SRAM AXS Front Derailleur Setup issues.....

[andy4g63]

At all of the above asking for the 3 hours setup.

It takes 15 min or so to setup the FD.

I was just sort of making sure that doesn't drop the chain and was just sitting there with more than one beer/ which might have contributed to the prolonged time/.

So I was just shifting hundreds of times in any gear combo over and over

P.S That's with oval chainrings.

The end result is the most important. Cheers

[MattMay]

I just bought a double chainring to convert my single to get a bit more top end…running Force AXS so will give BoBones’s method a go as described and report back. Seems simple and common sense enough.

BoBones, might be cool to do a quick private YouTube for other folks who want to give your method a go but don’t have a lot of experience home wrenching, are hesitant to tinker or can’t visualize what you’re describing.

[bobones]

2 questions:

1. What makes you assume that those who have had difficulties haven't tried the methods you list?
2. Please point out where I said SRAM was crap.

1. I am not disputing that some people have tried everything and gone beyond what could be reasonably expected to get satisfactory shifting and have failed (gSporco for example). What I am saying is that it's relatively easy to get overshifts even if you've followed the instructions carefully, but this can still be corrected in many cases.
2. I didn't say you had, but people are being told they're being patronising when trying to help others who come to this thread looking for advice, and the group seems to be promoting the line that front shifting on AXS is poor generally, and users should just accept that it doesn't work well. I'll agree that the system is far too sensitive to small changes in setup, but in many (most?) cases it can be setup to work without dropping or overthrowing. Just because some highly skilled and resourceful people have failed to get it working doesn't mean that it will be the same for everyone else, and if watching the videos or reading the manuals is the best starting point for success, then it isn't patronising to say so.

How do you know that most mechanics are too lazy to read manuals and follow instructions? Sorry but do you not realize how ignorant that statement is?

OK, that was a poor choice of words. I should've said, "many shop mechanics will be too busy or stubborn to read manuals or watch videos" rather than "most mechanics are too lazy". My point is that this is a job, like changing a flat tyre, that you can do yourself, and as the saying goes, if you want something done well ...

I just bought a double chainring to convert my single to get a bit more top end…running Force AXS so will give BoBones’s method a go as described and report back. Seems simple and common sense enough.

BoBones, might be cool to do a quick private YouTube for other folks who want to give your method a go but don’t have a lot of experience home wrenching, are hesitant to tinker or can’t visualize what you’re describing.

I was messing around with my SK yesterday and it was still surprising how much difference some small changes made to the shifting. I was getting overthrows every 10th shift or so on the 6th cog and the chain was slipping off in big-big after I thought I'd redone the setup correctly. I still wasn't entirely happy after playing around with the limit screws, so took off the chain and wheel, realigned the cage, set the wedge, and it was all perfect the second time around!? I've thought about making a video of this, but no one would be able to understand my Glasgwegian accent!

BTW, I am just repeating ideas I picked up from other users such as Nickldn and akaspin earlier in this thread, so don't credit me for the method. Hopefully you don't need to go this far!

[BdaGhisallo]

I am not trying to inflame things here but it strikes me, having been keeping up with the last few days of posts in this thread after ignoring it for a while, how much of a challenge it is to get SRAM shifting properly. I've never used SRAM but in my 23 years of using Shimano and 10 years before that of using Campy, I don't ever recall having any such issues with the front shifting of any of their FDs.

I admire the tenacity of those tinkering to get these SRAM FDs sorted, but I think I would have long ago chucked the things in the garbage if it had been me - massive spend or not.

[bobones]

I haven't found AXS all that difficult to get right, but it's certainly easy to get wrong, and it has been impossible for some folks for sure. It's a valid criticism of the system, no doubt. I have always found 11-speed eTap to be much harder to get right than AXS, and just like gSporco, I have suffered the pain of trashed paintwork on a new bike due to eTap inside chain drops.

