Agree with FuzzyWuzzy. The feel of the Shimano hoods are better compared to Sram. And for the shifting, do you want one shifting movement or two?
IF I were to build another bike I would definitely go for Shimano as the shifting performance is a lot smoother.
Try and have a go on both if you can to see which you prefer.
Edit; opinions base on Sram Rival verses Shimano Ultegra.
The feel of the Shimano hoods are better compared to Sram.
Surely it's entirely subjective? I think the Sram hoods are a better shape for me. I recently rode a new demo bike with Ultegra shifters and thought they were horrible to hold and the lever throw is huge compared to Sram, no quick shifting here!
As the OP is a newbie to road I think he'll get used to either system and hood shape pretty quickly. BYW 34/50 with a 11/12-26/28 Cassette would be enough for most people, even the least gifted climber unless your tackling the Alps or Lakeland passes.
Did mean to say IMO.
no quick shifting here!
Woah! When I said I'd been advised against double tap, really this is what I was told from two people I trust. One is my local bike shop the other is my brother whose a second cat racer and has gone well under the hour for a 25. So they have an informed opinion, but it is still just an opinion.
Anyway, since the consensus seems to be very contrary to my comment Hora, have a look at this:
I was pretty close to buying it then I got the feedback on doubletap and didn't bother!
Also at Evanscycles ^^^^^ use the code 10NY to get 10% off ie £540
my brother whose a second cat racer and has gone well under the hour for a 25
not sure how that qualifies anything?
I'm another with Sram Doubletap on one bike and 105 on another and no problems 'getting used' to either. Remembering where reverse is in my GFs car after driving mine causes me far more problems!
Slight hijack: anyone find the lever throw for the front mech a bit long on doubletap? I suspect I've just got a poorly set up front mech - it's never been quite enough of an annoyance to see if there is a problem....
not sure how that qualifies anything?
It's a different way of saying, 'he's been racing bikes since he was 12, so basically the last 22 years, has had bikes with groupsets from the three main manufacturers, has been a sponsored rider by Trek UK so he has enough experience to have a valid opinion'
But like I said, it's still just an opinion and he would be the first to admit that opinions are like arse holes.
Everyone's got one and they mostly all stink (some stink more than others though).
SRAM Rival is quite a bit lighter than 105 and Ultegra if that matters to you. Thats why I bought it (plus it was on offer at Merlin last year)
I like it, hoods feel comfier than Ultegra and its easier to shift up gears whilst braking.
took me a couple of minutes to get used to Double Tap
Confused. 105 is alot lighter than Apex or vice versa?
Sorry - didn't mean to confuse.
Apex lighter than 105
When looking at complete bikes Apex is a lot cheaper than 105
When looking at groupsets Apex seems overpriced - Force looks better value online.
So when I was looking at complete bikes, the choice is basically Apex or Tiagra. Then the weight differential is even more exaggerated. So I thought I'd put up with the double-tap.
If I'd have been able to get a 105 bike for the same price as an Apex one, then it would be different.
Mind you, I've never liked Sram on the mountain bike, so it's probably biased my opinion.
A little bit late with this but tour's groupset comparison might be quite helpful - http://www.tour-qtr.com/epaper_4_2011
And my 2 cents - I found using the brake lever for shifting on shimano road groups horrible. Might have been because I'd only ever used mtb shifting previously, but I really didn't get on with it. Especially trying to brake and shift at the same time. People don't seem to complain about it much though, but I found I much preferred Sram road groups primarily because of this. And from what I can gather apex through to force don't really have very much differences apart from weight savings, and the sram groups are already lighter than shimano's offerings by quite a bit.
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