# SRAM Force vs Rival Brake Calipers



## MoreBoostPlease (Jul 27, 2010)

The SRAM Red calipers are not in my price range, but Rival and Force are? Are the Force calipers much better than the Rival? Keep in mind that I'm replacing Tektro's, so almost anything is an improvement. :thumbsup:


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## chocy (Feb 4, 2009)

Force has bearings at the hindge. I donno if that really changes anything, My wife has Tektros and they are fine if you use a good brake pad.


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## Argentius (Aug 26, 2004)

*Doesn't matter much.*

We're talking about the difference between steel and titanium mounting hardware, but not much more.



MoreBoostPlease said:


> The SRAM Red calipers are not in my price range, but Rival and Force are? Are the Force calipers much better than the Rival? Keep in mind that I'm replacing Tektro's, so almost anything is an improvement. :thumbsup:


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## MoreBoostPlease (Jul 27, 2010)

Sounds like Rival with upgraded pads might be all I need.


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## Mike Prince (Jan 30, 2004)

I would do Tektro with upgraded pads before I bought a new brakeset. Then if you still feel the need to buy the Rivals you already have the upgraded pads.


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## skaruda_23 (May 8, 2009)

MoreBoostPlease said:


> Sounds like Rival with upgraded pads might be all I need.


I dunno. I use Rival brakes with the stock swiss stop pads that they come with; they are pretty powerful! 

I think one difference between rival and force brakes is that force now comes with a hex bolt for adjusting spring tension (for centering the caliper). With rival, you just have to do centering by hand unless you use a 12mm thin wrench or cone wrench. Not really a big deal.

You won't notice the weight savings. Just go for what you can get a deal on or what looks better to you.


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## frdfandc (Nov 27, 2007)

Swiss Stop pads are pretty good as well as the Kool Stops. 

But as advised before, switch out the pads first on the Tektro brakes. You will see a huge improvement in braking. If you still feel that braking is still wanting, or you still have a slight case of upgradeitis, then go for the Rivals.


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## JohnHenry (Aug 9, 2006)

Rival with Jagwire Sleek Pro Road Lite pads/shoes


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## MoreBoostPlease (Jul 27, 2010)

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I'll try new pads before replacing the calipers. Does anybody know what Kool Stop pad fits the Tektro R580 caliper?


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## frdfandc (Nov 27, 2007)

You need the Kool Stop "Dura-type"


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## MoreBoostPlease (Jul 27, 2010)

frdfandc said:


> You need the Kool Stop "Dura-type"


Thanks for the help! I was able to find the black all weather pads online for $8 a pair, shipped. $16 for new pads isn't bad at all.


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## SimonChik (Aug 3, 2010)

I have the force and they stop pretty damn well.. But then again, I came from some brandless crap from specialized...


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## frdfandc (Nov 27, 2007)

SimonChik said:


> I have the force and they stop pretty damn well.. But then again, I came from some brandless crap from specialized...



The Sram brake calipers come equipped with Swiss Stop pads. Which are very good pads as well.


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## lockwood1 (Nov 5, 2008)

There is only a slight difference in weight of only 7 g between calipers sets, Force weight 280g vs Rival 287g no big deal. The other thing is the materials used in the calipers but again no big difference. I almost forgot the finish on Force is kind of like grey and Rival is black just choose the one the suits you and your bike best. I got a Rival set and got no complaints here.


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## Amfoto1 (Feb 16, 2010)

I have both Rival and Force on different bikes... There's virtually no difference. The Rival weigh a few grams more, probably just the paint (they're black, while the Force are polished). 

I don't think you get any Ti bits on the brakes until you step up to the Red.

I have Ultegra 6600 on another bike and once the stock pads (which were terrible) were replaced with Kool Stop, they are fine, too. Very equal in performance.

I've also used and still have some Tektro and Cannondale (which are Tektro) dual pivot calipers, although they're not currently installed on a bike. With the same pads installed, they perform similarly. The little lever to open the caliper and allow wheel removal doesnt have click stops, the way it does on Sram Red/Force/Rival or Shimano DA/Ultegra/105. The two sets of Tektro brakes I currently have are "carbon fiber", but actually it's _faux_ CF... Just wrapped aluminum... and actually adds to the weight of the caliper a wee bit. The Tektro are a little heavier than Red/Force or DA/Ultegra. Probably pretty close to the same as the Rival and 105.


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## intence (May 23, 2010)

2 versions of the Force Brakeset, pre-2010 and 2010+. For pre-2010, I believe the only difference between Force and Rival is color, and titanium mounting hardware, in that case, save the money and buy Rival.

For 2010+ Force appears to be nearly identical to Red with a few parts cheapened. It has a centering adjustment, along with an adjustment for the modulation or feel of the brakes (like Red). The look was also changed to look like Red, but in the new dark silver Force color.


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## kramnnim (Feb 24, 2009)

Do Force calipers really have bearings at the pivots? I haven't taken mine apart yet. They do have Ti hardware... (pre 2010)


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## skaruda_23 (May 8, 2009)

kramnnim said:


> Do Force calipers really have bearings at the pivots? I haven't taken mine apart yet. They do have Ti hardware... (pre 2010)


According to competitive cyclist, SRAM added bearings for 2010:

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/r...2010-sram-force-brake-calipers-6250.20.1.html

I don't think you'd really notice them though.


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