It only launched two weeks ago, but is the SRAM Red groupset about to get another update?
(Image credit: Specialized)
In a surprising turn of events, a brand new SRAM Red AXS groupset has been unearthed at Unbound Gravel, with a 13-speed cassette, just two weeks after SRAM unveiled the latest iteration of Red AXS.
Initially spied by Anne-Marije Rook of our sister site Cycling Weekly, the new groupset appears to be a something of a lovechild between SRAM's latest Red groupset and the Eagle Transmission launched last year.
As the race has grown to become the premiere race in the gravel season calendar – dubbed the unofficial world championships by many – Unbound has become a launchpad for new tech and a severe testbed for prototypes. The race garners a huge amount of attention each year, and brands know it, so they use it to "accidentally" leak unreleased products to the world, while censoring the details to let us get excited about what they've got in the works, without giving too much away before launch.
Of all the new tech we thought we might spot at the race though, a new SRAM Red groupset was at the bottom of the list.
The American brand only launched the latest version of its top-tier road groupset on May 15. In that launch, it retained the 12-speed cassette but redesigned the shifters and improved front shifting for those who choose to run it 2x.
The 'Red' logo can just about be seen in this photo (Image credit: Specialized)
Mullet mix or a totally new groupset?
At Unbound last year, SRAM-sponsored gravel racers were seen running a 'mullet' set up, mixing the previous Red AXS XPLR road shifters with SRAM's Eagle Transmission mountain bike cassette and derailleur. Eagle Transmission is a 12-speed groupset, wireless – as all of SRAM's top offerings are – with a direct mount derailleur hanger known as Universal Derailleur Hanger (UDH). It is well respected for its durability, which is undoubtedly useful in a 200-mile gravel race.
At first glance, it would appear that riders were doing the same again this year, but on closer inspection, it became clear that SRAM has gone one step further by creating an all-new derailleur and adding a 13th cog to the Transmission-style cassette.
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(Image credit: David Kennedy)
The riders seen using the new groupset were all using the shifters from the recently-launched Red groupset, which confirms they will be compatible. Notably, the new derailleur bears the 'Red' branding too, so rather than being a mullet-style road/mountain bike mismatch, this appears to be an all-new 13-speed version of SRAM Red, presumably part of the XPLR gravel-focussed subsection.
On the versions we managed to get up close with, the largest sprocket bore 46 teeth, but it's not confirmed whether this is the only 13-speed cassette option that SRAM will make.
Evidently, there are more big things to come from the American brand, and although Unbound Gravel doesn't have to adhere to the UCI rule of commercialising prototypes for public use within 12 months of use, this new product looks polished enough to be a real thing. We'll be sure to bring you the details when we find out more.
Here on Freddy Ovett's bike, you can see the same Red shift levers from the 12-speed groupset (Image credit: David Kennedy)
Ovett's bike was also fitted with the new Red brake callipers (Image credit: David Kennedy)
That inside thumb-press button remains, too (Image credit: David Kennedy)
The AXS battery appears to load in top-down, rather than from the rear, which should help protect it from any impact strikes (Image credit: David Kennedy)
Keegan Swenson was among the select few riders to use the new groupset (Image credit: Instagram: Keegan Swenson)
He too was using Red AXS road shifters (Image credit: Instagram: Keegan Swenson)
Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton. He has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews.
On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years. He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000. These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.
