SRAM FORCE is out !

JTE83 said:

Got an email from Greenfish and they said they had SRAM Force. Checked out the web page and I did not like what I saw. SRAM is more expensive than Shimano Dura Ace! Sorry, I'm staying with Shimano!

http://www.greenfishsports.com/index.asp?pageaction=viewcats&category=414

I just wish it was cheaper so Shimano prices would go down.

Anyone see SRAM stuff elsewhere? How about as OEM on a bike?

Competitive Cyclist has posted prices but is advertising availability after Sept. 1. The SRAM Rival group is about 50% of the cost of Force on their website, which is more expensive than either DA or Record.

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=BUY_GRUPPO

more expensive... untried... untested.... and looks like [censored].

if i had a wad of cash burning a hole in my pocket...

i'd buy the '07 campy stuff.

carbon levers.... oooh stweet-
skeletonized calipers.... oooohhhh niiice
wicked funky crank.... oooohhh riiiight there....

excuse me, i gotta go :eek:

How durable is a carbon brake lever? At those prices I'd hate to go down and have the thing shatter.

There's already one on eBay, currently $88.00!

cgi.ebay.comSRAM Force 10s Road Bicycle Rear Derailleur Carbon NEW W0QQitemZ230012286924QQihZ013QQcategoryZ27950Open ↗

Brand new high end group from a company that has never had road groups.

Let someone else test it on their time and money for this year. 🙂

And it is really ugly, IMVHO, of course.

So if you really have money burning a hole in your pocket and want the bling! factor, mix Tiso with Campagnolo Record with Clavicula with a wee bit of Tune. 😉

Jeff in IL said:

How durable is a carbon brake lever? At those prices I'd hate to go down and have the thing shatter.
]

I've got Carbon Chorus levers and I can't comment on the durability of them in a crash, as they haven't been drop tested (by me). However I've also got a MTB with carbon levers thats been dropped plenty of times and apart from a couple of scuffs they are fine.

--brett

Here's a photo of the only complete bike equipped with SRAM Force announced for 2007 model so far.
[IMG]cyclingnews.comY7B23.jpgOpen ↗[/IMG]

It's not cheap, it'll set you back 9000 EU ($11, 383.20 USD for the whole bike). There'll be a lot of high end model bikes for 2008 or even mid year 2007 model from other makers. I'm guessing Force equipped bikes priced from $2300.- Rival equipped bikes from $1500.-

Cheaper model Rival will be available at the same time. I wouldn't be surprised to see even cheaper model in two or three years, depends on how successfull the marketing of first two models will be.

allgoo19 said:

It's not cheap, it'll set you back 9000 EU ($11, 383.20 USD for the whole bike).

$11K for a Bianchi? ROTFLMAO. Haa haa ha ha haaaa.

For a lot less you can have a custom steel frame made by an artisan who only produces fifty frames a year. Obviously, you would put Campy Record on it.

It is like a financial stupidity test. $11K. Haa haa ha haa haaa haa.

"$11K for a Bianchi? ROTFLMAO. Haa haa ha ha haaaa."

Ditto that. Better investment elsewhere....

Tech72 said:

"$11K for a Bianchi? ROTFLMAO. Haa haa ha ha haaaa."

Ditto that. Better investment elsewhere....

pedalforce is selling bikes spec'ed with force for cheaper than dura ace and record. available 9/1

schmuzzy said:

untried... untested.... and looks like [censored].

:eek:

Untried? This equipment is currently being used by some of the racing teams and they are winning races too; Kodakgallery.com Sierra Nevada to mention one. Obviously, their victories are not solely the result of the Force system, but if it didn't work...

Untested? the reviews from Velonews and Bicycling have been pretty good.

Looks like [censored]? One man's opinion

You may want to apply some objectivity to your judgements.

If I may state the obvious, the high price is basically a result of the limited initial availability. Admittedly, I wouldn't buy it now either but only because I've got kids to feed and a house to maintan. However, we all know that there are those that will buy it now to be the first to own it.

I could imagine a similar era when the first composite frame hit the market and the prices were in the stratosphere; Or when the first 6 speed cassette hit the market; or when the first clipless pedals were available; or when the first PC was introduced to a mainframe user; or when the first car passed a horse drawn carriage; or the first passenger airplane service was offered or ....

Maybe I'll be wrong, but I think it is too early to tell. Now let me get back to sorting my Betamax video cassettes

fix said:

I could imagine a similar era when the first composite frame hit the market and the prices were in the stratosphere; Or when the first 6 speed cassette hit the market; or when the first clipless pedals were available; or when the first PC was introduced to a mainframe user; or when the first car passed a horse drawn carriage; or the first passenger airplane service was offered or ....

Bad examples. We are not talking about a revolutionary or even an evolutionary product. We are talking about a "me too" product. For a "me too" product to be successful there needs to be a reason to purchase it over the established products. For SRAM it is not looks, Campy has that won hands down. It is also not weight, again Campy has that won. The usual method is price, but SRAM has priced their products in line with Campy and Shimano. With the added problem that SRAM has not yet been tested by end customers, I am not seeing a reason to buy it.

I do have SRAM X.0 on my MTB. It works great.

