I *HATE* squealing brake pads, so I'm willing to trade off longevity for quiet with the organic compound. I rarely have the dreaded squeal. Maybe at the beginning of the ride after toting the bike in the rain on the back of the car or on a super long descent after a nasty muddy section. Riding in Vermont through mud, gravel and dust with frequent 3 mile 1,000 foot descents I've gone through these pads pretty frequently. I get maybe 800-1,200 miles out of them. Relative to my road bike clincher brakes, it feels insane, but I guess that's what progress is all about.
Okay, I haven't bought into purchasing the newest Sram Red chain (E1) yet. Just because they say it's a matter of grams lighter doesn't mean I trust the strength just yet. I remember going from 10 speed to 11 speed and many different manufacturers had durability and reliability issues. So until I have to pony up and purchase the new E1 chain I am going to stick with what works for me and my riding style.
High wattage climbing and higher than average torque. And that equates to possible drivetrain issues, Hence going with the tried and true Sram Red D1 chain.
Found out the hard way that you absolutely need this to install SRAM 'stealthamajigs'. Be generous; give the barb a good coating and put plenty on the little red guy and the 8mm nut threads. Tighten to 8 nm, which is a goodly amount of torque for something that small, and no tears. Skip one of these steps and you might not have a leak, but you'll be asking for one. That said you'd have to repair about 10,000 brake lines to ever use up the jar, assuming you never forgot to put it away properly and didn't pollute the whole batch. A little foil packet would make a lot more sense.
If Beyonc' were a bicycle, she'd wear the SRAM Red D1 12-Speed Chain to the Grammys.
This thing is gold-plated bike jewelry, and it lets everyone knows you're not here to casually pedal to brunch ' you're here to win, or at least look like you do. The moment I installed it, I swear my bike gained at least 10 watts of smugness. Birds flew alongside me. Strangers nodded in approval. A barista gave me a free espresso. Coincidence? I think not.
The shifting? Smoother than a jazz saxophone on satin sheets. You could sneeze and accidentally shift three gears ' perfectly. No clunks, no hesitation, just buttery transitions like your derailleur suddenly got a master's degree in finesse.
Durability? Let's just say it laughs in the face of dirt. I rode through mud, sand, and what might've been a cursed swamp. It came out cleaner than my conscience after blaming my slow pace on a 'headwind' (there wasn't one).
Downsides? Sure. It's not cheap, ' but then again, neither is style, performance, or an ego boost that makes you feel like the Tour de France just started at your driveway.
Final Verdict:
5/5 stars.
Gold, fast, reliable, and slightly bougie.
Just don't let it catch you wearing socks with sandals.
