Since 1987 SRAM has been making quality road and mountain bike components for the discerning rider. It started with the need to create a shifter that didn’t require the rider to take their hands off the handle bars. From this need the first grip shift was born. The first grip shift was made for road bikes only. It attached to the ends of the handlebars and used a twisting motion of the barrel to actuate the cable and move the derailleur across the cogs. This technology soon found its way to the mountain bike world where SRAM was really able to make a name for themselves.

In 1995 SRAM introduced their first mountain bike rear derailleur, dubbed “ESP”. This new derailleur featured a 1:1 cable actuation that produced more precise shifts and was more tolerant of cable contamination. The ESP derailleur was compatible with SRAM’s ESP grip shifters. This was a critical first step for SRAM toward producing a complete shifting system.

Although SRAM got its start as a manufacturer of road bike shifters, the company had pretty much left the road market by 1993 in favor of the increasingly popular mountain bike segment. But by 2004 SRAM had planned its return to the road bike market and by 2006 SRAM Force and Rival entered the arena. The following year SRAM Force was raced in the Tour De France. Force and Rival utilized a new shifting technology call Double Tap. This technology allows the rider to make shifts up and down with the use of a single paddle.

In 2012 SRAM introduced its wide range 1 x 11-speed groupset for mountain bikes known as XX1. XX1 has proven itself to be the wave of the future as a large number of mountain bikes being manufactured these days are coming with 1x setups. The popularity of XX1 allowed SRAM to expand the technology to more affordable groups like their X01 and GX line of components.

From the beginning SRAM’s mission has been to make components that are at the cutting edge of performance. They chose to be at the forefront of technology, and not be content to just follow. This has led to their success and their ability to create components that appeal to a wide variety of riders, from road to mountain and cyclocross to gravel grinding. No matter what your style of riding is SRAM has a groupset that will work for you. If you have questions call one of our expert Gear Advisors at 888-880-3811.