Dura-Ace 7900 vs. SRAM Red?

Andrew has good taste in bikes; he is looking at buying a Trek Madone 5.9 which we think is a great frame. His problem is whether to have it fitted out with either Shimano Dura-Ace 7900 or with SRAM Red? Here is our opinion.

Question:

I am buying a new Madone 5.9 and debating to put on dura ace 7900 or sram red. 

Just wanted your opinion.  Thanks

Hi Andrew.

The Trek Madone is a very good choice, I didn’t like previous Trek road frames, but the Madone has everything you want and need from a road bike with loads of class and style. Your problem is one that most of us have when buying a new bike, I see you are not considering Campagnolo; this makes our job a little easier.

Both Group Sets are around the same weight (I think Dura-Ace is slightly lighter), both work very well with accuracy and comfort. The regular price of the SRAM seems to be much less than the Dura-Ace, but the Shimano group set has dropped in price and there are bargains if you look for them, so we had better leave the cost for you to decide on!

The gear change on the two systems is different, the Shimano works with the two levers, one being the brake lever and the other a smaller lever behind it, one for up and the other for down. Now the SRAM levers use their double tap system which uses only one lever which changes the gear depending on how much you “tap” the lever.

If you have used either or both of them you will know what I’m talking about, you get used to one system over another, but it’s easy to adapt from one to another, it comes down to personal preference. The other choice that comes down to personal preference is the shape of the brake lever body; you must try them both to see which will suit your hand size and shape.

 

Personally I like the look of the SRAM chain set and prefer carbon to alloy, Shimano didn’t use any carbon previously, but now they have carbon brake levers, maybe they will start to use more carbon in the future, like on their new chain sets. Both bottom brackets work on the same principle and can not be faulted. This also goes for the brakes as they are both superb to use.

I think your decision should be based on the fit of the levers to your hands and which system of gear change you prefer as both groups are top class.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.