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TECH NEWS
Katusha swap from Shimano Di2 to SRAM eTap for 2016 race season
Team Katusha has swapped from Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 to SRAM’s new eTap wireless drivetrain for the 2016 race season.
- SRAM launches Red eTap wireless groupset
The 2016 pro race season is right around the corner and we’re starting to see some of the new race bikes and equipment get its first airing at winter training camps. Photos shared by Team Katusha on its Facebook page (where there also looks to be a new logo as well) show the team getting together in Calpe for the first training camp in preparation for the 2016 season.
- Your complete guide to SRAM 2016 road bike groupsets
While Katusha remains with German bicycle brand Canyon Bicycles for another season, it has come as a surprise that the team has transitioned from the tried-and-tested Di2 groupset to the relatively unknown eTap.
SRAM has given the new groupset, the first and only wireless groupset currently available, a long development period. The AG2R team raced it on and off this year and accumulated many thousands of miles before SRAM was confident enough to officially launch it.
This is certainly good news for SRAM. It has seen its share of the professional peloton dwindle in recent years and Shimano has become the most popular choice for all teams. Will Katusha, and presumably AG2R, be the only teams on eTap, or could we see a few more developments in the coming weeks?
As well as the eTap groupset, it appears Katusha will be using SRAM’s Quarq crank-based power meters and Garmin Edge computers. Finally, Mavic wheels are out and in come Zipp.
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
Latest Comments
- Spangly Shiny 10 min 6 sec ago
Bullseye!
- chrisonabike 1 hour 2 min ago
Shurely "we have to build more housing! But developers won't build 'affordable housing'. And where can we find land anyway (lots of nimbys)?"...
- RoubaixCube 1 hour 10 min ago
Its an Garmin'less Garmin for a lot less Garmin money.
- Backladder 5 hours 36 min ago
Totally agree, it is confusing, do they mean it was three times as many as before or was it up by three times as many so actually 4 times as many?
- hawkinspeter 5 hours 43 min ago
I've noticed previously that it can take a couple of hours for the post to show up in the forum posts section, but if it's not appearing at all,...
- wtjs 5 hours 51 min ago
Unable to trust it... My solution to this problem began a few years ago- just get another one when they're cheap and light enough
- Dnnnnnn 20 hours 49 min ago
The CUK members' own stories about their travels in the mag make me wonder whether road.cc could built up a bank of readers' favourite routes? It...
- Hirsute 23 hours 8 min ago
There is no way on that terrain the wheels would clog up.
- TempleOrion 1 day 14 min ago
No. But do you think Trump is? 🤡💩🤣
- chrisonabike 1 day 1 hour ago
Was a stocking-filler type thing but always handy - reflective spoke straws. (They're not reflecting as I turned the flash off.)
Add new comment
8 comments
Having read all the reviews it seems a good reliable system. Having spoken to people who've ridden it the biggest compliment was "you'd never know there's no wire connecting it" this led me to the realisation that although it's very easy to fit (and swap quickly for pro teams) I can save a lot of money by simply fitting di2 (which was remarkably simple) and I have very similar performance with much better battery life. Simple decision.
Funny how odd those bikes look without the rear derailleur cable.
I wonder what Shimano will do to counter the etap system
Well the women's team Canyon/SRAM will be on Red eTap aswell I believe, but that is never going to make waves in cycling news because it's a womens team......
Well it's a much cooler name than Di2...
They are as confident as possible it cannot be hacked.
How any times have we heard our system is hack proof. ?
You don't need to hack it to cause trouble though, it just needs jamming with broadband white noise and they won't be able to change gear...
Can you imagine some unscrupulous muppet blocking or interfering with the wifi link at a critical point in a race
Please read SRAMs press release.
They have stated again and again that the system used is a SRAM proprietory system, not one on the open market.
They are as confident as possible it cannot be hacked.