FWIW, I've been having a lot more trouble with my R7000 group than any SRAM stuff lately. The rubber shifter hoods are a loose fit and keep slipping off to the side which really gets on my goat - this is my second set of hoods. My left shifter has developed a mode where if you click the little lever when it's already in the little ring, the next swipe of the big lever doesn't engage but then works the next swipe. This seems related to cable tension, but I can't adjust it away so I think something is broken in the shifter. Also, I cannot get the RD to shift from the smallest cog on the first click without upsetting the indexing elsewhere despite checking hanger alignment, changing inner and outer cables, swapping chains and cassettes. I have come to the conclusion my RD cage has too much play and needs replaced or perhaps a 105 chain rather than a KMC one will pick up the ramps better. Anyway, I have spent way much more time trying to perfect the shifting on 105 than on any my AXS stuff of late. One of the reasons I prefer electronic is that once it's set up and working well, it stays that way, and performance doesn't degrade due to friction or the elements.

[raggedtrousers]

2 questions:

1. What makes you assume that those who have had difficulties haven't tried the methods you list?
2. Please point out where I said SRAM was crap.

1. I am not disputing that some people have tried everything and gone beyond what could be reasonably expected to get satisfactory shifting and have failed (gSporco for example). What I am saying is that it's relatively easy to get overshifts even if you've followed the instructions carefully, but this can still be corrected in many cases.
2. I didn't say you had, but people are being told they're being patronising when trying to help others who come to this thread looking for advice, and the group seems to be promoting the line that front shifting on AXS is poor generally, and users should just accept that it doesn't work well. I'll agree that the system is far too sensitive to small changes in setup, but in many (most?) cases it can be setup to work without dropping or overthrowing. Just because some highly skilled and resourceful people have failed to get it working doesn't mean that it will be the same for everyone else, and if watching the videos or reading the manuals is the best starting point for success, then it isn't patronising to say so.

How do you know that most mechanics are too lazy to read manuals and follow instructions? Sorry but do you not realize how ignorant that statement is?

OK, that was a poor choice of words. I should've said, "many shop mechanics will be too busy or stubborn to read manuals or watch videos" rather than "most mechanics are too lazy". My point is that this is a job, like changing a flat tyre, that you can do yourself, and as the saying goes, if you want something done well ...

I just bought a double chainring to convert my single to get a bit more top end…running Force AXS so will give BoBones’s method a go as described and report back. Seems simple and common sense enough.

BoBones, might be cool to do a quick private YouTube for other folks who want to give your method a go but don’t have a lot of experience home wrenching, are hesitant to tinker or can’t visualize what you’re describing.

I was messing around with my SK yesterday and it was still surprising how much difference some small changes made to the shifting. I was getting overthrows every 10th shift or so on the 6th cog and the chain was slipping off in big-big after I thought I'd redone the setup correctly. I still wasn't entirely happy after playing around with the limit screws, so took off the chain and wheel, realigned the cage, set the wedge, and it was all perfect the second time around!? I've thought about making a video of this, but no one would be able to understand my Glasgwegian accent!

BTW, I am just repeating ideas I picked up from other users such as Nickldn and akaspin earlier in this thread, so don't credit me for the method. Hopefully you don't need to go this far!

This seems a fair and reasonable response to me.

Here's where I'm at: I want a SRAM AXS groupset, because on paper, it is the best fit for my needs. The 46/33 and 10-30 would be perfect for the consistent, short sharp undulations of the terrain where I live. The levers work great in winter gloves (I'm UK based). The app is intuitive and useful. I love the fact I could buy Rival everything but get a Red chainset and cassette and save a load of weight without impairing functionality at all. If you have a setup that is 100% dialled in and reliable, then I'm genuinely a bit jealous.

But my previous experience with it has really put me off. I spent hours trying to get that system dialled in, and took it to several highly respected mechanics who had professional pride at stake. Between us, we got it ok, but honestly, that's not/wasn't good enough. Ok is ok on a 2nd hand, low-mid range groupset; it's not ok on a top end, almost £2k setup.

Quite why this is/was none of us will ever know. Is it possible that none of us got it right? Of course. Is it likely? I doubt it. I suspect either the FD or the mount was out of tolerance somehow, and we were trying to fix the unfixable. I should have found a way of trying another FD, in fairness.

