Product Review: 2010 Sram Force groupset

Having been riding on Shimano groupsets (Tiagra, 105 and Ultegra) since taking up cycling 4 years ago, and the fact that my Ultegra chain and cassette were worn out, I thought it was time for a change. I had a couple of different options:

• I tossed up staying with my Ultegra 6600, just replacing the chain and cassette. One problem I had with the Ultegra was the size of the hoods shifting cables not running underneath the bar tape.
• Campagnolo Chorus: This was a real possibility and, in a perfect world, I probably would've chose the Campy. I had three issues with it: 1) Was more expensive than Force by a fair amount. Also, on the expense front, replacing parts (such as cassette, chain, chainrings) is considerably more expensive than Shimano and SRAM; 2) Don't like the thumb shifter, it's a bit outdated and, particularly when racing, is a bit one-dimensional; and 3) Compatability issues arise. If I was going to run my current Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels, I would've had to replace the freehub. Plus, the bottom bracket would need changing. However, I love the hoods (despite being quite large) and the looks are also fantastic in true Italian style.
• SRAM Force: Won because it looks as good, if not better than the Campagnolo (basically, the same as 2009 Red, replacing the red decals with white). Also, it was cheaper and lighter than Chorus. 

I’ve done approximately 500km on SRAM Force now and my first impressions are all very good. Starting with the hoods; they’re more slimline than the previous Ultegra and have a much better ergonomic fit (which is saying something given my large hands). The brake levers are also fantastic. Good comfortable position and contact when riding in either the hoods or drops. But the real winner for me has been the Double Tap shifting system. I find it more intuitive and much more natural than Shimano or Campagnolo: 1 click to shift up, 2 clicks to shift down. Its smooth, responsive and accurate, giving you great confidence in the shifting, which is handy during sprints or climbing. I am particularly happy with having the shift cables running under the bar tape, although, this is now available on Ultegra 6700.

In my mind, the party piece of the whole unit is the crankset and front derailleur. Just the looks of the cranks (with SRAM written on the inside) is reason to buy the whole groupset. The performance and comfort of the carbon cranks are also something I’ve noticed as a step-up from Ultegra. However, it pales in comparison with the front derailleur. Once the cable had stretched and it had been retuned, the front derailleur is spectacular. No waiting or skipping, just clean, precise, instantaneous shifting. Its fantastic, worlds above Shimano and it has justified the purchase brilliantly.

Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the rear derailleur, cassette and chain. I’m not saying its bad, I was perhaps expecting something more from such a high end product. The shifting is sharp and precise thanks to SRAM’s Exact Actuation but it’s a bit harsher and much, much louder than Ultegra. I have heard that you can solve the problem by running a Shimano chain and cassette, but this is a bit disappointing. A friend of mine who works in the bike industry actually said that, at a trade show recently, a SRAM representative acknowledged the noise issues with the chain and cassette and recommended you were better off riding a Shimano chain and cassette if this bothered you. In my honest opinion, I find the rear shifting pretty good but unremarkable as I do see Force being a definitive step-up from Ultegra. This leaves me mildly disappointed.

Not that you’re going to notice a huge difference in brake performance but I have to commend SRAM. They’re design is smart, they’re light but still provide good braking force and come standard with SwissStop pads. As good, if not slightly better than Ultegra, but as mentioned, not much of a difference. My only slight criticism is the brake release mechanism isn’t as fluid as Shimano. In fact, it almost feels ‘indexed’, but maybe this is the idea: if you need to adjust your callipers on the fly due to wheel buckle or racing, this could come in handy.

Overall, I’d have to say that my purchase has been a sound investment. The looks are fantastic and the contact points (namely, the cranks, hoods and levers) are beautifully engineered. The front derailleur is a highlight in terms of mechanical performance. It is let down slightly by the sharp and loud rear shifting performance but this is just a slight blip on an extraordinary package. Just thinking about this makes me wonder how Red could possibly be better.