# best bang for buck SRAM 'frankenstein'



## ftssjk (Sep 16, 2011)

Hey guys,

I'm looking at building a road bike 
and am looking to SRAM at the moment, as it seems to be the best 'bang for buck' from shimano and campy. 

But what is the best 'bang for buck' out of sram?

Which would be the components I could use cheaper ones on, and components not to scrimp on? 

If i was just buying set groupsets, I'd go for SRAM Rival since it appears to be the best bang for buck groupie, with not that much difference besides weight and finish with force, but what about a frakenstein build?

Which series for the:

Brakes
Cassette
Shifters
FR
DR
crankset
chain 
etc? 

upon googling, I came across this 

'


> Sram Red Shifters
> Sram Force Crankset
> Sram Apex front Derailleur
> Sram Red Cassette
> ...


Is that a good choice?

I have amended the list to this

Sram Red Shifters
Sram Rival Crankset 
Sram Rival front Derailleur
Rival Rear rear derailleur
Sram Rival Cassette
KMC Chain
Rival brakes


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## mimason (Oct 7, 2006)

Yes, but if weight is not a concern you could pass on the Red Cassette. I also don't think I would go lower that Rival but that is me and I also would get a Force RD because the price differential is not that great. $75 for Force RD is pretty cheap in my book.


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

I agree with the switch from a Red cassette to a 1070...There is a big price difference and little if any difference in performance. In fact many people prefer the 1070 over the Red cassette.

If weight isn't a huge issue I'd also consider a Rival crank over Force...It's every bit, if not more durable, very stiff and will last a very long time. It uses the same rings so the only difference is the cranks themselves...so it's a question of aluminum vs. carbon fiber and about 100 grams.

The only place you are going to notice any real performance difference is with the Red shifters over Rival/Force...so good move there. The rest is more a matter of weight/looks/ego between Rival/Force components.


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## ftssjk (Sep 16, 2011)

thanks for your feedback guys.
seems to be rival parts mostly except for the red shifters.

ill be buying parts from ebay everywhere in the world, in the hopes of getting a cheaper price... I will try get SRAM Force parts if there isn't much of a price difference (since it'd be auctions) though at the moment it seems better off for me to just order the SRAM rival groupie, then after a while upgrade the shifters to red.

Weight is not an issue as I feel that I'm better off losing the weight elsewhere.. (ie me) 

Can someone please explain the differences between the shifters in the Rival/Force/Red tiers?

Is it the feel, and the nice switching of gears?


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

ftssjk said:


> Can someone please explain the differences between the shifters in the Rival/Force/Red tiers?
> 
> Is it the feel, and the nice switching of gears?


I've run Rival, Force and Red shifters on my bike and honestly....there is virtually no difference in performance/feel between Rival and Force. If I didn't know any better I'd say they are identical aside from looks and a few grams in weight.

However...Red shifters have a "Much" different and better feel to the shifting than Rival/Force. The zero loss on both front and back makes a big difference and they feel smoother in their shifting performance. Red also uses more metal and less plastic in their shifters than Rival/Force which leads to better durability (I've had the shift lever break off on two Rival shifters).

Overall...Red shifters are just a big jump better than Force/Rival shifters and the only part on the drive-train I'd worry about upgrading...unless weight is a big issue.


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## new2rd (Aug 8, 2010)

Red shifters are that much better? I'm running Apex and although I can't complain, the downshifting movement (double click) could have less travel. Is this one of the advantages to Red (less travel)?

On another note, is it worth upgrading the S150 crank to a Rival or Force?


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## Pharmerbob (Jun 27, 2011)

new2rd said:


> Red shifters are that much better? I'm running Apex and although I can't complain, the downshifting movement (double click) could have less travel. Is this one of the advantages to Red (less travel)?


I'm currently riding Apex also. I rode a new bike with Red last week and the shifting was noticeably different to me. The travel on the Red shift lever on was much shorter than the Apex shift lever, especially on the down shifts.

Rob


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## tuffguy1500 (Jul 17, 2008)

I chose to have Force deraillers with rival shifters, 1070 cassette and force cranks. I felt that was the best match, as the deraillers came in with enough savings to spring for the better crank, and having Force shifters on a different bike, figured the perforrmance diff of Rival was worth saving some change.

Side note- I race on the Rival shifter equipped bike and commute on the Force (shifter) equipped bike. Both bikes have Force RD/FD.


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## MarvinK (Feb 12, 2002)

I have one bike with Red and another with Force. I definitely preferred the shorter travel on the Red right shifter. Like others have recommended, forego the Red cassette--it is the outdated (noisy and harder on chains) OpenGlide design. I guess it costs them too much to redesign without the missing teeth.


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## ejprez (Nov 9, 2006)

if you don't mind really mixing you can technically get just the right, rear der, shifter for red. I do prefer the quicker engagement of the red shifter too and it seems to have a more positive click. This is comparing my red shifter with 20,000 miles from the first batch of red, when it was released in 08, vs my new rival that has around 1000. I think the Force brakes are a worth upgrade over rival, they have a better feel to them as well when braking. I have used all three rival, force and red cranks and the rival does feel more stiff.


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## Weav (Jun 21, 2009)

Wookiebiker said:


> I've run Rival, Force and Red shifters on my bike and honestly....there is virtually no difference in performance/feel between Rival and Force. If I didn't know any better I'd say they are identical aside from looks and a few grams in weight.
> 
> However...Red shifters have a "Much" different and better feel to the shifting than Rival/Force. The zero loss on both front and back makes a big difference and they feel smoother in their shifting performance. Red also uses more metal and less plastic in their shifters than Rival/Force which leads to better durability (I've had the shift lever break off on two Rival shifters).
> 
> Overall...Red shifters are just a big jump better than Force/Rival shifters and the only part on the drive-train I'd worry about upgrading...unless weight is a big issue.


Do the Red shifters require the Red RD to shift properly or does the Rival work exactly the same? I have been interested in Red shifters but didn't know if I needed to upgrade derailleurs to get all the benefits of the Red shifters. If it's all the same I should just buy the shifters and leave my Rival on the rest of the bike.


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

Weav said:


> Do the Red shifters require the Red RD to shift properly or does the Rival work exactly the same? I have been interested in Red shifters but didn't know if I needed to upgrade derailleurs to get all the benefits of the Red shifters. If it's all the same I should just buy the shifters and leave my Rival on the rest of the bike.


No they don't...I run a Rival rear derailleur (well, Rival everything but shifters) and it works perfectly with any of the shifters.


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## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

Rival everything except a Shimano front derailleur and KMC chain. Red shifters are a little smoother but don't actually shift any better. Builds a great bike that is light enough and inexpensive to repair if you crash in a race.


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## rcjunkie3000 (Sep 5, 2009)

Definitely go for Red shifters. I had Rival shifters and the shifting on Red is much more crisp and there is hardly any play on the levers. Rival shifters had a longer "throw" when shifting.


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