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the
power
of
SRAM, for example, brought CHAIN AND DRIVETRAIN know-how. TRUVATIV gave SRAM a headstart on CRANKS AND BOT-TOM BRACKETS. ROCKSHOX gives the company a unique in-side line on SUSPENSION TECH-NOLOGY, and AVID was renow -ned for its DISC BRAKE savvy for years before it wound up under the SRAM umbrella.
DRAINBRAIN
SRAM
AVID
SRAM, for example, brought CHAIN AND DRIVETRAIN know-how. TRUVATIV gave SRAM a headstart on CRANKS AND BOT-TOM BRACKETS. ROCKSHOX gives the company a unique in-side line on SUSPENSION TECH-NOLOGY, and AVID was renow -ned for its DISC BRAKE savvy for years before it wound up under the SRAM umbrella.
The Power of 4 - the four most innovative brands in cycling have come together behind one singular goal: to craft the most advanced cross country group ever.
BRAINROCKSHOX
TRUVATIV
SRAM
brought CHAIN AND
DRIVETRAIN know-how.
DRAINBRAIN
The Power of 4 - XX was a project that covered two years and thousands of hours, spanning six countries on three continents. It took the product and design expertise of SrAM shifting, rockShox suspension, Avid
braking, and truvativ engineering working united as one to create the lightest, most technically advanced group conceivable. And we delivered. this is XX.
TRUVATIVgave SRAM a headstart on
CRANKS AND BOTTOM BRACKETS.
AVID
was renowned for its
DISC BRAKE savvy for years
before it wound up
under the SRAM umbrella.
ROCKSHOX
gives the company a unique inside line on
SUSPENSION TECHNOLOGY.
CRANKS AND BOTTOM BRACKETS.CRANKS AND BOTTOM BRACKETS.
tho
ught
. “A
t
the
Wo
rld
Cha
mp
ions
hip
s la
st y
ear
in It
aly
I to
ok
a b
unch
of
pho
tos
of
2x9
bik
es f
or
the
[dev
elo
pm
ent]
tea
m. I
t w
as p
rett
y cl
ear
that
qui
te a
few
peo
ple
wer
e ju
st t
akin
g t
he
gra
nny
gea
r o
ff –
whi
ch is
gre
at if
yo
u’re
a
wo
rld
cla
ss a
thle
te,”
he
laug
hs, “
but
… ”
and
he
leav
es t
hat
tho
ught
unfi
nish
ed.
“The
y w
ere
loo
king
to
go
fas
ter,
per
iod
,” a
dd
s
Ro
n, “
at a
lmo
st a
ny c
ost
. The
y w
ere
taki
ng a
com
pro
mis
e in
gea
ring
, a c
om
pro
mis
e in
shi
ftin
g,
a co
mp
rom
ise
in b
rake
per
form
ance
– a
ll to
go
fa-
ster
.” It
was
cle
ar t
hat
a ne
w, l
ight
wei
ght
gro
up b
a-
sed
on
two
cha
inri
ngs
up f
ront
and
10
sp
rock
ets
at
the
rear
was
the
way
to
go.
“W
e d
idn’
t ju
st m
ake
the
two
cha
inri
ng c
onc
ept
up,”
sta
tes
Ro
n.
“The
re’s
tra
cks
in t
he s
now
up
to
whe
re w
e ca
me
fro
m,
and
we
tho
ught
. “A
t th
e W
orl
d C
ham
pio
nshi
ps
last
yea
r
in It
aly
I to
ok
a b
unch
of
pho
tos
of
2x9
bik
es f
or
the
[de-
velo
pm
ent]
tea
m. I
t w
as p
rett
y cl
ear
that
qui
te a
few
peo
-
ple
wer
e ju
st t
akin
g t
he g
rann
y g
ear
off
– w
hich
is g
reat
if
you’
re a
wo
rld
cla
ss a
thle
te,”
he
laug
hs, “
but
… ”
and
he
lea-
ves
that
tho
ught
unfi
nish
ed.
“The
y w
ere
loo
king
to
go
fas
ter,
per
iod
,” a
dd
s R
on,
“at
alm
ost
any
cost
. The
y w
ere
taki
ng a
co
mp
rom
ise
in g
eari
ng, a
co
m-
pro
mis
e in
shi
ftin
g, a
co
mp
rom
ise
in b
rake
per
form
ance
– al
l to
go
fas
ter.”
