Upgrading the cockpit on an existing SRAM AXS bike normally means sourcing levers, calipers, and a head unit as three separate purchases. The SRAM Red AXS E1 Upgrade Kit bundles all three into one box: a pair of Red E1 HRD shift-brake levers, flat-mount 2-piston hydraulic disc brake calipers, and a Hammerhead Karoo GPS bike computer. There are no derailleurs, no crankset, and no batteries beyond what live inside the levers themselves. This is a cockpit and braking package designed to drop onto a bike that already has AXS derailleurs installed.

The E1 lever generation is a full redesign from the previous Red AXS shift-brake control. SRAM rebuilt the hood and lever architecture around a broader range of hand sizes, and the carbon brake lever uses a revised pivot geometry that delivers usable one-finger braking from both the hoods and the drops. Reach Adjust lets you reposition the lever closer to or farther from the bar, and Contact Point Adjust independently controls where the brake engages in the lever's throw. The two settings work without interacting with each other, so you can dial in both without one pushing the other out of range.

The brake calipers are flat-mount, 2-piston, 20mm offset units with aluminum bodies and steel-backed organic pads. SRAM claims the caliper is stiffer than the outgoing version with more pad clearance to reduce rotor rub, and the full lever-caliper system drops roughly 83 grams per pair compared to the previous Red AXS HRD setup. Left lever assembly with hose and caliper weighs 348 grams, right assembly with the longer hose weighs 361 grams. Bleeding Edge fittings are carried over from previous Red generations to keep bleeds clean.... Read More