SRAM's Red AXS DUB 12-Speed Crankset is the D1-generation flagship road crankset that launched with the eTap AXS platform in 2019, and it's still the crankset most Red AXS builds ship with unless the bike specs the newer E1. The design pairs hollow carbon crank arms with an oversized 28.9mm aluminum DUB spindle, and it introduced the smaller-chainring philosophy that defines the whole AXS road ecosystem — 46/33, 48/35, and 50/37 combinations that maintain a 13-tooth gap and pair with a wide-range 10-tooth-start cassette out back.

The chainrings themselves are the more notable design choice. SRAM builds the two rings as a single integrated unit that bolts to the spider via an 8-bolt direct mount interface, which keeps the chainline tight and shortens the shift path between rings. The tradeoff is that swapping gearing means replacing the whole chainring assembly rather than individual rings, and if you're running the power meter version, the rings are integrated into the spider itself and can't be replaced separately when they wear.

This crankset is electronic-shift only. It's designed around the AXS front derailleur's shift ramp positioning and won't play nicely with mechanical front shifting. It also requires a DUB bottom bracket — if you're coming off an older GXP Red crankset, the bottom bracket bearings and cups need to swap too, because the DUB spindle sits at a different diameter than the older GXP standard.... Read More