A year ago at Press Camp, SRAM unveiled its latest 22-speed drivetrain: the Rival, designed with some of the latest trickle-down technology from the Red and Force groups. While we were able to get a first ride on the new equipment during the event, we have spent a full year with the workingman's group, giving it a full review in Issue 28.
Since then, Rival has entered the realm of more options, now being offered as a single chainring drivetrain as SRAM released at 2015 Sea Otter. While the single chainring set up is becoming popular for cyclocross, many riders find the benefits of a double, especially when training on the road, and the Rival 22 remains one of the more affordable and versatile groups on the market.
Today, we offer Clifford Lee's full review from Issue 28, including the our observations for the weight of the set as well as a final verdict. For more quality content like this, be sure to order your backcopy today, which is also available on Uberflip, in the App Store on iTunes, and on Google Play for Android.
Use the slider below for the detailed review on each part. More info: sram.com
SRAM Hydro-R Hydraulic Disc Brakes
There is virtually no difference between the SRAM groupsets’ hydraulic brake calipers except for the applied graphics. However, the brakes are shipped out as pre-bled systems so when we talk about weight differences, it is for the lever, hose, caliper and mounting hardware. Considering the minor weight differences, we can surmise that exists primarily at the lever, aside from caliper mounting hardware. SRAM’s HydroR system was designed for “optimized stopping power and modulation for road and cyclocross,” and it seems they have engineered the brake lever to have a similar feel to a typical modern road rim-brake, though with significantly better modulation and ultimately more power.
The Rival 22 HydroR caliper is nearly identical to the higher tier groups’ calipers. © Cyclocross Magazine
The lever stroke is super smooth and the power is applied progressively, but not with an excessively light touch. From the hoods, it is still more comfortable to use two fingers to bring the bike to a halt, but from the drops, stopping with a single finger is easy. The best part about the lever is the modulation. Once the pads contact the rotor the modulation is excellent, with just a subtle change in finger pressure to smoothly change your speed, The lever freestroke is not adjustable, though SRAM seems to have put it in just the right place, about a fraction more than a third of the way to the bar.
SRAM Centerline Rotor
All SRAM 22 hydraulic groupsets share the new Centerline rotor. It has a unique appearance, with tangential oval slots in the braking surface to reduce weight. The engineering behind the shape and orientation of the cutouts is to make braking more consistent and quieter through better cooling and a more consistent friction surface. It does seem to work—there is smoother braking without the whirring sound, and less squealing. That’s not to say the rotor design eliminated squealing outright, but it seems to squeal less than other rotor designs.
