Unbound Gravel is simply wrapping up with one other spherical of spirited racing proper to the road. The occasion has additionally acted once more as a launchpad for a brand new gravel drivetrain seemingly in growth. This 12 months, plainly a brand new SRAM group has damaged cowl after being noticed on a number of bikes.
Regardless of SRAM remaining coy on the brand new elements, plainly by the point the race rolled round, not one of the riders have been actually making an attempt to cover something. Within the case above, Keegen Senson posted pictures of his Santa Cruz Stigmata on social media, with the brand new rear derailleur on full show.
The important thing takeaway right here is that the derailleur is visually completely different than any of the present MTB-focused SRAM Transmission choices, and it seems to have a battery mounted to the highest of the physique like the present (and most up-to-date) GX Eagle Transmission. Phrase on the road is that this derailleur is paired to a 13-speed cassette, which supplies it yet another than the lately up to date SRAM RED street group.
Judging by the graphics on the shifters, plainly the group nonetheless runs the latest SRAM RED shifters with up to date ergonomics. Since digital AXS shifters are simply buttons basically, it needs to be no downside to vary the shifter to a 13-speed with a firmware replace.
Keegan opted for a inflexible submit for the race, however the lack of a entrance derailleur signifies that the now-unused double shift operate could possibly be used to activate a RockShox Reverb AXS dropper submit like present XPLR 1x teams.
For Keegan, he wasn’t capable of repeat his 2023 Unbound win, ending with a decent 14th for the 200-mile Elite race after Lachlan Morton blazed to the end with a time of 9:11:47 — the quickest time to this point.
