SRAM AXS Front Derailleur Setup issues.....

[DaveS]

I bought a bargain Cinelli superstar disc frame and built it up with force axs, so I got to setup the FD from scratch, with another shimano grx 46/30 crank. It shifted fine from the start, but in the big/big the top of the chain lightly touched the FD cage, so I had to raise it a tiny amount. Scribing a short mark on the hanger, at the bottom or top of the FD mount provides a reference mark, to make a small movement.

Another trick I use is feeler gages or drill bits to measure the gap between the crank arm and the small screw that holds the tail of the cage together, once l have the cage properly aligned. If the cage moves when tightening the clamp bolt you'll know it and be able to correct the misalignment.

[akaspin]

Finally I got SRAM AXS Front Deraileur Set Up Tool with Force AXS Group (not wide) for my wife's endurance bike. Tool works well in terms of alignment and saves tons of time but have one issue in case of limit screws is turned or slight discrepancy of frame geometry. If the user tightens the mounting bolt forcibly the deraileur may be damaged. The H-Limit screw should be tuned before. I think that this was the reason why SRAM tries to rework the tool.

[tepextate]

Debating on moving over to SRAM Red AXS and this thread is scaring the shit out of me. Is AXS this finicky, or is this the case of an unlucky individual (who I very much empathize with)?

[DaveS]

I can't imagine how you can damage a FD while installing it. Just remember to adjust the big ring limit when the FD is shifted to the big ring, per SRAM's instructions.

As for whether axs is finicky, there's no way to know. I've done 6 installations with no special tool and had zero problems, but I don't use sram cranks. A flashlight is needed to see the alignment window stamped into the cage.

[Andrew69]

Debating on moving over to SRAM Red AXS and this thread is scaring the shit out of me. Is AXS this finicky, or is this the case of an unlucky individual (who I very much empathize with)?

I just received my new Canyon with Red AXS, so I didnt set it up, but it has been flawless. I have it set to sequential shift and when it shifts from the small ring to the big ring, 95% of the time I didnt even notice. The only time I did notice was when I happened to be at the top of the pedal stroke and it ever so slightly slows the leg speed over the top of the stroke.
Im super impressed so far and have nothing but praise for the groupset

[Vivo3d]

Yes - should be on trainer because then it's level. In the stand if clamped on seatpost it's on a steep unrealistic angle.

With dub BB as well - I'm using Wheels MFG bb. I have 1 spacer on the drive side. Sram states 3mm on drive side.

Wonder why they recalled the tool? It got mine setup reasonably well for the height and alignment. Limits are just the pain.

Actually, they didn't recall it. It is not available for sale to end users - I know, doesn't make sense. I'm in Europe and the only online shops that had it on sale were in Switzerland. Cost? Something around 5 Euros. Shipping? Something around 20 Euros. So I contacted SRAM (USA), which confirmed that the tool does exist. So they passed the ticket to the German customer service. Their awnser: "It is not available for sale but only available to shops and mechanics. Just contact your LBS and tell them to order it from us - what they end up doing with it, is not our problem". So I contacted 2 of the online shops I use most - one said no and the other one asked me to forward the email from SRAM. Couple of days later I get the email that it is on the way (from the shop). Cost: 0 Euro. Shipping: on the shop. So yeah, just ask your LBS or the online shop you use the most if they can contact SRAM for you and then send it to you.

"Hi xxx,
sorry for the delay. Do you live in Germany? If so, you may ask any trusted bike shop in your region. Please ask them to just create an order for our Service so they can send out the needed FD tool. We are sorry but that's the only way to get your hands on that, for now. They have to play as the rule book wants them to. So any registered bike shop of your liking is able to create an order and ask for that tool, it then will get send free of charge.

