Folks, pls don’t forget that cycling is affordable if you want it to be… I’ve been working on a lot of Ultegras and DuraAces on friends bikes and perceive cycling to be expensive. Recently I worked on an entry level bike and able to replace an entire crankset/cassette for under $120, I had an awakening that there are really affordable groupsets out there that work really well for most of the people. These high end products are there in every sports…it’s really designed for the pros and it falls in the ‘wants’ rather than ‘needs’ for most normal folks. Before you bash SRAM or Shimano, note that they do manufacture really affordable options that work really well as well.
Let's see...SRAM drivetrains "feature" smaller chainrings and when I wear out the small chainring I have to buy both chainrings and possibly a power meter. What a great idea! Or I could buy Shimano and when my small chainring wears out I can replace it with any number of options for $30 - $50.
SRAM have an exchange program where you can trade in your worn chainrings for a half price replacement. They do last a very long time, I am on Shimano but have only once in 30+ years replaced a chainring on a crank I had from new. The bigger issue IMO is it limits your changing ratios.
I have never had any problems except my first ride with SRAM etap in 2018, when a mechanic didn't install it properly. Since then no problems at all and today I even use 53 and 34 front chainrings. Those who say they are shit didn't set them up properly.
This was one of the better groupset comparisons I have seen with direct candidness and key pieces of information I have not heard elsewhere such as the 80 millisecond delay for sram shifting. Good video.
I think both groupsets are overpriced. Especially the new SRAM and the performance benefit you can get per buck. But when money is no object and you want to have the best performance spec wise then just buy whatever you want. But I think in general that those "ultimate groupsets" are aimed to get bought by pro's or some people like that. But I really like the design of the levers of this Groupset. Especially of the brake levers.
I went SRAM Force AXS. The practicality of the batteries and ease of installing wireless trumped everything else. I'm probably not a good enough cyclist to find tiny shifting differences an issue. I bought a full unused groupset for around £650.
Sram never gets credit for have a clutch in the rear mech. It's one of its best advantages over the equivalent Shimano group. I switched my two bikes to SRAM 3 years ago (Rival and Force) and love them.
Blah blah blah. 99% of riders just don't need to spend this much to enjoy cycling. Accountant-led "innovation" only equals higher cost & less durability. If both SRAM and Shimano both delivered an ultra durable and affordable 10-speed groupset for the people, I'd get excited.
@andrewblakesley4202 I agree with you. New tech is cool, but nowadays, it all comes with more weight, cost, and is more of a pain to work on. There's nothing wrong with a round tube, external cable, rim brake bike, running 10spd Tiagra.
What you haven't mentioned is the fact that SRAM cranks never spin freely in any build that I've ever seen which adds extra drag. The 10 tooth cog also adds extra drag and the inbuilt clutch on their derailleurs also adds drag. I own SRAM on my gravel bike and it feels incredibly draggy compared to my gravel bike with Shimano. The braking also on Rival is nowhere near Shimano. I will NEVER buy SRAM again. In fact, I want to sell the SRAM equipped bike!
@@petersouthernboy6327 I disagree. I’ve seen many top end builds with SRAM where the cranks hardly spin. Then compare them to Shimano and it’s night and day. The issue is SRAM dub.
@@BikeLife154 LOL, I race gravel here in the US. You’ll see more SRAM than Shimano - including for racers like me who are sponsored by their own wallets.
@@petersouthernboy6327 What's so funny? Just because you race gravel you know more? 😂 I do most of my own mechanics including swapping out BBs and cranks etc. I even recently installed bb30 bearings again and a cannondale crank on my old CaadX which is notoriously bad for having undersized bb shells where the cranks hardly spin. Even that setup spins way better than the SRAM dub on my giant Revolt! I bet if you take the chain off your bike and spin the crank it hardly spins! We all know manufacturers cant make a round hole in their frames, but not every frame is bad. But all SRAM cranks don’t spin freely. If you swap to shimano you might win a race and use less energy.
