Rumors Confirmed: SRAM Is Ready To Unveil 2 New Groupsets

11-Speed, Hydraulic Brakes, Double Tap, Yaw and Aeroglide on SRAM's all new groupsets!

Upgrading to 11-speeds (True 22) and using hydraulic brakes (disc and rim), all the while continuing to provide quality components in the rest of the departments, including AeroGlide and Yaw Technologies.

SRAM has released two new groupsets, the Red 22 and the Force 22.

Let's start with the

SRAM Red 22

It's nice to see SRAM moving two groupsets, Red and Force, to 11-speed. But why have they decided to call them True 22?

With a double chainset and 11-speed cassette you clearly get 22 different gearing options, and SRAM says you can run the chain in the large chainring and the largest sprocket, and in the small chainring at the smallest sprocket. They don't necessarily advocate cross chaining, but it can be done.



Continuing the Yaw Technology first introduced on their last Red groupset frees you from the need to trim the front mech when moving across the cassette to avoid chainrub.


It's also worth noting that the shifters, mechs, chainsette and cassette are not compatible with 10-speed components, although Red and Force 22 components can be used interchangeably.


So how are the components?


The shift levers are the same weight as the previous model (280g) and continue to use the proprietary

Double Tap system where shifting in both directions is controlled by a paddle that sits behind the brake lever.



The rear mech also has the same weight (145g) and look from the previous design, and all of the technology from before has been carried over including the AeroGlide Pulleys designed to dampen sound, and the ceramic pulley bearings. (You can run an 11-32 tooth sprocket with SRAM's WiFLi rear mech, but it will cost you an extra 21g)


While the front mech looks similar to before, it has been modified to work as part of the True 22 system. The cage rotates slightly when you move it across so that it stays inline with the chain. This eliminates the need to adjust the front mech when you move the chain across the cassette.



SRAM points out that this front merch isn't compatible with a 10-speed system.



The chainsets (available in 53/39-tooth, 50/34, 46/36 and 52/36 in GXP, PressFit, PF30, and BB30) offer the same key features of the existing Red chainset, including Exogram cranks with hollow carbon
arms and spider.

Caliper cable operated brakes haven't been redesigned, but are still fantastic. Aerolink arms provide impressive power and there is enough clearance for use with wider wheels.



Moving on to the

SRAM Force 22

We only really need mention that the front derailleur uses Yaw Technology modified to work with an 11-speed system. The mech is compatible with both clamp (31.8mm and 34.9mm) and braze-on designs. Comes with the chain spotter also to stop you from overshifting inwards and damaging your frame. Considerably ligher than last year's the Force front merch weighs in at just 79g.


The rear derailleur also comes in two versions, short cage, and medium length compatible with WiFLi cassettes.

Now on to what you really want to know about.

Hydraulic Brakes on a Road Bike...?

Check out our post all about the brakes here

As has been speculated widely over recent months, SRAM is introducing hydraulic braking as an option with these new groupsets - both disc brakes and rim brakes. They're also offering these braking options to users of 10-speed systems.

SRAM has loads of experience in hydraulic braking through their Avid brand, but rather than adapting current mountain bike braking system to the road market, they have completely redesigned things completely with road-specific calipers and piston ratios.

The HRR (Hydraulic Road Rim) brakes can be fitted to standard road frames and forks in the place of

normal mechanical brakes without the need for any special mount points.

The HRD (Hydraulic Road Disc) brakes require a disc-specific frame and forks and hubs that will take the rotor. The HRD system provides more braking power than the HRR system, and it's far less affected by wet weather. Plus with the brakes working on a steel rotor rather than on the carbon or aluminum rim, no heat is transferred to the tire or the tube.

The new SRAM Red components, including hydraulic brakes, should be available mid to late July. The S-Series 10-speed hydraulic brakes will be available at the same time.

The new SRAM Force components will be shipped about a month later.

Come to The Spoke Shop for 
all your road bike needs.

We are located at 1910 Broadwater Ave. in Billings, MT. You can reach us by phone at (406) 656-8342

www.spokeshop.com

2013 SRAM Red Road Bike Groupset Includes Hydraulic Brakes (Rim and Disc)

images courtesy of www.road.cc

A Road Bike... With Hydraulic Disc Brakes?

A few months ago, SRAM confirmed rumors that they have new designs for road hydraulic brakes, one operating on the wheel rim and one disc version. 

Why have SRAM decided to introduce hydraulic systems for the road? They made sure to emphasize these three points in a press conference last week: power, control, and modulation.

Mat Brett with www.road.cc was able to sit down with SRAM's project manager Paul Kantor who further explains the desicion making behind the new designs.

Kantor begins by describing the ideas that went into the new design. He says that SRAM liked the concept of putting disc brakes on road bikes but weren't sure of it's benefits or draw-backs.

The guys at SRAM built a hydraulic coupler into a stem [to standard mechanical levers], put it on a steel cyclocross frame and experimented. While the hydraulic brakes lived up to SRAM's expectations, but the design was unnattractive and bulky. Their solution: make it fully integrated.

Later in the interview, Mat poses another question: If hydraulic rim brakes feel so powerful for such little effort at the lever, why would people want to go for disc brakes on the road? Kantor responds with a compelling argument: "Our hydraulic disc brake has a higher braking force at every lever force than a mechanical brake on an aluminum or a carbon rim, and more than our hydraulic rim brake. You can provide quite a bit more force for less hand effort and that's really what we like about most hydraulics. 

We think that Red mechanical and Shimano Dura-Ace mechanical brakes are pretty comparable, but with a hydraulic rim brake you are able to exceed that braking performance. On a disc brake we can create eve more force for the same lever effort. It's much more consistent wet and dry too because we are braking on a steel rotor that's consistent time and time again. That's where discs come into their own.

CEN (The European Committee for Standardization) requires that there's not more than a 20% drop off between wet and dry on a rim brake and we improve that substantially on a disc brake. It's more like a drop of 5-8% in bad conditions. Plus, it's a sealed system that's consistent over time.

You can run a rim brake engaged at about 550W for 6 minutes and you'll burst the tyre. [...] You can run a disc brake at 900W for 11 minutes and the brake doesn't boil and the tyre doesn't burst.

Once you start adding up all these testing elements you start to see more and more opportunity for a disc brake to exceed what's already out there."

You might be asking yourself: Why not just go for discs, then? 

Mat replies to that also, saying that SRAM really likes the way rim brakes ride, and that they're all about choice. They want to put many good options out there to allow the customer to make the choice. 

He says hydraulic rim brakes may eventually win out over hydraulic ones, but he doesn't think so. 

When can you afford one? Mat predicts that hydraulic disc brakes will come down in price over the next 4 years to a 105/Rival price point. He says at that point they will have to decide to either: make a fancy mechanical disc brake or see if they can push the hydraulic technology down further. 

SRAM will be selling the rotors separately. They recommend a 140mm rotor for off-road and 160mm for higher speeds on the road.

The weight is 449g per wheel (including lever, caliper, hose, and 160mm HSX rotor). The HHR caliper brake uses forged aluminum arms and a SwissSTop pad compound, and weighs in at 387g per wheel- lever, caliper, and 600mm of housing. 

The new SRAM components should be available from May to June. 

SRAM sponsored pro teams will be keen for the teams to use the hydraulic brakes, although it will be the rim version as UCI regulations don't permit discs.

Stay tuned to the blog, we will be talking more about the SRAM Red 22 groupset.

Come to The Spoke Shop for 
all your road bike needs.

We are located at 1910 Broadwater Ave. in Billings, MT. You can reach us by phone at (406) 656-8342

www.spokeshop.com