I guess since the new stuff came out all I hear is raving about that and saying how 7900 was a bit of a miss.
For me I am having a hard time adjusting to SRAM with its one lever.
So is the 7900 shifting components still strong enough for racing? Is it hard to keep adjusted?
I was planning on using TRP R970 SL brakes, would they match up with the 7900 levers?

Thanks dudes. Your the best.

No. 7900 i impossible to race with. IMPOSSIBLE!

What do you mean ?

I've ridden it for 2 seasons. Works excellent. No races however. But what's the difference?

I would rather say that S Red is not strong enough for racing because it is soft (it's bending)...I would prefer choose DA.

_________________
Fahrrad isch misch Läbä

+1.

Ha, thanks guys, "Is it strong enough for racing?" That's a stupid question but I kinda ment is it hard to keep working well. Sounds like it isn't. Thanks.

I've used 7900 for years and if correctly fitted and adjusted it works perfectly. I'm not going to be upgrading anytime soon due to cost and free hub compatibility.

_________________
Ti or dye!

The Weenie formally known as CAADHEAD

7900 works fine but its more sensitive to friction than other groups, meaning over time any added wear in the drivetrain or cables and the shifting will degrade faster. I always notice that if I ride consecutive days in bad weather conditions the shifting usually goes to shit.

I find SRAM Red to be far superior to shimano 7900. The lever throw is far softer (good thing!). Is this what you guys mean by flex? I think some of you may have your priorities mixed up. Stiffness in the frame, crank, wheels etc is good. Stiff lever throw is bad! The new 9000 group supposedly requires 60% less lever force to go through the gears. I cant wait to have it replace my 7900 group. hasta la vista 7900!

_________________
Canyon Ultimate SLX 2013 + DA9070 + Red Quarq + Corima Aero+ MCC (Ordered! 6.0kg)
Canyon AeroRoad + DA9000 + Lightning Power2Max + MCU's (6.5kg)
Cervelo P4 + G3 Powertap (7.78kg)
Cervelo SLC + SRAM Red 2013 + Red Quarq (6.8kg)

Are you serious?

I had to re-do cables on SRAM more than Shimano. Campag the least of the lot.

Given what 7900 would be going for now, it's 100% fine for racing.

_________________
Baum Ristretto, Baum Mondrian Corretto & the '89 Merckx! | "If you could eat it in one sitting, hold your line." | twitter.com/Tinea_Pedis

This bodes well for my plans to ride (mechanical) Shimano 2x10 for the foreseeable future, and populate my spares cupboard accordingly. Go get rid of that old junk, fellas!

_________________
Bikes: Raceur, Beateur

My Tarmac started life with Sram Red and after 6 months and countless changes/adjustments/shop time, I had my dealer just take it all off and put 7900 on it. That was a little over 2 years ago and my gear train performance has been flawless since. It shifts perfect and feels great. The only change that I have made on it was to put Gore Ride-on shifter cables on it. Smooth, refined and elegant feeling. I purchased a spare 7900 group that is sitting in my closet waiting for my next build. I don't plan on ever having Sram on my road bike again.

"7900 works fine but its more sensitive to friction than other groups, meaning over time any added wear in the drivetrain or cables and the shifting will degrade faster. I always notice that if I ride consecutive days in bad weather conditions the shifting usually goes to shit."

To the poster who wrote the above - you simply have a little dirt/etc. in the housing loop at the rear derailleur. Pull the housing out of the stop, wipe the cable with a touch of light lube, and your're good to go. A 30 second piece of maintenance, not a flaw in your groupset. If you ride in bad weather often enough (or to save decrease your maintenance time if you race cross), just use sealed cables here if not everywhere on your bike,

Is 7900 good enough for racing ? You've got to be kidding. This (and significantly inferior prior generations as well as all Campy and SRAM mid to high level stuff) has been used to win grand tours, cobbled classics, etc. It will hold up to a cat 4 parking lot crit (or several thousand of them) pretty well. Fairly absurd question - had to be said. Flame away.

I never had a group that needed less maintenance. 7900 is simply flawless.

This is some great answers. I was too planning on red for a rebuild but also on 7900 since they can bad had much cheaper on the bay. I went for two years on my 7800 with not so much as an adjustment and I ride rain or shine. My friend who has a year old tri bike with red that only rides in good weather makes adjustments all the time. The question would be how does the 2013 red stack up to 7900.......

I'm riding Sram Rival levers with Force rear derailleur and 7900 front derailleur (both derailleurs are tuned)
I ride this setup in all conditions and never ever had to adjust a thing. In my opinion the key point for a good working groupset (all groupsets) is cable and housing length and routing. I spend a lot of time in trimming my housings when i install them and don't have to look after them when finished.

_________________
I Will make the leap