Sorry for the inconveniences.
Regards,
SRAMTech Europe"

[HappyGuy]

According to the Sram Frame specs Doc (p. 33) the small and big chain rings need to be 39.9mm and 47.7mm from center of BB for all 12 speed crank chain ring combos except the 43-30 wide. I will go back to these specs and the Sram FD Installation video in the attempt to prevent the dreaded chain drop. I've also experienced the chain drop to the outside despite several micro adjustments to the high limit screw and FD cage line up w/ big chain ring. I'm new to the AXS drivetrain on a new build. I feel like a blind mouse searching for crumbs on this topic. This forum has been very helpful in feeding the mouse a few crumbs. He is eternally grateful in the pursuit of vanquishing the Sram FD gremlins and stuffing his pie hole!

https://www.sram.com/globalassets/docum ... 0-road.pdf

https://www.sram.com/en/service/models/fd-frc-e-d1

[HappyGuy]

I am happy to report no more outboard chain drops during today's ride! The last micro tweaks to the Force AXS FD position must have done the trick. I kept the cage at 1mm above the tallest teeth on the big ring. I turned the cage slightly past parallel to the inside of the big ring in relation to the 2 white lines on the cage. I set the high limit screw about .5mm further inboard so that it was just barely not touching the chain when in the highest gear. I have but did not use the Sram FD tool for these adjustments at all. So that's it. It is doable co-Sram AXS users.

[Feehliks]

Yes it is! Same experience here. Go very strictly by the manual.

[Cento]

feel sorry for the OP on his frame,,my 5 days old Force AXS FD is working fine with my Quarq PM 11 speed chainring ,I just need to ease a bit while shifting small ring to big.I just followed the manual instructios with some good eye and flashlights..I agree in the comments that you cannot shift small to big ring while on the smllest cog,it needs to be atleast in the 3rd or middle cog,this a dumb Sram design but its just a matter of getting used to,,Honestly I love the new AXS group.

[jbattermann]

Does anyone know where to order that install tool mentioned half way in the thread? This one: https://support.sram.com/hc/en-us/artic ... -eTap-AXS- ?

[FlatlandClimber]

UK: https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tools/sram- ... l/?geoc=DE

Otherwise, difficult to find online. However, sram says it is directly shipped to dealers, so you might contact them.

[BadBoyR]

UK: https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/tools/sram- ... l/?geoc=DE

Otherwise, difficult to find online. However, sram says it is directly shipped to dealers, so you might contact them.

I ordered one of these today as Carbon Ti forgot to include it with my replacement chain ring, according to them it is required to install the chain ring successfuly.

[FlatlandClimber]

Definitely also possible without that...

[naavt]

Not trying to scare anyone here but I'm going to share my experience with SRAM, and I'm going to try to be as succinct as I can be:

Bought a new bike September last year. An Orbea Orca OMX M21eLTD-D with SRAM Force AXS. My first bike outside Campagnolo groupsets, but at the time the only electronic groupset from Campag was SR and I thought it was a barbaric choice to pay more than 4000 euros for a groupset alone, so with a big sad face I acknowledged that it was time to move away from Campag and try another stuff.

So my experience with SRAM from September to December was:

1. Endless chain drops from the front derailleur to a point where it was inconsistent. One day de FD throwed my chain inwards, the other day outwards.
2. Endless pit stops at my LBS to see what was going on, with the guys scratching their head, reading SRAMs instructions from start to end, taking all sort of measurements with digital callipers and using SRAMs own FD installation tool. Nothing worked!
3. Endless emails with SRAM trying to solve this issue.
4. Endless times that I've asked my mother and some of my friends to pick me up 70/80/90 kms from home just because the chain was stuck between the frame and the smaller chainring with no way to get out, even with a chain drop protector installed.
5. A very scuffed BB after all this, even though it was film protected at first.

At this point, the owner of my LBS told the mechanic to replace my Force FD with a new RED one that they had in store, just to see if it was an issue with the Force derailleur.

To be honest, at the time I think myself that I finally had the solution to all this and that was a suggestion that the owner could have made earlier than later but…

…The same thing happened with the RED derailleur.

The solution to all this was my LBS accepting my SRAM Force in exchange (plus difference obviously), for a Campag SR EPS groupset that I'm still waiting from December until now.

Orbea were fantastic replacing my frame for a new one, since the bike was bought with a complete build with the SRAM Force, and they accepted the scuffed frame with a warranty claim.

For the ones that might be thinking that this story is so unbelievable to be true, I can share SRAM emails and a bunch of photos to prove all this!

I don’t have nothing to say to the ones who argue that SRAM is the best there is, but to each their own. I had enough from SRAM and I’m never buying a single stuff from them again, except wheels (since I’m using Zipp), but that’s not a groupset!