August 6th, 2008 by 
cooper
The front derailleur control takes a mix of patience and very precise cable tension and limit screw adjustment to produce clean shifting with minimal crossover chain rub. The DoubleTap front shifter has four detent positions, two for the inner ring, and two for the outer ring. Correct cable tension (follow the front derailleur’s set-up instruction very carefully) is critical. The innermost position needs to be set with just enough clearance between the chain and the inner cage to not rub when on the inner rear cog. The second position is determined by cable tension, and with careful adjustment almost all chain rub can be dialed out. The shifter’s third position moves the chain to the outer chainring, and if tension is set properly, you may be able to use your inner cassette cog, if it’s a tight cassette (an 11-23 had slightly less crossover rub than the supplied 12-26). The fourth position provides the trim needed for your big gears.
On my first test ride, it took several tweaks to get the front derailleur cable tension properly set. When off the work stand and on the road, you’re obviously transmitting pedal forces that will slightly deflect the bottom bracket and crankarms, so tuning the cable adjusters on a set-up ride can do wonders for quiet operation across the full range of gears. (NOTE: Exercise care when adjusting the front derailleur limit screws, they can be tight.) If you’re like me, it may take several set-up rides and a some patience to get the front derailleur dialed. But now it is.
In contrast, setting up the rear derailleur was a breeze. I swear- the limit and b-tension screws were just about perfect in their default positions. The rear uses a traditional looped cable housing as opposed to SRAM’s MTB straight cable design. 3mm steps between gears match Shimano’s 10 speed spacing, so cassettes can be freely swapped – big kudos to SRAM for enabling cassette ubiquity! The 1:1 Exact Actuation design shifts quick and precise. The OG cassettes have a cut-out tooth design to speed up shifting, I found that downshifts, even under hill climb force would lock onto a gear in less than a third of a crank stroke, if the shift lever is held in place until the gear is fully engaged. Upshifts were nearly instantaneous with a quick tap. In contrast, a Shimano cassette shifts slightly slower on hill climb downshifts.
Visually, the all-aluminum rear derailleur is slightly boxy and angular, with the outer pulley cage accenting the squared off minimalist design. The individual pieces of the derailleur are all very compact and tight in form, again leaning towards the functional end of the scale. The barrel adjuster is handsomely designed, looking like a rook from a miniature chess board.
Bringing the whole Rival group to a screeching stop would be the cold-forged aluminum, dual-pivot, skeletonized brakeset with a stainless steel pivot. The arms have a triangulated profile and are stiffly sprung; that combo translates to a quick, snappy feel at the lever with plenty of rigidity for smooth modulation and powerful locking force in heavy handed braking situations. For pads, the SRAM compound rubber is in a fully adjustable standard cartridge holder, expect easy pad compound upgrades. A great touch? The indexed brake release – if you need to open the calipers slightly to account for an out of true wheel, these releases are a charm. Lastly, that cable adjuster I liked so much on the rear derailleur, the same adjusters are supplied on the brakes. In another pleasant nod to old school, Rival uses a flat wrench ready surface on the pivot to center the caliper.
August 27th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Wow, I think I’m in love with the shifter…
September 4th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Just installed Rival on a CX bike. It took a couple rides to get the front derailleur adjusted properly, but with that behind me, I love the build! My only other complaint is the manpower needed to shift up to the big chainring. Overall the shifts feel smoother and faster than my ultegra / DA road bike. I’m sold.
September 25th, 2008 at 5:23 am
The 2008 Rival brake/shifters are lighter than the competitors product, the build quality is good, the levers and top of hood ‘feel’ are better than most others, shifting across a Sram cassette is good, but..too much user effort/travel of left shifter lever is required to move the chain onto the large chain ring. This is the downfall of an otherwise fine setup. The 2009 Sram Rival shifters have addressed this shortcoming by incorporating the features of the Sram Red Shifters. If the extra effort and travel required to move your chain onto the big ring doesn’t bother you - save some dollars and pickup the 2008 Rival brake/shifters as they are going to be discounted as the 2009 Sram Rival brake/shifters become the more desired component.
p.s. those unfinished rivet on the reviewed Pedal Force frame look pathetic in comparison to premier frame makers such as those by Look of France.
October 27th, 2008 at 4:10 am
I have about 3K miles on a rival build. I love it. I just built another bike using Force components. i’ll never go back to shimano.
October 30th, 2008 at 6:41 am
I have swapped the Rival group (less cassette) I bought onto my Scott Cr1 SL race bike which had DA 7800. It might not have the qudos of top kit but it sure works. Front shift is not a problem worth going on about as it only happens now and then.
November 5th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
With the exception of the new Doubletap levers, I wish 2009 Rival had kept the same polished finish as 2008. To me, the black actually has a cheaper look than the polished finish.
Everything else is a great improvement, and I also applaud SRAM for making an affordable 180mm crankset in the Rival group. My friend who is new to riding (and is 6′9″) got these to replace the 175mm 105 compact cranks on his Trek 2.3 this year and is happy with them. I do wish that SRAM could do this with their Red group though too, like Campy and Shimano do with their top-end groups. I’m ending up with 177.5mm Red cranks to replace the 180mm Dura-Ace 9spd cranks I had (I’m 6′4″ with a long inseam, myself).
April 2nd, 2009 at 10:56 pm
The shifters on the Force sound great … The ‘Double Tap system’ seems to be well thought through and works well. SRAM chains are the best you can get and I think the cassettes are of an equal quality, they look good http://www.bikecyclingreviews.com/faq/SRAM_update.html
June 4th, 2009 at 10:32 am
came with my Bianchi. I must say, I test rode before I bought and now after having it daily, it’s even better than I thought. I was imagining I’d have to get Sram Red to have this type of feel. The Rival does it all right now. Now need for Red unless I want weight reduction. The brakes, great modulation. Shifters…they fit my smaller hands perfectly. The tester has VL hands so you can see they’re for everyone. And I love that perfect shifting action when you want it….now, instant. And to downshift 2, 3 even 4 at a time….outstanding.
I may eventually get Red to bring my bike to under 16 pounds but as it is, that may be awhile if at all. I’m in love with these components right out of the box. And to think the 09 are even better..