SRAM BlackBox athlete Emily Batty raced with what we believe to be the new SRAM Red road caliper at Sea OtterMatt Pacocha
The svelte caliper features a new design, including new pads and direct-to-caliper line mounting versus the banjo used for the current XX. The brakes mount sans tri-align washers, as do the current XX World Cup brakesMatt Pacocha
The new pads are reminiscent of Shimano’s previous generation XTR and XT modelsMatt Pacocha
A better look at the direct brake line routingMatt Pacocha
While the brakes fall under the BlackBox program, we believe them to use the new Red hydraulic road caliperMatt Pacocha
The caliper body is still two pieces, which allows for easier and more dramatic internal machiningMatt Pacocha
The side of the caliper is smaller and of a different design to the current XX unit; Batty’s Superfly hardtail is also outfitted with a 142x12mm Maxle through-axleMatt Pacocha
Batty has a standard 140mm XX rotor out backMatt Pacocha
A standard XX World Cup caliper for comparisonMatt Pacocha
The standard caliper shares its pad design with the Elixir brake familyMatt Pacocha
Trek-Subaru’s wheels equipped with SRAM BlackBox hubsMatt Pacocha
The BlackBox hubs have standard flanges and 32 spokes, and we assume them to use ceramic bearingsMatt Pacocha
The rear hub was still set for a standard 135mm quick-release, while the front is 15mm through-axle compatibleMatt Pacocha
All of the team’s prototype wheels appeared to use the NoTubes.com Race Gold 29er rim; the 29-1 tire was the popular choice at Sea OtterMatt Pacocha
Matt Opperman’s one-piece carbon bar is a hand-me-down from Sam Schultz who changed stem sizes over the winterMatt Pacocha
The bar was nice and wide; we’d estimate 685mm and with a healthy 10°-12° backsweepMatt Pacocha
Subaru-Trek’s custom bolt-in through-axle dropouts for the Superfly hardtailMatt Pacocha
The new dropouts simply bolt to the existing carbon frameMatt Pacocha
While we’re sure the system adds a degree of stiffness and security, the real reason, according to Trek mechanics, is to cut down on the number of wheels needed and allow all to work with both the hardtails and Superfly 100 full-suspension bike, which is already 142x12mm compatibleMatt Pacocha