purefreedom

I guess its self explanitory...the only reason why im asking is because for those who are newbies like myself, alot of nice intro race rigs are built up with one of these groups...most newbie guys buy ready to ride bikes vs frame, fork, and components....so any opinions?? thanks

kimconyc

Which bike(s) come stock with Rival?

IMHO I think Rival '09 is the best racing group out there for the money right now.

edit: Is it that time of year already?

purefreedom

2009 Lynskey Houseblend Cooper, and a few more if I can think about it...

nocondorfx

rival

Val23708

why is this even a question?

purefreedom

obviously newbie's wouldnt know or might be confused...

purefreedom

newbies might not know...

kimconyc

Not exactly a newbie bike there, is it?

Sigh...

Hocam

Rivals about 300 grams lighter and you don't end up accidentally hitting the front brake when you shift to the big ring.

purefreedom

well a newbie to road bikes...im an ex-bmxer...so yes, i am a newbie to road componentry, BUT, i have a general love for bikes, so i know a little...

and no, not a total newbie bike, but ever since I decided to go road, i have been saving!

kimconyc

A newbie does not even know what a Lynskey is let alone what 105 is. The salesman throws around some jargon and newbie says to self, "shiny", and they buy it.

Buy yeah, I have ridden 105/Ultegra, have both Red and Rival '09 atm; for the money, Rival cannot be beat. If you have about $300-400 extra I would probably get Red shifters (zero loss on back) plus ceramic upgrades for the pulleys and the bottom bracket. Or just get Red lol.

purefreedom

ok, then whats the category immediately after newbie, but this person doesnt have a road bike yet? lol

definately agree with the long term goal of upgrading parts to Red...may take a year or 3, but im definately feeling that...

give me some nicely priced aero wheels to look at...im DEF a newbie to those!! LOL

kimconyc

Dunno, a guy without a road bike? You seem like you already know a lot of bikes. Now all you need to do is get one and ride it.

P.S. don't upgrade to Red; just either get one or the other or a mix of Rival/Force/Red. They are really pretty much the same; slight differences but not enough to really matter unless you want to debate about it on BF, oh wait! This is coming from a guy who has and uses both...a lot.

SushiJoe

Rival.

somebadlemonade

at least now i don't feel like a complete loser for not having a bike, pinching pennies to gather enough to get a CAAD9 7

UGASkiDawg

I have never braked on Shimano when I meant to shift.....not even close

I still would go Rival though for the weight savings....

kwrides

I hate it when people say this, but...do a forum search. There have been a lot of threads about 2009 Rival lately and I don't feel like posting links to them all again.

You will see people compare it to Dura Ace, so comparing it to 105 seems very low to me. If you can get both installed for the same price, I see no reason to even think about it. Buy the Rival...now!

Here's a few professional opinions:
https://www.bikeradar.com/gear/catego...rival-09-33871
https://www.roadbikeaction.com/fly.as...id=65&cid=1101

Hocam

I've done it four or five times now, but that's probably because I came from campy, where you also can't brake by accident when you shift.

Lazyrider

I compare 09 Rival easily to my Dura Ace 7800. It is lighter and the shifts are perfect and fast. DA is buttery smooth and works perfectly but the shifter ergonomics are so much better on the Rival.
The weight difference between 105 and Rival is immense for the same price. Rival no question.

calyth

The Rival, because Shimano STI levers bugs me. I tend to brake when I shift, because them levers weren't designed for human use.

bicyclego

Rival, hands down the best bang-for-the-buck groupset available.

RacerJRP

No contest. Rival ftw.

Zurichster

Here is a decent race bike with full 09 Rival @ $1499 I might pick up an extra bike too....

https://www.competitivecyclist.com/ro...bike-5977.html

chummdizzle

Rival, not just for the weight savings though. Doubletap is the best shifting system out there, it's amazing. Gets better on the Force and Red, but the Rivals are great. Also the Rival cranks are STIFF, and not just kind of stiff they are amazingly stiff. I've seen a test that shows it's pretty much the stiffest crank on the market.

I just got my new 180mm Rivals and they are sweet with my Red derailleurs and Force shifters.

I've never tried SRAM brakes so I can't comment there.

sced

How bout Campagnolo Centaur? - very good reviews
Silver
https://www.totalcycling.com/index.ph...7_centaur.html
Carbon
https://www.totalcycling.com/index.ph...UR_CARBON.html
Good price on Rival
https://www.totalcycling.com/index.ph...RAM_RIVAL.html