Sram groupset recommendation

[p nut]

I've been using a Rival 1x groupset for a year or so. I quite like it.

I'm building up a gravel bike and would like to use a Sram groupset, but 2x this time.

For gearing, I am going with a compact 50/34 and 11-36.

Sram says 32T is max for the rear med cage derailer. Anyone fit a 36T? Maybe I need to use a Roadlink.

Will Force be a worthy upgrade over Rival? I'm looking at the two groupsets and they're priced $900 and $520, respectively.

Thanks for any input.

[fmradio516]

Not sure if there are gearing limitations between them, but the two groups are most likely the same, with the Force being more blingy/few grams lighter. If it were me, id go Rival all the way and save $$$. But im cheap.

[echelon_john]

I'd go Rival with Force shifters. That's where I feel the biggest difference, but it's still not a *big* difference

[ltwtsculler91]

I would definitely spend the money on Force.

Much better and more consistent shift action and feel.

As you go up in SRAM the actuation feel and clicks just feel better in hand.

If money is an issue, Force is definitely the sweet spot

I have Force on 2 bikes, Red on 2 bikes (soon upgrading 1 Force to Red), and 105 on the beater. I've ridden Rival too and felt that Force was easily worth the money on the upgrade, just feels more solid and put together

[ColonelJLloyd]

Sram says 32T is max for the rear med cage derailer. Anyone fit a 36T? Maybe I need to use a Roadlink.

An Exact Actuation/1:1 rear derailleur from the 10s era is a good solution. They work like a charm with 11s and are rated for use with 11-36 cassettes. Look for SRAM XX, X9, X7...

I use a SRAM XX medium cage with Red22 HydroR shifters and an 11-32 cassette myself.

[jtbadge]

Force 22/Rival 22 WiFli will probably be fine for 11-36. This SV is setup as such.

Since you're building a gravel bike, though, might as well get a 10 speed clutch RD, though, e.g. X9. You'll need to run an inline barrel adjuster if your frame doesn't have one integrated.

https://media.theradavist.com/uploads/2016/12/My-Speedvagen-OD-OG-1-with-Sram-Rival-5.jpg?fit=1400,1400&quality=75

[yinzerniner]

If going hydraulic, the setup I'd recommend is:
Rival Shifters
Rival RD
Red Exogram Crankset

Unlike mechanical I've felt no difference in shifting with the HRD models.

The Rival RD's are functionally identical to the Force ones as well, but there's a pretty sizable resale value penalty. If you're never going to upgrade then get a Rival Med or Long cage and forget about it.

If going mechanical would recommend:
Force Shifters
Rival RD
Red Exogram Crankset

With most frames and setups 36t with a med cage is possible. Might need a larger b screw to get there, and those can be sourced from any hardware store.

As long as you're going with 110 BCD rings then the Red Exogram crank is the way to go. Huge weight savings and you just need the right bolt spacers to make it work in any configuration. Chainline is roughly 1.5mm more outboard when running 1x, but I've never had an issue with shifting once setup.

[kppolich]

Force crank>Rival crank or Red Crank. Lighter, has the 3 bolt interface so you can swap spiders or go direct mount for 1x. Red usually has a fixed spider molded in compared to Force for more $ and a bit lighter weight.

I believe Force 22 WiFli supports 32T officially but have seen plenty of 36T setups without a Roadlink. It just depends on your dropouts. However, if you are going 2x why not just use 46/36 and 11-32?

[jtbadge]

Force crank>Rival crank or Red Crank. Lighter, has the 3 bolt interface so you can swap spiders or go direct mount for 1x. Red usually has a fixed spider molded in compared to Force for more $ and a bit lighter weight.

I believe Force 22 WiFli supports 32T officially but have seen plenty of 36T setups without a Roadlink. It just depends on your dropouts. However, if you are going 2x why not just use 46/36 and 11-32?

The goal is to get an easier gear for climbing, 36t small ring and 32t cog two steps in the opposite direction for that.

