SRAM Debuts Apex AXS Wireless Electronic Drivetrain

New Apex is available for XPLR (11-44T) or Eagle (11-50T or 11-52T) cassettes.

Apex is SRAM’s least expensive road and gravel group. The new Apex parts are 12-speed (formerly, it was an 11-speed group). And for the first time, an Apex AXS (wireless electronic shifting) option accompanies Apex with good old mechanical shifting.

In either electronic or mechanical variant, Apex is a disc brake and one-by (1x) groupset with one of two rear derailleurs: An Eagle rear derailleur for 11-50T or 11-52T cassette, or an XPLR rear derailleur for 11-44T cassette. All derailleurs have clutches for chain retention and less noise in bumpy terrain.

The main differences between Apex at the low end of the range and SRAM’s more expensive groups mostly come down to materials and finishes: Apex is less expensive, heavier (see prices and weights below), and less shiny.

Apex components have a simpler and less shiny finish than SRAM’s higher-end parts.

The broad strokes of Apex AXS are the same as SRAM’s other AXS electronic groupsets (Red, Force, Rival). The same motors, batteries, and other electronics are shared across all of SRAM’s drop bar electronic groups, and many of the physical features—chain, cassette, chainring, and crank—are the same also. That means Apex AXS has wide cross-compatibility with SRAM’s other AXS parts—both road and mountain, including the new direct-mount Transmission derailleurs.

Apex AXS can be customized and fine-tuned with SRAM’s AXS app. And like other AXS groups, riders can add wireless Blips (remote shifters—up to six on a single bike), and the Apex controls will actuate a RockShox Reverb AXS dropper post.

Apex mechanical is the first group from SRAM with a mechanical drop bar shifter for 12-speed. I am happy to report the all-new Apex shifter employs the same cable-pull ratio as SRAM’s Eagle mountain bike groups. This means riders can use the Apex shifter with any existing Eagle mechanical rear derailleurs (XX1, X01, GX, NX, SX) or the two Apex mechanical rear derailleurs.

Apex mechanical uses SRAM’s DoubleTap shifting system. One lever, one direction—a short push upshifts, and a long push downshifts.

There is a small difference: There is a barrel adjuster on the Apex mechanical rear derailleur body to fine-tune cable tension. In contrast, the mountain bike groups find this adjuster on the shifter, with no adjuster on the derailleur itself. All this means is riders need an in-line tension adjuster if they pair the Apex shifter with one of the mountain bike rear derailleurs.

Digging deeper, there is a noteworthy difference in the Apex-level cassettes. They mount to a standard Shimano HG-style hub driver and, therefore, have an 11-tooth small cog. This 11-tooth is distinct from higher-level SRAM cassettes, which use a 10-tooth cog and mount to SRAM's XDR driver standard.

That one tooth difference on the smallest cog impacts gear range. This is how the gear range breaks down for the different cassettes:

• 10-44T: 440 percent
• 11-44T: 400%
• 10-50T: 500%
• 11-50T: 455%
• 10-52T: 520%
• 11-52T: 473%

The new Apex derailleurs are compatible with SRAM’s 10-tooth cassette. So, if having the widest possible gear range is critical to you (remember, only the smallest cog size differs), you have this option. However, the 10-tooth cassettes require an XDR-compatible rear hub driver body.

One small difference between the XPLR derailleurs for Apex electronic and Apex mechanical. The Apex AXS XPLR derailleur is compatible with SRAM’s 10- or 11-44 XPLR cassette and SRAM’s 10-36 cassette. However, the Apex XPLR mechanical derailleur is only compatible with the 10- or 11-44 cassettes.

Both the mechanical and electronic (shown) hoods use the lower profile shape that debuted with Rival AXS.

The Apex AXS shift/brake levers employ the same lower-profile hood design that debuted with Rival AXS (and has since been adopted by Force AXS), though Apex gets a cosmetically different hood cover. The Apex mechanical hoods are almost identical to the electronic hoods. Another detail to note, both mechanical and electronic shift/brake levers offer adjustable reach.

The brake system is very similar to SRAM’s other drop bar groups. A brand representative stated that Apex offers “The same braking performance as other SRAM brakes.” The pads are the same as used on Rival, Force, and Red series disc brakes, and the hydraulic system runs on DOT fluid like the higher-end brakes. One difference is that Apex brake calipers have a simplified bleed port—they do not use SRAM’s Bleeding Edge system—which might mean a bit of fluid dribble when removing the syringe from the caliper during a flush or bleed.