Bro Deal said:

Bad examples. We are not talking about a revolutionary or even an evolutionary product. We are talking about a "me too" product. For a "me too" product to be successful there needs to be a reason to purchase it over the established products. For SRAM it is not looks, Campy has that won hands down. It is also not weight, again Campy has that won. The usual method is price, but SRAM has priced their products in line with Campy and Shimano. With the added problem that SRAM has not yet been tested by end customers, I am not seeing a reason to buy it.

I do have SRAM X.0 on my MTB. It works great.

Total ignorance.

allgoo19 said:

Total ignorance.

Not at all. Everything the other poster has stated is true. And it is ugly, in more than one man's opinion. 😉

Just been talking with the LBS guy who has test ridden it and he said "it smokes anything else I've ridden"

Hard to believe everything in comercial press (too many bad reviews and you won't be asked to do another one), but shop guys will often tell you what they really think (unless trying to sell something!)

One advantage scram stuff has is thier cassette is fully shimano compatible. I wonder how long it will take for people to be fitting scram cassettes over shimano. If it does help the shifting people will do it.

As far as looks go, the hoods don't look modern enough, cranks don't excite me, campy skeleton brakes are better, and DA rear mech is better looking.

As for price, I think your nuts for spending $11K AUD on a bike let alone $11K USD. All bikes crash in a similar manor, at least the stock market bounces back after it crashes!

Phill P said:

Just been talking with the LBS guy who has test ridden it and he said "it smokes anything else I've ridden"

You see, this is the kind of stuff that makes me nervous. I am sure that the SRAM group is fine, if not wonderful. But statements like that infer that there has been some really revolutionary things added on... and you are talking about competing with the quality of high-end campagnolo and shimano, who have not exactly joined the road component business after one year of testing...

Come on, if you like it, buy it. But to state that it is superlative does sound like a bit of a stretch (disclaimer, I have yet to try it, but would not buy anyway even if it were impressive it in its first year of sales to consumers).

Powerful Pete said:

You see, this is the kind of stuff that makes me nervous. I am sure that the SRAM group is fine, if not wonderful. But statements like that infer that there has been some really revolutionary things added on... and you are talking about competing with the quality of high-end campagnolo and shimano, who have not exactly joined the road component business after one year of testing...

Come on, if you like it, buy it. But to state that it is superlative does sound like a bit of a stretch (disclaimer, I have yet to try it, but would not buy anyway even if it were impressive it in its first year of sales to consumers).

to add to the above--

lets be real here for a moment...

this "new system" isnt some incredible new vastly improved technology- like the USB port was some years ago- or a scram jet engine, for pete's sake...

its a lever, you move it... and somewhere else a component moves a given amount via a cable.

yes, there's "finess", and "feel"....

but is it worthy of all the hyperbole? (let alone, the weight and price?)

and i stand by my claim- it looks like [censored].

(who's with me?)

Definitely looks like [censored] to me. All of it, not just the [censored]. But the shifters are probably the worst looking in the whole group. The cassettes and chains are interesting. I have heard that they are shimano 10 speed compatible? If yes, I might try them in the future (year or more from now).

Campy looks the best for me, but what I really like about campy is the comfort in the actual shifter And the way the levers work. Not only do I have a lot of trim options for the front, but I can go to smaller gears in the rear all the way through. I can go down all 10 gears if I wanted too.

Shimano is in second place, but I really dislike their shifters. I love shimano derailleurs and brakes. Cheap, and very reliable. This is why I mix my components.

Sram just has no appeal to me. Not worth it for now.

Powerful Pete said:

You see, this is the kind of stuff that makes me nervous. I am sure that the SRAM group is fine, if not wonderful. But statements like that infer that there has been some really revolutionary things added on... and you are talking about competing with the quality of high-end campagnolo and shimano, who have not exactly joined the road component business after one year of testing...

Come on, if you like it, buy it. But to state that it is superlative does sound like a bit of a stretch (disclaimer, I have yet to try it, but would not buy anyway even if it were impressive it in its first year of sales to consumers).

I would 100% agree. I notice no difference in shifting quality between Campagnolo Mirage (low end) and Shimano DuraAce, except that the Mirage lasts longer. I'm sure the Mirage is heavier but as mentioned, the shifting quality is crisp with both. So unless the SRAM reads my mind and shifts to the perfect gear, I doubt it smokes anything.

Powerful Pete said:

You see, this is the kind of stuff that makes me nervous. I am sure that the SRAM group is fine, if not wonderful. But statements like that infer that there has been some really revolutionary things added on... and you are talking about competing with the quality of high-end campagnolo and shimano, who have not exactly joined the road component business after one year of testing...

Is one year of (road) testing relevant. What's the difference between a MTB driveline and Road? Pretty much just the STI shifters. SRAM X0 is as good or better than XTR. So the only new items for SRAM in the line up are the brakes, and the STI levers. The breaks are not worth considering generally given they are somewhat low tech. Which basically leaves only the STI levers as being 'new' technology.

Maybe SRAM Force is great, maybe not but I'd be very surprised if it's not of the quality of either comparable price points in Campy or Shimano in terms of overall quality, even in first generation.

--brett