Unbound Gravel race weekend is right here. Hundreds of newbie {and professional} racers are descending upon Emporia, Kansas, in the midst of nowhere America, for the world’s premier gravel race.
As race day approaches on Saturday, June 1, riders are hitting the course for shakeout and recon rides. Along with pondering tire selections, warming up the legs and testing their gear choices, some riders are acquainting themselves with yet-to-be launched tools that can be raced for the very first time right here throughout the 200 miles of Tallgrass Prairie and Flint Hills.
For the previous few years, because the competitors and status at Unbound have grown, the race has additionally turn out to be a launching pad and proving floor for cutting-edge gravel tech. For the eagle-eyed amongst us, there is a good probability it’s possible you’ll spot one thing uncommon.
We obtained fortunate early on, once we noticed this probably new SRAM gravel drivetrain on a gaggle experience this morning. May this be the brand new SRAM Crimson XPLR AXS?
What caught my eye was the beefy SRAM transmission-style rear derailleur. Launched as a part of its Eagle mountain bike line in 2023, the SRAM Transmission is a 1x 12-speed wi-fi digital drivetrain that’s not solely freed from any wires, it additionally capabilities and not using a derailleur hanger, restrict screws or B-tension changes.
Is that this SRAM’s new 13-speed SRAM Crimson AXS XPLR?
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
It is designed to be mounted on to the body across the wheel axle, rather than the place a derailleur hanger could be. It does requires a frameset with the Common Derailleur Hanger (UDH) interface, however fortunately the adoption price of this normal is rising extensively amongst body producers.
Since its launch, the system has garnered favorable evaluations for its robustness and ease with loads of movies circling across the web of individuals kicking and leaping on the derailleur with out having an impression.
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Like the remainder of SRAM’s wi-fi groupsets, the wi-fi derailleur is powered by the identical small AXS batteries we have turn out to be aware of throughout the wi-fi methods. On the handlebars we noticed what seem like the identical shifters that have been revealed as a part of the American producer’s SRAM Crimson AXS street groupset just some weeks in the past, and the brake calipers additionally seem to taken from this groupset —each of which inspired our reviewers right here at Biking Weekly.
“The braking efficiency is now genuinely greatest at school, which is really spectacular, and shift high quality is barely higher than the outgoing Crimson,” wrote Joe Baker.
Nicely these look acquainted. These seem like the identical shifters as used within the new SRAM Crimson AXS street groupset launched just some weeks in the past.Â
(Picture credit score: Anne-Marije Rook)
Nevertheless, this new gravel groupset sports activities one thing the street groupset would not have, Transmission apart, and that could be a thirteenth cog. I obtained shut sufficient to rely the rings of the cassette myself, and certain sufficient, there are 13 cogs within the again. Till now, Campagnolo was the one producer to utilize 13-speed cassettes in its gravel groupsets. SRAM launched 12-speed drivetrains in its mountain bike line first in 2016 and carried it over to street and gravel in 2019. Shimano has been enjoying catch-up within the gravel house, introducing 12-speed mechanical GRX simply final yr and the digital 12-speed GRX solely final week.
As of but, it’s unknown when SRAM will make the 13-speed SRAM Crimson AXS XPLR out there commercially, although it is seemingly that we’ll see it by the tip of the summer time.
