So I’ve just got a new job. Pays good and want a bike. Sram red or Dura ace? Also any frame sets anyone can recommend? I was thinking of the CANYON AEROAD.

Cheers

Try them first, the hoods will be different shapes and the shifting is different, some people love doubletap, others hate it, similarly shimano’s flappy levers.

9070 Di2. Failing that 9000 series mechanical.

IMO of course.

Assuming you mean mechanical dura ace and regular 20 speed Red, I’d go with Red. I run Force and its really good shifting, its hard to describe, its kind of clunky but also smooth, put it this way, when its set up well, there is zero chance of ever being in doubt that it shifts. Double tap is much nicer to use and you can get through the cassette in two long seeps of the shifter. Its also about 200gs lighter if i remember correctly.

As for framesets, sticking with the aero theme, I had a good look at the Giant Propel today at the London tri show and it was stunning, the v-brakes wont be too all tastes however. Others to consider are the Cervelo S2 and the Argon 18, the Ridley Noah and the Specialised Venge.

Aero road frame review are slightly mixed from my reading around them, id go with their non aero frame

Im running sram apex on my chinese carbon (heh) and tigra on my winter bike so I have the best of both worlds, Dont really want Di2 as I am no pro and it is another grand ontop of the Dura ace.

After reading this, think about ‘normal’ frames, 17 seconds at 50km/h for 40km, vs a less floppy jersy saving 134s.

http://cyclingtips.com.au/2010/04/biggest-bang-for-your-buck-in-time-trial-equipment/

I run sram red 2013 on my supersix and love it. Tried dura ace mech and di2 and went for red. The simple reason was weight!

If I had your Option I would go for Sram Red, I have just got a new frame and went for Ultegra although very nice part of me feels the Sram Force would of been better as I like the idea of double tap and also prefer the sleeker looks of Sram. I found Ultegra at a lower cost by buying the components individually.

Unless your used to a particular type of shifter all the top end stuff is good, you’d get used to and enjoy any of them, Campag Record gets my vote though.
As you mentioned the Aeroad I thought I’d give you my view. I’m not sure about mixed reviews The Bikeradar one seems to be the only one out there doing the rounds. It seems a bit confused to me. The frame is plenty stiff enough, maybe for those 1000+watt sprints a world class sprinter might want something more brutal. But real world its fine. Payback might be its amazingly comfortable, noticeably more than the cf ultimate it replaced. for long hard days in the saddle, its the pick of most of the pro’s who have a choice from the Canyon range.
This guy seemed to do all right on one.

I’ve got the aeroad. Great bike, but it’s very twitchy. If you’re confident you can fly downhill on it, if you’re not it tends to scare the pants off you.

I’ve never noticed any stiffness issues. Surely the pros wouldn’t be riding it if it was a problem?

My new bike has Super Record, I’m pleased with it but as others have said it’s what suits you best, you need to try them out.

Warton. Have you set the front fork dropouts to the more stable position ?
When I got mine it was in “twitchy” mode. Changed the dropouts around and it made a world of difference.

yeah, it came in the stable position. TBH i was fine on it until my mate crashed and did serious damage, and I got a bit of speed wobble (unrelated). ever since then I’ve been a nervous wreck on it.

I’ve got Sram on my cx bike & Shimano on my road bike.
As soon as I can afford it the Sram will either be on here for sale or in the bin & replaced with Shimano-even if I have to fit Sora! Sram is hateful stuff IMO, horrible to set up, rear mech’s love to seize up too.
IF & it’s a big IF! you get a good set, it’s a nice shifting action, but thats about all I can say, sorry.

Sram is hateful stuff IMO, horrible to set up, rear mech’s love to seize up too.

Translation: I don’t know how to set it up/service it properly 😆

I work as a mechanic & have done for the last nine years, working on road, mtb & cx bikes on a daily basis, Cytech level 3 qualified
I’ve raced dh, xc, cx & road for the last fourteen years.
I think I know how to set up a road bike’s gears 😉

Have you looked at Campag? It’s worth a look if you’re shopping. I’ve got it in my road and CX really nice stuff, I like the hoods. Shimano I find doesn’t suit me as well but is great shifting. I’ve not tried Red.

Sram is hateful stuff IMO, horrible to set up, rear mech’s love to seize up too.

Yep, and the cassettes are rubbish. They are noisy and wear out quicker than Shimano.

I have red but would get dura if I could!

LBS reckons shimano is far better built that sram (which he said is made from cheese)

I’ve never has any issues.

but I know people who have red and tried dura on some hire bikes and think its better.

dont think you’ll be disappointed in either

Had / have both. Dura Ace every time, no question

I just think difference between DA and Red is negligable in terms of performance, it all boils down to preferences.

As for the comment about made from cheese from the local bike shop, let me know who they are so i can steer clear….

in my opinion based on years of working on both as a professional mechanic, Shimano manufacturing quality is another level of quality and prowess beyond SRAM.

which means long term durability is superior, and this is something I see every day on bikes going through my workshop, we work on alot of high end road bikes with Dura Ace and Ultegra of mech and electronic flavours, SRAM Red, Campag Super Record.

Dura-Ace warranty=3 years, SRAM warranty=2 years

what this means in real world is Dura Ace / Ultegra have the edge on durability of shifter mechanisms, rear mech / front mech and brake calipers, especially in our wet climate where degradation due to wet / road salt is common

Shimano’s cranks / chainrings and front shifting are unrivalled in terms of performance under load, and ease of fitment for regular maintenance.

I really like SRAM on my MTB (run 10 speed X-0) but on my road bike its 10 speed Ultegra for me (poor man’s Dura Ace)

Double Tap has its appeal, but it feels odd when used to Shimano STI, you do get used to it in time.

its one of those things that you will only know by trying out on long test rides. SRAM RED is lighter if that is important…