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Submitted by
Bikedave1234
a Recreational Rider
from Date Reviewed: December 28, 2011
Strengths: Great value. You can interchange components with other Sram groups to suit your needs.Bottom Line: I am a Sram convert after having used a full Red group on my road bike. Recently I removed the 105 group from my cross bike and replaced it with a Rival group (Shifters and Derraileurs). I was a little concerned about installation because I have not previously installed Sram derraileurs on my own. I followed the simple instructions provided and set up the group without any problems. I also used the Sram slick wire brake cables and housings. They work well. There is little point in installing nice components if you do not also install good cables and housings.
Rival works just like Red although I can feel the shifts a little more. This is okay because this is a Cross bike and I need to know the shift actually happened. The group works well and I would not hesitate to install a Rival group on a road bike. Once you get used to Double Tap you will never go back.
I would consider this group to be a great value rather than cheap.
Similar Products Used: Sram Red, Shimano Ultegra and 105.
Bike Setup: Trek XO1 with Sram Rival Shifters and derraileurs, Frog Legs brakes, Mavic Open Pro Wheels with Chris King cross hubs.
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Submitted by
slegros
a Road Racer
from Date Reviewed: November 30, 2010
Strengths: Incredible value. Great crankset, FD, CassetteWeaknesses: -Plastic pivot in the RD-although so far it has worked flawlessly-just seems cheap.
-No zero-loss in the rear shifter
-Addition of the stiffer arm, centre adjust, spring tension on the force caliper may make them a worthwhile upgrade.Bottom Line: I bought a Rival build kit from Excel sports a while back. I like the Group but in my opinion there are a few items worth upgrading. I dislike the plastic pivot on the RD but so far it works great-just looks cheap and out of place. The Zero-loss rear shifting found on the Red shifters I like much better and think is worth the upgrade. The calipers while decent, I think are worth upgrading to Force to get the stiffer arms, centering, spring tension adjust. The Rival cranks are beautiful-some of the nicest alloy cranks I've ever used. likewise the FD, 1070 cassette, BB are great value and hard to be improved on.
A great group for the money, but some corners were cut to deliver it at such a great price... Hey that's why there's Force and Red!
Purchased At: Excel sports
Similar Products Used: Sram, Campag, Shimano....
Bike Setup: Look 585 w/SRAM
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Submitted by
serottaCOII
a Road Racer
from Date Reviewed: June 17, 2010
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.Bottom Line: 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.
Purchased At: LBS
Similar Products Used: Suntour GPX, Shimano Ultegra
Bike Setup: Nuevation Full Carbon & MX28 wheel set
Overall Rating: Value Rating:
Submitted by
Losh
a Recreational Rider
from Date Reviewed: May 13, 2010
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.Bottom Line: 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.
Favorite Ride: Anything that won't hurt my back
Price Paid:
$700.00
Purchased At: ebay
Similar Products Used: Campag Centaur (briefly)
Old Shimano
Bike Setup: Beautifully supple CF frame. Standard training settup.
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Submitted by
bytewalls
a Road Racer
from Date Reviewed: May 2, 2010
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 shiftingWeaknesses: shifting feel if you like shimano smooth, force is only marginally more expensive yet about a half lb lighterBottom Line: 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
Similar Products Used: Sora, Ultegra, Dura Ace, Tiagra
Bike Setup: Felt FC frame, SRAM Rival, Reynolds Ouzo Comp Fork, FSA SLK seatpost, shimano r550 wheels, Speedplay X/1 pedals
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