Dancing Skeleton

I had a problem with the 105 5700 stuff on my '11 Madone 4.7 (left shifter broke, it was a triple setup), and I decided to change to a compact with SRAM components.

I have Red shifters, a Force compact crank, FD/RD, brakes & 1091r chain. I'm still using my 5700 11-28 cassette, I'm waiting for my LBS to get a PG-1070 cassette in 12-28 (it trades the 11t for a 16t).

I can not believe how good SRAM Red shifters & Force components work. The Zero-Loss on the Red shifters in awesome, just a tap of the fingers does the trick. The hoods are extremely comfortable, and the drivetrain is whisper-quiet. There is nothing wrong with 5700 stuff (although I like the 6600 stuff on my wife's Madone & the 5600 shifters on my friends bike better), it's smooth & durable, but the SRAM stuff is a huge step up. I tested Rival in the past, and the Red/Force combo blows Rival away. I am in awe of how much nicer my bike feels now. I lost about 1.25 pounds as well.

If anyone is debating new components, get SRAM Red shifters, and Force everything else. And get a 1091r chain with a PG-1070 cassette. You'll be in awe as well.

Peter

M_FactorX19

yeah sram is nice. i couldnt be happier to have made the switch from shimano and ill never look back thats for sure. shimano makes good stuff but srams double tap and the shape of the hoods seals the deal for me. sram also shifts better under load and is more crisp. shimano still wins for smoothness though.

grwoolf

Could someone explain what the difference is for Force vs. Red shifters (the zero loss)? Is it that big of a difference?

Also, what is the best (cheapest) way to buy a complete group with red shifters and force for everything else? The shifters themselves only cost about $120 more if purchased by themself, but then I think you'd loose $ buying everything else seperate, right.

wrr1020

I also converted to SRAM and i'm glad i did. Hoods are much more comfortable to me and double tap is awesome. My other bike still has 105 on it so its not like i completely gave up Shimano. Any future bikes will be built or bought with SRAM.

Dxisocos

I have a set of Sram red shifters sitting on my desk, waiting for force fd/rd crank and sram cassette too. I'm glad i get to hear other Bikers comments on what I'm trying to put on my bike. Thanks! And i'm glad to hear the parts work awesome together. At the moment, I'm just hunting for the other parts. I think its harder to find cheaper prices for those parts here in Vancouver BC.

motorthings

"zero loss" simply means that you barely have to move the red shifter to get a response, while the force and rival have a bit of throw (like shimano) before anything happens. once you get used to zero-loss, you will never go back.

btw - the red shifters, force for the rest setup is a good way to go, and likely how i will build up my crit bike.

humboldt'sroads

That's pretty significant weight savings just in a groupset. I'm looking to replace my 105 setup with Sram and was debating between Rival and Force. For the extra $200ish Force is a pretty attractive price to performance buy. (And Rival's known for it's value...). I didn't know about the zero-loss factor with Red shifters either; definitely something to think about. In what way does Force blow Rival away though? Smoother and quieter like Shimano, or just faster than Rival?

I also would like to know this. Thinking of doing crankset first (this whole idea came from wanting to upgrade my cranks.) since I could run it with my Shimano drivetrain while acquiring the rest of the build kit.

Edit:
OK I just did the math - you're looking at about $1200 bargain shopping online for each piece versus about $950 for the Force group on ebay and around $450 for Red shifters. That's $1400. Sell the Force shifters and you're back to $1200. Myself, I may forgo the Red shifters for now and price out a Force group through my LBS since they'll be doing most of the work anyway.

Vince Canepa

I am confused. SRAM's website shows Zero Loss Technology on bot the Rival and Force shifters:

https://www.sram.com/sram/road/produc...letap-controls

https://www.sram.com/sram/road/produc...letap-controls

What gives?

dnuzzomueller

Both Rival and Force have Zero loss on the Left hand shifter (front shifter). Only red had it on the right hand shifter (back shifter). I currently have a bike with Force and a Bike with Rival. I am starting to get itchy to try a set of Red shifters now.....

