Originally Posted by
hocker
Being someone who has owned Ultegra and now SRAM Rival '09, I can say after thousands of miles on each, Rival is better. IMO, it comes in just a hair under DA 7800 overall. The crankset on Rival has a better stiffness to weight ratio, it's lighter than Ultegra SL, and shifter/brakes work better. I can see why many pro teams are moving to SRAM, their groups are solid. I'm not a Shimano hater either, love their stuff, but I really like Rival both for performance and price.
I've owned/own all 3 groups you mentioned and feel otherwise.
And I'm not a Rival hater either, I just wasn't happy with the finish, and question the long term durability (rival '08). Rival is a worthy investment however, for the price.
The double tap is goofy, but to each their own.......
Of course, I still prefer my downtube shifting bike on certain occasions.