SRAM wireless group spotted at the Tour Down Under

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The gears are changed with a simple tap on the levers (Image credit: Cyclingnews)

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The front gear has a smaller shape to earlier editions (Image credit: Cyclingnews)

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A close up of the SRAM rear gear (Image credit: Cyclingnews)

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The black battery and signal receiver unit is clear to see (Image credit: Cyclingnews)

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The levers have a more refined look (Image credit: Cyclingnews)

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Samuel Dumoulin's gear have cables because they're SRAM's wireless electronic system (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

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The SRAM wireless gear on Domenico Pozzovivo's Focus bike (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

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A close up of the SRAM wireless front gear and battery (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

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Domenico Pozzovivo's Focus equipped with a prototype of the SRAM wireless electronic transmission system (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

Riders from the French Ag2r-La Mondiale team are testing further prototypes of SRAM's new wireless electronic transmission system at the Tour Down Under, suggesting that the revolutionary groupset could be close to going into full production.

Analysis: SRAM wireless electronic group

The SRAM levers and gears were first spotted during the 2013/14 cyclo-cross season in the USA and then at the Tour of California last May, where they were camouflaged with cables to hide the wireless capability. However, Bikeradar and Cyclingnews tech editor James Huang discovered that SRAM had filed documents about wireless transmission technology to the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He captured further images of the transmission on a bike used by the Bissell Development team at the USA Pro Challenge last August.

Huang revealed that the SRAM gears would be a fully wireless system that could weigh less than the wired electronic drivetrains from Shimano and Campagnolo. It appears the new group will also usher in a new type of shifting — a button on the left lever will move the rear derailleur one way and a button on the right lever will move it the other way; pressing both will shift the front derailleur.

Cyclingnews was able to capture these images of Domenico Pozzovivo’s bike at the Tour Down Under as a mechanic washed the bike but SRAM refused to give any further details. It seems that up to four riders at Ag2r-La Mondiale are using the wireless transmission, testing it in race situations against possible interference from other wireless systems.