The SRAM Rival Rear Derailleur promises high-end performance and reliability without breaking the bank. SRAM uses an all aluminum body and cage on the Rival rear derailleur, which keeps the cost down compared to the more exotic materials used on Red and Force.
Aluminum also has the distinct advantage of holding up better when it gets bonked off something and when it gets super muddy and cruddy, so the SRAM Rival Rear Derailleur is a great choice for the cyclocross crowd. SRAM Rival rear derailleurs use SRAM’s standard derailleur pulleys, not the ceramic BlackBox units found in Red, further keeping cost down.
If you were so inclined, you could retrofit the BlackBox ceramic pulleys to the SRAM Rival Rear Derailleur and have the smoothness of Red for less money, while only paying a slight weight penalty.
SRAM Rival rear derailleurs are compatible only with SRAM shifters, but will play nicely with Shimano chains, cassettes, and cranksets.
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