actually probably presents
the biggest departure between these two groupsets.
A Force two-by chainset like this one
is 183 grammes heavier than the equivalent Red one.
Now none of that additional weight
is down to anything like bottom bracket standards.
This also shares the new DUB standard,
that with the right bottom bracket will fit
into just about any frameset imaginable.
Instead, the differences are firstly
down to the construction technique.
This, as you can see, is made out of carbon fibre,
but the Red one is made out of a hollow carbon construction
that SRAM call Exogram.
And then, secondly, it comes down
to the chainrings themselves.
Now one of the big talking points
on the Red groupset was the fact
that both rings are machined
from the same piece of aluminium,
and then bolted directly onto the crank arm.
The idea is that they're stiffer,
and they're lighter, but they are also,
therefore, more expensive, if you ever need to replace them.
These Force ones though are, as standard,
two chainring construction, bolted on
to a removable spider.
It does mean that in line
with it being a more affordable groupset,
should you ever need to replace one,
it won't be quite as expensive.
Now, if what SRAM say about the durability is true,
ie. that the chainrings will last
for upwards of seven years of heavy use,
then it could well be quite a while
before you ever need to think about replacing one anyway,
but, it it is good to know.
Now you can see as well
that there is a Quarq power metre option available
on Force as well.
This is a more traditional spider mounted power metre,
so the kind that we've been used to.
(upbeat music)
Sticking with the chainset, one last difference,
and I did tell you there were a few,
is that there's no 50/37 chainring combo
on Force, whereas there is at Red,
nor is there a single ring 50 tooth option.
And while interesting, it's perhaps not wholly unsurprising,
given that 50/37 is like, they're big gear ratios.
That's like the racer's choice.
Now, if we move backwards to the cassette,
it too, remember, shares the same space
as an 11 sprocket cassette,
and indeed also fits of course
onto the XDR driver, which is like a redesigned freehub body
to allow you to fit that smaller 10 tooth on there.
But, the difference is in the cassette itself.
So whereas Red is machined from one piece, Force is not,
and that adds about 50 grammes in weight,
but doesn't change the functionality.
And one last thing that might be of interest,
is up on the shifters.
So, they've only got one Blip port per side,
as opposed to two.
Now those are the bits that allow you
to plug in remote shifters.
You can see I've got two on the tops here,
that allow me to shift from a different position.
Now one of the things that previous generation
mechanical Force became known for,
was by being pretty much the go-to groupset
for gravel riding and cyclocross,
when in its single chainring, one-by setup.
It is absolutely everywhere.
And while there is no updated mechanical version
of Force on the horizon,
that one-by option is still gonna be available,
but whereas that has a 10 to 42, 11 speed cassette option,
the new Force eTap AXS,
the largest cassette only goes up to a 33 tooth,
and also that rear derailleur,
just like with Red, only goes up
to a maximum capacity of 33 as well.
It is of course, as we've been talking about,
designed to be run one-by.
There are stacks of different single chainring options
up front, for example,
but I would guess that a lot of people
that might have been running one-by,
would now be tempted to go back to two-by,
given that you still have the same equivalent easy gears,
so one-to-one gear ratio,
but you get a much higher top gear.
So, 10-46 for example, as opposed to,
I don't know, 10-40, or 10-42.
You also get much smaller jumps
on the cassette at the back,
as well as benefiting from that quiet ride,
because you still have the chain management system on there.
Now personally, for cyclocross,
I'd probably still go with one-by.
Maybe a 40 tooth chainring up front,
with a 10 to 33 cassette at the back,
but for gravel riding,
I think I'd probably go two-by,
given that fast tarmac is of course part
of the remit of a gravel bike,
so having that higher top gear
would probably come in handy.
The front derailleur allows you to fit tyres
up to 40 millimetres wide,
potentially even more, depending on the design
of the frameset.
And of course, that quiet ride
from the chain management system.
Now if you did really want a monster one-by setup,
with huge gear ratios,
you can take advantage of the compatibility
with SRAM's new Eagle AXS mountain bike groupset,
which has a 10 to 50 cassette at the back,
which, interestingly, for the nerds out there,
is actually the same
as the 10 to 42 11 speed Force cassette,
but the 12th sprocket is of course
that gigantic 50 tooth.
You would of course need to run an Eagle rear derailleur,
plus chain, and then either a road
or mountain bike option up front.
But you would then get an absolute monster setup
for epic, well, I don't know what, frankly.
So that is Force eTap AXS.
The groupset we've all patiently been waiting for.
All the functionality, less expensive,
a little bit more weight.
Now for many of us, I would expect
that weight difference isn't gonna matter a jot.
The fact that the functionality is the same
is the key point.
For others I would guess,
the fact that there is a no expenses spared approach
to that top-tier Red, is gonna win you over.
Either way, it's certainly an amazing example
of trickle-down technology.
As we film this, the price
for the two-by rim brake version is $2468.
The disc brake version is just $200 more, at $2648.
Now of course, if you want a one-by version,
that is slightly less expensive,
given that there is no front derailleur,
on only half the number of chainrings.
Do make sure you let us know in the comments section
what you think about this.
Give the video a big thumbs up if you like it,
and if you've got any questions,
stick them in the comments section as well.
We will do our best to answer them.
If you would like a little bit more information
about the X range gear ratios,
we have a video on that.
You can get through to it by clicking on screen now.