SRAM RED XPLR AXS Gravel groupset review

I’m not, for a minute, thinking that you’re going to go out and buy one of these groupsets.

• Brand: SRAM
• Product: RED XPLR AXS Gravel groupset
• Price: around £4,000 depending on components
• From: SRAM
• Tested by: Chipps for 6 months

Why do I think that you’re not going to buy one of these groupsets? First of all, you need a SRAM UDH-compatible gravel bike that you want to upgrade, and then you need a load of cash for the full-on, pro-level SRAM RED gruppo. However, you’re more likely to see this offered on a complete bike you’re looking at, and most of what’s reviewed here is available for much more reasonable cash in the Force and Rival versions of the XPLR groupset.

With that out of the way, we’re looking at SRAM’s top-end, gravel and ‘cross racing, 13 speed Transmission groupset; you’ll need a UDH-compatible frame and flat-mount brakes for it all to work. With the bolt-on Transmission derailleur, SRAM found room for a 13th sprocket, which widens the gear range to a very usable 10-46T. If you need bigger, just get an Eagle mountain bike mech and cassette, eh?

From front to back, we have beautiful new carbon brake levers, with longer hoods (that SRAM suggests need running at 9° up from horizontal). There is excellent, and easy, reach adjust that will fit even the smallest hands and the hoods are a very, very comfortable place to spend time. Each lever features a shift lever that sits well under the finger on the drops or hoods. There are secondary buttons on the hoods by your thumbs too.

We had the SRAM RED cranks with built-in power meter, but there are regular crank options. The carbon cranks are elegant and slim. The brakes are Flat Mount and single piston, though, as we’ll see, they offer excellent power and feel.

At the back we have a simply massive rear derailleur which, if you’re coming from a mechanical gravel setup will look comedically oversized. Setup on a new bike, once you’ve done it a couple of times, is simple enough and the accuracy is spot-on. If it comes on your new bike, you won’t even notice the lack of limit screws or derailleur hanger.

Whereas MTB AXS Eagle is built for shifting under massive load, XPLR is designed for speed, and the shifts certainly are speedy and precise. It takes no time at all to get used to SRAM’s paddle-shift style of shifting if you’ve not used it before, with the bonus that both shifters together can trigger a Reverb dropper post if you have one. The SRAM RED brake hoods have to be one of the most comfortable ones I’ve tried and the transition to the bar tops is flawless, making hand position, from tops to hoods, or even being in between, a seamless thing that you no longer worry about.

Braking is absolutely excellent! Even on the first ride on a bike where I’d installed and bled the brakes myself, there was an enormous feeling of progressive power and absolute control, whether on the hoods or the drops. A factory-bled setup might be even better…

After clocking over 600km, the bike (a Canyon Grail) was still working perfectly, giving me little to complain about. I’d say that the thumb buttons on the hoods are only accessible when in the ‘dropped-elbows aero’ hoods position, rather than a more upright CX style, but I guess this groupset is all about speed. The 10-46T cassette and available (38 up to 46T) chainring range of gears is excellent and just about enough for any loaded bikepacker. Battery life on the rear mech is perfectly fine for several big rides and spares are cheap, light and quick to charge.

Overall

My only quibble would be about the astronomical price, but then, to be fair, it’s the top of the shop gravel groupset from SRAM and it has quickly filtered everything down to the far more affordable Force and Rival tiers. So get those if you’re spending your own money. However, if you find yourself on a bike with SRAM’s RED XPLR groupset on it, you’ll be in a very happy place.

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