It w
as c
lear
tha
t a
new
, lig
htw
eig
ht
gro
up b
ased
on
two
cha
inri
ngs
up f
ront
and
10
sp
ro-
cket
s at
the
rea
r w
as t
he w
ay t
o g
o. “
We
did
n’t
just
mak
e th
e tw
o c
hain
ring
co
ncep
t up
,” s
tate
s
Ro
n. “The
re’s
tra
cks
in t
he s
now
up
to
whe
re
we
cam
e fr
om
, and
we
raceCRANKS AND BOTTOM BRACKETS.
CRANKS AND BOTTOM
BRACKETS.CRANKS
“they were changing everything without any of it being optimised.” Paul Kantor
headsra
cehe
ads
CRANKS AND BOTTOM BRACKETS.CRANKS AND BOTTOM BRACKETS.
CRANKSCRANKS ANDCRANKS AND
CRANKS AND BOTTOM BRACKETS.CRANKS AND BOTTOM BRACKETS.
tho
ught
. “A
t
the
Wo
rld
Cha
mp
ions
hip
s la
st y
ear
in It
aly
I to
ok
a b
unch
of
pho
tos
of
2x9
bik
es f
or
the
[dev
elo
pm
ent]
tea
m. I
t w
as p
rett
y cl
ear
that
qui
te a
few
peo
ple
wer
e ju
st t
akin
g t
he
gra
nny
gea
r o
ff –
whi
ch is
gre
at if
yo
u’re
a
wo
rld
cla
ss a
thle
te,”
he
laug
hs, “
but
… ”
and
he
leav
es t
hat
tho
ught
unfi
nish
ed.
“The
y w
ere
loo
king
to
go
fas
ter,
per
iod
,” a
dd
s
Ro
n, “
at a
lmo
st a
ny c
ost
. The
y w
ere
taki
ng a
com
pro
mis
e in
gea
ring
, a c
om
pro
mis
e in
shi
ftin
g,
a co
mp
rom
ise
in b
rake
per
form
ance
– a
ll to
go
fa-
ster
.” It
was
cle
ar t
hat
a ne
w, l
ight
wei
ght
gro
up b
a-
sed
on
two
cha
inri
ngs
up f
ront
and
10
sp
rock
ets
at
the
rear
was
the
way
to
go.
“W
e d
idn’
t ju
st m
ake
the
two
cha
inri
ng c
onc
ept
up,”
sta
tes
Ro
n.
“The
re’s
tra
cks
in t
he s
now
up
to
whe
re w
e ca
me
fro
m,
and
we
tho
ught
. “A
t th
e W
orl
d C
ham
pio
nshi
ps
last
yea
r
in It
aly
I to
ok
a b
unch
of
pho
tos
of
2x9
bik
es f
or
the
[de-
velo
pm
ent]
tea
m. I
t w
as p
rett
y cl
ear
that
qui
te a
few
peo
-
ple
wer
e ju
st t
akin
g t
he g
rann
y g
ear
off
– w
hich
is g
reat
if
you’
re a
wo
rld
cla
ss a
thle
te,”
he
laug
hs, “
but
… ”
and
he
lea-
ves
that
tho
ught
unfi
nish
ed.
“The
y w
ere
loo
king
to
go
fas
ter,
per
iod
,” a
dd
s R
on,
“at
alm
ost
any
cost
. The
y w
ere
taki
ng a
co
mp
rom
ise
in g
eari
ng, a
co
m-
pro
mis
e in
shi
ftin
g, a
co
mp
rom
ise
in b
rake
per
form
ance
– al
l to
go
fas
ter.”
It w
as c
lear
tha
t a
new
, lig
htw
eig
ht
gro
up b
ased
on
two
cha
inri
ngs
up f
ront
and
10
sp
ro-
cket
s at
the
rea
r w
as t
he w
ay t
o g
o. “
We
did
n’t
just
mak
e th
e tw
o c
hain
ring
co
ncep
t up
,” s
tate
s
Ro
n. “T
here
’s t
rack
s in
the
sno
w u
p t
o w
here
we
cam
e fr
om
, and
we
raceCRANKS AND BOTTOM BRACKETS.
