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SRAM Apex Compatibility

SRAM APex compatibility

What is sram apex?

SRAM have now released two mechanical 12 speed groupsets in the form of SRAM Apex Eagle* and SRAM Apex XPLR*. With SRAM Apex Eagle it is now possible to buy a wide range gravel groupset off the shelf. Alternatively SRAM Apex XPLR allows the use of XPLR cassettes with mechanical shifters. However, if you have older style SRAM Road 11 speed or 10 speed shifters and don’t want the additional cost of new shifters then you can still use Ratio products! This will save money, reduce waste and achieve the gearing you need.

Which Apex 12 speed derailleur can I use with the 1×12 Wide Kit?

If you are currently running 11 or 10 speed SRAM road shifters and want to upgrade to wide range 12 speed then it is possible to reuse your shifters using a Ratio upgrade kit. To use an Apex 12 speed derailleur with your 11 or 10 speed shifters you will need to change the cable fin on the derailleur and change the ratchet in your shifters. This can be accomplished using our 1×12 Wide Upgrade Kit. The fin is essential because both Apex 12 speed derailleurs use a different cable pull to the 11 or 10 speed shifters (X Actuation for Eagle and a modified version of X Actuation* for XPLR, instead of Exact Actuation*).

Both Apex derailleurs have a built-in barrel adjuster so you won’t need to fit the adjuster provided in the kit. You won’t need to worry about the cable routing on your frame either, as the Apex 12 speed derailleurs use “Rear Exit” routing which is compatible with all frames. It is possible to use a SRAM Apex XPLR derailleur as the cage is long enough to accommodate Eagle cassettes. However, the jockey wheels on the XPLR model are slightly narrower so we would recommend the Eagle version if possible.

Which Apex 12 speed derailleur can I use with the 1×12 Road Kit?

To set up a 1×12 Road Kit with a SRAM AXS or XPLR cassette, you must use a SRAM Flattop* chain. Because this chain is narrower than a SRAM Eagle model, it is important that you use only the SRAM Apex XPLR derailleur. This is because this derailleur has narrower teeth than the Eagle model.

To use the SRAM Apex XPLR derailleur with SRAM 11 or 10 speed road shifters you can use our 1×12 Road Ratchet, coupled with our Cable Fin. The cable fin is used to convert to Exact Actuation. The 1×12 Road Ratchet is then installed in the shifter to upgrade to AXS-compatible 12 speed. This ratchet can be used with 12 speed XPLR cassettes. Because the jockeys pre-installed in the SRAM Apex XPLR derailleur are compatible with SRAM 12 speed Flattop chains there is no need to change these.

Can I use your 1×13 c kit with sram apex 12 speed?

At the moment it is not possible to use our 1x13C Kit with either of the SRAM Apex derailleurs. This is because the teeth on the jockeys of the SRAM Apex derailleurs are too wide for the Campagnolo Ekar chain. We currently do not make any narrow enough 14t jockeys for this purpose.

What about the apex shifters?

The SRAM Apex 12 speed shifters use a new ratchet design, so are only compatible with SRAM Apex Eagle, SRAM Apex XPLR or other X Actuation rear derailleurs. SRAM derailleurs with Ratio Cable fins attached with not work with these new Apex shifters.

*AXS®, DoubleTap®, eTap®, SRAM®,SRAM APEX®, SRAM EAGLE®, SRAM FORCE®, SRAM RED®, SRAM RIVAL®, X0®, X01®, XX1® are registered trade marks owned by SRAM, LLC. Eagle™, Exact Actuation™, GX™, NX™, SRAM APEX 1™, SRAM Force 1™, SRAM RIVAL 1™, S-series™, SX™, WiFLi™, X-Actuation™,  XD™, XDR™, XPLR™, XX™, Zero Loss™ are trademarks of SRAM, LLC. The use of these trademarks in the table below is for informative purposes only, and all trademarks remain the property of SRAM, LLC.