Calling all SRAM users!!

ajb72

I am really very tempted to treat myself to the SRAM Force groupset in the New Year. Every review I have read seems positive and I fancy a change after years of loyal Campag ownership. It also seems to me (and no doubt someone will correct me if I'm wrong!) that the equivalent Campag groupset for performance / weight would be Campag Chorus, which will cost me quite a bit more and comes with expensive replacements for cassettes etc.

I had a chat with the very helpful chap at my LBS today and he pointed out a couple of things to take into account / be wary of with Sram:

1. Spares might be harder to come by / more costly than Campag
2. Some parts may ware out far quicker than Campag, in particular cassettes

So, my question to SRAM owners is whether you have experienced any issues I should be aware of. I am more concerned by spares and repairs than parts waring out I guess!

Before anyone goes slightly off topic, I have zero interest in switching to Shimano! It's a personal thing but I just don't like the styling at all, although I am sure it's all terrific stuff!

Any help much appreciated.

ride_whenever

1. no, the sram distributor is brilliant, and bigger than the campag one
2. no frame of reference.

ajb72

That's really interesting - pretty much the opposite of what I was told earlier. Have you had to order spares etc then?

dennisn

If you want to make the change - go ahead. Nothing wrong with Sram and it will most likely cost you less than Campy(depending on which Campy version you go with).

As for things wearing out faster / slower, I have my doubts that there is much difference
between brands. The reality of it is that less expensive steel cassettes will last a good time longer than the high dollar aluminum / titanium ones.

ugo.santalucia

I bet you'd ask less questions when buying a property...

Go for it, if that's what you want

ajb72

ugo.santalucia wrote:

I bet you'd ask less questions when buying a property...

Go for it, if that's what you want

You're probably right!

From what I have read / been told, i can expect better quality from Campag in terms of build, but probably get more for your buck buying the Sram. I think I am 90% of the way decided, just have nagging doubts having been a campag devotee for so many years.

ride_whenever

Put it like this, at the lbs where I work, we get SRAM parts next day, campag take several days.

look here for parts.

softlad

ajb72 wrote:

From what I have read / been told, i can expect better quality from Campag in terms of build, but probably get more for your buck buying the Sram. I think I am 90% of the way decided, just have nagging doubts having been a campag devotee for so many years.

at its price points, SRAM is better, lighter and cheaper - with the added bonus that you will no longer get cornered by Campag bores at the club dinner....

I'm not really sure what parts you are expecting to have to order anyway.....

ajb72

ride_whenever wrote:

Put it like this, at the lbs where I work, we get SRAM parts next day, campag take several days.

look here for parts.

That is really good to know, definitely puts my mind at rest, thanks.

Amazing how you can get misled by a shop with their own agenda!

ajb72

I'm not really sure what parts you are expecting to have to order anyway.....[/quote]

I'm thinking of crash damage, so lever spares, chainrings etc. Just checking all the facts before taking the plunge!

Pokerface

I have Sram Red and sometimes parts break. A quick phone call to Evans (my dealer of choice) and they order in the parts I need. Takes a day or two usually.

Crash damage and getting replacements is a different matter. You can buy individual parts (like shifters, mechs, etc) on Ebay or from a dozen or more online shops for good prices. I just bought a new front mech for £30.

Cassettes wear out. Chainrings wear out. Chains wear out. Can't comment if they wear out faster than others but haven't seen what I would call premature wear. The Sram Red cassette will probably wear out slightly faster than the Force one. And costs 3 times as much anyway, so stick to Force!

I have the new Sram Force on my TT bike. It's brilliant.

Sram has a 2 year warranty if anything breaks. The parts I broke were my fault - not down to quality issues. Ridden over 10,000 miles so far on the groupset and have done a fair bit of racing on it too.

Buy it. Love it.

ajb72

Pokerface wrote:

I have Sram Red and sometimes parts break. A quick phone call to Evans (my dealer of choice) and they order in the parts I need. Takes a day or two usually.

Crash damage and getting replacements is a different matter. You can buy individual parts (like shifters, mechs, etc) on Ebay or from a dozen or more online shops for good prices. I just bought a new front mech for £30.

Cassettes wear out. Chainrings wear out. Chains wear out. Can't comment if they wear out faster than others but haven't seen what I would call premature wear. The Sram Red cassette will probably wear out slightly faster than the Force one. And costs 3 times as much anyway, so stick to Force!