CRANKS AND BOTTOM
BRACKETS.CRANKSheads
THE XX FACTORCompletely new groupsets don’t come along all that often – and ones that shake things up are even rarer. What’s more, you-know-who has dominated mountain bike transmission and brake systems for so long it’s a wonder there’s room for anyone else in the market. But SRAM’s XX groupset – which launches the concept of 2x10-speed transmission and a whole host of high-end refinements on an unsuspecting world – looks set to redefine expectations.Uncompromisingly efficient in use, light and different to look at, XX represents a radical rethink of what’s needed from a high-end, speed-orientated component group. A wide-ranging cassette paired with twin chainrings and new, patented front shifting technology delivers smooth, precise shifts at both ends, even under full power. We know because we’ve tried it. And did we mention it’s light? Although UK riders are likely to end up spending close to £1 for every gram of a complete XX groupset, there’s no doubt it is a new benchmark in lightweight performance. So how did SRAM do it? We sat down with several of the XX design team to find out.
CRANKS AND BOTTOM BRACKETS.CRANKS AND BOTTOM BRACKETS.
CRANKS
//copy//
CRANKS ANDCRANKS AND
Compared with its closest, much larger competitor, Shimano, SRAM is a rela-tively young company whose growth over the past decade has largely been fuelled by acquiring other component manufacturers – and the expertise that helped build them.
less more
Sachs, for example,
brought chain and drive-
train know-how. Truvativ
gave SRAM a headstart
on cranks and bottom
brackets. RockShox gives
the company a unique
inside line on suspension
technology, and Avid was
renowned for its disc
brake savvy for years be-
fore it wound up under
the SRAM umbrella.
So all the engineering teams for a new component group were already under the same roof, but it wasn’t until SRAM had com-pleted development of a couple of road groupset projects that the company felt ready to tackle the complexities of a mountain bike group. Paul Kantor, product manager for brake systems, explains the background. “We were at a bit of a crossroads with X.0 [SRAM’s existing high-end 3x9-speed MTB transmission],” he tells us. “People were asking for an X.0 front derailleur and we had to take a hard look at where we wanted X.0 to go. We decided we’d get to that, but in the meantime we decided to make something more kick-ass than X.0, and make it a complete groupset.”This represented a radical shake-up of the way SRAM’s eight component design teams had worked in the past.
“they were looking to go faster, period.” Ron Ritzler
“There’s tracks in the snow up to where we came from, and we just kept going forward.”
But XX needed a new approach so that, in de-
sign engineer Scott McLaughlin’s words, “what
we ended up with was a groupset and not a
bunch of individual parts that work together”.
RaceheadsLogistics aside, the goals for the project were
daunting. According to Ron Ritzler, category
manager for MTB drivetrains: “We weren’t
going to make a group that was going to end
up on bikes at $1000 [£608]. We could have,
with offices and engineers spread across the globe from
Colorado, Illinois and California to Germany and portugal,
previous mountain bike components had been designed
more or less as standalone units.
and it’s something we may do at some point,
but we were going to make a group suited
for $6000 [£3647] bikes. And that made a
statement to the market that we were incred-
ibly serious about this. [Shimano] XTR is the
benchmark for cross-country racing,” he adds.
“We looked at XTR and what it offered and
what it didn’t offer, and we put it right in the
crosshairs.”
“We wanted to set a new standard for front shifting.” Scott McLaughlin
2
1
4
3
2
1
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
XX
X
X
1
Coming up with something better than the acknowledged market – and technology – leader needed a fresh approach, so the SRAM team went back to basics. They travelled to races, talked to the riders, looked at their bikes and found out what they did and didn’t like about the existing kit. And what they found was quite sur-prising: many racers were hacking their sponsors’ groupsets to a surprising degree, making modifications to better suit their needs. But it wasn’t always performed elegantly. “They were changing everything without any of it being optimised,” explains Paul, with a look of horror only an engineer could muster at such a thought. “At the World Championships last year in Italy I took a bunch of photos of 2x9 bikes for the [development] team. It was pretty clear that quite a few people were just taking the granny gear off – which is great if you’re a world class athlete,” he laughs, “but… ” and he leaves that thought unfinished.“They were looking to go faster, period,” adds Ron, “at almost any cost. They were taking a compromise in gearing, a compromise in shifting, a compromise in brake performance – all to go faster.” It was clear that a new, lightweight group based on two chainrings up front and 10 sprockets at the rear was the way to go. “We didn’t just make the two chainring concept up,” states Ron.
“There’s tracks in the snow up to where we came from, and we just kept going forward.
