New to SRAM

ugo.santalucia

I just bought SRAM Force 22 mechanical shifters (1x), so left brake only and right shifter, as I got them for 90 pounds or so from Planet X, I also got the Force Skeleton brakes on Ebay and the Wifli Rear derailleur from CRC. I have installed the lot and all seems to be fine, with the rest of the drivetrain being Shimano (chain, 11sp cassette and cranks, although those are mounted with a single narrow-wide chainring, so brand is irrelevant). Aside from the loud plasticky click when shifting gears, which no doubt will wake up the neighbours, I am pleased with the upgrade from 105, mainly because there is a significant weight saving, which is good on my hill climb racing bike (shifters only are 300g, against 495g of the Shimano).
Now the question... is it worth going the full SRAM shabang with cassette and chain, or it will work just as smoothly on Shimano components?
I don't see the benefit, unless I get a RED cassette, which is lighter, but also mega bucks for what is in essence consumables...

MidlandsGrimpeur2

Sram and Shimano work just as smoothly when interchanging across all levels of cassette and chain UGO, personally the only reason I would bother is cost as rival chains and cassettes seem to be the cheapest available most of the time (essentially whenever I need a new chain or cassette I just buy the cheapest!).

I have had force and red 22, rival 1 x, 105, ultegra and dura ace and used the cassettes and chains for each, shifting quality really is minimal from lowest to highest IMO.

With regards the Red cassette, I had one with my first red 22 group as it came with the package. It is beautifully made but like you say, a consumable and stupidly priced. If you wanted a bit lighter and a step up in quality then I think the Ultegra CS R-8000 is the best quality to price ratio of all the shim/sram cassettes and currently about £55 on Merlin.

For weight and also longevity, I have been very impressed with the KMC X11 -EL chains. About £30 online but I seem to get around 2000km more out of them than say an 105/ultegra or a rival/force chain.

ugo.santalucia

Yes, I do have an Ultegra cassette on now, so I will stick to the current set up. Good to know there is wide range of options... it seems 11 speed was a sweet spot in terms of compatibility, now it has all gone downhill with 12 speed, where nothing works with anything else, sometimes even within the same brand... you need that kind of chainring for the Eagle chain and whatnot. It's getting so confusing that as a home mechanic, I am reluctant to move in that direction any time soon. Shame, because I was luring after Force 1x12 Etap, but can't quite get my head round it.

MidlandsGrimpeur2

Yes, definitely agree that 11 speed is the sweet spot. I am of a similar mindset myself to 12 speed, the lack of compatibility and the high prices just means it really makes little sense to me. All my bikes are 11 speed and parts are still readily available at reasonable prices, so it just seems the obvious choice to stick.

ugo.santalucia

I do like the 1x setup of 12 speed Etap... I do like the 10t sprocket, which means I can use a 40 or 42 T ring only, without having to swap from hill climbs to TT... but I am very confused about chainset standards (DUB non DUB?), and then I would need the XDR freehub, which in itself is almost 200 quid for a couple of rear wheels.
Shimano Di2 12 is not very appealing... kind of wireless, but still the faff of having to insert a battery inside a frame, which seems to me pre-historic... when the all point of wireless is to... well, get rid of wires!

MidlandsGrimpeur2

My understanding is that all sram 12 are a DUB BB, you just match the DUB to your frame BB, so if you had a BB30, it is a DUB BB30 you need, a PF30, you get a DUB PF30. Essentially the BB diameter sizing is matched to your frame and the spindle size is where the DUB part comes in, as all DUB spindles are 29mm diameter. This is what allows for the cross compatibility of sram 12 speed chainsets, as once you have the DUB BB installed you can use any Sram 12 speed crankset in it.

Happy for anyone to correct me though if I am wrong.

Yes, if you are a home mechanic, wired or semi wired makes less sense, unless you are very clued up on this stuff. Having had etap 11 speed, wireless is very easy to install and really needs nothing other than charging.

me-109

You could try Miche cassettes as an alternative. They do a light version where the largest sprocket is anodised aluminium I think, to shave some grams. Individual sprockets if you want to play with gearing. I've got one not fitted at the mo so will try and weigh as a comparison.

I was keen on Force wireless too, but then figured I'd have to swap a freehub on a spare wheel and the trainer, and then have to buy extra cassettes too. Then I read up on the combined chainrings issue which would lead to more cost down the line and gave it up as a bad (costly) idea.

I thought all 12s used the same spacing so should be compatible in that aspect, so thought I could pair Force shifter and mechs with a Shimano 12 cassette on a normal freehub (I've not looked into this very hard so maybe Shimano do use a different 12s freehub?).

me-109

I just wish they'd found a way of changing the lever feel when in first gear. Important for you on a hill climb bike. When you're struggling in 1st and go looking for a lower gear, the way the system operates means the only thing it can do is change up. It doesn't stay in 1st even though you push that lever all the way in.

ugo.santalucia

Ah yes, I've noticed that... I am normally quite gear aware and I am getting less keen on the very steep stuff... so I might not need the largest sprocket any time soon

zaskarhippy

Save up for however long it takes and go for an AXS groupset.
I took the plunge earlier this year through Cycle To Work scheme for the "best bike" and its an absolute game changer for fit and forget performance.
I wont be touching Shimano again after the way they have dealt with the cranks fiasco and the seemingly contempt for their customers.

ugo.santalucia

took advantage of a nice afternoon to test the job… all nice and good, no noises other than the loud clicks… of course it is faster for equal power, like any other time I tweak things… now time to mothball the bike until next year… 🥲