# What to upgrade to Red?



## teffisk (Mar 24, 2006)

I am getting an the '09 Force group and if i were to upgrade a few components to Red where would it be the most viable. I'm not using Sram cranks, and normally I'd say the shifters would be the obvious thing to upgrade but with the force shifter improvement and the fact that I really like the look of the force shifters better. So is it worth it to buy a Red rd because of the improved shifting confidence and ceramic bearing (which I heard is better than in the hub)?

Thanks


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## heliskyr (Feb 21, 2005)

I love the Powerdome rear cluster- think it's an innovative idea and should prove to be longer lasting than other lightweight clusters. I hear its a bit noisy though.

I also hear the shifters are much improved with the zero loss shifting, so I'd look at those as well.


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## teffisk (Mar 24, 2006)

yeah, i like the cassette except i would need a 14-25 (junior gearing) and the front shifter has zero-loss, where its supposed to be more noticable


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## Campbelllevy (Apr 24, 2008)

I have full Sram Red, and I too recommend the powerdome cassette, and I have had no noise issues since getting it all sorted out (note: it took awhile to get it sorted out - but it works like a dream now, and much of it was dealing with tech's at shops who had never seen Red before). I love the shifters, and have never had anything shift so quickly.


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## teffisk (Mar 24, 2006)

in a year i can get the cassette...

but what would be a bigger advantage over the 2009 Force, Red shifters or rear derailleur?


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## A-Hol (Dec 16, 2007)

Shifters...derailleurs are the same (excluding certain materials and ceramic pulleys). Reach adjustment for both shifter paddles and brake levers; shorter, crisper throws; and trim in big ring are worth it for the shifters. 

I just upgraded my Rival shifters, cassette and rear derailleur to Red. Love them all! Keeping my Force brakes and front derailleur. I have a SRAM S900 crankset (posturing for Quarq powermeter in the future). Powered by SRAM!


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## Cyclo-phile (Sep 22, 2005)

The 2009 Force shifters have the exact same internals and reach adjustment as Red. The biggest functional differences in the two groups are the ceramic bearings in the bottom bracket and the derailleur pulleys, both of which can be upgraded separately. If I were in your position, I'd put the extra money into a power meter or a coach.


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## A-Hol (Dec 16, 2007)

Great catch...forgot the Rival/Force shifters were getting Red technology this year. If you HAVE to upgrade shifters or derailleur, the Rival shifters would be the best performance and economical upgrade. Don't forget you will need a SRAM rear derailleur to use w/the shifters if you don't already have one.


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## teffisk (Mar 24, 2006)

"Reach adjustment for both shifter paddles and brake levers; shorter, crisper throws; and trim in big ring are worth it for the shifters"

Those are in all the '09 shifters


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## TedH (Jan 1, 1970)

If you're getting 09 Rival, I would say there is nothing worth upgrading. I have 07 Rival and upgraded the shifters to get the zero loss, but since Rival has that in 09 on the front only (i.e. no rear zero loss), I don't think it's worth spending any extra cash for it. The front benefitted from it more anyway. I use the 07 Rival rear derailleur on my road and CX bike and it works fine. Save your cash for something else. 

Also if the PD cassette is being considered for CX racing, I hope you only race in dry conditions as the thing doesn't evacuate mud very well since it's solid.


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## Cyclo-phile (Sep 22, 2005)

TedH said:


> Also if the PD cassette is being considered for CX racing, I hope you only race in dry conditions as the thing doesn't evacuate mud very well since it's solid.


Are you saying this hypothetically or based on personal experience with the powerdome cassette?


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## TedH (Jan 1, 1970)

I don't have personal experience with it, it is based on a 2-3 reviews I read by CX racers (Pachoca at VN is one of them). However, based on what my cassette looks like after a muddy race, I would believe it. I know Timmy J and Wells race on them and don't recall any catastrophic results, but for the money SRAM wants for the PD, and the security of a better mud clearing cassette, to me, it's a no-brainer.


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## CXinME (Oct 12, 2004)

Cyclo-phile said:


> Are you saying this hypothetically or based on personal experience with the powerdome cassette?



Personal experience. And that was in a "dry" fall for NE standards.

Agree with the other posters. 09 rival is an incredible group, especially for cross. I only use red shifters for cross because the 09 rival are not out yet afaik.
Don't see any reason road or cross to use force.
For road, red has some weight savings, whereas the grams for force over rival are too small to justify the difference.


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## david462 (Jan 3, 2008)

I built up my bike with the route of going Sram Red, but saving money where I could on Force. I probably could have spent the extra money on full Red, but I tried to limit myself to the Red peices that were going to be a significant performance upgrade...

I went with Red shifters, crankset, and cassette. Derailleurs and brakes are force. Ceramic bearings in the RD are nice, and yes the pulleys spin forever but for the $100 or whatever more, its not worth it if you want to save a little.

At the very least, I would go with Red shifters. The shorter throw is noticable, and very nice. The cassette is just awesome, but it comes at a price. I had no regrests getting the 1090 cassette though. In fact, that was one of the first peices that drew me in to Sram road group.


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