SRAM 11-speed: elaborate ruse, or new for 2014?
With a well-timed April Fools’ Day video, SRAM started a firestorm of controversy: did the new 11 tooth cassette really exist? With Shimano and Campagnolo already offering 11-speed cassettes, was SRAM trying to keep up with the Jones’s for cyclocross? SRAM already offers 11-speed cassettes for mountain, but was this 11-speed cassette just an elaborate April Fools’ prank?
SRAM’s Michael Zellman had no comment to add when asked about the video. As a reader correctly pointed out, the two top cogs look like they have wider spacing than the rest, and we’re guessing it’s simply both an 11 tooth and 12 tooth outer cog stacked on top of each other.
Turns out, it was no joke, and SRAM Red 22 and Force 22 will be premiering soon. There’s a media embargo in place (hence Zellman’s lack of comment) but various media sources have confirmed that the groupset will premier at Sea Otter, and will be ready by mid-summer.
We’ll be out at Sea Otter in just a couple of weeks, and we’ll keep you updated with our first impressions. Can’t wait? Check out our review of the 2012 SRAM Red groupset.