There’s the stuff that Tom Ritchey did 10 years ago. There’s Thomas Frischknecht positioning 2x9 as the right way to go. They took us to the edge – we just took that next step.”
//boxout//
4
3
X
X
X
X
The goal was to create a new 2x10-speed component group that would satisfy the
racers’ need for lightweight performance. But SRAM’s engineers were adamant that
the weight savings would have to be achieved without sacrificing function. “You
can’t just strip parts out and say, ‘oh, we delivered a lightweight group’,’’ says Ron.
“We wanted to set a new standard for front shifting,” explains Scott. In many ways
this wasn’t just another tick box on the wishlist; it was a requirement. With just two
chainrings and no conveniently positioned middle ring to cover most eventualities,
the need to shift cleanly under pressure up front was going to be paramount.
The goal was to create a new
2x10-speed component group
that would satisfy the racers’ need
for lightweight performance. But
SRAM’s engineers were adamant
that the weight savings would
have to be achieved without sacri-
ficing function. “You can’t just strip
parts out and say, ‘oh, we delivered
a lightweight group’,’’ says Ron.
“We wanted to set a new standard
for front shifting,” explains Scott.
In many ways this wasn’t just
another tick box on the wishlist; it
was a requirement. With just two
chainrings and no conveniently
positioned middle ring to cover
most eventualities, the need to
shift cleanly under pressure up
front was going to be paramount.
It wasn’t until some time had elapsed that SrAM’s
engineers realised that they’d already patented the
concept that would help deliver this performance over a
decade ago. By matching two teeth on the small chainring
with three teeth on the big chainring, they could create a
‘slice of pie’ that would allow clean shifting at almost any
point. And, by a happy coincidence, multiples of 13, 14 or
15 pie slices delivered exactly the gear combinations that
they were looking for.
throw in bigger bolt circle diameters and 50% thicker
chainrings for added rigidity, double up on shift pins and
ramps and sweat the front mech design, and XX’s
extraordinary front shifting performance was in the can.
80
A GROUPSET WITH A fORK? Well, almost. The new hydraulic fork lock-out shaves 60g over an equivalent cable-operated lever, so it fits well with the XX ethos, and it’ll only work with XX-compatible forks. But unlike the transmission, which is an all-or-nothing choice, you don’t have to run the lock-out with XX... or a RockShox fork.
//boxout//
SID
XX
Wor
ld C
up
SID
XX
REBA
XX
REV
ELAT
ION
XX
100150
80
less more =
stronger than the traditional Allen key alternative. Carbon fibre, titanium and forged magnesium abound. The new lever blades, for example, are 3g lighter per blade than the levers on which their design is based. The rear mech’s aluminium cable clamp bolt is 1.5g lighter than a steel one. Trivial weights on their own, but together they add up to a significant overall saving.Racers are likely to be very happy with the new group – it’s light, it works brilliantly and it looks great. But re-latively few people are going to be able to afford it. And, in a bizarre twist, XX’s remarkable simplicity and ease of use will, it seems to us, appeal just as much to newer riders as it will to speed freaks, both on and off-road. We ask Ron whether we’re likely to see a stripped-out, cheaper version of XX for the masses. He laughs: “That’s never going to happen.” Then he pauses. “But we’re not going to not use the technologies we’ve developed,” he adds, with what looks suspiciously like a wink…
Achieving functional goals such as significantly better front shifting while simultaneously saving weight proved one of the XX project’s biggest head-scratchers. “We didn’t want to achieve our weight savings by removing ergonomic adjustments or other useful features,” explains Scott, “so we weren’t going to be able to take away 20g without working at it very hard. Not only was it necessary that we kept all the features, but it also had to be strong and tough and durable. And if you’re not compro-mising on any of those, then you have to be very careful about every half gram on every part.”The result is undoubtedly one of the most thoroughly engineered groupsets of all time. Cheap it most certainly is not – a replacement cassette, for example, will retail at over $300 (£182). But every single component, right down to the smallest pivot and fastener, has been examined and sweated over for any potential weight savings. Fasteners are aluminium or titanium TORX T25 bolts, which are lighter and
has
bee
n e
xam
ined
an
d s
wea
ted
ove
r fo
r an
y p
ote
nti
al w
eig
ht
savi
ng
s.
//end//
Story
: What
Mounta
in Bike
No. 9
8, Summer 2
009
Copy: Seb R
ogers - D
esign: D
EEPRED
Thank you!