SRAM has launched its new Rival 22 groupset, promising a collection that ‘delivers 100 per cent of what cyclists demand’.
The latest iteration of the American brand’s third-from-top road group moves to 11 speeds and includes hydraulic disc and rim brakes, as well as a conventional mechanical rim brake.
Other developments to trickle down from the flagship Red 22 groupset include the ErgoFit design of the DoubleTap dual control levers.
SRAM are also claiming ‘unrivalled gearing choices’, courtesy of three chainset options (52-36, 50-34, and 46-36), and cassettes with 11-26, 11-29, and 11-32 combinations.
Chainset
The crankset, the Rival 22 Yaw, comes with arm length options of 165mm, 167.5mm, 170mm, 172.5mm and 175mm, and is equipped with the brand’s X Glide R CNC-machined chainrings. There are three chainset options (52-36, 50-34, and 46-36), and all can be used with SRAM’s BB30 bottom bracket.
The 50-34 chainset with BB30 bottom bracket weighs a claimed 860 grams and will cost £166. Other options include the brand’s GXP external bottom bracket, creating a package with a claimed weight of 844g and which will cost £146.
Brakes
Three brake options are available as part of the new groupset: hydraulic rim, hydraulic disc, and a conventional mechanical rim brake.
The former, featuring forged aluminium arms and SwissStop pad compound, as well as tyre clearance of 28mm and Zipp Firecrest rim compatibility weighs in at a claimed 422g per wheel. The shift-brake hydraulic lever, 600mm hose and caliper cost £254 together per wheel.
The hydraulic disc brake, meanwhile, uses 18mm pistons in a bid to offer greater modulation. The caliper and piston ratio are billed as road specific and the system is claimed to be fully-sealed to prevent contamination. The 160mm rotor option weighs a claimed 493g. Rotors are sold separately. A lever, hose, and caliper package will cost £292 per wheel.
The £65 mechanical brakeset, meanwhile, includes a dual pivot design intended to increase stopping power, while offering tyre clearance up to 28c.
PG 1130 cassette
Three cassettes are marshalled in support SRAM’s claim for ‘unrivalled gearing’, with 11-26, 11-28 and 11-32 options. The heat-treated steel cogs include an aluminium spider, and are compatible with either the PC1170 chain, or the Rival 22-specific option – the PC1130, which uses a PowerLock joining link.
The cassette weigh between 260 grams for the 11-26 and 310 grams for the 11-32, and cost between £52 and £58. The PC1130 chain, meanwhile, is 259 grams and is set to cost £22.
Shifters
The shifters are modelled after SRAM’s flagship RED 22 shifters, produced with ErgoFit technology and using the same ergonomic design and textured cover as the top-of-the-range equivalents. Both the mechanical shifters and hydraulic shifters use SRAM’s DoubleTap technology, designed to eliminate the awkward engagement associated with two-lever systems, by handling both up and downshifts.
The hydraulic options are included in the cost and weight of the hydraulic disc and rim brakesets, while the mechanical shifters – crafted with forged aluminium, are a claimed weight of just 332 grams for the pair, with the set due to cost £191.
