When considering the "gruppo," that is, component sets in their entirety, Shimano and Campagnolo decades ago sprinted ahead of all other components makers. Costs associated with engineering, tooling and intellectual property have proved formidable barriers to any challenge of the hegemony of these two brands.

Chief among unassailable component categries have been derailleurs, shifters, brake calipers and cassettes. You would've added to that cranks and hubs a few years ago, but various companies have blown through these barriers, and Tektro is one of several companies threatening to erode brake calipers from what remains of the Shimano gruppo. Indeed, while Campagnolo's smaller slice of the road market has at least been marked by gruppo integrity—Campy buyers tend to buy an entire group—a "Shimano-equipped" bike now often consists of just Shimano derailleurs, shifters and cassette.

Shimano's strangle-hold on the cassette is now also in peril. It would figure that this is one of the last component pieces to go, because cassette cogs are very difficult to make. The tooling investment is formidable, and the process difficult. That's if you can navigate through Shimano's patents, no easy feat.

Yet it seems SRAM has accomplished all of these things, and makes both a chain and a cassette that I last week placed on an otherwise 9-speed Dura Ace road race bike. The chain works basically the same way as my favored Wippermann chains I've been riding. There is a 2-piece master link—the PowerLink—that requires no chain tool to assemble, and takes the guesswork out of lining up the pin precisely (it's analogous to Wippermann's Connex link). Having popped a few 9- and 10-speed chains in my day while riding, I fancy I've pressed in my last pin. For me, it's Wippermann, or SRAM's chain, or something that uses a similar connection feature. Mind, it's not the chain I'm partial toward, it's the connector link.

The chain has hollow pins, which takes a bit of weight off, and I prefer this method of lightening a chain over the use of an exotic material like titanium. The chain is smooth, finely manufactured and looks like it was made in a watch factory. This is the sort of impression that gives me confidence. Just look at the small area of contact between the pin and the plate of your chain. If any of these pins becomes detached, the chain will fail and you may crash. There are certain things on which I don't scrimp and save, and chains are on that list.

SRAM's PG970 cassette has four 9-speed options: 12-26, 12-23, 11-23 and 11-21. For me, the 12-26 has the most utility, although I also acquired a SRAM 11-32 mountain bike cassette, designated PG990, for one of my road bikes that I'm setting up strictly as a climber. I've ordered a Shimano XTR rear derailleur for this bike, which shares the same indexing as Shimano's road derailleurs and for which I'll use a Dura Ace STI shifter. The XTR's longer cage is needed to accommodate the wide range of cassette cogs.

This pairing of SRAM cassettes and chains are what the CSC team rode last year in its grand tours and other races, and in this case there's no question of whether the pros get different equipment than the customers. The tooling is so cost prohibitive for components like these that everybody uses the same stuff. Inasmuch as I'm planning on moving over to FSA's Compact Drive cranks for most of my riding needs, I find myself paralleling the CSC team as regards drivetrain components.

Companies that have attempted to dethrone Shimano in the cassette department over the past decade have had little success, for one good reason. Their products did not function adequately. How did the SRAM parts work? The shifting was precise and smooth, no noise, no noticable friction, no hiccups.

Will SRAM's cassette work with my favored Wippermann chains? I've already demonstrated to my own satisfaction that there is interchangeability. I stuck one of SRAM's hollowpin chains on my Campy 10sp bike and it worked passably well. SRAM says yes, the chains work fine, but the PowerLink master link is a bit wide and might catch on a tooth. I therefore suspect I'll wait until SRAM actually produces a 10sp chain (rumored to be in the works) before I use it permanently on 10-speed drivetrains.

Otherwise, there appears to be entire interchangeability of SRAM, Campy and Shimano as regards chains on 9sp cassettes. The only lack of total overlap is in the indexing patterns of Campy and Shimano.

SRAM's offers three chains that will work on road bikes. It's model 99 sells for $50 and weighs 284 grams for 114 links. It's got hollow pins as does its cousin, the 89R. The latter also costs $50 and the only difference is that its outer plate is also hollow and the weight it therefore reduced to 271 grams. It's less-often used off-road because of grime build-up. There is one non-Hollowpin offering, the PC 89R, and if you can deal with 290 grams it sells for $37.

SRAM's road cassette is the PG970 and sells for $54 regardless of choice of gearing. This is a fine price for what you get, right between 105 and Ultegra. The MTB cassette is the PG990 and sells for $63. The cassettes can be used interchangeably, road and MTB.

SRAM's chains have been around since it inherited these designs from Sachs, a venerable French component company SRAM bought in 1997. The cassettes, however, come directly from SRAM's Chicago brain trust.

These chains and cassettes are first class consumables, and ought to be considered alongside those cassettes offered by Shimano. In my view, SRAM's chains join Wippermann in getting my nod ahead of Shimano and Campagnolo. Wippermann's one advantage over SRAM is its possession of a 10-speed chain, whereas SRAM has yet to make anything narrower than chains for 9-speed systems.

---