I have the new Sram Force on my TT bike. It's brilliant.

Sram has a 2 year warranty if anything breaks. The parts I broke were my fault - not down to quality issues. Ridden over 10,000 miles so far on the groupset and have done a fair bit of racing on it too.

Buy it. Love it.

Fantastic feedback, thanks pokerface. You have obviously had plenty of experience with the Sram now - would you say the Force groupset feels like good quality kit when you are riding - that is the gear changes feel accurate etc? Any info gratefully accepted!

andy162

I run Red on my Scott. There are 2 chinks in SRAM's armour. These being the B/B & chain. I'd stick with the cheapo Force/Rival B/B & use a KMC 10spd chain.

The longevity of the GXP bracket is poor & I have found shifts much smoother once I switched to a KMC.

All said I wouldn't have anything else on my bike. ( unless I bought a fancy pants Italian frame in which case it'd be Campagnolo).

Pokerface

ajb72 wrote:

Fantastic feedback, thanks pokerface. You have obviously had plenty of experience with the Sram now - would you say the Force groupset feels like good quality kit when you are riding - that is the gear changes feel accurate etc? Any info gratefully accepted!

The new Sram Force stuff is as good as Red - but only slightly heavier. But MUCH cheaper. Gear changes are perfect every time.

If I was building a new bike - I would probably kit it out with the new Force stuff over Red and spend the money I saved on wheels or a better frame, etc. It even looks like the Red groupset now, except for the chainrings and highlight colours.

ajb72

andy162 wrote:

I run Red on my Scott. There are 2 chinks in SRAM's armour. These being the B/B & chain. I'd stick with the cheapo Force/Rival B/B & use a KMC 10spd chain.

The longevity of the GXP bracket is poor & I have found shifts much smoother once I switched to a KMC.

All said I wouldn't have anything else on my bike. ( unless I bought a fancy pants Italian frame in which case it'd be Campagnolo).

Cheers Andy. Is that because of the Sram powerlink thingy? I have used a KMC on my old Campag and loved it too, so easy to remove and clean.

I have also read about complaints with the bottom bracket - but I guess i could buy the Sram Force with the BB30 option for about £30 more?? That said, I have no real idea what the BB30 is! I currently have the campag ultra-torque with the outboard cups - is this the same principle? Thanks.

softlad

BB30 will not be an option if you currently have a 'standard' frame capable of taking GXP/ultratorque/megaexo etc...

Pokerface

ajb72 wrote:

andy162 wrote:

I run Red on my Scott. There are 2 chinks in SRAM's armour. These being the B/B & chain. I'd stick with the cheapo Force/Rival B/B & use a KMC 10spd chain.

The longevity of the GXP bracket is poor & I have found shifts much smoother once I switched to a KMC.

All said I wouldn't have anything else on my bike. ( unless I bought a fancy pants Italian frame in which case it'd be Campagnolo).

Cheers Andy. Is that because of the Sram powerlink thingy? I have used a KMC on my old Campag and loved it too, so easy to remove and clean.

I have also read about complaints with the bottom bracket - but I guess i could buy the Sram Force with the BB30 option for about £30 more?? That said, I have no real idea what the BB30 is! I currently have the campag ultra-torque with the outboard cups - is this the same principle? Thanks.

You won't be using BB30 as Softlad said. You'll just be using a standard GXP bottom bracket. Outboard cups, same as your Campag ones.

Sram Red has a fancy (and expensive) ceramic BB. Not really worth the money. Just stick with what you get with Force.

Powerlink is just the link that closes the chain. Easy to put on, impossible to get off again! If you ever need to remove the chain, you'll have to get another Powerlink to reattach it. Nothing to worry about.

Some people just don't like Sram chains. Some people do. You can use several different chains with Sram Force. KMC are very good (and they make the chains for many other companies like Shimano, etc).

ajb72

softlad wrote:

BB30 will not be an option if you currently have a 'standard' frame capable of taking GXP/ultratorque/megaexo etc...

Oh well, at least I know. So is the GPX my only option or are their better upgrades? I guess the GPX will be part of the groupset so I may as well use it until it wares out, then go for a better solution perhaps.

ajb72

My last post crossed over with yours pokerface, so thanks fo rthe bottom bracket / chain advice. I'll fit what comes and worry about replacements later on, starting with the chain I guess.

Cheers for all the advice posted, it has really helped to put any nagging doubts to bed.