Following the success of the Limited Tour Edition (LTE) of its range-topping Red groupset, where the red graphics are replaced by yellow ones, SRAM is releasing a new black colour option. With more and more consumers apparently looking to focus on the customisation of their bikes, SRAM Black Red is designed to co-ordinate with the top carbon frames on the market.
“Black is the trendy colour this year,” says the Chicago, IL company’s media release.
The new Red Black will be the same as the standard version of Red, but with the chainrings, brake callipers, the back plate of the OpenGlide cassette, and the front and rear derailleurs featuring an “elegant” black finish. The silver and red graphics will remain and the Double Tap brake and gear levers will be unchanged as they are already black with their carbon levers and rubber hoods.
The groupset is otherwise identical to standard Red, maintaining its overall sub-1800g weight for the BB30 version.
Five of SRAM’s ProTeams, RadioShack, Garmin-Cervélo, Saxo Bank-SunGard, Liquigas-Cannondale and Katusha, are apparently already fitting Black Red to their bikes.
RadioShack sprinter Robbie McEwen posted his positive first impressions to his Twitter page earlier today.
“This is it, SRAM Black Red,” he wrote, posting a picture of the groupset. “Gonna look awesome on my Shack Trek Madone. Nice work Sram! Looks trick”
Black Red will be available to consumers from March; the price, and how much more it will cost than standard Red, is currently to be decided; as a guide, the LTE version retails at around 7-8% more.
If you have a black frame though, Red Black might just be enough to turn your racing machine into a stealth bike!
Check out our photo gallery of the SRAM Black Red Grouppo