Compact crankset - 105 or Rival

micken

I've got a Kinesis TK frame that I'm about to build up for wet weather and winter use with 105 shifters, fd and rd moved on from another frame that has BB30. I can get a 105 compact crankset and BB for about the same as Rival compact with GXP BB included in the price. The bikeradar review of the rival groupset comments:

"The bottom bracket is really the only letdown here as the GXP design continues to run with more friction than we would prefer. Thankfully, smoother-running aftermarket upgrades are readily available."

Questions:

Any views on 105 vs Rival cranks and rings, I like the open and light look of the Rival crankset?
Anyone comment on the included GXP BB and how it runs?
What about the aftermarket upgrade, is the Rival axle Hollowtech II compatible or different cups?

Any comments and contributions will be gratefully received, thanks.

Mick

rake

micken wrote:

I've got a Kinesis TK frame that I'm about to build up for wet weather and winter use with 105 shifters, fd and rd moved on from another frame that has BB30. I can get a 105 compact crankset and BB for about the same as Rival compact with GXP BB included in the price. The bikeradar review of the rival groupset comments:

"The bottom bracket is really the only letdown here as the GXP design continues to run with more friction than we would prefer. Thankfully, smoother-running aftermarket upgrades are readily available."

Questions:

Any views on 105 vs Rival cranks and rings, I like the open and light look of the Rival crankset?
Anyone comment on the included GXP BB and how it runs?
What about the aftermarket upgrade, is the Rival axle Hollowtech II compatible or different cups?

Any comments and contributions will be gratefully received, thanks.

Mick

not sure ive noticed much difference, hard to tell because the gxp bike is much better.
but gxp and rival isnt compatible with hollowtech II. the upgrade would still have to be gxp if using rival.

echelon101

I have been looking at the comparisons as well. Most of the reviews I have looked at, including this site like the SRAM Rival vs Ultegra SL

On Merlin http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/campagnol ... groupsets/

SRAM Apex (2011) £499
SRAM Rival (2010) £475
Ultegra SL (2010) £449
105 5700 (2011) £425
105 5600 (2010) £369

I would also point that I have only used these prices as a comparison, fudgecycles sells the Rival for £449.

I am look to buy now for a Cyclocross bike build I am doing I am quite tempted by the £100+ price difference between the 105 (2010) and the SR (2010). To my mind it's a bit like Intel vs AMD. You might also want to have a look at the Apex as well.

SRAM
- nearly 400g lighter than 105
- Shift cables route under the bar tape
- Last years 105 used a triple shifter on double chainset, and came with a warning
about it being easy to break! (fixed now, but check what you are getting)

Rival = Ultegra
Force = DA
Red = Class of its own.

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=15685189

micken

rake wrote:

micken wrote:

gxp and rival isnt compatible with hollowtech II. the upgrade would still have to be gxp if using rival.

Thanks for the clarification rake.

Thanks for the detailed response echelon101, it's Merlin that I'm looking at for just the Rival chainset. I do like the look of this and the lower weight is a bonus.

Cheers

Mick

rake

yes i prefere the look of sram cranks as well.

louismichaels

The Shimano 105/Ultegra/Dura Ace chainsets really are outstanding. In a class of their own, I reckon. The highlight of the groupo.
I have sullied the look of my Campy equiped touring bike with an Ultegra triple purely because it's better.

rake

they are good but have you tried sram.?

dennisn

Buy the one that YOU like the looks of. Isn't that what you really want? The one that looks the best to you or will get the most "hey, looks great" comments??? All the rest, the "comparisons"(this is BETTER than that), bearing "A" spins better than bearing "B".
this is lighter than that. All of it is grasping at straws for some "advantage" that someone
always chimes in about. Buy the stuff you can afford and like the looks of. Other than that you won't notice any of this is better than that type of cr*p.

louismichaels

Hi rake,
i haven't tried SRAM. Worth giving a go?
Shimano don't do a BB30 chainset yet, so when the current chainset goes on my Synapse, that might be worth a shot.
I heard they used to be a bit flexi (ignoring previous post) and I'm a big fella....

rake

a large guy post on br a while ago claiming to be a tall and powerful rider, said he'd always had problems with cranks even managing to break them. he regarded the sram rival crank he tried after breaking many to be the stiffest yet and didnt think hed manage to break them. i cant speak for the carbon cranks though, sold as being stiffer but weather they are stronger for a very large rider i dont know. bb 30 is said to be stiffer and lighter, haven't used it but makes sense with a larger axle.

micken

The frame I've taken the 105 shifters and mechs from is a BB30, was a C'dale Six13, now warrantied for a Six Carbon that I'm in the process of putting Ultegra on. The Rival cranks' looks remind me of the C'dale/FSA cranks I've been using for the past couple of years.

