Along with the wider range gearing announcement for Force eTap AXS, SRAM added a few new additions to their overall dropbar lineup. New HRD, for Hydraulic Road Disc, levers give your mechanically shifted 1x bike a new drop bar remote lever on the left. And for anyone riding a road bike with SRAM disc brakes, the new Paceline rotors are worth noting.
SRAM Paceline road brake rotors
Thanks to a new brake track design specifically for road or gravel use, SRAM claims the new Paceline rotors will keep things quiet. Perhaps more importantly, these rotors are about half of the price of the higher end CenterLine XR rotors.
Available in 6 bolt or CenterLock, and in 140mm or 160mm sizes, the 6 bolt rotors will sell for $40 each while the CenterLock versions are $50 each. Centerline XR rotors remain the top of the line option at $80 for 6 bolt, and $105 for CenterLock.
SRAM HRD drop bar remote brake levers
Unofficially, people have been hacking their left shifters to work with dropper posts for years. But now you can buy one that’s purpose built – no hacking required.
The levers are meant for 1x drivetrains only and are available in Apex, Rival, and Force trim levels to match your current drivetrain. Each lever is sold as a complete braking system with a flat mount caliper (available in front or rear brake depending on your preference at the bars).
Instead of the shift paddle working a front derailleur, it has been tuned to perfectly operate the mechanical dropper post of your choice – though we confirmed that they require a cable head at the lever and won’t work with dropper posts that require a cable head at the dropper post. Interestingly, it means it won’t work with their own Reverb dropper posts without using a cable-to-hydraulic adapter. You know, unless you hack it with something.
Pricing for each brake starts at $215 for the Apex lever and brake, then $246 for the Rival, and $290 for the Force lever and brake.