Introducing SRAM RED eTap electronic road drivetrain

[News bot]

At SRAM, we know that if a technological advancement clutters the experience, it shouldn’t be called an advancement at all. Because it’s a bicycle. It’s supposed to be simple. To make something elegant to the point where it removes what’s in the way... that’s advancement. And that is the standard we held ourselves to while developing our first electronic shifting system. It’s called SRAM RED eTap.

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[nonky]

Yowzers - that's a lot of technical gobbledygook!

[Mongoose!]

Awesome, but really don't want to crash with these babies...

[BMXER]

Wireless charging would have sealed the deal. I love shimano but, Sram are ahead here with a great innovation.

[raptor-22]

Love the single action shifting concept.

[Gandalf]

thats a lot of randellas for shifting...

 

But i must give them credit, it does look very nice and neat

[Starvin' Marvin]

I'm not to sure if I'm keen on the left right shifting then using both levers to shift the FD, if I read it right. Why not keep it as is with double tap?

[raptor-22]

because that would be a constraint for future developments.

The shifting pattern now is as it is in passenger car semi auto gearboxes. The front shift is actually quite logical if you consider they if they make it redundant via a Sequential Ratio Actuation Map (or SRAM..................yes I thought of that all by myself) which works like Shimano's Syncro shift then there no extra hardware in the shifter.

 

those blips are perfect for mtb. No more shifters just two little buttons and I can even have two per side - one blip on the end of my bar end, the other in the usual shifter position and mirrored on the other side.

[Heel Drop]

I like I like - wonder how long before it will be on MTB?

[Starvin' Marvin]

because that would be a constraint for future developments.

The shifting pattern now is as it is in passenger car semi auto gearboxes. The front shift is actually quite logical if you consider they if they make it redundant via a Sequential Ratio Actuation Map (or SRAM..................yes I thought of that all by myself) which works like Shimano's Syncro shift then there no extra hardware in the shifter.

 

those blips are perfect for mtb. No more shifters just two little buttons and I can even have two per side - one blip on the end of my bar end, the other in the usual shifter position and mirrored on the other side.

Sharp

[madbradd]

because that would be a constraint for future developments.

The shifting pattern now is as it is in passenger car semi auto gearboxes. The front shift is actually quite logical if you consider they if they make it redundant via a Sequential Ratio Actuation Map (or SRAM..................yes I thought of that all by myself) which works like Shimano's Syncro shift then there no extra hardware in the shifter.

 

those blips are perfect for mtb. No more shifters just two little buttons and I can even have two per side - one blip on the end of my bar end, the other in the usual shifter position and mirrored on the other side.

You would need additional hardware for a "SRAM" system as currently this has no processor. Right button = shift rd right, left button = shift rd left. Easy so far. Remember the fd has received both these signals so far... but hasn't acted. Both buttons = fd change state and cancel each other on the rd. It's incredibly simple logic but as you can see there are simply 3 logic gates on the receivers, but no processor. And since only the rd is ant+ they would need to introduce a new fd unit to a) communicate with a controller or b) act as the controller. Either way its new hardware.

 

Don't get me wrong here.... I love the idea and the simplicity and how it will easily translate to mtb with a more powerful rd and a delocalised battery, but I think a "SRAM" or synchro shift solution is not possible without a separate processor.

[Jaco-fiets]

Sounds rather cheaper than the DA equivalent and much nicer too

[raptor-22]

You would need additional hardware for a "SRAM" system as currently this has no processor. Right button = shift rd right, left button = shift rd left. Easy so far. Remember the fd has received both these signals so far... but hasn't acted. Both buttons = fd change state and cancel each other on the rd. It's incredibly simple logic but as you can see there are simply 3 logic gates on the receivers, but no processor. And since only the rd is ant+ they would need to introduce a new fd unit to a) communicate with a controller or b) act as the controller. Either way its new hardware.

 

Don't get me wrong here.... I love the idea and the simplicity and how it will easily translate to mtb with a more powerful rd and a delocalised battery, but I think a "SRAM" or synchro shift solution is not possible without a separate processor.

 

 

The Processor as I currently understand is in the rear derailleur. It is a not a simple logic gate switching system from what I've read about it. Whether that processor has the capacity to handle more complex commands and positioning of the hardware we'll only know if someone buys one and strips out the brain for examination of the chips used.

Edited August 26, 2015 by raptor-22

[Sharkie 2]

Levi Leipheimer said on his FB page that he has been testing this system for a couple of years and that battery life is around 60 hours....which is roughly around 1800km or so, is Shimano not a lot more?

[Rocket-Boy]

Levi Leipheimer said on his FB page that he has been testing this system for a couple of years and that battery life is around 60 hours....which is roughly around 1800km or so, is Shimano not a lot more?

It shouldnt really make much difference when a full charge takes 45 mins.

[Barend de Arend]

The Processor as I currently understand is in the rear derailleur. It is a not a simple logic gate switching system from what I've read about it. Whether that processor has the capacity to handle more complex commands and positioning of the hardware we'll only know if someone buys one and strips out the brain for examination of the chips used.

 

Since it can handle firmware upgrades, it should be possible to change the commands.

 

Since it does encryption, it should be able to handle at least some more complicated commands.

 

Since it can't handle wi-fli, the motor is likely not strong enough to do too much.

 

Since I'm sceptical, I don't think they'll ever release spacing information: then upgrading to 12speed would be too cheap.