im looking to modernize my road bike, and leaning towards sram stuff. so what are people’s experiences with sram?
i guess what im really wondering is, is rival the best bang for your buck? or is force worth the extra money?
ive found some good deal on certain red bits, and have thought about mixing red and force, but red is a little overkill for my level.
i liek mah pc1
+1 heh
SRAM is eating Shimano’s lunch right now, because Rival is like fifty grams heavier than Dura Ace and costs 1/3 as much, plus it’s newer and sexier. Functionality is the same or better than any other mid-range group, in fact I’d say well-configured Rival works as well as the new 7900 DA, which feels like garbage in every way other than the shape of the hoods The shape of the SRAM lever is so much more visually and ergonomically appealing than the bulbous alien-penis shape of the Shimano lever that it’s silly to even compare the two. Double-tap may not be for everyone, I know a few people who say that they can’t adjust, but it took me all of my first ten minutes to get used to it. Honestly, I’ve been so impressed with SRAM both as a product and a company that I don’t think I’ll ever equip another bike with Shimano.
I’ve loved my Rival, and there’s really no reason to choose Force over it - there’s no mechanical benefit and only the smallest gain in weight. If I were going to build a new bike now, I’d definitely spring for Red. There is a substantial difference in feel between the two lower-end groups and Red, which give a more “affirmative” click, is that makes any sense. Really though, you should buy the Red shifters and do everything else in Rival and get the same effect.
[quote=bonechilling]SRAM is eating Shimano’s lunch right now, because Rival is like fifty grams heavier than Dura Ace and costs 1/3 as much, plus it’s newer and sexier. Functionality is the same or better than any other mid-range group, in fact I’d say well-configured Rival works as well as the new 7900 DA, which feels like garbage in every way other than the shape of the hoods The shape of the SRAM lever is so much more visually and ergonomically appealing than the bulbous alien-penis shape of the Shimano lever that it’s silly to even compare the two. Double-tap may not be for everyone, I know a few people who say that they can’t adjust, but it took me all of my first ten minutes to get used to it. Honestly, I’ve been so impressed with SRAM both as a product and a company that I don’t think I’ll ever equip another bike with Shimano.
I’ve loved my Rival, and there’s really no reason to choose Force over it - there’s no mechanical benefit and only the smallest gain in weight. If I were going to build a new bike now, I’d definitely spring for Red. There is a substantial difference in feel between the two lower-end groups and Red, which give a more “affirmative” click, is that makes any sense. Really though, you should buy the Red shifters and do everything else in Rival and get the same effect.[/quote]
replace rival with force and this is my experience also
[quote=bward1028][quote=bonechilling]SRAM is eating Shimano’s lunch right now, because Rival is like fifty grams heavier than Dura Ace and costs 1/3 as much, plus it’s newer and sexier. Functionality is the same or better than any other mid-range group, in fact I’d say well-configured Rival works as well as the new 7900 DA, which feels like garbage in every way other than the shape of the hoods The shape of the SRAM lever is so much more visually and ergonomically appealing than the bulbous alien-penis shape of the Shimano lever that it’s silly to even compare the two. Double-tap may not be for everyone, I know a few people who say that they can’t adjust, but it took me all of my first ten minutes to get used to it. Honestly, I’ve been so impressed with SRAM both as a product and a company that I don’t think I’ll ever equip another bike with Shimano.
I’ve loved my Rival, and there’s really no reason to choose Force over it - there’s no mechanical benefit and only the smallest gain in weight. If I were going to build a new bike now, I’d definitely spring for Red. There is a substantial difference in feel between the two lower-end groups and Red, which give a more “affirmative” click, is that makes any sense. Really though, you should buy the Red shifters and do everything else in Rival and get the same effect.[/quote]
replace rival with force and this is my experience also[/quote]
replace force back with rival and this is also my experience.
You guys are just doing it cause Lance did it 
Hey baby… I do it like Lance does it… With one…
…
…
Brifter.
I held a pair of Red shifters at the shop the other day. They are stupid light. Put a Red in one hand and a DA in the other and it is kind of night and day.
I have all Rival on my roadie except for the RD which is Force. I like it and it works well enough although I’d say I like the feel of the Ultegra levers on my other bike better. They just feel smoother while the Rival feels more, I dunno, plasticy? I also think the Shimano hood shape is a little more suitable for my hands. Really it’s not a big deal though, get SRAM.
this is probably exactly what ill do. thanks.
its going on this, btw:
You should cut off all the braze ons, rattlecan it and make a fixed gear instead of wasting money on gears and braks.
hahaha.
Just kidding, i think it’s cool.
That’ll be a rad bike to upgrade. Make sure you stick with the classic-bend bars - SRAM shifters work really well with that style.
my mind was blown when i found out SRAM was pronounced as one syllable
I as well dont think I will ever go shimano again, as much as I love the ultegra 9 speed on my trek. I’m prospectively building up another all italian down tube road beast in the near future, though if I wasnt it would be sram or campy drive train/shift parts
Haha, mine, too.
I don’t even have a road bike right now, but I’ve heard anecdotal reports that SRAM is a lot noisier than Dura-Ace or Ultegra. True?
Haha, mine, too.
I don’t even have a road bike right now, but I’ve heard anecdotal reports that SRAM is a lot noisier than Dura-Ace or Ultegra. True?[/quote]
do you need to sneak places on your bicycle?
Haha, mine, too.
I don’t even have a road bike right now, but I’ve heard anecdotal reports that SRAM is a lot noisier than Dura-Ace or Ultegra. True?[/quote]
do you need to sneak places on your bicycle?[/quote]
Yep, I’m a creep.
Anyway, it obviously isn’t the hugest deal, but I’ll take that as a yes.
Yeah, it’s pretty loud. Most of the noise comes from the very hollow Red cassette. The shifters’ clicks are loud, a little louder than Shimano, but it’s really barely noticeable. I mean, it just goes “Click” a little louder - who cares? If you want silence, get Campy. Anyway, I’m running my Rival with a ten-speed Ultegra cassette (another great thing about SRAM - wide compatibility with Shimano products) and it’s no louder than any other ten-speed drivetrain.
i have '08 rival and fucking love it!
i wish i would have waited for '09 because of the adjustable throw and carbon bits but all around im super happy.