Another fan of Red Shifters/Force. I upgraded one of my bikes to Red/Force and then ended up doing the same for my other bike because I much preferred the shifting of SRAM vs. Shimano. I never had any major issues with Shimano, just prefer the action of SRAM. I don't find it crude at all, I find it much more precise than Shimano. I do have my eye on the new Red FD. If it really works well with the old Red Shifters, I'll certainly be buying a couple of them. The elimination of chain rub and the built-in chain catcher look like good ideas from an intial look. I'll wait for some others to try first.