A YEAR OF SMOOTH SHIFTING
When I first got the chance to ride SRAM’s most affordable wireless groupset on Cycling Plus’s 2021 Bike of the Year winner, the Boardman SLR 9.4 AXS, I came away impressed with Rival’s performance. I’ve since had the 9.4 as a long-term test machine and put over 1600 miles into the bike. In that time the Boardman has had nine wheel changes plus lots of other upgrades, with the only consistent component being the Rival AXS group – and I’m still impressed by it.
WEIGHTY ISSUES
Yes, Rival AXS is heavier than SRAM’s other groupsets, Force and Red, and Shimano’s electronic offerings, but remember that it sits a level below everything else electronic on the market. At 6ft 2in/1.88m and 92kg/14.4st, I’m not exactly a flyweight myself and am far more interested in functionality (the Boardman SLR 9.4 size 58cm test bike is equipped with Zipp 303 Firecrest wheels, Zipp’s SL Sprint stem with Garmin mount, Ultegra pedals, two bottle cages, a rear light and 28mm tyres and tips the scales at 8.1kg), so a little extra weight in the groupset definitely hasn’t been a deal-breaker for me during
