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| SRAM XPLR eTAP AXS RIVAL |
ALSO- All imagery and information used in this post is courtesy of SRAM.
Yesterday the poorly kept secret that SRAM was coming out with a gravel group set to compete with Shimano's new GRX components was released and now we know all the details. There are probably 20 other sites breaking down the spec, prices, availability, and which are giving you "first impressions' and ride reviews now. So I will not be delving into that here. Well, not much. If tech spec and ride reviews are what you want, you ain't gettin' that here! But if you want some pithy opinions, stay tuned.........
What It Is: SRAM has delivered a drive train set up with gearing focused on what their folks think 'gravel riders' need based on their wireless eTAP AXS shifting technology and 1X designs. They also have developed a dropper post and suspension fork for gravel within the Rock Shox brand and also a wheel set and handle bar within their Zipp brand. All are under the "XPLR" (say 'explore') range, which, ironically, is fairly non-cross compatible with other SRAM components. More on that in a bit.
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| SRAM XPLR RIVAL eTAP AXS REAR DERAILLEUR |
Comments: I found it interesting that SRAM walked out all three levels of its road side components within the XPLR range at the same time. Of course, they already had the levers in the bag, so a big part of the puzzle was already in play.
Secondly, and this is maybe just a weird reaction on my part, but within the fine print on SRAM's big press release on XPLR, the pricing on rear derailleurs notes that 'batteries are not included'. I actually laughed out loud when I read that. Obviously, some folks already are invested in AXS and really would not need more batteries, but at the asking price for these derailleurs, you'd think you'd get a battery. But that may be just me....I mean, the thing is useless without a battery, so.....
But beyond that nit, there is a really interesting thing going on here. XPLR rear derailleurs come in two types- One for the bigger 10-44T cassette and one that will work with a 10-36T cassette. These rear derailleurs are flat top chain compatible only, so no Eagle chain. In fact, SRAM claims that neither the rear derailleur nor the XPLR cassettes will work with anything but a flat top SRAM chain. Also- the 36T max rear derailleur will not be compatible with the 10-44T cassette, but the 44T max rear XPLR derailleurs will work on either cassette.
You could run the 'mullet' set up, but only with an Eagle rear derailleur , chain, and cassette, so.....the only advantage is that you can run a bigger drive ring on the crank? I guess so. Oh! Yeah, and XPLR is 1X only! get yer filthy front derailleurs and double chain ring cranks away from here!
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| SRAM XPLR RED CRANK |
Interestingly, instead of offsetting rings, or crank arms, SRAM just made one spindle length to accommodate both MTB (73mm) and road (68) nominal widths on bottom brackets, (all weird sizes of BB's are pretty much based off those two old standards) It's called the "Wide" option, but there are standard road width cranks as well. Current eTap AXS road cranks are cross-compatible with a swap to a direct mount XPLR chain ring. Of course, everything uses the DUB spindle
Now SRAM has decided it needed to have some shreddy MTB bits which, in my opinion, are not really necessary in a 'gravel' group set. But, whatever.... They did it and so here are my thoughts on the fork and dropper post.
I found it ironic that Rock Shox did not resurrect the "Ruby" model name, but they went with the similar sounding "Rudy" name instead. (Which reminds me of a great ska song by The Specials, by the way) Anyway.......The Rudy! Can it fail? Maybe.... (Another song reference!) Sorry! Okay.....seriously!
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| ROCK SHOX RUDY XPLR |
Of course, it is a post mount brake caliper standard. It has rebound adjust, with a tiny little screw, and it has lock-out. (Not activated from the bar though) I will credit SRAM/Rock Shox in that some attempt was made to make the fork look a lot less "MTB" and more road-ish. Although, there is a nod to enduro with an accessory fender for the Rudy. I guess I just don't see how trying to push an all-road bike into doing MTB-ish stunts is going to be a good thing for most people. Get a real MTB for trail riding. That's my opinion anyway. But maybe all this MTB-ish leaning is really saying to the MTB designers that current 'long, low, slack' geometry is leaving those that want to go up, down, and all around at speed out of the equation. I think that is what is going on with that.
Okay, now for the dropper! You may think that I would say similar things about the XPLR Reverb post that I would say about the Rudy. Well, you'd be mistaken. See, there I think that the dropper post is more than 'just an MTB thing'. I like the dropper idea. You can dump the saddle to get more aero on downhills and gain a ton of speed in the process. (See banned PRO roadie riding positions) You can drop the post to make getting on and off your bike a breeze. This is especially helpful when you have a load, like you might when bikepacking or commuting in a city. Yes, dropper posts can help on trails, but these bikes aren't MTB bikes. (Again- maybe we're missing the right MTB for most folks) So, I am all about dropper posts on 'gravel bikes'. 
