SRAM is getting plenty of love these days for its Apex road group, which is aimed at the casual cyclist (or masters fatty) who might otherwise choose a triple-chainring setup for high-country cycling.
Lennard Zinn of VeloNews and Joe Lindsey of Bicycling, neither of whom needs any performance advantages in the hills, have both ridden the Apex, which features a compact crankset (50/34), a rear derailleur that can accommodate an 11-32 cassette, dual-pivot brakes that can handle 700×28 tires, and a price that undercuts Shimano 105 by $500 if bought as an aftermarket option. Expect to see Apex hit the streets in the next couple months on $1,500 bikes from Trek, Cannondale and the rest of the usual suspects.
Both Zinn and Lindsey were complimentary in their reviews, noting that weight is reduced and shifting improved when compared with a triple setup. And Lindsey tagged Apex as part of a trend that he dubbed “the return of ‘real’ road bikes for real riders.”
“I’ve said before (and will again) that having the ProTour drive bike design isn’t an unalloyed positive,” he continues. “The products that largely result from top-level racing prize light weight and power transfer over ease of maintenance and comfort, and aren’t really reflective of the way most people ride.”
Well said. Dope fiends with too much blood in their blood and less body fat than a rattlesnake’s skeleton mostly don’t need a 34×32. But I do, sometimes. Sure beats getting off and walking the steep bits, especially in those silly-ass road shoes that make a guy mince and prance like a transvestite who hasn’t quite gotten his spike heels dialed in.
The Apex is hardly revolutionary, nuts-and-bolts-wise — cyclo-crossers and geezers have been cobbling together similar setups for years, since nobody bothered to offer one as a gruppo. In the bad old days we were stuck with 48/38 chainrings, but with the rise of the 110mm BCD crank things got very different very quickly.
I once had an eight-speed titanium Voodoo Loa ’cross bike that sported a Ritchey Logic 48/34 crank, a Shimano XT rear derailleur and an 11-30 cassette. Most of my ’cross bikes these days have low ends of 34×28, though the Jamis has a nasty 36×26 combo that hurt my legs the other day exploring in Sondermann Park. And my buddy Dennis the Menace uses an XT rear derailleur on his Surly Cross Check so he can run an 11-30 cassette, which comes in handy when dicking around on the single-track in Palmer Park.
But a guy mostly can’t buy a weirdo setup like that off the rack. Until now.
Frankly, the thing I found most surprising about the Apex reviews, not having bought a road bike in 16 years, is that it’s all like New Wave and shit to have brake calipers that can accommodate 700×28 tires — assuming that you can shoehorn those fat bastards into your plastic-fantastic frameset. The old Shimano 600 stoppers on my ti’ DBR could do that way back in 1994, when I was still rocking a 53×39 up front and a 12-21 behind. How time flies, etc.
Now if someone would only bring back eight-speed. …
Mad Blog Media 
Well said, Patrick.
Being one of those geezers, over the winter I put a 13-30 cassette and a set of Conti 700-28 All-Season tires on the old Cannonball for winter rides when I would be at my fattest and the weather the lousiest. Neither worked well but they did their job–I could ride all bundled up and slowly. The 28’s had to be “encouraged” through the 105 brakes and the cassette, a Sheldon Brown Century Special left over from an older 53-39 setup, had a death rattle when in the 30t cog using a Ultegra long cage rear derailleur with the B screw all the way in. Thought about swapping out to a spare XT rear sitting in the parts bin but didn’t bother.
Maybe the Pro Tour stuff is fine for youngsters riding the Dick Evans on Oahu, but three cheers to SRAM for building shit for us elderly fat bastards in the mountains. That setup you describe would be ideal for normal people riding the Red River Century or some of the mountain century rides up your way. Also, in an age when the League et al are trying to get more people on bikes and out of their SUVs, having some well-integrated off the shelf options for normal humans sure will help.
Bring back eight speed? We still have a couple of 8-speed Campagnolo Athena Ergo triple-equipped Bianchi’s living out in Santa Barbara for our “sponge off the in-laws” vacations. Still work just fine and cogsets are still available from Campagnolo or Miche. (Disclaimer for FTC – Campagnolo NA is an official supplier to our company, CycleItalia)Having a gear lower than you might need is always better than vice-versa!
I have a Miche 10 speed Campy spaced 12-27. Would not buy another. Are their 8 spds better?
Well it may be time to update the 2005 Orbea from Triple 52/42/30 Ultegra 11-27 to this new fangled compact technology.
Since flatland riding and being a wimp doesn’t do much for preparedness in the mountains the triple always made sense. I went up slow, but I never had to walk.
Had Sheldon’s Century Special on a previous bike. It worked, but the shifting wasn’t even 105 quality. But it worked.
With 6 days in the Midi Pyrenees set for this July the triple stays and the cassette loses either the 16 or 15 and gains a 30. I am a full believer in the school of Larry; a gear lower than you need is just enough.
But this Apex sounds like just the ticket for Wisconsin and Indiana hills (short, but sharp).
