Does anyone have any intel whether SRAM will change their road AXS groups and go full mount (no RD hanger) similar if not identical to Eagle?
I ask as I’m close to buying a Trek Madone SLR 7 AXS (Force) but, waiting thinking SRAM will launch new road groups this summer around the TdF. Not that it’s that much better, just might as well buy into the latest tech for compatibility reasons going forward.
You mean “Transmission” and/or “direct-mount T-Type” per their marketing term, right?
I think it will end up that way eventually, since it is such a solid system.
I believe so but, I’m not up to speed on the mountain SRAM tech. In a video from Bike Radar they said SRAM called it Full Mount but, then they used T and Direct as well to describe it. All the same thing, yes?
I have never seen “Full Mount” specifically, but the others are clearly listed on the SRAM site and used in all the reviews I saw on the MTB side.
Do you have a link to that vid?
ETA: Looks like SRAM do list that. First I’ve seen it, good to learn.
There’s a photo floating around showing a Red AXS Xplr group that’s t-type (no RD hanger).
new RED xplr 13speed UDH - Weight Weenies (starbike.com)
I would think that eventually, they’ll go this way - unsure when it will arrive on 2x road.
This link may or may not work but, this was what I looked at.
I guess what I’m really wondering is will the frame need to change to work with a direct mount RD? I’d hate to buy the current frame only for it to not be compatible with this system…
https://www.bikeradar.com/news/sram-t-type-eagle-transmission
Awesome thanks. I can almost guarantee if I buy a bike this March or April the new group will be launched this summer 
Yeah the new Universal Derailleur Hanger design they made for MTB was the Trojan horse that eventually leads to the Full Mount derailleur design. As such, any bike intended to use the new Full Mount will need that UDH / FM frame design. They are not backwards compatible with “normal” thru-axle frame design.
We see a few gravel bikes already adopting it and I suspect it is coming to road over time. Might be a season or two before it gets wider adoption though, and likely as a part of new model release if/when brands take it into road space, similar to the phased adoption we saw on the MTB side.
I wonder if this is possibly why the Madone SLR frame option has been sold out across the size spectrum for a while. I guess I’ll wait until the TdF/fall to see if Trek updates the Madone and Emonda and decide then.
I’d look at the fact that some of the larger(highest selling) frames released in the last few months such as the SL8, and the new Factor Ostro not having UDH as a tell that we’re still several years away from UDH on the road being anything other than an oddity. There are several new road frames that are UDH, with the Ridley Falcon probably being the most relevant. The above linked Red XPLR Transmission makes sense for gravel, and obviously SRAM would love for wider use cases, but to this point I don’t think that the frame manufacturers have fully bought in. I’m not at all aware of the patents surrounding UDH, but I think Shimano releasing a compatible rear derailleur would be all it takes to get everyone on board. There was some patent drawings last summer that showed Shimano utilizing a similar concept, so here’s to hoping that its compatible. Now, in a world where companies love to differentiate themselves and stick to their own “standards”, Shimano adopting this would look like a loss in their eyes, despite the fact it would be a win for the consumers.
I wonder what the source is on that?
I’d be surprised if Sram rolled out 13 speed on road before mountain.
Why? Gear jumps don’t really matter on the MTB side. 12 is plenty on a 10-52 for MTB. Wheras folks are constantly complaining about how they don’t have the perfect gear for their paceline on the road.
And 10 was plenty when we only had 10 gears too. 
And the gear jumps still matter, especially if you’re on a course that has lots of gravel or very smooth trail.
I don’t know what to think regarding new Trek launch products with this article…With my luck I’ll just wait and watch supply go down, demand stay about the same and prices increase. 
Meh, turbulent times but basic spending logic still reigns IMO. Evaluate your desire, need (including timeline), budget and the known price of a product. If those all align, buy it… if not, don’t.
Worrying about a pending price decrease or increase just leads to stress on unknowns that are largely out of your control. Stick to what you can and work with that. If you are in no rush, you can see how things morph over a few weeks or months. But if your need is more immediate, chose per above and don’t sweat what is yet to come.
/unsolicited spending advice
Agree. I don’t need much of anything anymore. A new bike won’t make a noticeable performance gain from what I currently ride. TBH this is being driven by a nice team deal we get with Trek. Still expensive but, just thinking as long as I have the opportunity of this deal I should jump. With that said I am intrigued/interested to see if SRAM will update road groups and Trek offers a compatible frame…
I think frame manufacturers and SRAM will eventually launch UDHr for road bikes. The frame mount will be narrower than UDH to “save weight” but it’ll be of “equal stiffness” and sorry, they won’t be cross compatible.
That’s my main concern.
I do look forward to people melting down about how the name UNIVERSAL Derailleur Hanger - Road is an oxymoron🤣
