New SRAM Red AXS leaked again? Best look yet at (what we think is) SRAM's new 2024 top-end road groupset (2024)

As most people (who care) will know, there's a new SRAMRed groupset coming. We already had a pretty good idea of what it's going to look like following leaked images, but now there's more, giving us our best look yet at the unreleasedflagship groupset. The latest spy shots seen on Instagram not only reveal a redesigned crankset and front mech, but also confirm many of our predictions and match the spy shots that we shared earlier this year.

SRAM Red is certainly due for an update. The latest version,12-speed SRAM RedeTapAXS, was introduced nearly five years ago, and SRAM has revamped Force, Rival and Apexsince then.

Speculation began when wespottedunseen SRAMeTapAXSshiftersat the end of 2022on the bikes ofcyclocrossstars Lars van der Haar, Lucinda Brand and Shirin van Anrooij.

Looking closer at the latest leaked image, shared by @opaisdociclismo on Instagram, the new levers match the images previously shared by @MoBaohua on X/Twitter.

The new leversappear to be sleeker, featuring a smaller shifter. Additionally, the reduced size of the hood and a less aggressive upward slope suggest a design choice aimed at enhancing ergonomics.

There is also a rubber cover at the top of the shifter which is likely to be for adjusting the reach.

Previously, leaked images lacked views of the frontchainringor front mech, but now we've gained a closer look and the frontchainringmaintains a similar design to its predecessor with an integrated power meter and direct mountchainrings.

The latest SRAM road groupset, Force AXS, focused on improving front shifting which has previously been regarded as a weakness of SRAM groupsets.

Like the front chainring, the design of the front mech also remains similar to the previous generation. However, the front mech cage is now black, like on the updated Force groupset. While it's difficult to see from these images if there's a revised shape to the front mech cage, it's worth noting that this was a significant area of improvement with the updated Force groupset, aimed at enhancing shifting performance.

At the rear of the groupset, counting thecassette cogs all but confirms that the latest generation of SRAM Red AXS will be 12-speed, and the batteries look similar to the current generation.

The cassette pictured looks to be 10-33T, but considering thatJumbo-Visma used 10-36T SRAM Red cassettes last season, it is reasonable to expect that this option will be available.

The rear mech and jockey wheels show that weight saving seems to have been a big focus. Quite a bit of the rear derailleur and jockey wheels appearto have been hollowed out.

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The leaked image shares similaritieswith the latest generation SRAM XX SL Eagle AXS mountain bike jockey wheels (pictured above)which feature a Magic Wheel. This allows the outer ring to rotate freely from the inner spoked hub, meaning you can keep pedalling even when a stick gets stuck in the derailleur.

Whilst we can seelimited use for this on the road, theSRAMRed groupset has typicallybeen used for both road and gravel.

This isn't the first time we've seen tech trickledown from mountain bike to road. For example,Shimano's Shadow Plus technology for single chainring groupsets was developed for mountain bikes and has since trickled down road, cyclocross and gravel. This helps to stop the chain from bouncing around.

The chain in the leaked images also appears to be a new addition to the SRAM Red AXS groupset, again utilising mountain bike technology.

This isn't the first time that SRAM has used a chain with cutouts in the outer plates. However, we would hope that it's cheaper than the current XX SL Eagle Flattop T-Type chain which retails at€180/£160.

These images give us a closer look at what the new callipers and disc rotors could look like. Like the rear mech and jockey wheels,pieces also appear to have been cut out of both the rotor and calliper to remove excess weight.

These leaked images haven't escaped the notice of online forums, with many speculating that a new SRAM Red groupset is set to launch in 2024.

Now that images of the chainring and front mech havecompletedthe new groupset (or it appears so, if the rumours and images are to be believed), we'll eagerly await further details...

Would you choose this groupset over Shimano Dura-Ace Di2? Let us know in the comments section below.