Campy Record

Sram Red

Campy Record

Shimano Dura Ace 15lbs

 After using Dura Ace for 10 years and Record for 3 months then switching to Red I have to say Red is the best grouppo I have ridden so far.

I would rank the grouppos as the following based on what I liked: Sram Red, Dura Ace, Campy Record.  Sram Red combines the best from Campy and Shimano. For examples: Hidden cable routing, positive quick shifting of campy but the quietness of shimano, brake hoods are sized between shimano and campy. The shifting of Red is so fast you cannot even compare it to Record or Shimano. You can often shift to the outside gears just with the pad of the finger tip with very little effort.

Rankings for cranks: Dura Ace, Sram Red, Campy Ultra Torque, FSA K Force Light, Zipp Vuma Quad. Rankings based on quality control, strength of cranks and chainrings, cost and proprietory issues. Vuma Quad would have come in first if it were not for some quality control issues and how Zipp handled the problems. Sram Red and Dura Ace had the best overall stiffness laterally for both arms, spiders and chainrings. Zipp chainrings are the softest laterally. FSA was in the middle but very stiff when compared to Zipp. Sram Red came with some sweet ceramic bearings, smooth as melted butter. If you own Dura Ace swap out the OEM BB bearings for some after market ceramic bearings and you will notice a big difference. FSA ceramic bearings were also very smooth. The stiffest crank arm must be the Zipp with the stiffest bottom bracket interface. If you could put Sram Red chainrings or Dura Ace chainrings with the Zipp arms and spiders with Zipp BB30 bottom bracket you would have a beast of a crank system. Would I buy the Zipp Vum Quad over the Red and Shimano again. I would say no. The difference in performance is minimal if not less but the cost is double. If you were building an uber light bike though Zipp is the only crank sub 600 gms without going to THM Clavicla at 1400 dollars. I would take the money saved from buying the Zipp cranks and try to spend it somewhere else to make up the 150gms. Record UT cranks came with the smoothest BB without using ceramic bearings and I would not even bother changing those out. The downside to the FSA K Force light was not performance but they dont make a 53-39 chaingring in BCD110 compact and you cant use anyone elses compact chainrings. I hate proprietory products it can make products obsolete really fast.

Pedals: Speedplay Zero, Speedplay X series. I still regret getting the Titanium versions of these pedals over the stainless steel models due to the decrease pedal clearance of the the titanium over the steel. Save yourself money buy the steel versions, which have no rider weight limit. Still the best pedals in my opinion.

Brake calipers: Sram Red, Campy Record, Dura Ace,  Zero Gravity. Sram Red calipers are very good for stopping power and modulation, smoothest of the group with their sealed bearings. Zero Gravity are not the best for modulation but they can stop you in emergencies, however they are a pain to set up and keep straight if you do alot of wheel changes. Zero Gravity are sick light and makes them a must for a light setup. When the new soloist redesign comes out next year as rumored I will use Sram Red calipers on the regular carbon soloist. Campy and Shimano are rock solid and were the benchmarks for reliability and performance, only downside was their weight. I am getting the KCNC brakes next week and will update on those over the Zero Gravity. Remember when you stray away from Red, Shimano and Campy  brakes you are actually down grading in peformance to trade for weight. So don't expect pricier, lighter brakes are going to be better they trade weight for loss of some performance and reliability.

Ceramic bearing hybrid BBs: Sram Red, Enduro Zero, FSA. You can tell a difference with hybrid bearings well worth the upgrade. www.superflycycles.com 

Ceramic hybrid Pulleys: Sram Red, FSA, Enduro Zero pulleys from www.superflycycles.com make sure to never buy metal pulleys unless you want to double the sound of the drive train, you will make your drive train sound like tank tracks as the chain rolls over the pulleys, I made this mistake early and regretted it costing me 120 bucks for some ceramic bearing aluminum pulleys. Stick to plastic or delerin made pulleys like all the component manufacturers use they are the quiet and low friction.

