Borrowing all the tech from their ever-expanding 1×11 drivetrains, the new SRAM Apex 1x group offers single chainring setups for flat bar and drop bar road, city and commuter bikes.
Things like their clutch-equipped X-Horizon rear derailleur, hydraulic disc brake road levers, and X-Sync narrow/wide chainrings all trickle down, joining two different cranksets to match the type of bike they’re going on. Pick from 1×10 or 1×11 drivetrains and you can add some or all of the parts you need to simplify your daily ride…
The new Apex 1 shifter levers use SRAM’s hydraulic disc brake setup to feed either standard or flat mount calipers, which come attached. Weights are 344g (left) and 360g (right), with brake. Retail is $199 and $249 respectively, or $448 for the pair (€233/293 and £179/226). Are you excited about these yet? You should be, they bring SRAM’s hydraulic 1x shifters down in price quite a bit from the carbon-levered Force 1 group, but with minimal weight penalty…making it much more affordable to put together a proper 1x hydro disc brake group on your cyclocross bike.
These are 11-speed only, as is the flat bar shifter:
This one’s a single piece body, so it’s not Matchmaker compatible, but weighs just 142g and comes in at $27 / €28* / £22.
The brakes are designed for 140mm or 160mm rotors, which are generally sold separately. They come with steel-backed organic pads and steel mounting hardware.
The derailleur is where you get into both 10- and 11-speed compatibility, blending it with your existing 10-speed shifters or the new 11-speed shifters shown above. Or any other SRAM 11-speed shifter for that matter. Like the new NX mountain bike group, which essentially shares many of these parts, they’re just rebranded as Apex for the smooth tire set. Prices are the same across those groups for same parts.
Like the cassette, which is also an 11-42 that fits on standard, non-XD freehub bodies. Weight is 538g, retail is $79 / €89 / £68.
The new S350 Apex 1 forged aluminum crankset with integrated spider that comes in GXP and BB30 options. It comes with your choice of 38, 40, 42 or 44 tooth X-Sync chainrings and 170, 172.5 and 175mm lengths. Claimed weight is 762g (24mm spindle, 42t ring, 172.5mm length) and retail is (GXP) $116 / €120 / £92 and (BB30) $151 / €156 / £120.
It’s been a big week for SRAM…check out their new Level mountain bike brakes and the updated Roam 60 carbon MTB wheels and 900-series hubs, too!