If I or someone else could somehow guarantee a perfectly functioning system, it would go on my new build without hesitation. But it feels like I'd potentially be opening the door to hours of headaches again, and that's just no fun :-/

[DaveS]

With the easy installations I've had, I'd definitely try another FD before wasting much time on one that wasn't working. I've been tempted to buy a rival FD, just to play with it. I'll never use a sram crank. Saving a little weight isn't that important if you're not racing.

[raggedtrousers]

With the easy installations I've had, I'd definitely try another FD before wasting much time on one that wasn't working. I've been tempted to buy a rival FD, just to play with it. I'll never use a sram crank. Saving a little weight isn't that important if you're not racing.

Honest question then: if you were building up a road bike tomorrow, and I offered you the choice of UDi2 (12sp), Force AXS, or any non-EPS Campag, would you opt for AXS?

[DaveS]

I'd opt for axs just for the two lever shifting and wireless features. It's near genius. I still wouldn't use a sram crank when there are better options. It's documented that the shifters and derailleurs work with other cranks and cassettes, so you can successfully build many combinations.

[mcjonesy]

Slightly off topic but has anyone used a Rival FD with 50/37 chainrings?
Looking at doing a cheap(ish) electronic conversion for my TT bike and SRAM say's its not recommended (or otimized for smaller chainrings)

`SRAM Yaw trimless cage technology optimized for use with 46/33T or 48/35T X-Range chainrings`
https://www.sram.com/en/sram/models/fd-riv-e-d1

[DaveS]

I decided to try the rival axs FD and RD just as an experiment. I measured 302g for the RD and 152g for the FD. The rival RD is 25g heavier than my force RD, but the FD is 6g lighter, so the net change was plus 19g. Not bad for quite a bit cheaper parts.

I got the sram installation tool with the FD. I expected that it would only be good for setting the height and that was the case. If the FD wants to rotate when the clamp bolt is fully tightened, the tool won't stop it. I carefully measured the gap between the crank arm and cage before and after tightening and found substantial movement. I took the installation tool off and after several attempts got the gap where I wanted it after tightening. The FD shifted OK even before adjusting the high and low limit screws, which took a few seconds each to correct. The cage has a V shape at the tail, with the alignment mark at the bottom of the V.

The RD comes with the limit screws backed all the way out. A couple of micro-adjust clicks got the chain aligned, so the limit screws could be set. Shifting has been great so far. Overall, the exchange of parts was quick and easy.

[bobones]

I got the sram installation tool with the FD. I expected that it would only be good for setting the height and that was the case. If the FD wants to rotate when the clamp bolt is fully tightened, the tool won't stop it.

You're not doing it right then. As you lower the tool, the chain ring teeth should slide into groove on the underside, preventing it from rotating. If you apply modest downward force on the tool as you tighten the bolt, it's not going to move out of alignment at all.

[DaveS]

I got the sram installation tool with the FD. I expected that it would only be good for setting the height and that was the case. If the FD wants to rotate when the clamp bolt is fully tightened, the tool won't stop it.

You're not doing it right then. As you lower the tool, the chain ring teeth should slide into groove on the underside, preventing it from rotating. If you apply modest downward force on the tool as you tighten the bolt, it's not going to move out of alignment at all.

If you say so. I've not found that to work. Even the sram videos note that the cage may need to be repositioned so it ends up with the marks parallel to the big ring. Whatever it takes, the shifting was spot on from the start. Always visually inspect your work, regardless of how it was done. About 1:32 into the video. I don't use sram cranks either, which might affect the tool's function.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KcJIb1pCV8I

[kroem]

Looking at this long thread, I probably need to do a reality check. I'm looking to add a FD to my bike, are there any caveats that I need to consider?
Round seat tube.
Quarq 8-bolt crankset.
46/30 "11-speed" Gearoop KOM Challenger rings.

[elfuinha]

Hello

My front derraileur is display some erractic funtion, when going from upper Chainring to the Lower Chain Ring, when the chain is in the middle of the cassette, it stops for a second, before changing the chainring.

see video below. - https://we.tl/t-BgDvtrl0By

Anyone as this issue? Let me know please.