Last year's 105 vs this year's Rival

I'll be interested in the replies, I am liking lusting after that same bike. I was also checking out the LOOK 566 and they wanted an extra $500 for Rival over 105 Another place told me Rival is somewhere between 105 and Ultegra. Don't know how true that is, I think the Rival gruppo is actually a little cheaper.

I have ridden both and I think 2011 Rival is a little better. Maybe more than a little better. Rival rivals Ultegra, IMO .... and I'm an Ultegra guy.  And I think CXP22 is a little better, although you did not mention the hubs on the CXP22s... probably Spesh specifc hubs? (Both of those wheel sets will roll fine on the trainer till you go deep carbon    )

On the other hand ... if you can get last year's bike on clearance for a few hundred less, it would be nice to have that towards pedals and shoes. 105 is a good group ... and triathlon duty is not real tough on a bike, and either will be great. And it's a great frame. But you said same price, right?


So final answer ... My (amateur) recommendation is get the one you want the most, but if they are the same price ... and newer has Rival ... go with the newer model.

FWIW, I have not ridden this year's 105 (5700) but I hear it's the bee's knees.

Edited by jsselle 2010-11-20 5:38 PM

my vote goes to sram any day.  I'm tired of my shimano deraiuler getting out of alignment every 300 miles.

personal opinion after riding p2c with ultegra and now riding a transition pro with sram red....i will never go back.  its amazing.

I have been debating the Blue Triad SP and the Orbea Ora. The Blue has SRAM shifters and a Rival rear deraleur and FSA front and FSA crank.
Not only did the FSA crank (gossamer) just get recalled and has had poor reviews, but the rival der' and SRAM shifters did not shift smooth or crisply.
The Orbea has Ultegra with a FSA sl-K crank and is miles better shifting.

Just one opinion.

I'm a big fan of Rival. It's way better than 105, as light or lighter than ultegra, and I really love the way Sram shifts. Imo, there's no comparison.

Well I don't think there's much comparison between LAST year's 105 and this years Rival---it really is liking comparing OLD 105 and near current Ultegra...if the same price then get the Rival

IMHO, SRAM all the way. Although a Tri bike's rear cassette is usually stacked with higher gears i.e. 11-23 or 11-25, the SRAM Rival / Force Derailliers provide opportunities to handle much wider range cassettes with really low gears in case you want to switch over or you live in hill country. I'm talking about handling SRAM's widest range cassette; 11-32 - that's like having MTB gearing. SRAM did this to eliminate a triple ring crank that Shimano offers. This is why you won't see a triple ring crank from SRAM. The Rival is a notch better than 105's and the widest range of gears that the 105 is capable of handling is a 12-27. The Ultegra and Dura Ace can handle an 11-28.

Having ridden them all, my current bike has SRAM Red and it's fast, crisp and reliable. If you can afford it, go with the latest.  

Thanks for all the feedback and comments. It seems as though he consensus is 2011 rival > 2010 105...kinda what I expected. And at the same price (actually, the 2011 is a tiny bit cheaper) i think my decision is pretty well made now. Thanks BT!