ROCK SHOX XPLR REVERB CUTAWAY
But this Reverb is AXS (electronic) only and costs a fortune. (Plus, AXS MTB Reverb posts don't have a stellar reputation for reliability as it is.) So, I was a bit disappointed here. But, SRAM is all about wireless everything now, or so it would seem. Which leads me to....
SRAM XPLR vs Shimano GRX: I will limit my comments to features and options, since- obviously- I haven't ridden XPLR.....yet. Anyway, here's where XPLR falls short, in my opinion. First and foremost- There is no mechanically operated XPLR. This may seem like an oversight to some, or it may seem like an old school complaint from the elderly by others. But in my opinion, mechanically operated drive train components are less expensive to buy and maintain over time. For example- A Shimano GRX 600 rear derailleur costs a little over a hundred bucks. A Rival eTap AXS XPLR rear derailleur costs $255.00, and that is the least expensive XPLR rear derailleur, (and remember- it doesn't come with batteries!)
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| ZIPP XPLR 101 Wheel |
Next? Cross-compatibility is limited with XPLR. GRX is compatible with most all the road side of Shimano's line. To wit: I run Ultegra 11 speed levers with a GRX 800 rear derailleur and Ultegra front derailleur with a 11-36 SRAM cassette and a CX series crank with 36/46T rings with a Wippermann chain on my Black Mountain Cycles MCD. Try something like that with XPLR. Not happening if what SRAM says about XPLR is true. You buy into SRAM's proprietary chains, 1X only, two cassette options, and limited options in SRAM's components outside of XPLR.
Third- A weird wheel set, (which isn't all that light or value packed) a dropper post actuated electronically, and a limited travel suspension fork don't really mean much to me as a non-pavement road rider. Thinking between paved riding and MTB, that space is a wide one, but I'm not sold on the suspension fork, any modern wheel set can be a 'gravel wheel set', and while I like droppers, the high-end, electronic Reverb deal isn't very accessible.
Which kind of begs a question: Is SRAM's answer to GRX really a 'gravel group', or is it just a minor variation on a SRAM theme with limited options? Sure- you could argue that the wheels and a suspension fork, and a dropper post make a difference, (Which Shimano has most of as well, by the way) but again- these are also variations on a theme with proprietary bits that limit use across SRAM's range.
Some might lay that question on Shimano as well, but they at least did a truly new lever, (Di2 GRX 800), added new features which could be useful (example- hydraulic "B" levers), and made mechanical and electronic groups, with 1X and 2X 10 and 11 speed options as well. The crank sets are different from anything else they make, which were made to accommodate gravel specific needs. Like SRAM, they have handle bars, wheels, and a dropper post, albeit things that aren't proprietary and super expensive. I guess what I see is one company with a wider and more varied palette of offerings versus a company with basically three electronic 1X only drive trains and the fork and dropper post.
In the end, XPLR is intriguing. Compelling? Not really, but it is a curious entry into a market that typifies the every-man- the non-racer, adventure seeker, fun time having rider that wants to experience the outdoors and escape modern tethers. XPLR seems to speak to the techie, but at a price, and with some similarities to the tech/device world in the limitations that it places on the end user. (Batteries are included in most techie-device gadgets though, so not the same there) We'll see how it goes, but how SRAM has positioned itself in this market, for the time being, is a very interesting thing to see.
13 comments:
I definitely find myself agreeing with you Mark - a wireless, proprietary 'gravel' group from such a prominent brand feels wrong for the gravel market.
It doesn't hit anywhere really
- wireless? (nope, not for me or many grassroots bike riders, gravel or otherwise)
- limited proprietary options? (nope, not going to put all my eggs in one basket)
- short-travel suspension fork (nope, for the extra cost and maintenance)
- dropper post (a luxury on gravel, it has advantages but is not the game changer it is for MTB where it enables steep seat angles combined with slack front ends)
On one side we are looking at a racer's group with the wireless shifting etc. but the limited options (esp. lack of a double chainring) don't jive with that. On the other, we are looking at pushing a gravel group toward XC-lite with the shredders kit.
I don't think any of the above gets anywhere close to Shimano's offerings, supplemented by a cheap cable operated dropper if that's your bag. If, as you allude the range might be aimed at an XC-lite all rounder MTB then it needs mechanical options and (I would argue) a decent 60-80mm travel fork or it is limited to the high end boutique market. Basically, dentists! And the MTB has gone full circle (easy joke, I having nothing against dentists personally!)
