# New R3



## asleep at the keel (Aug 24, 2011)

Greetings,
I picked up a very low mileage, 2011 R3 off ebay last week at a nice price. My wife has been riding an R3 for about a year and I decided I had to have one. She is very happy with the SRAM Rival group however I'm not sure I'm going to like it after having been riding Ultegra on my last two bikes. My understanding is that Rival is basically 105. Plus, it looks kind of cheap. 
So, I'm debating replacing the Rival with the 7000 mile Ultegra group I currently run on my Orbea. Or, dropping the cash for Force or even Red (maybe used on Ebay). 
I don't race but I ride aggressively and participate in a lot a fast group rides. Qualifier: I'm 55 and usually ride in the 18's. Faster in a group of course. 
Any serious input would be appreciated.


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## Donn12 (Apr 10, 2012)

try Rival for a bit and see if you prefer it to shimano. If you do a used RED group from ebay would be the way to go! Weight and performance wise Rival is equal to Ultegra even though it is cheaper. The R3 is one of the best bikes on the planet, especially with a nice set of wheels like DA C24s or zipp!


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## asleep at the keel (Aug 24, 2011)

Thanks, I'll probably run my inexpensive Williams System 19's until I decide on group set.


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## Donn12 (Apr 10, 2012)

good call. it really sucks that all bikes use the same size wheels but the cassettes, hubs 10 vs 11speed etc are different so they are not universal fit. It really cuts down on options


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## RoadrunnerLXXI (Jun 3, 2012)

I ride a S2 with Rival and I have to semi agree with you regarding the groupo looking cheap. The RD got scratch up rather easy by the chain. Though I do feel they added value with the carbon brake levers and brakes. I have no problem with the shifting though it shift rough but fast.


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## asleep at the keel (Aug 24, 2011)

I found myself listening while riding beside my wife this weekend. Every time she shifted her Rival I would shift and compare to my Ultegra. Ultegra is definitely quieter and sounds smoother. I'll ride the Rival until I can sell my Orbea and determine then which way I want to go. The red definitely looks awesome. Does anyone know if the 2013 Red with the yaw is worth the trouble or should I look for a 2011 or 2012 set? Or, save some money and go with Force.


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## RoadrunnerLXXI (Jun 3, 2012)

I think the 2011-2012 Red have trim adjustment on the FD. I am not sure if that is the same as the 2013 yaw. Did you check on Sram's webpage or go to the Sram's forum on here? There might be some old threads regarding it.


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## Full_Spectrum (Oct 30, 2012)

Best bang for the buck is to use 2012 Yaw FD and Red RD.

The Yaw FD work great with Rival shifters- you will just have an unused click for trim, but they work perfectly.
The RD is just smoother and a little bit faster shifting under power.

The big difference is the Yaw FD.


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## RoadrunnerLXXI (Jun 3, 2012)

Can you elaborate a little more on unused the click for trim?


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## davegregoire (Apr 9, 2012)

The 2012+ yaw Red group does not have trim in the shifter or FD. What he is saying is you will have the trim on the rival shifter but not on the FD so you will just have that unused click. I had the 2011 Red on my Cannondale Synapse and the 2012 red on my R3. I feel the shifters are much more comfy than the previous SRAM stuff. They just fit my hands better and the transition from shifter to bar is smoother. 

I had an Felt with Shimano and I agree that at first when I moved to SRAM it felt cheap. After getting used to it, I rather like it and decided to stick with it. To me the Rival cranks looked very cheap but the shimano cranks looked ugly. I have the yaw red cranks now but still don't think they are the best looking. I went to Yaw one piece at a time and can tell you compatibility wise you will be fine if you want to upgrade a piece at a time.


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## RoadrunnerLXXI (Jun 3, 2012)

So is yaw and trim adjustment the same thing?


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## davegregoire (Apr 9, 2012)

Sorta kinda. Yaw allows the FD to not just move toward and away from the frame but also allows the rear of the FD to sorta fish tail eliminating the need for trim.


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## ph0enix (Aug 12, 2009)

I'll take Rival over Ultegra any day but that's a personal preference.


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## RoadrunnerLXXI (Jun 3, 2012)

I rather have Force than Ultegra.


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## asleep at the keel (Aug 24, 2011)

So I've been riding the Rival for a week or so. There was of course a slight learning curve at first but I have to say that I've been very pleased with the Rival operation efficiency. My only plan for the pretty near future is to switch out to a Force rear derailleur, simply because it looks considerably better. It's a shame SRAM didn't do something, anything, to dress that RD up just a little.


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