New SRAM Force AXS groupset closes the gap to Red

Updated second-tier groupset gets one-piece 2x chainset and improved shifter ergonomics

- Sam Gupta

You can make a compelling argument that it’s a brand’s second and third-tier groupsets that matter most. After all, their lower prices means they are bought by the largest number of riders and in recent years this saving has involved less of a compromise in quality than ever before.

SR AM’s Force eTap AXS is a case in point. It shifts like the more expensive Red groupset, with the difference between the two largely a matter of material choice, and as a result, weight. With the latest version, the gap to the top-level groupset has narrowed still further.

SR AM appears to have taken an ‘if it ain’t broke’ approach here; understandably – there was far more to like than not about Force AXS, and some of the minor gripes, such as the aesthetics and the shape of the hoods, have been addressed.

The new Force, still 12-speed, is designed as a do-it-all groupset, applicable to road, gravel and time trials. As a result it comes with an extensive range of chainset offerings: both 1x and 2x, with various chainring sizes as well as SR AM’s patented ‘wide’ offering, with its wider chain line to accommodate wider tyres, with the 2x option requiring a ‘wide’ front mech to match.

It’s the 2x chainsets where one of the more significant changes takes place. Gone are the individual chainrings, replaced with the same one-piece construction favoured by the Red groupset for “faster, smoother, more secure shifting,” in SR AM’s words.