Rode the new SRAM Grouppo this afternoon
07-21-06, 06:47 PM
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Legs of Steel
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Rode the new SRAM Grouppo this afternoon
My LBS in Nashville had a Litespeed Sienna built up with the New SRAM grouppo this afternoon. I took it for a spin and here are my observations.
First Thoughts: I'm a campy guy so the SRAM stuff looked kinda like a cross between campy and shimano. Kinda clunky looking not as elegant as campy in appearance.
Pre-ride thoughts: I had read about the shifting mechanism and thought that the one direction shifting would cause troubles (ie shifts in the wrong direction) but this was not the case.
Ride thoughts: It would take me a while to get used to the technique but there is no way you are going to shift in the wrong direction. The movements are far enough apart that it would be nearly impossible. One thing i noticed was that I was having trouble just shifting one cog at a time when I wanted to go into a larger cog. But this could be attributed to the technique. Another thing I noticed was there didn't seem to be an ability to trim the front derailleur so the derailleur has to be spot on. The shifting however was precise and very fast. I'm riding on Centaur right now and although the shifting is precise there is a bit of a delay between releasing the lever and the shift. However, the SRAM stuff is done shifting as soon as you release the lever. This is what I'd expect though since it is supposed to be competitive with Record and Dura-Ace.
After ride thoughts: The SRAM stuff was nice but personally I don't like the appearance. It shifted well and will be competitive with both Dura-Ace and Record. The brifters were a little large for my hands but not as large as shimano.
Would I buy it if i had the money? : Nope, I think i'd go with record. The SRAM stuff is okay but record has both the function and the form.
First Thoughts: I'm a campy guy so the SRAM stuff looked kinda like a cross between campy and shimano. Kinda clunky looking not as elegant as campy in appearance.
Pre-ride thoughts: I had read about the shifting mechanism and thought that the one direction shifting would cause troubles (ie shifts in the wrong direction) but this was not the case.
Ride thoughts: It would take me a while to get used to the technique but there is no way you are going to shift in the wrong direction. The movements are far enough apart that it would be nearly impossible. One thing i noticed was that I was having trouble just shifting one cog at a time when I wanted to go into a larger cog. But this could be attributed to the technique. Another thing I noticed was there didn't seem to be an ability to trim the front derailleur so the derailleur has to be spot on. The shifting however was precise and very fast. I'm riding on Centaur right now and although the shifting is precise there is a bit of a delay between releasing the lever and the shift. However, the SRAM stuff is done shifting as soon as you release the lever. This is what I'd expect though since it is supposed to be competitive with Record and Dura-Ace.
After ride thoughts: The SRAM stuff was nice but personally I don't like the appearance. It shifted well and will be competitive with both Dura-Ace and Record. The brifters were a little large for my hands but not as large as shimano.
Would I buy it if i had the money? : Nope, I think i'd go with record. The SRAM stuff is okay but record has both the function and the form.
07-21-06, 08:10 PM
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yeahh, becky
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This is a great review. I have been loving SRAM ever since I rode it on a Trek Fuel x9 MTB...the shifting is instant and the braking is oh-so-smooth. I was wondering how their move into the road world would turn out, and now I know! Thanks.