I don't think XPLR is going to make much impact on the market at this point; it may be that further additions are in the pipeline, like the mechanical options so obviously lacking but I feel gravel is the crossover between 1x and 2x - different strokes for different folks but a 1x dedicated groupset for gravel excludes a lot of people.
However, zoom out a bit. In the US, gravel is gravel but for a lot of places, gravel is a cipher for blending tarmac and XC style trails. You don't often get the in-between in my neck of the woods for example, which is why re-purposed 00s 26er MTBs are becoming popular running suspension forks and 650 wheels with 40-42mm tyres (sort of a 650B-).
So maybe with a few tweaks this is aimed at the broader non-US 'gravel' market?
As a staunch curmudgeon I don't plan on ever having an electronically activated anything on my bikes. That said I've come to see the advantages of a dropper post. Like when your MTB equipped buddy wants to check out some singletrack side trail and you're getting your ass kicked trying to keep up on your gravel bike (happened last Sunday). After listening to Dustin Klein's breathless intro of XPLR yesterday I'm intrigued by the seat post and it's three modes. I think SRAM is really missing out by not offering a mechanical version.
@MuddyMatt - Interesting comments regarding the repurposing of 26"er bikes and how there is little 'tweener' territory to use a gravel bike on. I also am enlightened by the final comments to think more in terms of 'outside the US market' here. Thank you for that.
Okay, so immediately I think of trekking bikes, which to my way of thinking are the 'gravel bike' of Europe. Maybe I'm off there, but those bikes feel to me to be the 'in between' of Road and MTB there. Something of a bike like we never had in the USA.
I was of the mind that a road-type bike, with drop bars, wider tires, and more versatility built in was the bike everyone should have in their garage/shed/whatever. You could ride anywhere that was not perfectly paved up to single track and mountainous, rock infested down hills. That ended up becoming 'Gravel®' for lack of a better term. Certainly, this gravel thing was a construct of US thinking, and for me, at least, was never thought of as a 'world-wide' movement. Of course, that has happened anyway.
So, how does all that fit into the XPLR subject? Well, SRAM- in their opening statement on XPLR- say that gravel is what you make of it and is for everyone. A bit of marketing-speak for sure, but also, a bit of truth for the world-wide market, which SRAM is definitely speaking to here.
The very name "XPLR" kind of conjures up something outside of what is normally thought of as 'gravel' cycling for many people, I think. Trekking- that is a term which says the same thing to me. So- perhaps- that is really what is going on here, but again, if so, this is a very mysterious way to express that concept.
@Phillip Cowan - The seat post is intriguing and has features which I did not discuss here that could be a game changer in ride comfort. (They did not really push the 'suspension' post bit, but only allude to that, in the presser)
But yeah, a big miss in terms of the electronic activation which pushes the retail price out of most folks buying range. It just seems odd that SRAM would not be willing to make the post with a cable actuated mechanism, but even standard Reverbs are hydraulically actuated, so I don't think SRAM has any interest in making an 'affordable' version of the XPLR Reverb post.
It is too bad, because with a few tweaks that idea could be huge in the gravel scene.
I am actually excited to see this come out. I have been trying to figure out how to do a mullet build AXS on my bike. It makes a lot of sense to go wireless on my bike. I have a Twin Six FSU that I move back and forth from drop bar to straight bar. Removing a cable to tinker with is ideal for me. I also like how SRAM is making a 12spd cassette without a 52 or 50T.
Gravel and electronic shifts seems like a bad idea on paper, but that is paper. In reality I like it a lot. I know when I shift in muddy conditions that gear is going or it is snapping off my derailleur hanger. Then again, the older I get, the less I see the wisdom in riding in horrible conditions, if I do, I Single Speed it.
I am not sold on gravel bikes with dropper posts, especially after the lady I rode with Rule of 3 had hers fail and drop all the fluid, mid-race.
Gravel Forks, it is not my bag, but the market will decided.
@N.Y. Roll - I think the Rival XPLR will be a heavy spec in 2022 and lots of folks will be wanting to convert to it. As a mechanic? I LOVE eTap AXS. Super-easy to set up and other than a brake route- NO INTERNAL ROUTING! Yay!
But- if Rival eTap is any indication of future XPLR performance, the shifting quality and feel is a lot less satisfying than with Shimano. I wasn't impressed with the few Rival eTap bikes I have seen so far. Maybe that is an outlier. Maybe the XPLR stuff has been tightened up a bit.