Ceramic Bearings for wheels: Enduro Zero, HSC, VCRC. To close to say which is better but I can say with hybrid bearings I can get 3-4 mph on a specific downhill on max speed vs using OEM bearings. I am running Enduro Zero bearings on all my wheels now and really like them. Many say this is a waste of money but you can tell on steep fast downhills you can squeeze 3-4 mph more on top speed. Slower speeds I can't tell a difference between OEM and Hybrid bearings. The highest quality were the Enduro Zero bearings. Average wheel kit will run 220 bucks. You can buy the bearing press tool to work on all wheels for 190 bucks. I did this because I buy so many wheels and change out bearings so much it was cheaper to invest in the bearing press tool to install bearings myself, its very easy to do. www.superflycycles.com

Shoes: Shimano R300 and R220. These shoes are stiff and put the power down. They also have a plastic cup in the toe area to protect the shoes from toe or wheel overlap from our Cervelo frames. I love Sidi shoes and had the 6.6 for two months but the tips of the Sidi shoes are made from leather and were chewed up everytime I made a U turn on my Cervelo. Sidi shoes are not the stiffest but are comfortable to bad they didnt last long on my bike due to toe wheel overlap.

I also tested over 12k dollars in wheels and I have to say the Rolf Prima Series is the best for everyday trainning and racing performance. When you compare the Rolf Prima wheels to all other carbon and non carbon wheels they have the following advantages: Lightest aluminum clinchers, climb the best of all the wheels I tested, more aero than most deep section wheels and are durable. These wheels are way faster than my Zipp 404s and Mavic Ultimates when I tested them all on my favorite riding courses in every terrrain and was backed up by wind tunnel testing data. On my computrainer they put out the best wattage over any other wheels, I would say they have the best aero to weight ratio of any clincher wheel.

http://www.rolfprima.com/techinfo_aero_results.php make sure to click or unclick the wheels you want to see or not see to compare them.

Seriously if you have not tried these babies do yourself a favor you wont go back to other wheels. I have 5 sets of these wheels spanning 5 years and only trued one set one time, they seem bomb proof and perform so well I always come back to them. I would rank the wheels in the following order that I liked when tested: Rolf Prima Vigors, Rolf Prima Elan, Fulcrum zero, Mavic Ultimate, Campy Bora Ultra, Fulcrum racing speed carbon, Reynolds DV46C, Easton EC90 SLX aero carbon, Zipp 404 clinchers, Zipp 303 clinchers. All wheels were 07 and 08 models.

I am now going back to Clincher tires due to better performance, ease of maintenance and less headaches. For tires I run a zip tangente clincher or tubular on the front and Michelin Pro 2 or 3 in the rear unless its a tubular I run Vittoria Corsa Evo in the rear. I tested Michelin Latex tubes against the Michelin butyl tubes on my computrainer and on my Power Tap and the Michelin A1 butyl always performs better. I know latex is supposed to give you better crr but according to my testing the michelin A1 comp tubes are the best for rolling and power transfer.

Gore Ride on cables were the best cable system I have ever tried and comes standard with Sram Red. You can buy them on ebay for 54.00 bucks usually. I had Nokon cable system on for a while and didnt like them. Took an hour to install Nokon cables properly and shifting was not any better than OEM cables.

Lightest I got my bike was using Sram Red, Vuma Quad cranks, KCNC brakes, Mavic Ultimates for total of 13.2lbs.

If you are thinking about changing grouppos I would wait till next year when both Shimano and Record will release their updated drivetrains and the new BB30 crank standards settle out a bit. If you had to buy a grouppo now I would only go with the full line of Sram Red. You really dont need to upgrade any pieces in that group, save the money and put it towards wheels.

Wow, loving this review. 

I can't imagine ever trying all those items myself, so i always appreciate reviews.

Love all your set ups shown.

Dear Cervelo owner with a leash way longer than mine: 

Thanks for the interesting insights on your experiences with various components.  But as any good researcher knows, results must be repeated to increase their validity.  That being said, I would like to volunteer to repeat your research using the exact components that you used.  Of course as the primary researcher, I would expect you to underwrite the research by funding my aquisition of the needed components.  Please contact me at you earliest convienience with your credit card number so I can begin my data gathering.....

Ride On...

Paul

Messyparrot:

Wow, loving this review. 

I can't imagine ever trying all those items myself, so i always appreciate reviews.

Love all your set ups shown.

