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The Sram Red 1x13 XPLR gravel bike groupset can be found on some of the best road bikes, including this new Cervelo S5, but is it really better than 2x road bike groupsets?
In this video we explore the advanatges and disadvantages of a 1x vs 2x road bike and our impressions of the Sram 1x13 XPLR AXS groupset. Is it better than the current Shimano Dura-Ace or Sram Red AXS road bike groupsets?
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0:00
This is the bike that I've been riding for the last few weeks. It's the new Cervelo S5 and it is
0:06
very good. It's more aero than the last one, it's more comfortable than the last one and it's lighter
0:12
than the last one. There is just one thing about it though which I'm not too sure about. You see
0:19
you can choose the new S5 with either a Dura-Ace groupset, an Ultegra groupset, a SRAM Red groupset
0:26
a SRAM Force groupset, or this, a gravel groupset. Now, this might seem like a little bit of an odd
0:35
choice. This is about as race bike as race bikes get, and yet it has a cassette that is quite
0:42
literally bigger than the one on my gravel bike. It's a 1046 in fact. Now, Cervelo aren't the only
0:49
people offering this either. 3T are offering something similar, and if you Project 1 a Trek
0:54
you can also spec this groupset onto the latest Madone. But should you? Is 1x13 the future of group sets
1:03
Does it offer any meaningful advantages over a 2x system, or indeed a 1x12 speed group set
1:10
And should more road bikes start offering it? Well, this is Cycling Weekly, and I've been finding out
1:16
I've been wanting to test this groupset out on the road for a little while now
1:25
ever since Lidl Trek used this groupset at the Spring Classics. More on that later. Why
1:31
Well, I'm a self-confessed fan of 1x. I think that it adds simplicity, I like not having to
1:37
switch between front rings mid-climb, and I also like the clean looks. In fact, I like 1x so much
1:44
that I now not only run it on my gravel bike but also on one of my road bikes. I've found
1:50
it great for the criterion racing that I do and the rolling terrain around where I live
1:54
but this isn't all about me. I think that it has benefits for lots of other riders too
2:00
riders just getting into the sport for example, riders who can't help but cross chain, and
2:06
anyone who wants to get rid of the 7 or so gears that are literally overlapping
2:11
Let me explain, but before I do make sure you're subscribed to the channel because it
2:15
really does help us out. So this bike here, right, it's got a 50 tooth ring at the front
2:22
Now that is fairly big by 1x standards, but fairly small by usual road race bike standards
2:28
And these are the gear proportions that you get when it's paired with that 1046 tooth cassette
2:35
You can see that there are 13 unique gear combinations 13 gear combinations that give me the following speeds when ridden at 100 rpm So the easiest gear down here gives me a speed of 14 kilometers an hour when peddled at 100 rpm Obviously I can
2:53
comfortably pedal a fair bit slower than that if I need to but 100 rpm does make the maths a fair
2:59
bit easier. In the hardest gear so using the 10 tooth cog up here I can get to a speed of 64.3
3:07
kilometers per hour again when pedaling at 100 rpm. In a sprint finish I might be able to pedal
3:12
a bit faster than that and so this can be stretched depending on what cadence you find comfortable
3:18
So now let's compare that to a more conventional setup. As you can see there is a lot more gears
3:25
going on here. Now I rather like the look of this Cervelo S5 with the Dura-Ace groupset
3:31
and that has quite a generous 11 34 tooth cassette at the back and then at the front it's got a 54
3:39
tooth big ring and a 40 tooth little ring now type in those numbers and we can see that in the big
3:46
ring at the front and the smallest cog at the back i can now travel at 63.1 kilometers per hour
3:52
Again, in the hardest gear at 100 RPM. Now that is about 1.2 km per hour slower
4:00
than on the 1x13 system. So, maybe I get an easier gear as a result
4:08
Well actually no. When pedalled at 100 RPM, little ring at the front
4:13
in the 34 at the back, you can see it gives me a speed of 15.1 km per hour, 1.1 km per hour, faster
4:22
than on the one by setup. What this means then is that without a doubt
4:27
the one by setup offers me more range than the two by setup that I would go for
4:33
And there's more. So if you look at these gear ratios, you can see there's loads of overlap
4:38
In fact, nine out of the 24 gears are overlapped. And what that means is that you're lugging around
4:46
some gear combinations that you will quite literally never use. This one, for example. That would be a horrendous cross-chain. I'm never going to use that
4:57
All of these, Shimano won't even let me use these ones because my chain will be too baggy
5:03
What this comes down to is the fact that if we've been using 1x since the dawn of time
5:08
I don't think that anyone would come along and invent such an overcomplicated and frankly
5:15
inefficient system as 2x, I managed to convince anyone that it's the way to go. So why is
5:22
