Rival eTap worth the $$ vs. 105

Congrats! Now you can drop .3kg by finding a gently used Red 48-35 crank :wink: because he needed a 46-33 for all the upcoming climb-a-geddons.

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That’s awesome, congrats!

I just received a text yesterday that my order has moved to the ā€œkitting processā€.

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The Red crank is on the list for future upgrades. I’ve actually started a ā€œwishlistā€ for future upgrades, although the priority right now is to replenish my checking account. :rofl:

Below are some of the local climbing events I’m considering. The gearing will certainly help, and the bike is definitely lighter overall than my current steed.

https://www.ymcacva.org/storming-thunder-ridge

https://www.elementsport.com/triple-peak-gran-fondo-2022/

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LOL, replenishing the checking account is driving me to post some gear on Craigslist this weekend! For some reason I thought you were in Tampa. Looking at you gearing chart, it looks like the bike is coming with 46-33? That with a 10-36 or 10-33 is a pretty good setup for climbing at my humble 3W/kg.

Great memory. I used to be in Tampa, which is where I picked up cycling. I then moved to CT and am now in northern VA. Yes, it has 33/46 up front and 10-36 in the back.

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Honestly, while I enjoy electronic shifting, there is a large part of me that agrees wholeheartedly with this sentiment, after progressing relatively rapidly from 105, to DA Di2, to Red and Rival AXS. If I had it to do over again, I would probably have stuck with Di2 over AXS, and if I was in the market for a completely new groupset at present, I would take a hard look at Chorus 12 over some of the lower-end electronic stuff.

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Congrats @rkoswald !! You understand NBD pics are required, right?

Absolutely. Same to @Buckethead when his bike shows up, too!

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Lol I’ve got one collecting dust, it came with my Tarmac last year. Removed the wheels and no miles.

Yes!! Sorry i missed that!!

I actually called Fezzari to see if upgrading to red crank with them was possible. No stock though……

The red crank and a set of carbon wheels are the upgrades that I’ll look at in the future also. Have thought long and hard about adding the 303s, but do not want to go tubeless and need to hold off for a while after splurging for the bike itself.

I went with the 303s … shhhhhh … figured I’d only get to do this once. :face_with_hand_over_mouth:. I’ve been running tubeless on my rim brake bike and really like the lower pressures and added flat protection. The 303s are hookless, though, which some people don’t like for road use but I’m not doing anything crazy so should be fine. Plus, if I ever get into gravel riding, @gpl and others say they are great.

I’m also going to try to build my own wheel later this summer. I had a rim crack so the OEM is sending me a new wheel. The hub and spokes on the damaged wheel are perfectly fine so I got a rim to see if I can build my own. If successful I hope to be able to build future wheels for less and, maybe, have a side income stream to fund my cycling habit (probably a pipe dream, though).

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The 303S wheelset is an excellent choice: affordable, thoroughly modern, goldi locks depth and good weight. Can you get lighter wheels? Yes. Can you get cheaper wheels? Yes. But I think few can compete with the complete package. Great choice!

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I’ve got a set of the 303S and a pair of the 303FC’s(current spec) Both are great wheels. Dunno if I had acquired the S’s before the FC’s if I would have ever spend the money for the FC’s(although they are noticeably better in cross winds than the S’s) The S’s are, like you said, a solid Sweetspot for a wheel!

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Final answer is YES, Rival eTap is well worth the $$. Today is NBD and I took new bike out for initial spin. Electric shifting is pretty sweet. Also the snappiness and quietness of the drivetrain was like nothing I had with my old mechanical Ultegra, even after full overhaul from a shop.

Coming from Shimano I really like the initial set up of the SRAM shifting logic. I need to go in and fiddle around with the shifting options though as going from big to small ring or the other way nothing happened with rear derailleur. I didn’t spend anytime setting things up after putting bike together - wanted to get out (even though it’s all of 36 in MN here, brrrr).

I was also really surprised how much more of a comfy ride the Empire is compared to my old Orbea. New frame and 28mm instead of 25mm made a big difference in dampening road. Bike fit is scheduled for the 25th to everything dialed in. Gonna be a good summer on the bike for sure!

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Congratulations on the new bike! It’s amazing the difference a few mm and a little less air can make in ride feel.

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Fantastic……but mandatory 3 point deduction for posting a pic of that sweet new sled in the small ring. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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I have Di2 on my Guru… shifting is nice, but shifting the front derailleur… chef’s kiss. An added benefit is with electronic shifting, you can really customize your setup (e.g. you can program it to shift up two in the back when you shift to the large ring up front), if that’s your thing.

As much as I love Di2, I can tell you with certainty that my mech 105 setup has never stopped working mid-ride due to dead battery… :slight_smile:

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