I found out after doing all these product testing that you cannot believe the hype. Some of the companies that hype their products the most had the most problems and cost the most. Some of the products that didn't hype at all had the best performance, quality control and durability. If you have any questions let me know. I think I spent over 25k US dollars when it was all said and done.

PDJensen:

Dear Cervelo owner with a leash way longer than mine: 

Thanks for the interesting insights on your experiences with various components.  But as any good researcher knows, results must be repeated to increase their validity.  That being said, I would like to volunteer to repeat your research using the exact components that you used.  Of course as the primary researcher, I would expect you to underwrite the research by funding my aquisition of the needed components.  Please contact me at you earliest convienience with your credit card number so I can begin my data gathering.....

Ride On...

Paul

LOL. Yeah the best I can do is give you my opinion on this stuff since I was not paid by any company to test this stuff. It all came out of my bank account and that made me more picky after I got the products and examined them. I dont care if I piss off any company. Just giving a consumer's report of what I got when I bought all these items. My tastes are going to be different than most but the main thing I found out is don't always believe the hype and professional online reviewers who get these products as swag or for free. I was dissappointed many of times after reading 3 or 4 website reviews of certain products and shelling out top dollar only to see obvious design flaws and quality control issues.

My favorite item that helped me test all these products was my faithful Cervelo SLC SL. It was the back bone of the all the tests.

Redcorn,

Have you any experiences on Mavic Ksyriums? -How are they compared to Fulcrum Zeros?

Which would you recommend in any case?

thx

JeppeJ

I owned two sets of Ksyriums including the newer ES version. I think they are very good daily trainning wheels and are sturdy. I don't like the fact that Mavic uses the steel carrier with that damned bushing that wears out every 3-4 thousand miles and has to be replaced to keep it from getting sloppy. The FTS paws are very restrictive and take about 2000 miles to break in, when compared to the Fulcrum which uses Campy Record internals which are very non restrictive its easy to pick Fulcrum. I owned the Fulcrum Zeros and can honestly say they are one of the better Clinchers next to Rolf Prima wheels. Surprisingly the Racing Zeros had almost the same aerodynamic wind tunnel numbers as the Zipp 303 and 404 where as the Ksyriums were not any where close in aerodynamics. If I were you I would get the Rolf prima Elan it is lighter, stronger, more aero and has the best free hub for coasting. Its also cheaper and out performs both of the above. The only draw back to the Fulcrum Zero was the red color which does not match my bike. The following wind tunnel results were done by the same people that test for Zipp and other professional teams.

http://www.rolfprima.com/techinfo_aero_results.php Make sure to unclick or click the wheels you want to compare.

Excellent review Redcorn.  Thank you.
I personally value opinions from other passionate riders who offer unbiased advice.  Let's face it: we are always at risk of buying marketing hype vs good quality products !

By the way, I am not clear about Speedplay zero vs Speedplay X series.
Which one would you recommend for a new Triathlete?

Thanks.  ALEX

ALEX-SG:

Excellent review Redcorn.  Thank you.
I personally value opinions from other passionate riders who offer unbiased advice.  Let's face it: we are always at risk of buying marketing hype vs good quality products !

By the way, I am not clear about Speedplay zero vs Speedplay X series.
Which one would you recommend for a new Triathlete?

Thanks.  ALEX

I like both models of Speedplay. I recommend not spending the extra money on the titanium models due to the shorter length of the titanium spindles which causes more heel rubbing or tighter clearance issues. Speedplay X series are the best for new riders and I raced on those for 10 years.

Pros of X series: 

1. The X series are also easier to clip in and out of. 
2. X series are also better on the knees so if you have knee issues get those.
3. X series are usually lighter than the Zero series when you factor the cleat weights into the equation

Speed play Zeros are good for that feeling like you are locked in, they are harder to clip in an out of but feel more secure. Personally I like the X series over the Zeros but for me its to late to switch back since I bought two sets for two different bikes. Another thing about the titanium models is that they have a rider weight limit. The stainless steel version of the X series weighs almost the same as the Zero titanium when factoring in the cleat weights.

Either way you cant go wrong with Speed Play they are dual entry, with the lowest profile of all pedals which equates to better aerodynamics and cornering angles.

