By The Takeaway: The new Force eTap AXS groupset brings you all the functions of the Red eTap AXS group, and less-intricate manufacturing processes bring the price down.
- The guts of Red eTap AXS remain, but now you can actually afford them
- SRAM’s app-based AXS system allows you to customize your shifting from your phone
- The new groupset is available for purchase right now and will begin appearing on new bikes for 2019
Price: $2,078 to $2,678
Weight: 1,983g to 2,912g
It’s here: SRAM’s Force eTap AXS 12-speed electronic drivetrain goes on sale today. Force represents a cheaper and heavier alternative to the company’s Red eTap AXS drivetrain, which released in February. Full groupsets will cost between $2,678, for the 2x drivetrain with hydraulic disc brakes, and $2,078, for the 1x setup with rim brakes. Depending on the variant, Force groupsets weigh roughly 200 to 300 grams more than Red. Materials and manufacturing techniques make the difference, but SRAM carried all the same the Red AXS electronics to Force. The company says that makes the on-road feel nearly identical; we’ll evaluate that once we ride the new drivetrain. For now, the groupsets are available for purchase. Thanks to the lower price, SRAM says we should expect to see lots of Force eTap AXS-equipped bikes from brands like Cannondale, Giant, Specialized, Trek, and more.
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What Separates Force From Red?
With Red, SRAM spared little expense to achieve the lightest groupset possible, so Force is an exercise in using the same tech and making it more cheaply. The cassette is steel, and pinned together instead of Red's exotic hollow and extensively machined construction. Compared to the labor-intensive hollow carbon crank arm on Red, the Force crank arm is an aluminum spine wrapped in carbon. The Flattop chain has solid pins, compared to Red’s hollow pins. The chainring is stamped rather than milled, the spindle isn’t as aggressively machined for weight-savings, and although the hydraulic disc brakes are mechanically unchanged, the caliper is machined from two pieces of material rather than one.
Outside of machining, there’s no 50x37t chainring combination for Force (because World Tour riders who favor the gearing will likely be riding Red anyway, the company says). And whereas the Quarq power meter on Red is integrated into the one-piece chainring unit, the Force Quarq power meter is within the spider, and rings are individually replaceable. Like on Red, you can choose not to have the power meter, too (it adds 100 grams). The Red power meter will be marginally more accurate and consistent because it’s a single piece, but SRAM says for anyone other than the most data obsessed, the difference will be negligible.
What Else Force eTap AXS Offers You
As the name implies, Force eTap groupsets include SRAM’s AXS (“access”) component integration system. Via the SRAM AXS app, riders can adjust shifting preferences, update firmware, receive maintenance reminders, and check battery status (also indicated by lights on the derailleurs). AXS compatibility also helps you mix and match components with SRAM Red and Eagle drivetrains.
SRAM’s X-Range gearing is designed to minimize the teeth between jumps while shifting. The 48/35 and 46/33 chainrings have 13-tooth jumps; SRAM claims they’ll shift more smoothly than a larger jump. Following that logic, each of the cassette options start with a 10-tooth cog: The 10-26 and 10-28 cassettes, with respective 260 and 280 percent ranges, have seven one-tooth jumps. The 10-33 cassette (for 330 percent range) has five one-tooth jumps. Every cassette option uses SRAM’s XDR driver body; most hub manufacturers supply XDR-compatible hubs. And the rear derailleur uses the Orbit fluid damper, originally released on Red AXS, to reduce chain bounce.
The hydraulic disc option runs SRAM’s HRD shift-brake system, which helps riders set their preferred finger position for engaging the brakes. You’ll also get SRAM’s CenterLine XR rotors, which have rounded edges for UCI compliance. The mechanical rim brake option uses an updated dual-pivot design that accommodate up to 28mm tires, and both brakesets include a reach adjustment. The BlipBox replaces the drop bar shift levers for time trialists, triathletes, and anyone wanting to run a flat bar. It’s small enough to integrate into a stem faceplate cap (or a feed box or frame), and it talks to the rest of your AXS system.
Like on Red, Force adopts SRAM’s Dub crank-axle standard. There’s a 28.99mm aluminum axle; SRAM claims it optimizes lightness and stiffness while extending bearing life, as compared to a BB30 axle. Compatible bottom brackets include BB30, BSA, PF30, BBRight, PF30A, 386, and PF86.5.
SRAM Force eTap AXS vs Shimano Ultegra Di2
Comparisons are inevitable, so here they are. Until now, Shimano’s Ultegra Di2 groupset was the only semi-reasonably priced option for electronic shifting, as the company’s range-topping Dura Ace platform is roughly as expensive as SRAM’s Red eTap AXS. Major differences include Force eTap AXS’ 1x compatibility, which isn’t an option on Ultegra Di2, and Force’s app-based shifting adjustment.
Ultegra Di2 is cheaper than Force: The R8000 Shimano groupset costs $2,366 with hydraulic brakes and $1,940 with rim brakes. The 2x Force Disc group is $2,678, and the 2x rim brake option is $2,478. And Ultegra weighs less, too: The disc-equipped group is nearly 400 grams lighter than Force, and the rim brake option is 253 grams lighter. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the other Force options.
A former Division 1 runner, Dan grew up riding fixies and mountain bikes and now reviews everything from performance running shoes to road and cross bikes, to the latest tech for runners and cyclists at Bicycling and Runner’s World.
