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74 Main Street Middlebury Vermont (802) 388-6666 |
Will You Make the Leap? Imagine a viable third party in American politics, and you'll get a sense of how much impact the SRAM road groups have had on a market once dominated by Shimano and Campagnolo. After just three years in the Protour, SRAM Red swept the podium in the 2009 Tour de France. What Are the SRAM Road Groups Like? If you're looking for performance, light weight, great ergonomics, and reasonable prices, you can't beat SRAM. Here are the SRAM gruppos at a glance, with two composite groups we added on our own initiative, Fred and ForXX:
Shifters SRAM shifters have similar ergonomics to Campy Ergo Power. Like Campy, the shifting is completely independent of the braking. Unlike Campy, the shift lever both upshifts and downshifts:
The shifting is precise and intuitive -- it won't take you long to get used to these levers. All SRAM shifters have adjustable reach, for riders who have smaller hands. DerailleursThe rear is very quick and very precise. The front is not quite as quick on the upshift as Shimano. CranksSRAM cranks are not the lightest in class, but they are exceptionally stiff. Since cranks are about power transfer, stiffness is definitely better than saving a few grams, and keep in mind, each of the SRAM groups taken as a whole is lightest-in-class. Visit this link for a great comparison of high-end cranks, including SRAM Red. Brakes Excellent modulation and stopping power, and Red, Force, and Rival brakes are lightest-in-class (does not include after-market brakes like Zero Gravity). CassetteSRAM cassettes shift well under load (when you're out of the saddle), and they work great with Shimano drive trains. SRAM Red offers the lightest all-steel cassette on the market. The first eight cogs are machined from a single piece of top-quality steel. This unit is then hollowed for light weight. ChainWe've liked SRAM chains for years, but the Power Lock on the SRAM 10spd chains can only be used once. When you remove the Power Lock, you need to replace it with a new one, not reuse it. | ![]() |