CHICAGO (BRAIN) — SRAM"S new Apex 1 group is an affordable single-chainring road group with drop bar and flat bar shifter options. The group also features hydraulic disc brakes.
"Drop bar or flat bar, dirt or pavement, Apex 1 is ready to answer the call of the road with hydraulic disc brakes and the simplest, quietest, easiest to use, and most secure drivetrain option available—SRAM 1x. Apex 1 achieves each of these superlatives while delivering artful design at an unrivaled value," the company said.
The group includes a rear derailleur with SRAM's X-Horizon geometry and a roller bearing clutch. It's compatible with 10- or 11-speed road drivetrains. It retails for $74.
The group's S350 1x crankset is forged aluminum with an integrated spider. It features a chainring with SRAM's X-Sync chain retention tooth profile. The ring is available in 28, 40, 42 and 44-tooth options. The crankset is compatible with frames with rear spacing of 130mm, 135mm or 142mm, and comes in GXP and BB30 variants. It retails for $116 (GXP) or $151 (BB30).
Apex 1 has an 11-speed flat bar shifter option for $27 or a drop bar shift-brake lever. The drop bar lever has SRAM's 11-speed Doubletap shifting with a hydraulic brake lever. The Hydror two-piston brake calipers are available in 74mm and Flat Mount versions and convert between 160mm and 140mm rotors with adaptor brackets.
The drop bar left lever, hose and caliper retails for $199. The right lever, hose and caliper retails for $249.
The group also includes the PG-1130 Powerglide cassette in 11-42, for use on standard (non-XD) 10- or 11-speed cassette bodies. The cassette has steel cogs with an aluminum spider and retails for $79.
Finally, the group uses the PC-1110 chain, an 11-speed chain optimized for single-ring drivetrains and X-Sync rings.
More information: sram.com/stories/answer-call-road-0.