SRAM offers the Apex cranks with a power meter. This is the same power meter—built into the Dub crank axle and measuring left-side power only—used on Rival and the new Transmission mountain bike groups.

SRAM’s excellent parts cross-compatibility means you will find new Apex on flat bar bikes. Apex drivetrains—mechanical and electronic—work with the company’s existing flat bar shifters. Apex brake calipers are only made in flat mount, but they can be paired with SRAM’s current hydraulic mountain bike brake levers.

Apex is a 1x drivetrain, but 2x options are possible with a bit of effort and money.

The new Apex groups are 1x-only. But that does not mean using Apex for 2x drivetrains is completely off the table.

For the electronic group, the Apex AXS shift levers work with Rival, Force, or Red AXS front derailleurs. However, the Apex AXS rear derailleurs are 1x specific. If you want to upgrade an Apex AXS group to 2x, you will need a rear derailleur, front derailleur, spider, and chainrings (or one of SRAM’s one-piece double chainring sets) So, while technically possible, it is not cheap to change Apex AXS from 1x to 2x.

It’s a different story with Apex 12-speed mechanical; there is no 2x option available. Apex mechanical is SRAM's only 12-speed drop bar mechanical shift group, and SRAM does not make any 2x option for 12-speed mechanical drivetrains. All of SRAM's 2x12 options are electronic shifting. If you really want 2x with your Apex mechanical, combine it with the Classified Powershift 2-speed internally geared hub.

Complete Apex group prices and claimed weights (bottom bracket not included):

Apex AXS

• Apex AXS XPLR: $1,195 / 2,900 grams
• Apex AXS Eagle: $1,292 / 3,191 grams

SRAM’s claimed weights of Apex AXS

Apex 12-Speed Mechanical

• Apex 12-Speed Mechanical XPLR: $947 / 2,882 grams
• Apex 12-Speed Mechanical Eagle: $929 / 3,072 grams

SRAM's claimed weights of Apex 12 speed mechanical parts.

A power meter upgrade for all Apex groups is $220 and is about 40 grams heavier than the Apex crank without power meter.

Jorts, floral shirt, aero helmet = The Spirit of Gravel. Also: Galena, Illinois has awesome gravel riding.

So far, I had only one ride on each group—long-term test samples are inbound—on the gravel roads around Galena, Illinois.

On day one, I rode the Apex AXS with XPLR gearing on a lovely Orbea Terra. I’ve ridden all iterations of SRAM’s road and mountain AXS groups. And though Apex is heavier, it shifts and brakes almost identically to those groups.

Apex 12-speed mechanical shifting is light, crisp, and accurate.

By that, I mean the shifting is very good. The shift paddles have a nice feel, good feedback, and just the right amount of throw. The chain moves efficiently up and down the cassette. SRAM made great strides in refining the smoothness of their AXS drivetrain shifts and overall drivetrain noise. And those efforts left me with only a few criticisms of SRAM’s AXS shifting.

Could Apex shift faster, smoother, and quieter still? Of course. And I expect those improvements when the next generation of SRAM’s top-of-the-line Red group debuts (which should be soon). But considering that a whole Apex AXS group costs less than a Red power meter crankset—yet Apex’s shifting performance is nearly the same as Red AXS—I have nothing but praise for Apex AXS shifting performance.

On the second day, I rode the Apex mechanical with Eagle gearing on a freaking awesome Salsa Journeyer. Before I get to the rest of the new SRAM bits, I want to shout out this reasonably-priced frame. This bike has some great riding and handling characteristics for its price.

I am impressed with the Apex mechanical shifting. While it uses SRAM’s familiar Double Tap shift action—short push, upshift; long push, downshift—the shift mechanism is all new. Perhaps it is why the Apex shifting felt lighter, smoother, and crisper than any SRAM drop bar mechanical drivetrain I’ve ever ridden, including Red. Additionally, the Apex hood shape is a huge improvement over SRAM’s previous mechanical shift/hydraulic brake offerings, both in appearance and ergonomics.

The monster range of the Eagle cassette is a boon for long and hard rides.

Now, let us talk about SRAM’s disc brakes. They’re…fine. But fine is about as much enthusiasm as I can generate for them in 2023. Although SRAM’s shifting performance has improved over the years, its road disc brake performance shows little difference from when eTap HRD debuted in 2016.

What was class leading then is meh now. Mostly, it is feel—SRAM’s drop bar brakes feel sluggish and numb at the lever. Power and modulation are adequate, but the overall performance feels slightly unrefined compared to the latest Shimano and Campagnolo road and gravel disc offerings.