darksiderising

So I'm getting a Super Six frame and I'd like to throw a SRAM groupset on it. I've read a lot of comments suggesting that Rival is the best bang for your buck, but I'm thinking that the frame is just too nice to not have the Force on it. I've never ridden a bike with a SRAM road group for any period of time, so I don't have any experience with either. I do like the feel and idea behind the Double Tap system, though.

So I am asking if I should settle for Rival (much cheaper) or if Force will be worth the upgrade for this bike. Ideally, this is going to be a bike I will have for a long, long time. I get the feeling that Rival may be more durable. Also, I see a lot of people have suggested using a different crank than what comes with either group. What do you think?

Val23708

only difference is weight. and looks. and i think rival looks better.

i'd go for '10 force, but thats still at least half a year away i think. so rival.

sd790

I put Rival on my Ridley Friggin' Noah. It's worthy.

Rosso Corsa

This was going to be said, so I might as well do it. Get Rival, don't worry about the tiny weight difference, and spend the rest on better wheels.

darksiderising

I guess weight is really the biggest difference. All the internals are the same, right? Does this means that the shifting will be the same on each? Do you think that Rival will be more durable, as well?

If I were to upgrade some of the components (rear derailleur, chain, cassette, etc) would I notice a difference?

purefreedom

09 RIVAL...then if you are anal about shaving grams, slowly upgrade to Red piece by piece...but I heard that 2010 Force is gonna be the shiznit, so im gonna wait to see and stick with my Rival...plus im slow, so it doesnt matter what group I have! LOL

roadiejorge 

If you've got a weight weenie build going then perhaps Force might be the way to go, but since they're going to improve Force in 2010 then I'd put 09 Rival on it and I'm sure it will be durable. The bike I recently purchased came with 09 Rival and I really like it; certainly no durability issues a few hundred miles in and the shifting is as good as any other group I've tried.

JayC

Supposedly 2010 Force is only a few weeks away.

DaveSSS 

Chorus 11 for $1228 isn't bad, but it was closer to $1000 a couple of months ago, when the dollar was stronger. Pro bike kit has it for $1200.

https://www.shinybikes.com/?cat=277

purefreedom

whats up with those special Cannondale Hollow cranks? you not gonna give those a go?

mbhakti

I used Rival and Red and the Red felt much better than Rival. I'm wondering if this was because of set up, as I have heard Force is the same as red, and people are saying Rival is the same as force. When I used it the Red was short and crisp on shifting and the Rival was garbage. May have been setup I guess...

Anyone have ideas?

foresthill

Red has different rear shifting from Force or Rival. There's a good deal more play in the Force and Rival rear shifter before the shift happens.

Gambutrol

Campy Centaur! Just as light as rival, but you can get it for cheaper from dealers in the UK. Just went through a similar choice myself and opted for 09 Centaur.

However, I must say, I'm coming from Campagnolo, so maybe that's why I preferred Centaurs after testing riding them both.

Lazyrider

Exactly,
I put 09 Rival on my Isaac Impulse which is a $3k frameset. It is lighter than my Dura Ace 7800 and only 40 grams heavier than the current Force. The crank is stiffer than Force crank too. The shifters on 09 Rival are nicer looking IMO because both levers are black.
2010 Force seems like a more substantial upgrade but not for the weight savings. I would likely still go with Rival. Force isn't worth the extra $. Go Red if not stay with Rival and save some $. Here's my Isaac again. LOL Rival looks badass if you ask me.

purefreedom

Rival was garbage?? WOW...maybe not as silky smooth as the top of the line Red, but garbage is a little harsh...you have to remember, Rival is the 3rd group from the top...so I would think that Red would feel much better than Rival, it should considering how much more expensive it is...It shouldnt come as a shock to you, its like comparing 105 and Dura-Ace....except Rival is more comparable to Ultegra IMO....

exhibitx

rival is an amazing value and looks better than force (if that matters to you)

just not a fan of the sram front deraileurs, i'm running a dura ace FD and ultegra chian/cassette

DaveSSS 

It's not bad***** when the brake hoods are as high as the saddle. 4 inches lower would get you close.

JayC

I suspect thats just the angle the picture was taken at. I forgot everyone on Bikeforums rides with 10 inches of bar drop tho.

Lazyrider

Oh OK, it is the cool fit police. Geometry of frame and my body proportions play a role in this set up. I only have 25mm of spacers under the stem so I couldn't get that much drop even if I wanted to. But thanks for the fashion advice.

Lazyrider

Yeah, picture angle is deceiving and as you can see my stem is not flipped and it still points up. That is the geometry at play. My old traditional toptube frames have much more drop than my sloping tt.

kwrides

What year Rival and what year Red?

DaveSSS 

I was looking at the lines in the garage door. The bars look about even with the saddle to me.

darksiderising

Not according to the SRAM representative I just spoke to on the phone. He said that there is currently no ETA - which would imply that it is quite a ways from market - and that it will probably be some time after Interbike.

Lazyrider

There is about 2 1/2 inch drop from top of saddle to actual handlebar but like I said, on this bike with my body dimensions, there isn't much variation considering my inseam is short. I am not running an unrealistic amount of spacers under the stem and if you look at the angle of the headtube and the stem, you see how much it kicks up as the headtube is tall.
I couldn't care less about looking like a "racer boy" on a frame 2 sizes too small for me. Kudos to those guys, but that ain't me.

umd

If you look at the saddle is at the top of the bevel of one of the rectangles and the bars are at the bottom, so the drop is roughly equivalent to the width of the bevel.

Without getting into where the bars should be for you lazy, they certainly could be lower. Removing those spacers and getting a 73 degree stem instead of an 84 would lower it about 2 inches.

That may be true but would be due to the geometry of the particular bike, not due to the sloping top tube. The only factor in limiting the amount of drop is the height of the head tube, not whether or not the top tube is sloping or not.