Sram gave me a nightmare in one my biggest races of year, missing gears shifting down the having to shift up again. Going up a steep gradients in a pivotal point of the race, stuck in the wrong gear. Losing time and places. Haven’t been wanting to ride the road bike for a while now. Just frustrating trying to dial in the gears and problem solve the issues. Sram nightmare. Power meter is great though 😁
great review. I just bought both :) my new 3T Strada Italia will be custom build with the DuraAce DI2 group-set. And my other race bike that has today SRAM Force will be upgraded to SRAM RED 2024. My gravel bike today has the SRAM RED group-set. I loving it, except the braking when it is wet. Allot of noice due to that the brake pads are so close to the disk. 'I hope this is slidely better on the new SRAM RED. can't wait until I finally get my hands on both
Both groups are excellent, but have advantages and disadvantages. For us as customers, it's good that we can decide for ourselves what we value more. Personally, I've always ridden Sram, but I decided in favour of Dura Ace a few months ago because nobody knew when the new Sram Red would be available. I have not regretted the decision and am very happy with Shimano.
Enjoy your 105, Ultegras Di2 and Sram Rival n Force all you want. They all enjoyed the expensive development of the top of the range Durace n Sram Red. Thank goodness for that.
Since I’m at the mercy of the tech who will make the ultimate adjustment on my bike, I will go with whatever he prefers to work on. Those who work with these brands for a living are the best judge of which to go with.
one of my bikes has Di2 from 2015, and my enduro race bike has Shimano Saint brakes that are 12 years old. When Sram components start lasting more than a decade I'll think about their sky high price. Until then I'll stick to Shimano, the toyota of groupsets.
If someone decides on which group they want based on that weight, they probably don't know a whole lot about real cycling... When you use a term a lot, quite a bit, game-changer, any of thatt when describing the differences on the best bikes, wheels, group sets, anything, when talking about the best versus the best, I can't take it seriously. Also shift to hood position, ergonomics, is more individually base then a saddle.. 🤷🏻♂️
Sram shifter's geometry & the Derailleurs with battery look bulky, however fully wireless is good. Shimano shifter and Derailleurs look sleeker and more ergonomic.
If weight is a major factor for you, maybe. If you're looking at braking performance/feel, I think that is the biggest step up from Force (and any other previous SRAM HRD). The hood ergonomics are likely an improvement, and the installation of the shifter brake hoses as well as some of the other components looks easier compared to force. Otherwise, I think everything else is more marginal.
I can foresee myself accidentally squeezing the brakes when i put in heavy watts on climbs as i have the tendency to grip hard on the tip of the hoods. Not really a good lever position for the sram.
In a fair few years time, due to the trickle down effect we might be able to afford such tech innovations. Until then I will be keeping my old but work group set.
it's a little hard to accept that Dura-Ace is subjectively better when objectively (the testing & scoring not exactly scientifically rigorous, but let's go with it) SRAM Red scores 66% higher. That's a hell of a hurdle!
I don’t have a dog in this fight, but maybe they think that SRAM wins by 1% in most categories but loses by a lot in some category they care more about. Dunno - it is like reading a comparison of a McLaren and a Bugatti. At >>$4000, it is science fiction for me.
How is it possible that this guy still chooses Shimano? SRAM by his own account had more points at the end. It’s like they are being paid by Shimano to say it’s better. SRAM is so much easier to service and live with over Shimano. Bleeding breaks is much easier and less of a mess with SRAM. Removing derailleurs for cleaning is much easier with SRAM. The app is better with SRAM. Ergonomics are better with SRAM, yet he is still choosing Shimano. Its ridiculous.
Can't understand so many Brits' obsession with inserting an "H" where it does not belong. It's Sram*, not "shram" same as "H" is "aidsh*" not "haidsh"! And why can't Sram built a good-looking crankset anymore? That AXS monstrosity looks like an angle grinder from a budget hardware store. And your chain is too short. In the big-big-gear shown in the background the derailleur is almost parallel to the ground when it should be in about a 45 degree angle.
so its the same old GARBAGE as before in a new suit. shimano or nothing. wish sram didnt suck so bad but oh well, ill take all the advantage I can get with other people choosing it.
I have no Shimano components on any of my bikes. None! ZERO! SRAM Won everything back in 2015/2016 with eTap. Done. End of all discussions. P.S. Good luck on your Shimano cracked Crankarms recalls.
Edited. 5k USD. All these SRAM SPONSORED SHIT. SRAM is going to go the way of Scott with this shit. 5K USD for a groupset in this current climate is nuts.
@@hectorpoh5297 42. And fomo is a well-established psychological phenomenon, used extensively in marketing and advertising. And you 'suffer' from it. Bye
