Sram Rival 1 VS Force 1Updated 7 months ago

We love 1x drivetrains here at Planet X. A number of the advantages of a 1 x drivetrain come from the simplicity of the system. You don’t get chain rub, your bike is quieter, and there is less chance of dropping the chain on bumpy terrain. As a result of all this you’ll usually find these on a Mountain bike or Gravel bike Both the Rival and Force 1 have wide-ranging cassettes designed to be versatile enough for road and adventure riding. 

When it comes to changing gears, the Rival 1 is very easy to use. It features one paddle that allows you to shift up and down the entire cassette. Therefore, you quickly get used to how it shifts. This is a similar case with the Force 1, as it also uses a single gear lever to change up and down the cassette. 

Both Force and Rival give you precise and reliable gear changes.  All Sram 1 x groupsets an X-Sync chainring. This features tall teeth with square edges to sync with the chain better. This is a feature found on mountain bikes, as is the sharp and narrow tooth profile to help keep the chain on the ring. Functionally, the Rival and Force 1 groupsets are identical. but the Rival is slightly heavier due to the materials used. For example, the Rival uses aluminium brake levers, while the Force uses carbon fibre items. 

Both the Rival and Force 1 groupsets use hydraulic brakes for superior braking power and feel. Although these SRAM groupsets are designed for multiple uses, they suit adventure, touring, and cyclocross bikes best. They both have wide gaps between the gears, meaning that it is occasionally difficult to find the cadence sweet spot. As a result you’ll still find 2 x 11 groupsets on our road bikes. 

1x groupsets give riders another option that will suit specific niches of riding. The people who prefer them are mainly adventure riders and gravel racers who want to simplify their drivetrains and reduce the chance of mechanical failures. You will be hard pushed to notice the difference between Force 1 and Rival 1 in use. But if you want to shave off some grams and are willing to pay the extra. Force is the way forward.