[kppolich]

Ah, didnt't read anything about climbing just saw "For gearing, I am going with a compact 50/34 and 11-36."

But took it as the most straightforward way to have more gears and defaulted to no roadlink, 11-32 with less jumps and sticking to 2x

[p nut]

Thanks much for the suggestions. There are plenty of high elevation, steep climbs around here, so I'll need all the low gearing I can get.

I will be running mech discs.

I think I will go with:
Force shifters (or Red if I can find a good deal)
Rival derailers
Force cranks

Future plans with the bike: the idea is to potentially get rid of my road bike altogether. And just use the gravel as the road bike (with a second set of wheels). I think the 50/34 and 11-32 (or 36) would give me the best range of gearing for a dual purpose bike.

[kppolich]

One point to make is that I don't believe SRAM wants you to run a clutch RD with a 2x setup. Everything I have read says that is bad news.

[jtbadge]

One point to make is that I don't believe SRAM wants you to run a clutch RD with a 2x setup. Everything I have read says that is bad news.

This only holds true for 11 speed clutch derailleurs - they were designed specifically to run as 1x. The 10 speed MTB RDs have a clutch and run great in a 2x10 or 2x11 road setup. I have two bikes 2x10 with X9 "Type 2" clutch RDs.

https://www.pedalroom.com/p/all-city-macho-man-33505_9.jpg

[kppolich]

Nice info! Thanks for clearing that up. Any tanpans or cable pull adapters necessary for MTB Clutch RD and SRAM 11sp Road shifters?
https://www.reddit.com/r/cycling/comments/ahdhp0/does_sram_make_a_2x_11speed_rear_derailleur_with/

[jfranci3]

I've played with all the bits. IMO, there's not much a difference between them aside from weight. Sometimes it's the exact same part with 2x the price and a different paint job. The Rival shifters have a stiffer shift flag. The Apex rear derailleurs have bearing less jockey pulleys. Otherwise it is all the same hamburger. For a gravel bike, the Rival crank arms are physically smaller which is nice.

You can probably go 11-34 Shimano on the medium cage RD. Note that you need the rear spacer on an 11sp freehub for that 11sp cassette as it is 10sp fit.

Make sure you get the FD compact washer. I think the BikeSmiths in Milwaukee have the best prices around.

[thunderworks]

The goal is to get an easier gear for climbing, 36t small ring and 32t cog two steps in the opposite direction for that.

If low gearing is the goal, consider a 46 X 30 crank and an 11X32 cassette. For me at least, 46 X 11 is plenty tall enough, and the 30 X 32 rear is really nice for long steel climbs.

[owly]

If mech disks, I'd have a look at the new Juin Tech / Yokozuna 4pot calipers.

[Oo0cH]

Art's Cyclery had a video about this on youtube, which might be of help:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFUcSrmIcKk

My own two cents: I've bought a Sram Force 22 Groupset for a steal (600€) a couple of years ago, but I'm finding the cost of replacing components quite high. It was my first time building a CX rig and mistakenly took the 53/39T Crankset. Been hesitating to swap this one out for a 46/36 ever since. All in all, I really like the feel of the groupset. Shifting is direct, with a nice clunk (but you have to like this - I've only ridden Sram until now.) The rubber hoods on the shifters need replacing after five years (the relief wore off, but otherwise it's still good), and I really like that the Carbon Brake and shift levers aren't susceptible to cold temperatures, they still feel nice when out in the cold.

If I had to do it again I would go rival 22 all the way and put the saved the €300 into something else.

I'm planning a new bike with mechanical disks and Sram Components which looks like this:
- Force 22 shifters (which I already have)
- Rival 22 Wifli derailleur (new)
- Force 22 Front derailleur (new, since the limit screws wore into the derailleur itself, influencing performance)
- Force 11-28 Cassette (Which I still have)
- Red 1190 Chain (i live in a wet area)
Not sure about Cranks though, I want something <34T and I like the Praxis Works Zayante a lot.