it still so popular in 2025 Well the way I see it for three reasons Number one it not actually any heavier than the 1x setup Despite adding a front mech and a chain ring the rear mech is much much smaller and
5:37
lighter and this 13 speed cassette is not that light. I mean it is light for how big it is but
5:43
it's not that light. In fact it's about 100 grams heavier than the one you might see on
5:48
SRAM's 2x setup. Number two, efficiency. Now I don't have any figures but I will be trying to
5:55
get some but we do know that big cogs are more efficient than little ones and that a nice straight
6:00
chain line is more efficient than a cross chain. That's why in time trials we see such massive
6:07
chain rings. Whichever way you look at it I just don't think that a 1x system is advantageous
6:13
from a purely efficiency point of view. Feel free to disagree with me in the comments though
6:18
And finally, and this is the kicker, the jumps in between the gears are much bigger on the 1x system than they are on the 2x group set
6:27
So, what's that like to ride with? Well, I've been using this bike for just over a month now on a range of rides
6:35
ranging from slow bimbals to races and fast group rides and chain gangs, like the bike's intended for
6:42
Towards the lower end of the gears, and it feels fairly normal, and there shouldn't be much surprise by that
6:47
because if you look, a lot of the gear combinations are actually very similar. 10 versus 11, 11 versus
6:52
12, 12, 13, 13, 14, 15, 15, 17, 17, 19, 19, even 21, 21, 24, 24. It's this bit where things get
7:02
slightly more weird. When you're on this bit, you're normally traveling at speeds of, let's say
7:08
30 kilometers an hour and less. The jumps, well, they just feel like they're a bit too much
7:15
Out on rides, I've found myself staying in gears longer, sometimes churning a big one
7:21
and other times spinning a smaller one than I ordinarily would. And that is not an efficient way of riding
7:27
And on rides where you're on your limit, the last thing that I want to be thinking about is my cadence
7:34
The truth is, I never normally think about my cadence. And yet on this bike, I've been forced to
7:42
And no, that's not just because I was making a video on it. It is in fact the reason I'm making the video on it
7:48
because I thought that 13 speed was going to be the answer to all my prayers and was then frankly slightly surprised
7:57
The other thing I've noticed when out riding is the dragginess in the easiest gear
8:02
and I can show you what I mean now. So if I spin this and put it up to the biggest gear you can almost hear it you can hear how much drag is on that gear And if I put it down here it much quieter and the cranks spin freer
8:22
Now like I said before, I really really want some data to back this up and I will be trying
8:27
very hard to get some, but if I can feel the difference in the cranks with my hands, then
8:34
I think that this is in magnitudes of full watts rather than points of watts
8:39
Now I said earlier that Lidl Trek had been using this groupset during the classic season in 2025
8:45
including at races such as Paris-Roubaix. They were extremely complimentary about it
8:50
and even went so far as to say that they'd never go back to 2x for those races
8:55
Now whilst the likes of Mads Pedersen did use a 10-40 6-tooth cassette like this for some of the
9:01
races they too clearly wanted some closer ranges and less jumps in between gears when it came to
9:07
races that are a bit flatter such as Paris-Roubaix and on those races they modified their mechs
9:12
and they used a more conventional 10-30 three-tooth cassette. Now I am all for tailoring your gearing
9:21
to the terrain that you're riding but I just don't think that switching out cassettes is as necessary
9:27
on a 2x setup. And let's face it, cassettes really aren't cheap. As I said before, I am a big fan of
9:36
1x group sets and I really do think that they have a place on the road. This 13 speed explore group
9:42
set though, it's exactly what it says it is, a gravel group set. And although I've loved trying
9:48
it, I would personally buy a bike like the Cervelo S5 with one of Shimano or SRAM's 2x options
9:54
Fair play to Cervelo though for giving the consumer the choice and speccing the 2x version
9:59
with rings that suits the bike's purpose. Going fast. Circling back to 1x and the crux of it is that to get all this lovely gear range, I simply
10:09
think that for me the jumps in between the gears are too big for performance road use
10:15
I hope that we continue to see more endurance road bikes and all road bikes with 1x on them
10:20
and for select rides, I will still be very happy on my one-by setup
10:24
For me though, the maximum size cassette that I want to be running on the road is about a 1036
10:30
not a 1046. Anything above a 1036, and I find that the changes
10:35
in cadence are just too big of a sacrifice to make. Let me know if your next road bike will be one-by
10:41
or two-by down in the comments below. That'll be controversial, I'm sure
10:45
Do you wish that more bike brands offered both? The full review of this bike will be live on Cycling Weekly shortly
10:52
And before you go, make sure you like, comment and subscribe. We'll see you next time
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