SRAM Force AXS

Should you upgrade? Here are the top 10 things we've learnt about the new premium groupset, after an in-depth look and plenty of road testing...

- Warren Rossiter

Updated and refreshed, Force AXS (£2,205 including power meter) brings evolved shifting and slimmed-down design, as well as losing 'Etap' as a naming convention (presumably because it goes without saying that this electronically controlled gear system is now always used at the top end of SRAM's offerings).

Yes, from now on, it's just AXS (which means it's an electronic shift system with enhanced integration and customisation). Read on to find out the top 10 details on the latest high-end groupset from SRAM, the innovative Chicago company that invented the Grip Shift back in 1987.

1. It's well-connected

SRAM has had the wireless and connectivity thing nailed from day one, with the AXS app giving a wealth of tech adjustability from your phone to the impressive amount of data it'll record: shifts, heart rate, power and cadence, plus the usual GPS data. It auto uploads to SRAM's web portal and Strava too. Shimano has made great strides in this area, but SRAM still has the edge when it comes to apps.

Force AXS has lost its wired ports for satellite shifters. Instead, it relies on the Wireless Blips that launched just after Rival AXS. Amazingly, you can now run up to six remote shifters. For example, two on the tops of your bar, two more down in the drops as sprint shifters and another two on TT-bar extensions or to operate a dropper post. The Blips are sealed units, though, so are disposable. SRAM claims they should last for four years of use but it still feels a bit wasteful (and not cheap, at £90 a pair).

2. It has slick shifts...