Yup time to do some more economy stimulating.
The Century Special worked well enough when I had downtube shifters and perhaps lower expectations. With 9 spd. downtube Dura-Ace shifters and an old 8 spd. vintage XT derailleur on back and a Record 53-39 crank in front, it worked pretty well back in 2002 when I first moved here from sea level and was clawing and gasping my way up over 10,000 ft. Bobcat Pass. Of course, I might not have noticed even if it were not working well. I was not working well…
The price is amazing for roughly 105 quality. If I didn’t have so many spare 9 speed parts around to fiddle with, I’d jump at it. But first I’ll put a 12-32 9 speed on the old CAAD5 Frankenbike and replace the Ultegra with the XT. That should about equal the SRAM except for missing a cog. Then again, I’m probably a cog short of a full cassette too, so we will match.
Patrick–feel compelled to add my “too sense”, I recently did the gear ratio spreadsheet thang regarding my mtb, am running 44/32/22 & 11-34–there are at least 5 repeating speeds and 3 that are within a gear inch of each other, FSA is selling a proprietary 2-ring crankset (3-bolt!) that uses 40/27 rings and with my cassette I calculated only 2 repeating speeds and only 1 speed within a gear inch–pretty cool I thought, anyway thats it.
Rustlust, that FSA crankset looks interesting. If you take a stab at it, let me know how it works out.
Meanwhile, gents, I agree that SRAM’s Apex gruppo looks like just the ticket for a lot of folks in the market for a new bike (or planning to upgrade an old one on the cheap). It should be hitting the streets in the next couple months, according to the usually unreliable sources.
Me, I’m all set, drivetrain-wise — I love the 50/34 and 12-25 on the road bike, and I just had the Soma Double Cross worked over to make it a lightly loaded touring bike, with XT derailleurs and a granny ring. The ’cross bikes are all dialed in. What I really need is tires. My ’cross tires are mostly balder than I am.
Spent a couple of afternoons tooling around in a little tiny bike shop and a mega-monstrocity shop. First of all, given the economy, I was quite surprised by the inventory. Bikes on top of each other, road and cross bikes sleeping together, mountain and fixies swapping spit. Maybe they were getting ready for a fire and wanted to claim the entire fiscal year’s worth of inventory.
But the thing I noticed at small and big shop alike was that the ” ‘real’ road bikes for real riders” was exactly what was missing. You can get cruisers, uprights, city, urban, hipster, beach, even tricycles, if you want to just get to work or go to the store. But you can’t get a road bike. One would think a road bike has to cost $7K and look just like the bike you saw win whatever on steephill.tv last weekend. The real road bike is exactly the segment that’s missing.
Steve, Old Town here in Bibleburg is pretty good about keeping affordable road bikes on the floor. You can spend a ton on a Serotta or settle for a $1,350 Giant Defy with a triple crank (30/39/50) and a 12-25 cassette. John Crandall is big on the triple, and I expect he might like the Apex, too. I’ll have to tug on his coat about it.
Me, I like the low end of 34×25 on my road bike. I’m rarely in that bailout gear, but then I haven’t done any really steep extended climbing lately. I should take a whack at North Cheyenne Cañon. Sucker rises 1,250 feet in 3.1 miles and the final kilometer is a steady 10 percent. Tom Danielson holds the record — 13 minutes, 34 seconds. Reminds me of our unpaved private road back in Weirdcliffe, which rose 430 feet in 1.1 miles. Just what a guy wants to see after a long day in the saddle.
I’d buy one to put on the Frankbike cross machine….if I had the spare dough. Maybe closer to cross season. But it is nice to hear that someone (ie not Shitman or Crampagnolo) is pricing stuff that CAN be used by the fatter, cheaper crowd. Huzzah!
Miche cassettes have worked just fine in 8 and 9 speed varieties for me on my personal machines. Have yet to try a 10 speed version. As to low pricing on the SRAM stuff – it oughta be cheap, it’s mostly made in China, no? What I have a hard time understanding is the high price of their high end stuff (also made in China) when compared to the high end S or C company stuff made in countries where they pay folks a living wage and don’t manipulate their currency.
Think i just read that all of the new Gary Fisher road bikes, even their supposed racing bikes, come with fender mounts and can hold 28 mm tyres. Interesting move.
My CAAD-5 has room for 700-28s. Have not tried them on the Six-Thirteen. Now I’m curious.
I guess GF is going back to that old skool feeling. All the high-end mountain bikes are 29ers. And now his road bikes coming with fender mounts? Wow. As for the 28s, it makes sense when you think about the slightly more efficient ride. But fender mounts? On a ‘racing’ bike? Wow. The hippie lettuce must be working in Marin.
Gents, the Gary Fishers can indeed accept fenders (but only up to 25mm tires with ’em installed). I’ve seen the bikes down at Old Town and they’re pretty nifty. The fender mounts are removable, so no one need know that you are the King of the Freds. The Big Fish explains himself here.
But doesn’t Larry Craig have a patent on that “Wide Stance” thing?
Really enjoyed the video – thanx OG!