Review - SRAM Rival Group - Race Performance on a Budget

When looking for good value and solid performancelittle slippery in the rain but that is common for most
the SRAM Rival road components should be at thesystems. Good long finger gloves solve this problem.
top of your list. Great shifting and braking, light weightReplacing brake cables is straight forward, just
and a fair price. It's a marketers dream. Lighter thansqueeze the brake lever and feed it through the cable
Shimano Ultegra for about the price of 105, and itholder inside the lever.
works better than either.The crank is a hollow alloy Truvativ design. Like the
SRAM has the best shift action with their Double Taprest of the Rival group, the crank is a solid performer.
technology, with up and down shifts taken care of byIt's not the lightest or stiffest but does a good job that
the same lever. The shift action is far morewill work trouble-free for a lot of miles. The Truvativ
complicated to describe than it is to use. Move theSRAM GXP bottom brackets are pretty smooth and
lever in one click to go to harder gears and in past thedurable. You don't need anything other than an 8 mm
first click to go easier. The lever throw per shift isallen key to take off the cranks thanks to the
short making for quicker shifts with less wristself-extracting crank bolts. The SRAM rings shift well
movement. This is great for everyone but women andand are pretty durable.
people with small hands will really benefit.The cranks are available in both standard and
Rear shifting is crisp and quick. Front shifts are solidcompact gearing. You can get the Rival crank in 170
with less lever throw than Shimano. The front shift has172.5/175 mm. If you need longer or shorter you will
trim adjustments on both the small and big ring to dialhave to move to a different model. SRAM does make
out any chain rub. The shift levers themselves areroad cranks that will look right with a Rival package as
molded carbon fiber, which saves a bit of weight andshort as 165 mm and as long as 180 mm.
has better grip in wet weather.Cassettes are available in different sizes to suit the
While the cables are under the bar tape, Rival hasterrain you ride on. All SRAM groups are Shimano
none the vague feeling that the new Shimano Ultegracompatible so you can run shimano cassettes,
shifting has. The shift levers move independently of thechainrings and chains for more options.
brake lever so you can have the shift lever pulledCompared to the higher end SRAM groups, Force and
back on your hand during sprints, making it safer toRed, the Rival works exactly the same. The
shift during all out sprints.mechanism in the shifters is the same as the more
Of particular note is the comfort of the brake hoods.expensive models giving you shifting that feels the
The shape is really comfortable on long rides. The gripsame. The weight is heavier than those groups but
out of the saddle fit the hand well for lots of leveragethat is due to materials. The use of aluminum in the
when pulling on those steep pitches. Replacing shiftplace of the carbon fiber adds weight but increases
cables is a little tricky but once you've done it a coupledurability.
of times you will find it pretty straight forward. YouAfter a season on SRAM Rival I find it hard to
have to roll back the brake hood and feed it in fromrecommend any other group for road riding or racing.
the inside. Putting a slight bend on the end of the cableMy last bike had Shimano Ultegra, which I had no
will help you get it around the first corner makingcomplaints with but the new Ultegra shift levers feel
installation much easier.mushy. If you pay your own way, putting Rival on your
Braking is solid with good modulation. Lever feel isbike and putting the money you save into deep carbon
good from the hoods and drops. There is a reachfiber wheels will do more to make you fast than a high
adjustment so the brake levers can be dialed closer toend group.
the bar for smaller hands. The brake levers can be a