The Pinnacle: New 2024 SRAM RED AXS Review

In the battle for the best groupset on the market, there’s no doubt that SRAM has been the one consistently making waves. Shimano is always conservative and methodical and Campagnolo just stays the course to appease their aficionados while SRAM is seemingly left alone to innovate. After spending several months and hundreds of miles on the 2024 SRAM RED AXS aboard two separate bikes, I’m definitely keen to the innovation SRAM is dishing out with their latest race-level groupset

2024 SRAM RED AXS Features:

• All-new hood design with more braking power and control
• New calipers offer more power and pad clearance
• Updated shifting tech for faster, cleaner shifts
• Auto-trim front derailleur
• Available with dual-sided Quarq power meter (tested)
• Bonus Buttons can be configured to your liking
• Available on many OEM builds or custom-build your own
• Chainring options: 46/33, 48/35, 50/37, 52/39, 54/41, 56/43
• Cassette options: 10-28, 10-30, 10-33, 10-36
• Integration with all head units
• MSRP: $2896 and up (crankset, cassette, bb extra)

Upgraded where it counts — almost everywhere

Eight years ago, I got my first taste of RED eTap. It was a summer of love aboard the Pinarello Dogma F8 with rim brakes (remember those?). Fast-forward to 2024 and SRAM has unveiled the biggest update to their RED AXS groupset to date. While some might think it merely a visual refresh, it doesn’t take much to uncover that it’s much more than that. A lot more than that. I’ll highlight the biggest features as I’ve been able to settle into it on three bikes:  the Trek Madone SLR 9 AXS, 2025 Orbea Orca and the 2025 Cannondale SuperSix EVO — each equipped with the latest RED AXS kit.

The biggest visual and functional change are the all-new hoods and levers, so let’s start there. By extending the reach of the hood design and reducing the size of the pommel (front bump), it allowed SRAM’s engineers to move the piston from a short, vertical position to a long, horizontal position. This enabled the pivot point to be moved and the throw of the piston to be lengthened. The longer the throw, the more power and control you can have. As a result, braking is said to require 80% less effort from the hoods and 33% less from the drops. Honestly, this is SRAM’s mic drop moment.

I can attest that this change is by far the best new feature. Testing SRAM’s claims first-hand (or should I say, first-finger), I’m sold. But, before I got comfortable, I spent some time adjusting the reach, which is super easy to do with the new front access port. Depending on your bar of choice, you’ll need to adjust the reach. With the Zipp SL 80 Race bars, I had to pull the levers inward more than the Trek Aero RSL Bar/Stem, but both required slight inward adjustments.

Keep in mind that with the new hood shape, you may need to rethink your stem length or get a bar with shorter reach. Be sure to take the whole cockpit and maybe even your saddle position into account if you’re building up a custom bike.

On the bike, the new hoods are perfect in-hand and feel about the same size as Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200. They are no longer bulky and bulbous (something that was corrected with the latest Force AXS too), but instead are of Goldilocks size. I can wrap my hands around the hoods for added comfort and precise control while climbing, descending, rolling along and on rough roads. On the longest rides, my hands remained comfortable and all controls within perfect reach.

Not only is the shape improved, the lever throw is outstanding. That reduction in effort to provide the same amount of braking force is incredible. I’ve never been able to one-finger brake with the utmost confidence, but can now. Hauling down mountain roads at 45 mph or down that super-steep 15% pitch to a stop is super easy and comfortable with just one finger. And, that same power is even better from the hoods (where we honestly spend most of our time). That magical pivot point does the trick.

I have had instances when the old RED, when hard braking, did pinch my fingers on the bar, thus preventing a full lever pull. Both the new lever design/reach and the sleeker shift buttons have put an end to that worry. Braking improvements are also due, in part, to the new caliper design, which is stiffer as well. Pad clearance is excellent with no residual rotor rub after long descents. Without a doubt, the new hood/lever design and brake calipers are a solid one-two punch.

Paddle shifting here and with all other SRAM AXS groupsets I’ve tested is so intuitive. When I get on other bikes, it takes a few rides to get used to the different pattern because I’ve come to expect everything to just be as simple as eTap. The revised shifters offer excellent tactility during all conditions and with all gloves.

As an added bonus, the sleeker hood design does blend into the tops better than the previous-generation. It looks better, in my opinion, and doesn’t get in the way when dancing around the tops. To allow existing RED AXS users to get the updated levers, SRAM does offer upgrade kits.

Shifting, Bonus Buttons and more

I’ve covered SRAM AXS shifting across almost every flavor of kit on offer and it’s more-or-less the same with the latest RED AXS. With intuitive shifting paddles and responsive derailleurs, there’s absolutely nothing to complain about. Shimano Di2 and SRAM RED are just as fast and accurate, in my opinion, but SRAM has a little more positive shift engagement whereas Di2 tends to be a little more feathery as the chain moves up/down the cassette. Both are honestly awesome — with crisp shifting under load. With all that, my mind does say shifting is just a teeny tiny bit faster now. 

As a matter of preference, I also give the nod to the SRAM AXS batteries because they are accessible and easily-charged. On the downside, they don’t ever last as long as they should, but charging them is a breeze. As a side note, I didn’t need to re-charge a single battery on either test bike throughout the duration of the test periods (which spanned several months). A quick status check before every ride and off I went. Tucking an extra battery in your kit on a long ride also offers peace-of-mind that you can’t do with other groupsets.

Of course, you can customize things further using the SRAM AXS mobile app and also use the Bonus Buttons for whatever purpose you wish. I’ll be honest, the Bonus Buttons are kinda gimmicky and unnecessary, but sometimes you’ve got to keep up with the Joneses, so extra buttons it is. You can even configure them using Morse Code-esque logic (long/short presses can do different actions). The greatest utility I can see is with a dropper post, but that’s more applicable with the RED XPLR groupset (which should be in review in 2025). Alas, I kept the Bonus Buttons in paddle shifting mode and only used them for kicks and giggles.

The front derailleur now features auto-trim (something Di2 has had for quite some time) to further dial in the rasp-free performance. Front shifts are solid and fast and I didn’t have any issues with cage clearance — even on the most extreme chain angles. Purists will gasp at the cross chain you can get into, but I’m over that kind of stuff. I just spin the best gearing for the road and don’t think about stuff like that (and the folks at SRAM agree with me).

Both bikes did come equipped with the heralded Quarq DZero dual-sided integrated power meter. It’s a lovely bit of electronics that auto-zeros and is as accurate as it gets. There is a lot of hand-wringing over the integrated nature of the chainrings and power meter, but it has never posed a problem in my long-term testing across several kits now. Power measurements and left/right balance is spot-on, as is cadence. Changing the battery (when needed) is also simple.

Buy Now: SRAM Amazon Store

(Note that the crankset, cassette and BB are not included from that bundle.)