SRAM‘s baseline road group, Rival, upgrades to Carbon for 2009, dropping 20g from the levers in the process.
This splits the difference in weight between it and the next group, Force (based on 2008 weights), putting the shifters at about 320g.  The bigger news, though, is that they now feature just about every spec that the top-of-the-line RED group had for 2008, including:
- zero-loss shifting mechanism
- dual cable routing options
- adjustable reach
- big-ring trim adjustment
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Read more and full gruppo pic after the break…
The new cable routing options allow for both the brake and shifter cables to be run along the front of the handlebar, improving comfort.  For comparison, the ’08 RED shifters weighed in at 280g and the new Dura Ace electric is claimed to weigh 255g.
The cranks also received a diet, dropping about 40g by using hollow forged aluminum crank-arms.  Complete group weight reduced to 2,149g.
The group gets a polished black look overall, and is the most heavily redesigned group level for 2009.
