Wednesday, June 8, 2011

SRAM Red v Dura Ace 7800

Let's switch gears to road biking for a second. Yes, the mountain bike is awesome and I'm enjoying the build, but I recently treated myself to an update on my road bike. I had Dura Ace 7800 on there with an FSA pro team carbon crank set. It performed very well for 5 years but it was time to try something new.

I bought me some SRAM Red, the full groupo except for the front derailleur. I got the force front der based on the fact that it is stronger, more reliable and I believe lighter. Most people make this decision. I was interested in seeing what all the hype was about. I had a hard time believing that DA was any less of a group...oh boy was I mistaken.

I took the bike out today for the first time and could not believe the responsiveness of the shifting. Click, pow! Click, pow! That's what you hear when you shift. It is a slight tap of the finger on the paddle and BAM, shift. It was super crisp and precise. The stuff is beautiful and light on top of it. The brakes impressed me as well. They are right on par with the DA brake set, which is saying something. I also added some Look Keo Max 2 pedals in grey and a SRAM Red tt chainring for some added bling. I have a super light stem, 98g, coming in the mail and then the project will be finished. I'll be sure to post some pics.

I'm just lovin the new ride. Now I don't know which to ride first, the road or mountain bike. Ugh, not a bad life.