louismichaels

I've never broken a crank before (axles and bottom brackets yes), but have felt the flex of lesser chainsets (manifested as rub on the front derailleur) before - assumming it was chainset/bb flex rather than flex of the frame.
FSA make bb30 chainsets, but I don't really rate their stuff, so I'll give SRAM a go.
Cheers!

rake

this is a couple of years old but paints a bit of a picture.
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... kset-27757

dennisn

rake wrote:

this is a couple of years old but paints a bit of a picture.
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... kset-27757

To play devils advocate, I would say it paints the same picture as just about ANY of the top line products that bikeradar reviews. Everything about "the product" is great, except for one or two little things that they always throw in just to show that they are completely unbiased in their views. :roll: :roll:
Far be it from bikeradar or any cycling related media to criticize their advertisers products(and rightly so).

louismichaels

Hi dennisn,
Fair point. But, speaking for myself, I don't go much by the reviews themselves per se. I often use bikeradar and my subscription to CyclingPlus to bring to my attention new products, interesting products, and to expose products with glaring issues.
I'm lucky enough to have a reasonable disposable income so I chop and change bike components quite regularly (giving the retired components to a charity which teaches young offenders bike repair/maintenance skills) and enjoy hearing about kit which i might trial. This also allows me not to put up with cr*p components for long.
I also like hearing about peoples experience with particular products, accepting that they too can be blinkered by loyalty, or are more likely to post a negative comment.
The only thing I have ever really hated were a pair of Continental GatorSkins, which I thought were awful.
My comments about Campy are really an expression of disappointment - I want their stuff to be really really good (better than Shimano), and recently they've simply been letting me down in a way that they shouldn't.

cooper.michael1

I swaped a Shimano 105 for a FSA Gossamer Pro Compact a couple of months back, definately an improvement. A really nice piece of kit, shifts well, is super stiff and smooth.

Good enough for Cancellara to use one a couple of seasons back, that how stiff it must be. And the can be had for around £100-120 from Planet X or CRC

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=35735

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/c/q/chainsets

cooper.michael1

louismichaels wrote:

The Shimano 105/Ultegra/Dura Ace chainsets really are outstanding. In a class of their own, I reckon. The highlight of the groupo.
I have sullied the look of my Campy equiped touring bike with an Ultegra triple purely because it's better.

Shimano lost my business from 2009 onwards with the sorry excuses of STI levers, which in the variety of 105, seemingly are throwaway items after about 200miles. Any company which knowingly produces faulty product and continues to distribute them over a 3 year period, in which it recieves 1000s of faulty returns should not prosper.

It is a shame, but thier STIs have not been a good design for 10 years, I hope the new versions being released are better...their chainsets are quite decent, the XT on my MTB has proved ok, and the 105 chainset proved reliable.

StanwaySteve62

"I swaped a Shimano 105 for a FSA Gossamer Pro Compact a couple of months back"

I see it comes with a BB, will that fit my Allez that has a tiagra and hollowtech11?

rake

dennisn wrote:

rake wrote:

this is a couple of years old but paints a bit of a picture.
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... kset-27757

To play devils advocate, I would say it paints the same picture as just about ANY of the top line products that bikeradar reviews. Everything about "the product" is great, except for one or two little things that they always throw in just to show that they are completely unbiased in their views. :roll: :roll:
Far be it from bikeradar or any cycling related media to criticize their advertisers products(and rightly so).

quite true dennisn. i was just aiming to back my opinions up a little to move away from just my humble opinion. i have mid to low end cranksets of both shimano and sram. the main thing i noticed with the shimano crankset while perfectly acceptable was a tendancy to flex a little while cranking hard and get close to rubbing on the derailer. not being top line equipment it wasnt to offending and believe higher range shimano will dispense with this trait. but when i got an sram crank of similar level the first thing i noticed was the chainrings stayed true with no perceptible flex while cranking in a simiar manner which was unexpected and somewhat pleasing, i didnt have any prior loyalty being my first sram chainset and didnt expect much difference.i concluded an improvent and also read the review of a large chap who found them the best he'd came across. i agree with the bottom brackets, i cant see any ifference with how well they spin etc but cant speak of the durability claims that crop up because ive only used them for 1200 miles but are ok of now now. can't dispute shimano reliability though. havent had any problems in that department and like the make.

redddraggon

StanwaySteve62 wrote:

"I swaped a Shimano 105 for a FSA Gossamer Pro Compact a couple of months back"

I see it comes with a BB, will that fit my Allez that has a tiagra and hollowtech11?

The Gossamer is compatible with the Hollowtech 2 BB, even if it's a bit tight on installation.

cooper.michael1

StanwaySteve62 wrote:

"I swaped a Shimano 105 for a FSA Gossamer Pro Compact a couple of months back"

I see it comes with a BB, will that fit my Allez that has a tiagra and hollowtech11?

Yeah, i used the FSA BB as they are so easy to install, (if you have a HTII spanner) but yeah you can use Shimano BB with any Alloy FSA chainset like the Gossamer (the carbon chainsets are not compatable). Its Good piece of kit!