Thanks Redcorn.  I follow your advice.  ALEX (@Singapore)

Redcorn

I have noticed that you dislike the Zipp 303s? -I own a pair of tubular 303's and haven't tried any other carbon wheels.. -In which way do they "disapoint"? -I'm 70-75 kg ...

Thanks

JeppeJ

JeppeJ:

Redcorn

I have noticed that you dislike the Zipp 303s? -I own a pair of tubular 303's and haven't tried any other carbon wheels.. -In which way do they "disapoint"? -I'm 70-75 kg ...

Thanks

JeppeJ

There are several reasons why I don't like the Zipp clincher series. Lets look at their advantages: They are supposedly light and supposedly aero and have the highest quality in build and materials. Your paying 2100 bucks for these advantages. Here is the irony, the 303 clincher weighs 1580gms and the Zipp 404 clincher weighs 1610gms, both are considered heavy in the high performance clincher category and have higher rim profiles which causes them to have  more cross wind handling issues even though Zipp says they don't. Aerodynamically both the 303 and 404 did not perform any better than the Fulcrum series wheels and lost to the Rolf wheels and these have lower rim profiles with less cross wind issues. Quality control issues such as the need to true them every 500-1000 miles or after large cattle guard hits at high speeds made them a chore to maintain, both of the wheels I owned had uneven lumps in the carbon rims similar to when you press on foam and it leaves an uneven surface. Spoke tension on both of my Zipps were inconsistent out of the box but I guess thats how they all are which would lead to more truing later on.

 The Rolfs and Fulcrums I owned never needed to be trued on the same roads, both are made from dependable strong old aluminium with great build quality. Power transfer and coasting was better with the Rolf and Fulcrum wheels. I fell into the Zipp hype and was dissappointed many of times, they have a genius marketing department. Break down every advantage they say they have over other wheels and you will see they fall behind in weight, aerodynamics, quality and cost. The tubular versions are better than the clinchers due to the weight issue but the aerodynamics is still behind others. Now that being said they are more aero than say Ksyriums, and many others but when you are spending 2100 bucks there are many other alternatives that are better is all. You can almost buy two sets of Rolfs or two sets of Fulcrums for the price of one set of Zipp wheels. Or better yet you can buy one set of Rolfs and one set of Fulcrums for a set of Zipps.

I am not a Zipp brand basher, I own their handlebars, bottle cages, Vuma Quad Cranks, wheels, but every time I get their products in my hand and use them they have let me down on quality of build and customer service. They got a big chunk of my bike budgets over the years but no more.  

If you are after a carbon rimmed clincher make sure to check out Reynolds DV 46 C I really liked that wheelet but its advantages are below the Rolf and Fulcrum. Another good one is the Aeolus 5.0C great build quality but again heavier and lower performance than Rolf or Fulcrum. To me it doesnt make since to own a carbon clincher unless its in the 1300 gm weight category and is more aero than the Rolf or Fulcrum low profile wheels. You are just asking for more maintenance and less peformance.

Hello Redcorn,

One more question if I may...

As per your advice, I am keen to go for the SPEEDPLAY X-Series Stainless Steel on my Soloist Team 2008.

I noticed there is another SPEEDPLAY model called "Light action".
What is your take on this one?  Is it an option to consider vs. X-Series if I plan to do occasional triathlons (20-40Km, avg speed 30-32km/h) ?

Thanks.  ALEX

ALEX-SG:

Hello Redcorn,

One more question if I may...

As per your advice, I am keen to go for the SPEEDPLAY X-Series Stainless Steel on my Soloist Team 2008.

I noticed there is another SPEEDPLAY model called "Light action".
What is your take on this one?  Is it an option to consider vs. X-Series if I plan to do occasional triathlons (20-40Km, avg speed 30-32km/h) ?

Thanks.  ALEX

 

The light action series was designed for entry level riders on a budget that have never used clipless pedals before and they are to light action to be used in serious riding. I don't think you would need something that easy. The X series is really a no brainer, you step in and pull out with minmal effort. The weight of the light action series is also a factor they are heavier. I would go with the X2 stainless steel and be done, that pedal will out last your bikes and can grow with you should you race seriously in the future. I think Speedplay does not endorse racing with the light action series. You might want to shoot them an email.