Spy Shots: New SRAM Red

SRAM posted a teaser video entitled “New SRAM RED” to their YouTube channel, theroaddiaries, on Nov. 30. It reveals the first glimpses of what seams to be, based on the fairly straightforward title, a new premier-level Red group set. The video shows cryptic, blurry images of each component. Details are hard to decipher and most of the important features are concealed, but a few interesting points suggesting changes to the new components are in focus. We took screen captures of the clearest shots of each component in the video and attempted to decipher the little slivers of information hidden within the “New SRAM Red” teaser video. These blurbs are all speculative, based only on the shots in this video released by SRAM.

Front Derailleur: The front derailleur clearly has a cable pinch bolt, which means the new Red group is mechanical, not electronic. SRAM has made it clear that they believe in mechanical components, and the next generation Red kit seams to stand by that belief.

Crank: Not much of the crank is visible. The crank arm looks to be made of carbon and the big chain ring appears to be solid. There is a large opening to the hollow axle on the drive side. All of these features are found on the current Red crank.

Cassette: It’s 10-speed. The cogs are clearly visible and can be reliably counted in this video. The eight largest cogs of the original Red cassette are fashioned from a single piece of aluminum and the opening at the back of the cassette is covered with a sheet of metal. This new cassette appears to integrate the biggest cog, the cover at the rear of the cassette and the connection point between the cassette and freehub body. This cover at the rear of the cassette is slotted, rather than solid. It is unclear if the entire cassette is one solid piece or if the smallest cogs are independent, as they are on the current Red cassette.

Rear derailleur: There appears to be a barrel adjuster in the background (grey piece in the upper left-hand corner), which, in addition to the cable pinch bolt on the front derailleur, supports the idea that the new Red group is cable actuated. The pulley cage is carbon, like the original Red group, and the derailleur spring that pulls the derailleur into harder gears is barely visible at the center of the image.

Shifters: The shifters never come into focus during their brief appearance in the video.

Brake caliper: The caliper image is also hard to decipher, but the cable stop support arm seams to be a single piece extending up from the rest of the caliper. The current Red brake caliper has a triangular support.

The video ends with the date February 2012. Perhaps we will have more information on this new SRAM Red group set by then.