Focus Cayo Expert SRAM 2009 test...ongoing

As to Red being more expensive than Campag or Shimano - yes, it is if you buy it afetrmarket - that's part of SRAM's strategy to turn it into a premium brand - the other bit is that the price to manufacturers using ti as OE is cheaper than Campag or Shimano - it's in SRAM's interests to get as much of it out there as quickly as possible.

Anyway, there's not point swapping the SRAM Red off for Campag - you might just as well get the Focus Cayo Expert Campa - mind you, I'd say you get better wheels on the SRAM version, more expensive any way. Which sort of proves my point about SRAM Red being expensive as an after market option but less expensive as original equipment.

As to all reviews of SRAM's road gruppos being universally good - mine wasn't and the original reviews of Force were decidedly mixed. I've ridden Force and I liked everything about it, except the shift itself, the shifting action was fine, but the actual shifts were sticky, and it missed quite a few, and it wasn't good under pressure. Give me Ultegra SL any day. I've put in a few miles on Red and ridden Dura Ace 7900 too - I'll take the latter - just. Mind you, I've met people paid to ride both Dura Ace and Red and who don't like either of them*… there's no pleasing some.

*Not that you'd get them to say that on the record (if you'll pardon the pun).

there's surely no way that the frame can account for a 10% difference in measured power, especially in a controlled environment such as a turbo session. if it was eating up 20W of power then the only way it would be able to dissipate it would be as heat, and i'm assuming you'd notice if your bike was getting hot

The reason I give the SRAM groupo, and I will say this is for 2009, a 'hands down' vote are more precise shifting, zero loss technology, weight and of course double tap. I should have said the reviews I have read have mostly been for RED and Force 2009 although 2008 did also gain excellent feedback.

SRAM I feel have really have revolutionised road bike shifting. Double tap is a complete new approach and with zero loss this takes it a step further. I know most roadies do love Campy for their heritage and this I understand.It does though look with SRAM coming onboard this did force them to take alook at their product and come out with the 11 speed setup. As I previously said I have not ridden it so cannot comment but reviews of this have been positive.

It will take time for SRAM to break the monopoly of Campy and Shimano as a fairly new entry to the road bike market but their 2009 products do hold up to the best that the big two offer. Of course Lance riding SRAM will do them no end of favours.

Of course at the end of the day it is all about personal taste and this is my personal opinion.

Red certainly is easy to use - and the Double Tap shift is mightily impressive, the other thing that is good about all three of the SRAM gruppos is how comfortable the hoods are.

No doubt about it there is a big divide in the road world between Campag and Shimano, and Red is only going to complicate that.

One thing you can be sure of though is that most bike testers have gone well beyond personal preference - I genuinely have no favourite any more in terms of the way they work - all have their strong points. From a bike testing point of view a groupset has to be judged on the combination of performance, value and durability it offers. The problem for any bike tester when evaluating a completely new groupset is in evaluating it's long term durability - to do that you really have to live with it and ride it day in day out for months rather than weeks… not many bike firms want to give you there high end bike for that long

One thing you can be assured of though is that no bike tested on road.cc is ever going to get marked down because it has Shimano, SRAM or Campag on it.