Dean Shaff Personal Blog: Sram Rival 1x Hydro first 40 miles review

After moving to NYC for the summer, I found myself in need of a new bike. The bike I rode across the country last summer was always a little too small for me, and after growing about half an inch in the last year, it really doesn't fit me anymore. I was going to bring a bike to NYC for commuting, but it got stolen out of my car when I was visiting San Francisco. Luckily the one that got stolen was kind of a piece of junk. It was a fixed gear strapped to a cheap origin8 frame. The one thing I liked (and now miss) were the larger volume tires and the wide mountain bike handlebars. There's something about rolling around on a fixed gear with wide-ass bars that just puts a smile on my face.

Anyways, I found a sweet ride on craigslist and I'm now rolling around on a GT grade 56 cm with Sram Rival Hydro 1x. As sort of a bike geek, I spend a lot of time reading bike reviews -- of wheels, cranks, tires, and complete bikes. One thing in particular always stands out to me. Reviewers have an uncanny ability to determine how compliant or stiff components and bikes are. They usually contrast different bikes, talking about how some are "harsh," and others are able to "soak up road buzz." I do not have to ability to tell two different bike frames apart. As much as I want to tell you that my Cannondale SuperSix is "laterally stiff and vertically compliant," especially compared to the steel Bianchi it replaced, I can't. It feels like a bike that's been set up properly to fit my body. When I'm fit and flexible, I can ride very fast on that bike, and it's a joy. The area around Iowa City has these smooth tarmac roads, with no nasty potholes or bumps, and there that bike is king. Some of my favorite riding memories are from riding with Tom (my dad) on summer days so beautiful it kind of makes you feel spoiled. The point is that I don't have a very discerning butt, so as long as I'm on some slightly underinflated 25c+ tires I'm a happy camper.

The first ride I took on my new bike was in the rain. Now, I've used disc brakes before, and they're awesome in the rain. That said, I've never used hydraulic disc brakes before. They're awesome. I've always been skeptical of hydraulic disc brakes coming to road bikes (the GT grade is more of an "adventure" or "gravel" bike due to its tire clearance) because I've always seen it as unnecessary. I'm a convert now. It's clear to me now that I'm going to have a hard time going back to regular rim brakes -- even the Ultegra calipers on my Crabondale. Not only can I stop on a dime, I can do it in a controlled fashion, with a single finger. I don't think the Rival hydro brakes were designed to be used with a single finger, but they're powerful enough that I can. Hydraulic disc brakes might seem especially superfluous in the city, but I think that they're perfect here. Riding in the city is a lot of sprinting out of the saddle, weaving in between cars and occasionally having to slam on the brakes. With more powerful brakes, I feel that I can ride faster because my stopping distance is reduced.

I haven't missed the front derailleur. In fact, I haven't really thought about the lack of a front derailleur. I just shift and quit worrying about it. Rival shifting is quick, with nice feedback going both up and down the cassette. I don't really have too much to say because it's wonderfully unremarkable.

As far as the looks, I think the tall shifters look badass, especially with the grey frame and fatty tires. I remember when I first looked at the Sram hydro stuff and I thought it was terribly ugly. Now I think it's cool. Maybe one day I'll even come around to the new 105 hydro stuff. I doubt it though -- that shit is truly repulsive.