SRAM Road groupset

sloboy
sloboy Posts: 1,139
edited February 2008 in Workshop
Any body got views on the SRAM groupsets as they're presented for 08 ?

There's a certain rarity factor, but any other good reasons why you might choose Rival over Ultegra or Centaur/Chorus ?

Comments

  • Shfting is fantastic better than Shimano. Brakes are better than Chorus Weight is up there with both.

    Other advantage of Shimano No ugly cables in the way
  • hmmm... and they you remember the exploding derailleurs and the so-so feedback on the brakes and the counter-intuitive issue with shifting down when already in top gear and going for another gear you don't have ...

    and of course the shoddy chainset

    It is really competitive weight wise though. Throw a DA cassette on there and it really takes some beating on weight for the money.

    the drag in the chainset is what kills it for me ... you could just get a campag or shimano chainset though ... or even a Red one
  • top_bhoy
    top_bhoy Posts: 1,424
    What about the SRAM Red? I've seen some of the reviews and as its on the Astana and Saunier teams this year, I'd expect it to be very good but any real life experiences of SRAM Red?
  • brit66
    brit66 Posts: 350
    I bought my first ever really expensive bike last year which is equipped with SRAM Force and I have to say I'm still getting used to the shifting.

    Perhaps I'm so still too used to my old Veloce groupset but downshifting one cog at a time is tricky and I'm still upshifting by mistake a lot.

    To be honest I haven't used the bike that much so far so a full summer's riding this year will hopfully mean mastering it's characteristics.

    It's still a very nice groupset though and I've no intention of changing it.
  • leguape
    leguape Posts: 986
    hmmm... and they you remember the exploding derailleurs and the so-so feedback on the brakes and the counter-intuitive issue with shifting down when already in top gear and going for another gear you don't have ...

    and of course the shoddy chainset

    It is really competitive weight wise though. Throw a DA cassette on there and it really takes some beating on weight for the money.

    the drag in the chainset is what kills it for me ... you could just get a campag or shimano chainset though ... or even a Red one

    Been riding Rival for a year and have encountered none of those problems in a full season's racing and sportives including Flanders, London Canterbury and the Etape. And I've ridden it all winter for cyclocross without a problem.

    It doesn't shift down when you are in the top gear unless you throw it that way, and with the lever in the hand for the little dink shifts up you can do with it that you can't do with any other shifters.

    Shifting up and down is no more complicated a process to get your head round than shimano except on the one lever. Oh and you can change down and brake at the same time, which is like campag isn't it?

    The exploding mechs thing seems unrepresentative in my opinion.

    Chainset is bloody hardwearing, certainly more so than Shimano parts I've had previously, not experienced any drag in it to speak of.

    At the price point, relative to the opposition (Ultegra, Chorus), Rival represents great value, especially when sourced from Europe - I got my last set for 325 quid from Germany. And given the price per gram different to go up to Force as well as durability issues/replacement cost I'd say it's well worth getting.
  • I've been riding Sram Force for close to 18 months now. Other than an annoying rattle on my right hand control unit which a warranty replacement hasn't resolved, I've had no real problems.

    The control units are comfortable and get easier and more intuitive in a short space of time. Shifting both front and rear is crisp and precise, easily on a par with Dura Ace. I miss the taller shape of my shimano shifter but this is a personal preference. The brakes do squeal a bit on long descents especially with new blocks but are strong stoppers.

    My only other issue has been with the bottom bracket bearings which are slow and don't last long. However, I've recently discovered Superstar components who to my knowledge, do the only aftermarket bottom bracket. These are cheaper than the SRA/Truvativ version at £20, come in great colours and spin like ceramics. No reports on wear life yet but at £20 I'm not too concerned. Superstar are looking at a ceramic version which hopefully will be available in the next couple of monthls.
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    I thought SRAM was waaay more than its rivals - has something changed ?