SRAM launch next gen Force and Rival Road and XPLR groupsets

The next generation of SRAM‘s Force and Rival AXS groupsets has arrived in both Road and XPLR configurations – four new groupsets in one launch.

Straight away, it’s clear that the shifter ergonomics from SRAM Red – launched 11 months ago – are now available across the entire range being introduced: A move which will immediately win fans, if post-launch owner-based reviews of the Red groupset are taken as a guide. Hopefully, the shifter hood covers – arguably the only grumble from that Red launch – are now better fitting.

Beyond the ergonomics, it’s the AXS integration and compatibility that will have many excited. Integration and configuration are a major part of SRAM AXS’ appeal, and the newly introduced groupsets are, the launch announcement highlights, no different.

Across the four groupset range launched today, “one-finger braking, refined ergonomics, faster shifting, and lighter weight” make the headline news.

Of that braking performance, levers sporting an optimised pivot point and repositioned reservoir reportedly deliver an 80% reduction in effort than previously, when stopping from the hoods. As with the Red launch reviews, we’ve no reason to question the claim. Those who’ve ridden and reviewed the horizontal piston housed levers report a notable performance upgrade when compared with the previous design.

That said, levers can’t take all the credit. We’re told that “stiffer callipers” play a significant role in upgrading the stopping power, and, importantly, lever feel.

Naturally enough, Force gets some of the bells and whistles found on Red, whilst Rival makes it happen in a slightly more weighty, slightly less feature-rich, fashion.

Quick standouts here are Force shifters sporting Bonus Buttons – which provide ANT+ device control (Hammerhead Karoo, here’s looking at you) or auxiliary shift option – whilst Rival does without these. Possibly of more interest, depending on your use case, both Force and Rival sport carbon levers – and come with the same Reach Adjust feature.

As was noted on the Red launch, the front derailleur cage is narrower than in previous iterations, possibly playing a role in that increased shifting speed claim, with auto trim now appearing on both Force and Rival.

The beauty of SRAM AXS has always been its configurability, in 2x or 1x. Road, Gravel, and MTB, offer riders a wide cassette range, making it easy to configure a bike for almost any application.

One area that does require specificity is chain selection, where SRAM highlights that both Force and Rival chains are compatible with 12-speed road and 13-speed XPLR AXS dropbar groupsets.

For those loving a nostalgic ’90s MTB vibe, the Force chain is also available in purple.  Keeping purple purple will definitely make this an option that appeals strongly to the more fastidious bike owner: Cat 4 tattoo fans need not apply.

Cranksets are available from 160mm all the way to 175mm in length, across 1x and 2x configurations.

It’s here that we see the one detail which didn’t make it into the January leak. As was anticipated, Force remains largely unchanged, graphics aside, whilst, Rival now sports an entirely new look, with chain rings which mimic elements of the aesthetic found on Red and Force, paired with an entirely unique, new, crank arm design.

The range continues to enjoy crank arm and spider/chainring-based power meter options, with SRAM crank arm-based power at price points which have made choosing SRAM AXS components even more compelling – especially if numbers and data are important to you as a rider.

Critically, Quarq reliability and accuracy have, historically, been strong factors – something important when really depending on Watts for dosing and measuring training effectiveness.

For full tech specs, and pricing details, the SRAM UK distributor is ZyroFisher.