Leaked photographs of SRAM Force AXS groupset suggests inclusion of Hammerhead pc with buy

Images posted on the favored WeightWeenies discussion board at present present {that a} new SRAM Force AXS groupset is on the best way, or on the very least in improvement. Images have surfaced that time to a radical change in shifter ergonomics, to deliver the second-tier groupset way more according to the US model’s prime quality Red groupset. 

We’ve additionally seen pictures of up to date brake rotors, derailleurs, and curiously the inclusion of a Hammerhead Karoo, regardless of no pictures surfacing of a brand new crankset, suggesting that one could also be included with the acquisition of a groupset, and even fitted to finish bikes as is the case with the newest iteration of SRAM Red AXS. 

Let’s dive into what we all know, and maybe extra importantly, what we don’t know but. 

Drastically totally different shifters

The change from the earlier era of SRAM Red to the present one was drastic in a single key space: the shifter hoods. The shifter hoods underwent a change, enhancing in our expertise each the ergonomics and the braking efficiency. We are but to see any inner diagrams of the unreleased new Force shifters, however it’s a comparatively protected assumption to make that the braking internals can be of comparable design to that of Red, which can nearly actually internet the groupset related factors with customers. 

The new Force shifters additionally seem to have the identical attain regulate port on the entrance of the lever, which can be of profit to riders with smaller fingers. The hoods themselves seem for much longer and slimmer than the present Force AXS shifters, and this will likely have bike match concerns, leading to an extended general attain in comparison with the earlier groupset. 

They are, it ought to go with out saying at this level, wi-fi and digital.

Minor derailleur updates

The derailleurs, in a lot the identical method as occurred with the newest iteration of Red, present little change. In reality, save for a emblem placement change, the entrance derailleur seems nearly equivalent to the present era of SRAM Force. 

The rear derailleur has (we assume) shed a couple of grams, or no less than has misplaced some materials within the parallelogram plates because of the addition (or subtraction) of some cutout sections. This, once more, seems to reflect the design of the present Red derailleur, and even the jockey wheels have been up to date to extra skeletal, Red-esque items in a gram-saving endeavour. 

While we’re with reference to weight saving and shifting, it additionally seems that the brand new Force will embrace a flat high chain however with the outer plates machined with hollows.

Brake calliper tweaks

This replace to Force doesn’t observe the Red playbook fully. While Red moved to the Paceline X rotors, this Force seems to be utilizing the usual Paceline non-floating rotors. The Callipers, likewise, aren’t almost so closely machined as their Red counterparts, and in addition not polished, retaining the darkish, shiny grey-black of the remainder of the groupset. 

Hammerhead Karoo inclusion?

Something that was uncommon with SRAM Red was that the groupset included a Hammerhead Karoo 3, and these pictures counsel that this would be the similar for the newest Force. 

Hammerhead is now a part of the prolonged SRAM household, together with manufacturers like RockShox and Zipp, and so it maybe is smart for the model to make use of this tactic to realize a higher market share and disrupt the dominance of Garmin and Wahoo over the perfect bike pc section. 

No cassette, no cranks, no gravel

And now to the issues we’ve got no clue about. We don’t know something a couple of new cassette for starters. While it’s fully doable that it may soar to 13sp, it’s extremely unlikely that SRAM would roll out that expertise on something apart from its Red groupsets initially. 

Likewise, we’ve got no pictures of the crankset, and so hypothesis on 1x or 2x will stay simply that. SRAM is a champion of the 1x system, each on and off-road, and so native 1x compatibility is predicted to stay. 

What can also be lacking is any trace about gravelly capabilities. The newest Sram Red AXS has a sister groupset, or partial groupset, within the type of SRAM Red XPLR AXS, however this wasn’t launched on the similar time so it’s doable, maybe even probably, that we’ll see it additional down the road. Whatever transpires we are going to after all preserve our ears to the bottom and preserve you up to date.