SRAM Rival/105/Ultegra?

PLuKE

I am looking upgrading my gearing from Tiagra.

I have been looking at SRAM Rival 10 speed, SHIMANO 105 and Ultegra.

I am finding 105 the cheapest, then an extra £40-50 more Rival and £30-40 for Ultegra, what are people's views?

From my finding, the Rival suffers from broken shufter pads, the metal mech inside snaps.

Is this still a present problem?

Many thanks
Luke

kenong

My bike is currently on Shimano 105 5800. My old bike used to have Ultegra 6800.

Honestly, I dont see any difference between 105 and Ultegra. In fact, I would say go for 105 and use the excess cash for something else.

Hope it helps.

crescent

I've used them all and they all do a good job. My personal favourite is SRAM, I just really like the double tap shifting.

AllezAllezAllez

I've just bought a new road bike with Ultegra 11 speed and it's great. So smooth, light and does a great job. My old bike has Tiagra and my Cross bike 105. 105 is also good, but if you are riding a lot go the extra mile and get Ultegra.

bendertherobot

They'll all work flawlessly and all be brilliant. To an extent it's hard to look beyond 105 for value. Mind, it's hard to look beyond SRAM Apex as well. I commute with that and it's brilliant.

If you want the plushest then Ultegra is probably a good bet. Mind, for "just" another £79 you could get Force.

PLuKE

Thanks for your input.

I have looked at SRAM Apex which seems great value, I haven't used double tap, but I like the idea and the lever shape.

I just wanted something diffirent. So just getting some ideas.

"Another" £80, that's been dangerous for me! So keeping strong on the budget!

Luke

bendertherobot

PLuKE wrote:

Thanks for your input.

I have looked at SRAM Apex which seems great value, I haven't used double tap, but I like the idea and the lever shape.

I just wanted something diffirent. So just getting some ideas.

"Another" £80, that's been dangerous for me! So keeping strong on the budget!

Luke

Don't worry! As long as you're not considering Campag then the next jump to Red is massive. So Force at £575 is about the limit.

What kind of bike/riding is it for?

PLuKE

I have little trust in Campag at present, a long story short, I bought some Campag Bullet 80mm, 4 pairs had faulty bearings in, so I went down the route of sourcing and getting somewhere to fit decent ones instead.

It's a toss up between 105/Ultegra and Apex maybe but likely Rival.

It's for a Merdia Ride 93 carbon. I cycle most evenings and weekends with Sportives thrown in.

Thanks
Luke

diamonddog

PLuKE wrote:

Thanks for your input.

I have looked at SRAM Apex which seems great value, I haven't used double tap, but I like the idea and the lever shape.

I just wanted something diffirent. So just getting some ideas.

"Another" £80, that's been dangerous for me! So keeping strong on the budget!

Luke

I have Sram Rival 10 speed on the oldest bike and Force 11 speed on the latest one and never had a problem with either. The new Rival 11 speed has the yaw front mech the same as Red & Force and the front changing is far better IMO.
Whichever you choose should be fine as they are all good.

bendertherobot

Yeah, also have to say, the Ribble price on Rival, £375 ish, is brilliant.

I'd opt for the 11-32 with medium cage, personally. Good thing to have.

crescent

If a bit of bling is important, Rival has carbon brake levers. might make all the difference

bendertherobot

Not anymore!

thefd

There is a massive difference from 105 5700 (10 speed) and the new 5800 (11 speed).

Shifting is light and responsive. I have used Ultegra but I think 5800 is as good (slightly heavier - but you won't notice it). I would get 105 5800 every time for cost.

But...I have never ridden with SRAM!

crescent

bendertherobot wrote:

Not anymore!

:shock:

That'll teach me to do my research more thoroughly :oops: .
The old 10speed had carbon levers.

bendertherobot

Yeah, they removed that I guess to save a bit of money. Still tremendous though.

banditvic

Pretty sure the new Rival is red internals with alloy levers, they couldn't be carbon as that would be Force I guess.

Matthewfalle

Rival, Ultegra, 105 in that order.

Used all 3, preference based based on functionality, price, looks.

cattytown

First thing - Tiagra works. Unless it is all getting worn, you are looking at a lot of money for an upgrade.

What I would consider is the shape of the hoods. Get round the shops and feel the shape of the hoods and how your hands fit the shifters. That alone may make the decision for you.

The other thing to consider is the operation of the shifters. The basics of 105/Ultegra are the same as Tiagra.. Sram's doubletap is different. Again, that may make a decision for you - doubletap may just feel right for you if you can get out on the road. It may not suit you.

When building my bike last year I went for Force 22 as I like the shape of the hoods, and I like doubletap. I wanted Yaw, and couldn't justify the extra cost of Red even to myself.

Paul.