I'm looking for a new front derailleur. I've got a complete Sram Force group set. I've cleaned of most Force logo's. But now I'looking for a new braze on derailleur. It's going to replace my old Force one with clamp. I've got a nice new carbon clamp. Blend's in perfect with my 3k carbon frame.

I've looked at both specs but can't find a difference. Just that the Rival got more black in it. And the cage is not polished. But the weight is the same ???
Why should i go with Force or Rival ? I know red would even be better. But my budget has got it's limits.

Any wise words ?

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Everything is all right in the end, so if everything is not allright it's not the end

1. A FD is a very simple mechanism, nothing complex. Weight is the only factor truly separating derailleurs (excluding SRAM's 2012 Red with yaw).
2. Lighter weight products often cost more money.
3. The answer is in what you wrote.

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Exp001

The Force and Rival FD are the same. Go with Rival, especially if you don't care about the Force logo.

Edit:



This is not entirely true either. There is a lot more to a FD than a couple of flat plates moving a chain from side to side to side. Cage stiffness matters. I'm sure you've heard of people complaining that the Red Ti cage is too flexy. Cage shape also matters. If you really take a close look at an FD cage, there are a bunch of bumps and ridges that weren’t placed there on accident. The FD, chain, and chainrings are all part of a system that produces a good shift.

That's very debateable

the old red cage is titanium, which many feel is too flexy, and offers poorer performance than steel. You'll find many people with full red groups except the front derailleur, or a custom red front with a steel cage.

FWIW, I run a force front on my full red bike and my commuter. I honestly didn't bother checking the difference between it and rival for my commuter bike, as the price difference was less than $5, and I was happy with the force on my other bike.

The new red though, might very well shift that much nicer.

Considering I have seen red derrailerss go for $50 and I have run the old silver one and new black on my bike, I wouldn't see why not go with one of those, after all this is WW

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@racecarbrian