Does anyone know if you can buy the Red internals and put them into a set of Rival shifters? Might be a poor man's way to get Zero-loss

hodie21

This is my setup.

Val23708

I went with a full Force groupset on my build.. I like the graphics to match.. plus my bike is completely white and black...

I dont like the 1090 chain. I use a KMC DX10SL

topflightpro

Sram 1070 cassette is crap. You're better off with Shimano 105 or Ultegra.

Cateye

Weight is the only thing.

Cateye

Why?

Cateye

I have both Red and 2010 Force....I can't tell a difference in the shifting between the two.

Adrianinkc

I got rival and apex and can't tell the difference.

topflightpro

The 1070 cassette is simply not as well made. It is not uncommon for the teeth to not be straight - coming out of the box. The finish overall is lacking. And shifting is never as crisp as on my Shimano cassettes.

As for differences between Red and Force shifters, the right Force shifter has to be pushed a little before it engages. Compared to Shimano, the amount you push the Force shifter before it engages is almost nothing, but it is substantial compared to Red.

Vince Canepa

[QUOTE]Both Rival and Force have Zero loss on the Left hand shifter (front shifter). Only red had it on the right hand shifter (back shifter)./QUOTE]

Thanks. I now notice that my Rival rear shifter has a few millimeters of play before it will pull the cable, but the front does not (the cable is properly tensioned). Does the Red shifter eliminate that play?

aoto

Because it is important to know how shiny and nice your cassette looks when its covered by road debris and grease.

zigmeister

Sram Red shifters, Force F/R deraileurs, DA 7900 Cassette...thoughts? Anybody got that combo or Ultegra rear cassette with that?

Already have FSA SL-K Light BB30, DA-79 Double, 53/39 172,5mm up front. Don't see a need to replace those. Ultegra shifters are just too big and think the Red would be a big step for comfort and usability/function.

Val23708

I used to run a 7800 chain and a 6700 Ultegra cassete with my '07 Rival setup. When i switched to a PG-1070 with the same ratios, I didn't notice a difference apart from having a smoother cassette because it was not worn in. Chain makes a bigger difference I think. I'm liking my KMC DX10SL setup now

chadteck

I'm still in the process of adjusting my Sram stuff, but I just hopped on my previous bike with Ultegra SL today and the shifting is noticeably quieter and smoother than the Sram shifting. I'm still undecided as to whether DoubleTap or Shimano's shifting method is superior since I haven't spent enough time on the Sram stuff yet.

Shimano components seem more refined to me, but Sram stuff gets the job done, is lighter, and I prefer the current Sram shifter ergonomics over current Shimano shifter ergonomics.

Edit: Should mention my Sram components are exact same combo as OP.

Rutnick

I have sram red and I have sram rival. Red doesn't "blow rival away". Both work really well. Sometimes I personally think I like the rear shifting of the rival better.

Crit bike Rival shifters and force RD.
cyclocross: rival shifters, RD and red crank
Road race bike: red shifters and force RD

Rival vs Force shifters? that's just a graphics thing. They are basically identical.

2ndGen

My next bike will be either full Red or 7900 (current bike is 7800).
I'm hoping to "like" Red because of the significant weight savings. I also appreciate SRAM's features.
I gotta ride my bud's Red/Force/Rival built bike again, but this time, I'll try to "notice" the differences.

Question for the SRAM guys...

Crankset:
Red VS Force?

chadteck

I think the consensus is the Red chain rings are stiffer, but my Force crank seems just fine. Actually, the crank is probably the part I'm most impressed with, but that could be because I went from external to BB30. The new crank is a fair amount lighter, seems a tad stiffer and spins better than the old Ultegra SL. The weight difference between Red and Force BB30 is tiny.