Can’t justify this upgrade because of the micro usb connector on the charger! 
I’ll keep my electonic waste to a minimum and just rotate the batteries once a month, worked for years 
There is a sketchy double battery charger for SRAM on Amazon for $20, has USB-C. Come on SRAM…
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Anecdotally, I heard Shimano owns a good bit of intellectual property around front derailleur cage features which is what makes SRAM FD performance so poor in general, but Campy seems to not suck as much, so who knows.
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Honestly, I usually blame SRAM front shifting problems more on the chainrings and chain than on the FD. Shimano just seems to do a better job with tooth profiles being able to guide the chain more precisely, and this applies to rear shifting as well. Also anecdotally, SRAM chains also feel more laterally stiff to me, which might be part of the problem. And even more anecdotally, Shimano 12 speed front shifting seems to be a lot more finicky to set up than 11 speed.
My current red/force combo shows signs of retirement. Eg. the front mech button doesnt work anymore, left shifter miss the feedback from pressing the button. Red power chainring shows signs of wear out after 30k++ kms.
After checking the prices i have no idea to update everything. Here is my plan:
I will just replace the wearout/tired components with new shifters/brakes combo. I will remove the front derailleur and switch to 1x system with aero chainring. I assume my red cranks will be still compatible.
I will keep my current force rear derailleur as long as it works. Also current 10-26 is still valid but maybe upgrade to bit wider after initial prices comes down while moving to 1 by.
With these changes i get meaningful upgrade with better ergonimics, lower weight and good breaking for my venge aero bike. In area where are i live there no mountains only short hills which i have managed to ride in 50-26 combination just fine in training rides/ races. So i do not think there are any negatives except the cashflow.
How this sounds?
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Speaking of electronic waste, they’ve kept the integrated PM/chainrings setup.
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if they want to comply with EU regulations, then I’d assume yes. I hope the 4x charger is included in whole groupsets, but doubt it.
I read Escape Collective’s review and heard the podcast. My take-away is:
- The best feature, hands down, is complete backwards compatibility. I hope they will stick to that. Because, you know how much buttons care how many gears you have in the rear or front? Not one bit.
- The improved braking performance seems to be a close second. I have used various SRAM and Shimano drop bar shift/brake levers (up to and including the last 11-speed Di2 Ultegra groupset), and if the claims by Dave Rome are correct (no reason to doubt them), the new Red brake levers are a significant improvement. I fancied the idea of upgrading my brake/shift levers for a moment … until I saw the price
- The rest seems good, evolutional refinements.
Overall, SRAM seems to be moving very quickly: it has updated its line-up, releasing .5 products like Rival and Apex that featured some of the improvements already, but not others. Smart.
Yeah, that’s a big minus for me.
What is the story for smaller (< 48 tooth chainrings) on 1x?
According to reviews, yes. I found it telling that the reviews I have seen were on 2x as opposed to 1x. That tells me SRAM is pretty confident (kinda like the inverse of Shimano when they brought their M9000 XTR groupset to market).
those still use the 107 BCD quarq spider or 8 bolt interface. there are many third party chainrings available. I run wolftooth and SRAM on my Groadbike - 46t and 40t oval
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Not sure on whole groupsets, but the charger I got included with the full bike loaner was just the existing singular micro-USB one.
As someone else mentioned, I also just use the cheap Amazon double-charger that has USB-C. Note though that the EU regulations don’t kick it till the end of 2024 (Dec 28th 2024 to be precise), assuming no further delays.
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The availability of 160mm cranks is huge for short folk and TTers. Got a pair on the way already.
I think if I had SRAM on my main bike, I’d jump on the Lever/caliper upgrade that seems like a worthwhile one overall with the improved brake feel, ergonomics and “bonus buttons”
FD would be nice, but a lot of cash for minor improvements.
The rest feels like a facelift, which is fine, there will become a time when we simply can’t make huge improvements to drivetrains and I think those diminishing returns are really kicking in.
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Maybe I will treat myself to one of these new units. Or maybe I will be responsible and wait until it trickles down to Rival.
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No and no still microusb and comes with single charger, I got a 4 battery charger and never looked back, usually give the aingle ones to friends as backup
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IMO this overblown. If you have a properly maintained waxed drivetrain then I literally get years of use out of a single chain and would probably get a decade out of a chainring, longer than I’d ever have the bike.
If you aren’t a marginal gainer who is keeping a waxed drivetrain then I’d ask why are you spending top dollar for a marginal gain (Red) groupset?
edit: this prompted me to go check my SRAM red flattop chain that I’ve had on my road bike since 2021 and have 5,000+ miles on. It is still showing no measurable wear on a Park Tool CC-4 12-speed chain checker. If the chain isn’t wearing, the chainring and cassette aren’t either. Wax is your friend.
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I’m curious if they could implement the autotrim via firmware update to force/rivel fd, I know the cage is still wider but maybe that would help with setup with narrow limits
And re: PM, I think you can still run a Qarq 8-bolt spider PM with separate rings if you want, no? Heavier and possibly less precise shifting than the one-piece unit, but also more flexible if you want to swap 1x to 2x.
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Yes, you can still buy the spider separate: AXS Power Meter Spider | PM-AXS-SPDR-D1 | SRAM
The integrated option is if you want the full benefits of integration.
If you plan to change chainrings often though I’d just get the non PM version and use power pedals.
Plenty of options if someone has a specific use case that the integration is a legit issue.
SRAM Red AXS power meter crank with 14,000 miles / 22,500km on it. Still have the stock crank, it was removed when I bought the bike and has no wear. Comparing new to used, I can’t see any real wear on the power meter crank. Been waxing my chain the entire time, and like you I’ve got 6000 miles on a chain showing no almost no wear. Haven’t measured with a ruler, I’d bet there is some minor chain wear and with a magnifying lens I’d bet there is some crank wear.
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So, are they going to stick with this policy of only selling the full groupset with a Hammerhead computer, or is this a launch only thing. I can’t imagine many customers are happy to pay extra for a head unit they don’t need. And I can’t imagine retailers are thrilled to stock these bundled either. The product cycle of a head unit is usually much shorter than the groupset.