# Dura Ace 7700 vs. (the latest) SRAM Rival



## dd74 (Aug 2, 2007)

Any thoughts? I'm thinking of upgrading my bike's components to Rival. Would it be an upgrade? Is there a significant wt. difference between 7700 and the latest Rival? And how's the Rival's performance? Is SRAM Force much better than Rival?

Thanks.


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## My Own Private Idaho (Aug 14, 2007)

That doesn't sound like an upgrade to me.


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## MR_GRUMPY (Aug 21, 2002)

If you have a 7700 group, the shifters must be on their last legs.
Better than Rival, a 6600 group would be an improvement over a worn out 7700.


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## Salsa_Lover (Jul 6, 2008)

I bought a "New Old Stock" Dura Ace 7700 group for my neo-retro steel bike. ( a Salsa "La Raza")

It performs and looks so good, I question the reason why you'd need to upgrade if it is not worn.


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## dd74 (Aug 2, 2007)

Why upgrade? 10 gears over 9. And lower gears so I can climb more easily and still have as close a ratio in the smaller gears. Also, possibly the newer group (Rival) is lighter than the Dura Ace, though weight isn't a real big issue to me.


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## paul l (Aug 3, 2009)

My now-demoted-to winter bike runs 7700 STI levers (left one broken of course and too expensive to justify replacement so converted back to down-tube shifting) with a 7410 crank. My new-this-summer bike runs Rival. I love Rival shifting more than Shimano but based my decision primarily on the shifting method. I don't consider it superior or inferior and would have chosen Campag if I preferred the lever shifting. They should all be of a quality that makes them a viable alternative to each other.

The only way to make a choice using other criteria seems to be to pour endlessly over threads about quirks and details. The web is full of them. Ultratorque is best, no it isn't, yes it is. Is has a design problem, has not, has, has not. Shimano is smoothest, Campag wears in not out, SRAM has weak components, has, not, has, not. SRAM is best when you get used to it, is not, is, is not, is. Italian bikes need Italian group kit, Campag is made in Hungary. American bikes need US kit, SRAM is made in Taiwain, and so on.

When I replace kit on my winter bike I have no idea if I will choose SRAM or Ultegra to maintain compatability and avoid needing Campag specific tools or whether I will simply fancy putting Campag on it. Choice is unlikely to be made on which might be superior though. I will be dropped whichever I am using to grind up the hill.


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## Pieter (Oct 17, 2005)

Well I saw a BB-7700 Octalink service doc and had to marvel at it. Ball thrust bearings, rollers for radial load, the cones are separate from the axle, all seals are separately replaceable, the whole thing can be opened, cleaned and adjusted at will.

If the rest of the DA-7700 set is engineered like that and if I had one, I wouldn't replace it with anything just for kicks. 
And you get to use tough, durable, economical, thoroughly unfashionable 9-speed chains....


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## MR_GRUMPY (Aug 21, 2002)

Most people couldn't handle a BB-7700. The majority of people would destroy them in two years.
I still have the original on my TT bike. Never had problems with it. (of course, that bike isn't ridden in the rain much) When I had 7700 on my main bike, I used an Ultrgra cartridge BB, because I was often stuck in the rain.


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## MShaw (Jun 7, 2003)

I've got a mix of Rival and D/A 9sp. Rival works just fine.

Sold my shifters and had inherited a Rival der. so I hadta do something...

M


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## Pieter (Oct 17, 2005)

MR_GRUMPY said:


> Most people couldn't handle a BB-7700. The majority of people would destroy them in two years..



Are the seals no good, or did people adjust the bearings badly?
In the exploded drawing, the seals appeared (subjectively) quite good - replaceable too - but that was just my impression.


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## Salsa_Lover (Jul 6, 2008)

People can ( and do ) tighten too much the bearings.

Ultegra and 105 BB are fixed so you can't tighten them wrong


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## Nessism (Feb 6, 2004)

Pieter said:


> Are the seals no good, or did people adjust the bearings badly?
> In the exploded drawing, the seals appeared (subjectively) quite good - replaceable too - but that was just my impression.



Bearings sucked in actual usage; water would get in and destroy the bearings. I'm pretty anal about maintenance but water got to mine anyway.


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## farva (Jun 24, 2005)

The DA 7700 bottom bracket is light but requires alot of upkeep. A couple of bike shop wrenches I know consider it the worst bottom bracket design ever made.


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## MShaw (Jun 7, 2003)

farva said:


> The DA 7700 bottom bracket is light but requires alot of upkeep. A couple of bike shop wrenches I know consider it the worst bottom bracket design ever made.


It ain't the best I've ever had, no. Beats some of the older Shimano designs with its seals. 

I pretty much screwed up and got ANOther one to go on my latest bike build. I'll sacrifice the 50g for the 'screw it in and forget it for X amount of time' of the Ultegra version.

My $.02

M


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## stickboy71 (Jul 13, 2005)

Any SRAM is an upgrade over Shimano.


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## Zachariah (Jan 29, 2009)

SRAM Rival is the best bang-4-your-buck groupset. Get Dura Ace lightness, for slightly more than 105 cost...amazing!


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## Wines of WA (Jan 10, 2005)

I just upgraded my "rain bike" from a full 7700 group to a full 2009 Rival group. IMO Rival stuff is equal to or better than the 7700 in all performance dimensions like shifting, brake feel, etc. But my 7700 group had a lot of miles on it and probably was just worn. 

I won't comment too much on the really subjective aspects of the group like ergonomics except to say it's all fine with me save one issue: The shift/brake pods leave a funny lump in my palm on my FSA Wing Pro Compact bars. I am actually planning to solve that this weekend by building up some additional bar tape in the offending area to flatten the lump.


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## rubbersoul (Mar 1, 2010)

stickboy71 said:


> Any SRAM is an upgrade over Shimano.


Hilarious


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