yo, sram users: verdict?

[Climb01742]

curious how folks who are running sram like it. what are your likes and dislikes? thank you in advance.

[itsflantastic]

My buddy, who works @ a major bicycle manufacturer, had this to say about it:

"All of it's pretty right on, but the crank set/bottom bracket (i believe the term he used was) sucks. Don't bother with it."

I never got the details from him. He did mention that the new Sram Red bits seem to correct his issue with it.

Wish I could give more details than that. . .
I never rode it personally.

[jthurow]

I'm running Rival shifters and derailleurs on my CSI. I dig it but it seems to be a bit more finicky than my 9-speed Dura Ace. I'm not the best mechanic but it took me much longer to set up my Rival shifters and derailleurs than DA9. This weekend, when I swapped wheels, I had to tweak the barrel adjusters a bit too, which I don't remember having to do with my DA9. Also, the down shifting seems a bit slower on Rival than DA9 but I'm wondering if I'm having some cable friction which might be causing the slowness. Finally, the spec'd derailleur cables are 1.1mm and not 1.2mm, which are what Shimano uses, and I couldn't get the 1.2 cables to fit no matter how hard I tried.

I love the the way that they hoods are shaped. The provide a much better bar to lever transition than DA9. And when I'm out of the saddle and holding on to the hoods, it feel so right.

jimi

[EDS]

I have about 3000 miles on a SRAM Rival equiped Serotta HSG Ti. I love everything about the SRAM set-up except the amount of front deralleur rub I get. Hoods are super comfy, brakes work well, shifting is good and I like the way all the components look.

The chain rub is a nightmare though. The front derailleur has been adjused a few times by me and was even adjusted by SRAM Race Support at a race recently. Still rubs. The rubbing is more pronounced when I stand and sprint or hammer up a roller, so not sure if it is just bottom bracket flex. When I look down it almost appears as if the chain rings are warped.

[Smiley]

Climb the ergonomics of the brifters are the best thing about this grouppo. The brakes are as good as Shimano the CRANK set is not as nice as Shimano Period. The shifting is very good and I'd say more positive then Shimano but not as quite. All in all a great set up less the cranks. If I had to build a new bike I'd go for a Force set up less the crank set.

I do miss the mid point adjustment for the front Der that Shinamo has though

[mosca]

I'm running the Force brifters and derailleurs on my Klein. Definitely better ergonomics than DA9, but imho not as good as DA10. It feels to me like the DA10 brifters give you a full extra hand position due to their extra length on top, whereas the SRAMs almost give you the extra position but not quite.

The shifting quality of the SRAM setup is very positive, but feels "clunky" and requires more effort compared to DA10. And my F derailleur did require some fine tuning but I was able to get the needed clearance for the "no-trim" design.

The double-tap system is quite nice I think. One slight gripe I have with Shimano is they way the brake levers flop sideways if you put any pressure on them while riding in the drops. SRAM eliminates this while not requiring the extra shift lever location ala Campy.

At this point I'd probably wait for the "Red" gruppo and see what that's like.

[David Kirk]

I'm running the Force kit sans the brakes and crank/BB.

I like it very much. It took me a few days to stop trying to push the brake lever sideways (old shimano habit) but that went away pretty quickly.

I like the feel of the hoods and the effort required for a shift feels spot on to me.

The front der. trim can bean issue and I'm told this is fixed on the Red set up. I do get a little bit of chain rub if I cross over a whole bunch but for the most part it's a non-issue.

I'm excited for the Red cassette. That thing is the poop and I'll be upgrading ASAP.

Dave

[Len J]

Originally Posted by David Kirk

I'm running the Force kit sans the brakes and crank/BB.

I like it very much. It took me a few days to stop trying to push the brake lever sideways (old shimano habit) but that went away pretty quickly.

I like the feel of the hoods and the effort required for a shift feels spot on to me.

The front der. trim can bean issue and I'm told this is fixed on the Red set up. I do get a little bit of chain rub if I cross over a whole bunch but for the most part it's a non-issue.

I'm excited for the Red cassette. That thing is the poop and I'll be upgrading ASAP.

Dave

is one butt ugly crank IMO.

Len

[Steve Hampsten]

Originally Posted by David Kirk

I'm running the Force kit sans the brakes and crank/BB.

I like it very much. It took me a few days to stop trying to push the brake lever sideways (old shimano habit) but that went away pretty quickly.

I like the feel of the hoods and the effort required for a shift feels spot on to me.

The front der. trim can bean issue and I'm told this is fixed on the Red set up. I do get a little bit of chain rub if I cross over a whole bunch but for the most part it's a non-issue.

I'm excited for the Red cassette. That thing is the poop and I'll be upgrading ASAP.

Dave

+1

[David Kirk]

Originally Posted by Len J

is one butt ugly crank IMO.

Len

It just looks short to me.

Dave

[Len J]

Originally Posted by David Kirk

It just looks short to me.

Dave

available in up to 180's.

Len

[Wayne77]

All the talk I hear about the new SRAM stuff seems to be along the lines of "nifty ergonomics, cool shifting mechanism, unique..BUT..."

I can't comment personally since I haven't tried it, but until I hear consistently there's a gruppo out there that is SIGNIFICANTLY better, (not just different) than DA or Record, I'm not inclined to even go out of my way to try it out.

Is there anyone who feels the differences are positive enough to warrant a switch from shimano or campy with the additional learning curve/different tools?/experience that implies?

Sorry to veer OT slightly..

Edit: I've obviously never been part of the "early adopter" crowd.

[dbrk]

Originally Posted by Wayne77

...Edit: I've obviously never been part of the "early adopter" crowd.

Heck, you think y'er holdin' back...I still use downtube shifters (on most of my bikes, having reverted back to them on three more this year) and, while I get that for SRAM it's economics and markets and might give me a guest shot on the new Caveman series come fall, still I am disappointed not to see them in the groups. I am amazed that Shimano continues to make them though I think it must be the Japanese market that insists on them--- and I have now purchased enough sets for the shelf that I will never have to consider another "improvement" in shifting.

But to those who love the new stuff, I say, enjoy!

dbrk

[Louis]

Originally Posted by David Kirk

It just looks short to me.

Dave, nearly every out there crank is short for you...

[1centaur]

I have Rival on the trainer (sans crank and brakes) and DA on all my road bikes.

I think DA is clearly better. Shifts are faster and more precise and yes, lighter (which I like). Even riding the trainer 5-7 days a week it's still possible to mis-shift by not pushing the SRAM far enough because I'm trying to do it quickly (in a hill transition, for example) - that's not true of DA. The shifts between chain rings I find clearly slower. Down the cassette is equal and up the cassette seems slower. I have smallish hands and like the DA brifter hoods far better, which is funny because most people with small hands seem to like the SRAM hoods. The soft touch of the DA brifter rubber is also more pleasant.

In the end, I think it's a clever shifting mechanism but gives me nothing I care about while subtracting the feeling of excellent engineering I always get from Shimano. It's good enough rather than truly outstanding.