SRAM

Red 22 Rear Derailleur

SRAM brings 22 gears to the table with its new Red 22. But that isn't all, as 'True 22' allows you to utilize every one of these gears, in any combination, without adding any weight to the already outstanding Red drivetrain system. The Red 22 Rear Derailleur stands in as an integral component of the new groupset, calibrated for 11 speeds using the innovative technologies that have made SRAM Red an industry leader when it comes to exact, predictable shifting under the world's most demanding riding conditions.

When SRAM first introduced its groundbreaking 10-speed Red component group, the heart of the industry-shaking design was 1:1 Exact Actuation technology. In ordinary terms, this means that with each shift the derailleur pulls the same exact length of cable, regardless of what gear you're in. 1:1 is simple to set up, it stays in adjustment longer, and it provides laser-accurate shifting. This advancement sent competitors scrambling to one-up SRAM. Its engineers didn't buy the hype, and instead they put massive efforts into improving their 10-speed drivetrain. The result is that the new Red 22 Rear Derailleur benefits more directly from the lessons learned over the life of first generation 1:1 and Red Aero Glide than if SRAM were to start from scratch. Today, they've built from that 10-speed foundation, bumping the number of gears to 11. For us, in addition to the added gearing, we receive even tighter shifts than before as we now have smaller gaps between cogs.

The Red 22 Rear Derailleur incorporates a clean, air-cheating, low-profile mounting bolt that's made of titanium to keep weight as low as possible. The long upper knuckle clears 28-tooth cogs, and it is made of extremely stiff forged aluminum to resist flex, which helps to maintain perfect gear alignment. The inner carbon fiber pulley plate has also been enhanced to resist flex, increasing rigidity for precise gear changes, and its low weight results in a light action.

SRAM continues to run their Black Box ceramic cartridge bearings in the pulleys. Ceramic bearings offer outrageous hardness and roundness in comparison to steel, which reduces mechanical drag by a substantial amount. After aerodynamic drag, mechanical drag is the leading source of power loss.

The pulleys themselves were a focus area for SRAM engineers, and they improved weight, durability, and operation. Coined AeroGlide, SRAM optimized the jockey wheel's profile so that the chain will glide more efficiently over the tooth profile as it threads through the cage. This helped silence a notably noisy drivetrain and enhanced chain movement across the cassette. Most would call it a day with those advancements and skip out early for a ride, but SRAM's R&D team developed an elastomer coating to further quell pulley noise. The SRAM Red 22 Rear Derailleur also receives a barrel adjuster for simple fine tuning.

Given the mechanics of DoubleTap shifting paired to the new 11-speed calibration, please note that SRAM recommends that you use a complete SRAM Red 22 groupset, including shifters, both derailleurs, cassette, chain, and crankset.