SRAM today announced a new ecosystem of gravel components known as XPLR.

Pronounced "Explorer," the new series consists of new components from all three of SRAM's group sets of Red, Force, and Rival eTap AXS. Also included are Rockshox Rudy XPLR 30/40mm forks, Reverb XPLR dropper posts, and gravel-specific Zipp 101 XPLR wheels.

With the assertion that gravel has yet to find a single definition and that it means different things to different people, the XPLR series is designed to allow riders to combine components as needed to find their ideal setup, or in SRAM's words, " Define your own riding style."

This collaboration is the clearest yet between the three brands under the SRAM LLC umbrella, along with Quarq, Truvativ, and the recently acquired Time.

Rather than an entirely new gravel-specific groupset, SRAM has added gravel-targeted components to its existing trio of drop-bar eTap road bike groupset: the Red, Force, and Rival. sRAM is adding to each of these tiers, added an XPLR rear derailleur designed to work with the new cassettes

. [XG-1271 corresponds to Red and Force, while XG-1251 corresponds to Rival. Both are given a 10-44T range across 12 sprockets, which SRAM claims combines enough range for steep gravel climbs with the close stepping needed for high-speed road riding

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Derailleurs will use the same clutch technology as other models in their respective tiers, with Orbit fluid dampers on the Force and Red and mechanical springs on the Rival. However, to ensure consistent shifting over a wide range of gears, SRAM has changed the position of the pulleys.

There are also new Red and Force 1X direct mount cranksets, as well as Force and Rival wide cranksets, which are designed for the wider Q-factor of gravel bikes with boost spacings.

Derailleurs are priced at $710.00/€685.00/£610.00 for Red, $490.00/€465.00/£415.00 for Force, $255.00/€265.00/£236.00 for Rival, and XPLR cassette 210.00 USD / 225.00 EUR / 200.00 USD and 150.00 USD / 160.00 EUR / 145.00 GBP, respectively.

The component contributions to RockShox's new XPLR ecosystem come in two forms: a suspension fork known as the Rudy XPLR and the Reverb XPLR dropper post.

The Rudy XPLR fork will be available in either 30mm or 40mm travel, will feature technologies like the Race Day damper from the SID fork, will be smaller, and will integrate a Solo Air spring.

With clearance for tires up to 50mm, the new Rudy fork provides plenty of width for larger tires, but riders with 650B setups will be disappointed as it only accommodates 700c wheels. The fork can be fitted with road and mountain bike fenders. This means that those who want to convert their gravel grinders to commuter use can install full-length fenders to keep out the rain.

The dropper post, known as the Reverb XPLR, differs from existing Reverb droppers in many ways, not just size. It is 27.2 mm in diameter and compatible with gravel frames, but also incorporates a technology RockShox calls ActiveRide.

ActiveRide means that the seat post functions as a regular post when fully extended, but at the touch of a button on the AXS controller, the rider can add compliance to the ride, which the lightweight carbon post was supposed to provide counteract the reduction in compliance.

The Rudy XPLR fork retails for $799.00/€869.00/£779.00 and the Reverb XPLR for $600.00/€600.00/£500.00.

The Zipp 101 XPLR wheelset is the final piece of this collaboration.

While many good gravel wheels look like enhanced versions of good road bike wheels, the Zipp 101 XPLR wheels clearly sought inspiration from the mountain bike field instead. With an internal width of 27 mm and an unquoted shallow depth of ... [The 101 XPLR incorporates many technologies from Zipp's off-road hoop series. For example, "Ankle Compliance" allows the rim to deflect a few millimeters laterally when turning corners, increasing traction. It also features Zipp's ZR1 hub set, which provides 5.5 degrees of pickup with 66 points of engagement.

The Zipp 101 XPLR retails for $850.00/€870.00/£780.00 for the front wheel and $950.00/€970.00/£866.00 for the rear wheel.