We will see......
I am currently running:
Santa Cruz Blur with AXS XO1: Love It
Cannondale CAAD13 with AXS Force: Love it
That is my experience base, not perfect but I think it leads me to think at this point, different price points is weird. The point is coming I think in cycling where resources are such for production that Best, Better, Good, Average lines of components, will have to dwindle in these areas to Best and Good.
- thoughts?
@N.Y. Roll - I would agree that eTap Red and Force have been better experiences for me as a mechanic. So your summation of the "Best and Good" options may be spot on here. Again- I may have run across a few bad apples with regard to Rival, so let's keep an open mind there.....
But with supply chain issues being what they are? yes- I feel options are already being pared down and will be further in the future. This goes for everything coming from the Far East.
I've equated the new group to be a heavier, more expensive and one less cog than Campagnolo Ekar. SRAM is convinced that batteries are the future and that cable actuated road (gravel) systems are not worth it. Thank goodness for Shimano and Campagnolo.
Any chance this is just Step# 1 for SRAM? Similar to how Shimano will introduce 12 speed drivetrains at the XTR level and eventually 12 speed shows up at the Deore level. I wonder if step #2 will be mechanical Rival and Apex XPLR stuff? Surely SRAM will want to compete in the OEM market on mid to lower end gravel bikes?
Regarding the AXS dropper. What percentage of gravel framesets have internal dropper routing? If the percentage is relatively low perhaps there is a certain practicality associated with SRAMs decision to go with AXS only on the dropper?
Given the popularity of gravel, do you know if we are we anywhere close to a tipping point where the volume of XPLR and GRX produced and sold will exceed the volume of SRAM's and Shimano's traditional road drivetrains? It would be interesting to see if customer demand gets to the point where XPLR and GRX were first in line ahead of Red and Dura-Ace for future drivetrain R&D and technology.
What about options for rim brakes? I don't want my beautifully crafted, steel, MUSA Monstercross to become a wall-hanging!
@Scott - Thank you for your comments and questions.
On the "Step #1" comments- Yes, it is absolutely entirely possible that this is only a first wave of components meant for the gravel scene from SRAM. I mentioned Apex, which for all we know is still going to be around as a mechanical group. I would also think that a Rival XPLR mechanical group would make sense, but I believe that we will not ever see a Force or Red level XPLR mechanical group in the future. On the other hand, we haven't seen a lot of mechanical group set introductions from SRAM of late, so there is that possibility that SRAM is staking a claim that we no longer need front derailleurs OR cable actuated gearing.
Regarding the XPLR dropper- Yes- many gravel bikes have internal routing now for dropper posts, which seems a bit silly since you don't see a lot of droppers on gravel bikes. But that could be because it is still such a novel idea for gravel. I don't see SRAM's decision to go electronic on the XPLR Reverb as a means to fit every bike, or they wouldn't offer a hydraulically actuated Reverb for MTB at all. That just doesn't seem logical to me. I believe that IF we see a cable actuated XPLR gearing system, they will introduce it with an XPLR Reverb with hydraulic actuation.
On the numbers of road vs gravel bikes: According to numbers published in "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News,road bike sales have fallen to a much smaller amount of sales overall until they reached a valley and have remained mostly flat there since. This has been the state of road bike sales for almost a decade now. Gravel is figured into that category, unfortunately, and so I cannot give you any kind of percentages with regard to road vs gravel. My feeling is that in the balance, the percentages of road vs gravel sales is tipped toward gravel and both together have remained somewhat flat over all in terms of numbers up to the pandemic.
Now that we have seen a spike in all bicycle sales, and a resulting shortage of new bikes to sell, it is harder to read the market in terms of what the numbers here really are. My reading of the tea leaves tells me that gravel is increasingly a bigger market than road and perhaps once things straighten out we can get some data to show this.
I think it is important also to note that the perception in the industry is that not only has gravel as a category cannibalized road racing bike sales, but cyclo-cross sales have dipped significantly as well. Many manufacturers are pushing CX design out as "gravel" bikes (See Bianchi's latest) and others are designing specifically for gravel and selling the same design as their CX bike, (Cannondale).
It is an interesting time in the industry, no doubt!
@Jason - SRAM mentions briefly that their RED and Force road racing groups come with a mechanical brake option, so one might still get an eTap lever set meant for mechanical brakes, but yeah.... The days of mechanical brakes AND electronically shifted drive trains is numbered. One may have to go to something out of the box like Archer Components system for drop bars. Check that out for an electronically shifted alternative that works with any brakes.
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