I thought the lever throw distance (especially for the front) on Rival/Force was a little long, but its great with Red (and should be for 09 Rival/Force). SRAM has comfy hoods (even better than Campy) and is much better at shifting in the drops (unless you're some sort of contortionist with your thumb). I'm not a big fan of the brake lever moving side to side, so even though I think Shimano's light shifting might be appealing to some, I'd rather ride SRAM parts. Add to that, it's cheaper (than 09 DA or Record), lighter and readily available...