Early in 2024, SRAM’s big news was a new version of their top-tier road group, RED AXS. That new group is lighter, easier to use, and features a substantially different shifter/hood shape. Now it appears those changes could be headed to their middle-tier Force group in the near future.
As usual with these types of leaks, there is one grainy picture posted to the Weight Weenies forum of what appears to be a new SRAM Force group. The Shifter profile seems to be of similar shape to the recently launched RED shifters, and the brake calipers look to be very similar albeit without the machined holes through the caliper sides and different rotors.
Notably absent is a cassette and crankset from the photo. SRAM RED is still using 12-speed cassettes that are backwards compatible with existing SRAM 12-speed AXS groups, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Force go the same route. Obviously, SRAM RED XPLR cranked it up to 13-speed, but it essentially requires a 1x cassette to make it work by angling the largest cogs out over the spokes to utilize the same XDR freehub body. By keeping the new SRAM group 12-speed, riders should be able to use existing chains, cassettes, and chainrings while getting the improved ergonomics and brakes introduced with RED.
SRAM has been pretty good lately at launching new groups with trickle-down tech fairly quickly after their halo groups, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see this on bikes this year – which would be great for SRAM, since feedback on the new lever shape and brake performance has been overwhelmingly positive.
