SRAM Red

Price Paid:  $0.00 at online

Favorite Ride:
anywhere

Bike Setup:
Time Vx Special Pro, (Had to upgrade my 1st bike!) Sram Red shifters and rear derailleur. Dt Swiss RR 1850 wheels, TRP 950 SL brakes, Fulcrum Racing Torq crankset and bottom bracket, Sram Force front derailleur, Shimano Dura Ace 7800 cassette and chain with Yokozuna Reaction cables.

Summary:
Even though I use a Dura Ace cassette and chain, I don't know what the fuss is about?? I have about as much of an eclectic mix of componentry as you can get and the system is flawless! If not for installing @ 2 am and not reading the directions, ( you have to hook the rear derailleur cable around a notch in the rear derailleur), Sram Red was the easiest to install and dial in than Shimano or Campy. I did use Yokozuna cables, that may have helped...But I had it shifting perfectly in about 5 minutes. I've had two Dura Ace bikes and had no problems getting used to the double tap setup.

Strengths:
Shifting: The shifting is so solid! It reminds me of my older campy record, before the quick(spongy) shift, but with even more assertiveness and quickness! I love the smoothness of Dura Ace, but it's nice to not look down to see what gear you're in. I'd rather hear and feel it.
Mostly compatible with all Shimano systems.

Weaknesses:
Not sure about long term reliability. I'm a big guy so component weight is not an issue. So I hope the lighter weight doesn't cause replacement issues.

Similar Products Used:
Campagnolo Record, Centaur, Veloce, Dura Ace 7800.

Price Paid:  $0.00 at lbs

Favorite Ride:
anywhere on the road

Bike Setup:
2006 tarmac sl sram red, mavic equipe wheels,kcnc brakes

Summary:
upgraded from shimano ultegra and i immediatly loved it. i could not stop smiling the first ride. i bought it mostly for weight but the shifter are so much more comfortable and shifting is way faster than shimano. as far as noise goes mine runs with even less noise than my ultegra. by far the best road group out there!

Strengths:
weight, comfort,looks,fast shifting.

Weaknesses:
cassette does not fit on all wheels. other than that its perfect

Similar Products Used:
ultegra,dura-ace

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
The SRAM RED is on a friends bike that I've ridden 4 times now. At first I didn't like it. I was mis-shifting the rear cog because I was treating it like the front shifter on Shimano. After three rides, I had it dialed in pretty good. I went to a bike shop looking at bikes with Dura-Ace 7900, and was surprised to find that the Shimano seemed to shift slow when going to a smaller cog. The RED is much faster, and I realized that I have been spoiled quickly. The other major advantage to the RED, is that you can hold the shifter back in your hand (without activating the brakes) when you are sprinting in the drops, and shift to a smaller cog by making a small twist with the wrist without having to loosen your grip on the bars at all - VERY COOL!! I've decided to go with RED on my current bike build instead of DuraAce.

Strengths:
Lower cost. Light. Fast shifts. Allows you to shift while sprinting without loosening your grip on the bars (or moving your fingers off the bars).

Weaknesses:
Takes a little practice since you can mis-shift, which is really not an issue with Shimano.

Similar Products Used:
Shimano Ultegra and Dura Ace

Price Paid:  $1300.00 at cbike.com

Favorite Ride:
Smooth Roads, Light Winds

Bike Setup:
Cervelo RS, Sram Red, 3T Cockpit, Ksyrium ES Wheels, Fizik Bar Tape and Saddle, Dura-Ace pedals.

Summary:
Let me start by saying it took a while to get the Red Group setup perfectly. Once there, it's been excellent. The ergonomics of the shifters are fantastic. You can easily shift both the FD and RD both up and down from the drops after adjusting the reach on the shift padles. Bar none, this is the best.
I too found the group noisy and really had problems with the chain. I've used a park chain tool to clean and White Lightning to lube Dura-Ace chains for years with great results. The Sram Red chain did not like this. After cleaning it was very noisy just 20 to 30 miles later. I switch to cleaning with a degreaser and rag and then lubing with Tri-Flow and wiping the excess off. The drive train is much quieter and stays that way for 200 miles. I've never used or needed the FD trim on Dura-Ace (don't cross chain) and thus don't miss it on Sram Red. I can't tell any difference in the brakes. DA and Red are the same, excellent.

Strengths:
Nice solid group. Shifts quickly with a very substantial "click." I like the ceramic bearings too. (I know, it's probably mental.)

Weaknesses:
You're supposed to service the BB bearings every 100 hours. I've done it once and it's not big deal but I'm going to wait till the chain is worn out to do it again. That'll be closer to 150 or 200 hours. All the high end groups are too expensive if you pay retail.

Similar Products Used:
Sun Tour (I'm old), Shimano 105, Ultegra and Dura Ace 7800.

Price Paid:  $1500.00 at Bike Station

Favorite Ride:
to follow

Bike Setup:
Trek 1.5, SRAM Red groupset, Bontrager SSR Wheelset

Summary:
Installed it in my trek 1.5 frame in preparation for a carbon frame in the near future. Top class components and the lightest groupset of them all. Just went for a short ride with it this morning. The cassette is a bit noisy but tolerable. I like noisy stuff. Just like my MTB wheelset.

Strengths:
1. ERgonomic
2. Top class
3. Weight ! Weight! Weight!

Weaknesses:
None so far

Similar Products Used:
none