SRAM vs Dura Ace...

mattmor said:

I have SRAM Rival on my cross bike and really like the way the hoods feel. So much so that I'm ready to get it for the road bike. Question is what do you guys think about going from Dura Ace (2007) to '09 rival? You think this is downgrade? I was thinking of going force or red, but the price difference is pretty steep. Thanks for your help.

-matt

I have heard lots of users of this and other forums saying that SRAM is very palstiky!!!

mattmor said:

I have SRAM Rival on my cross bike and really like the way the hoods feel. So much so that I'm ready to get it for the road bike. Question is what do you guys think about going from Dura Ace (2007) to '09 rival? You think this is downgrade? I was thinking of going force or red, but the price difference is pretty steep. Thanks for your help.

-matt

Sram Rival is a downgrade from Dura Ace in snob appeal and for weight weenies, but IMO is not a downgrade in appearance or functionality and is a much better value. The biggest difference is the double tap shifting system that all the Sram road shifters use. I have Sram Rival on my roadie and love it.

mattmor said:

I have SRAM Rival on my cross bike and really like the way the hoods feel. So much so that I'm ready to get it for the road bike. Question is what do you guys think about going from Dura Ace (2007) to '09 rival? You think this is downgrade? I was thinking of going force or red, but the price difference is pretty steep. Thanks for your help.

-matt

We tell anybody that is on the fence about the three shifting systems is get the one that feels the best in your hand. If ya like sram, get sram. What you buy with Force and Red is materials and hype but not functional difference. Ya gotta get derailleurs also, just for info.

Peter@vecchios said:

We tell anybody that is on the fence about the three shifting systems is get the one that feels the best in your hand. If ya like sram, get sram. What you buy with Force and Red is materials and hype but not functional difference. Ya gotta get derailleurs also, just for info.

Well I tried the SRAM shifting system and didn't like it. So I went with Shimano which I've had for quite some years. I've seen some Shimano Tiagra or Sora, not sure which has something similar to Campagnolo shifting. I like this more than SRAM system.

Solanog said:

Well I tried the SRAM shifting system and didn't like it. So I went with Shimano which I've had for quite some years. I've seen some Shimano Tiagra or Sora, not sure which has something similar to Campagnolo shifting. I like this more than SRAM system.

Sora, but the only similarity is the shifters have a thumb button. Not much similar after that. I'm not a fan of sram either. If they put quality in the chainrings, bearings, etc, it would be much more expensive.

Try both of them and buy the one you like best. The only downgrade is if you buy the one you don't like.

Just remember that both Shimano and SRAM make good equipment, otherwise they wouldn't still be around. You might also want to give Campagnolo a try.