SRAM Rival

Price Paid:  $0.00 at LBS

Bike Setup:
Nuevation Full Carbon & MX28 wheel set

Summary:
This stuff is crap. I am so disappointed in this grouppo. I am an open minded and cost conscious rider who will try new equipment especially in this day and age when bikes are just ridiculously expensive. For example I rode Suntour GPX components back in the day and loved them. Easy to adjust and STAYED ADJUSTED! Ultegra is good but can be finicky when adjusting. Ive put a little over 1000 miles on this group in the last 2 months. The brakes are great with the exception of nasty modulation if you get caught braking in a cornering situation. The rear derailleur shifts well but the front is CRAP. The cable must be adjusted so tight for the 53-11 that the trim becomes useless in a 53-25 combo. I have had the chain mis-wrap when shifting from the 53 to the 39 in the middle of the cluster on at least 6 different occasions. This is not user error. This is in climbing situations where I will upshift the rear at least 3 first (too keep from "spinning out" and dropping the chain) and then drop from the 53 to the 39. I’m not sure what happens but I speculate the rear derailleur does not take up the chain slack fast enough. The bike spends way to much time on the stand. The drive train is excessively noisy and the 39 x 11,12 &13 combos are useless because of front derailleur rub. Back to Shimano for me.

Strengths:
good straight ahead braking. Hoods are comfy. Long throws for 3 up shifting is nice but can also be frustrating if not intentional.

Weaknesses:
Front derailuuer is crap.Bottom bracket is cast without any machining...very cheap but fine until you have to maintain it.

Similar Products Used:
Suntour GPX, Shimano Ultegra

Price Paid:  $700.00 at ebay

Favorite Ride:
Anything that won't hurt my back

Bike Setup:
Beautifully supple CF frame. Standard training settup.

Summary:
If you ride a comfortable, supple frame that looks after you on a long ride, not beats you up .. STAY AWAY from this group. The 1:1 pull ratio means the gear change is easily affected by frame flex. I've had repeated dropped chains and mis-shifts in heavy traffic, with a truck on my shoulder. And that's with the derailleur stops adjusted way up close.

If you ride a stiff frame on smooth rides, or are a very light rider .. you may not notice anything. Criterium racers would probably love this group for the rapidfire shifts. They'd probably like the extra force needed on the FD shift. Life changes when you're sprinting in a bunch.

Let me repeat .. the decision to buy this group should be based on your frame qualities. I can ride mine on 75km + rides .. and my back is fine. My bike is supple and divine. But this group is dangerous on my frame. And that's coloured my review. I believe it should come with a list of frames tested as appropriately stiff and suitable for the group.

Strengths:
Fast changes. It's different to the standard two. Double tap is neat.

Weaknesses:
Use at own risk on a supple compliant frame. Hoods stretched quickly. Seems common as online stores were sold out of replacements. Drivetrain is a bit rough.

Similar Products Used:
Campag Centaur (briefly)
Old Shimano

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Price Paid:  $0.00

Bike Setup:
Felt FC frame, SRAM Rival, Reynolds Ouzo Comp Fork, FSA SLK seatpost, shimano r550 wheels, Speedplay X/1 pedals

Summary:
I work as a bike mechanic, so I know first hand from experience, and what the SRAM rep told me, that internally, Rival, Force, and Red are all the same. The only difference is materials. With Rival you get top of the line functionality with a much lower cost. The materials are different, because of this there is less carbon fiber, and it weighs a little more. Because of the steel front mech cage, it actually shifts a little better. The sleep black finish is well, sleek. The shifting is positive, meaning you know you shifted, its not harsh, but you know it happened. This is a personal preference, some call shimano smooth, i call it mushy, and prefer this action much more. It just feels firm. Brakes stop you no problem, great value

Strengths:
Top of the line performance, low cost, lighweight (slightly lighter than ultegra at the price of 105), easy to adjust, tolerant (dirt and grime dont bother it),positive shifting

Weaknesses:
shifting feel if you like shimano smooth, force is only marginally more expensive yet about a half lb lighter

Similar Products Used:
Sora, Ultegra, Dura Ace, Tiagra

Price Paid:  $2200.00 at Red River Cyclery, A

Favorite Ride:
2010 Specialized Tricross Expert

Bike Setup:
2010 Specialized Tricross Expert. SRAM Rival group set with Tektro cantilever breaks, Cane Creek carbon headset, Roval Pave' wheelset. I helped the LBS pull it out of the box. 61cm frame

Summary:
Just finished a 24 1/2 mile road ride this am and Im beginning to have a much better feel for the SRAM components. The SRAM Rival (red hoods) group came with my new 2010 Specialized Tricross Expert. The bike has the entire grouppo minus breaks (Tektro cantilever). Having used Shimano 105's SRAM is a world apart. It takes about an hour or so to get used to the "double tap" system. Again, my ride is brand new (New. April 27, 2010). From experience I know any group set takes about a month to break in. Spontaneous shifting (here and there) is part of that as the cables stretch and components seat themselves. Excellent choice for any serious rider.

Strengths:
Carbon levers, annodized crank. First rate manufacturing and well though out design.

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
Shinamo 105

Price Paid:  $680.00 at Ebay USA

Favorite Ride:
Rikki

Bike Setup:
Standard training setup.

Summary:
Out of the box ... this groupset drove me nuts. But I was too proud/poor to take it to a bikeshop. The chain was jumping on the small cog. The drivetrain was noisy. Cables were sticky and the derrailleur was shifting 50 metres after I pushed the paddle. The chain came apart after I used a breaker and pin to rejoin it... as I found the quick link too fiddly.

I bought an Ultegra cassette and Dura Ace chain. It didn't solve the problem. My chain wasn't tracking cleanly ... and I was starting to see a warp in my large chainring. The chain was bouncing, the idler sprockets were noisy as hell. My front derailleur had chain rub. It drove me nuts!!!I was starting to hate Rival and curse SRAM.

Over the last few nights .. I've pulled it apart, cleaned .. lubricated and reassembled... adjusted and adjusted. I got on my bike to commute to Uni this morning .. expecting to swear the whole way there. But the group is SWEET!!! I'm stunned. It's like a different groupset. I still have some minor issues .. but I'll sort them out.

1. Lube your cables.
2. Add teflon tube under the bottom bracket to allow the cable to slide easily.
3. Lubricate ALL moving parts with your favourite quality oil. (I use Inox Chainlube .. it worked wonders on my derailleur idler sprockets).
4. Read the instructions. They're useful.
5. Ask for help from a friend who's Sram savvy.
6. Take it to a bike shop that know Sram. They do this stuff for a living.

This is a good groupset. I'm now happy.

Strengths:
Brakes are AAA+
Shifting and braking feel intuitive after a short while.

Weaknesses:
Sensitive to cable friction.
MUST be set up well .. and adjusted to stay that way. I didn't like the chain and cassette .. but perhaps that's personal.

Similar Products Used:
Shimano, Campag Centaur

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