SRAM

I upgraded the standard crank on my Force D1 2x 43/30. This crank connection works reliably, and the readouts are in line with all my other power meter spiders and pedals from SRAM and Garmin. Beware that you only get the left side crank arm, so if you upgrade a D1 series like I did, you'll have a mismatched right-side crank arm, unless you also buy a separate E1 series crankset. There's also a D1 left crank arm power meter upgrade that may still be available for similar situations.

I would recommend anyone buying a gravel bike in 2026 target SRAM Rival as the best bang for the buck group set available. Almost all of the RED tech has trickled down to this price point.

I purchased this cassette with new Zipp XPLR wheels from BTD. I appreciate their free service of mounting the cassette to the new wheel before shipping. Saves a little bit of work! Very happy with the appearance and shift quality of this cassette.

I made the switch from Campy Ekar GT to Force XPLR 1x. After swapping driver to XDR and dropouts to UDH on my bike wheels/bike (Fairlight Secan) the group installed easily. I chose to save a few $$ by using a Wolf Tooth chainring. Works great, looks better IMO than OEM. After around 100 miles of local gravel and tarmac to shake things down--group performed flawlessly--I took it to D2R2, the legendary 100 mile gravel event in New England. Again, flawless performance. After many hours in the saddle, one finger braking and the ability to shift gears with a gentle tap from any finger is very welcome. I love the seamless integration with my Hammerhead Karoo head unit (and never needing to look at the cassette to see which gear I'm in!). I have to say it's also a relief not to be hostage to the Campagnolo ecosystem.

I've tried this as well as the Force level cassette. They both shift the same, and equally quiet. For a little added weight and a lot less dollars, Rival makes sense to me especially for cassettes that wear and need eventual replacements. One side benefit - I appreciate that the largest cog is aluminum, as it's less likely to mar the free hub body. Another side benefit - on gravel I spend a lot of time on the largest cogs, and the Rival is all steel except for the largest one, which means it may even last longer than the more expensive tiers. At the same time, the large cogs don't nearly wear as fast, so if weight is a priority, then the Force may be the sweet spot.