Help me diagnose my RD problem (with bonus LBS "Little Woman" rant!)

[ny biker]

I have SRAM Rival on my road bike and have no problems with it. I have no experience with Apex, don't know where it fits on the quality continuum for SRAM.

I have had experience with Shimano Tiagra and Ultegra RDs. The Tiagra needed frequent adjustments. The Ultegra was great, never caused any problems.

If I were you I would try to find a new LBS. I am not treated that way by anyone at my LBS. If I were, I would call the owner and tell him, because that is not the standard of service that he expects from the people he employs.

p.s. One thing I have noticed with my current bike -- my handlebar bag sometimes hits the barrel adjusters for the derailleurs, and this can lead to shifting problems and require more frequent adjustments. When I am careful to make sure the bag stays clear of the adjusters, I have fewer problems.

[luvmyguys]

Problems with SRAM Force, never an issue with Shimano 105, on two different bikes.

Shrug.

What kind of problems did you have?

[Wahine]

I have definitely had way more problems with cable drag leading to shifting issues on SRAM than on Shimano. Especially on my cross bike where I tend to get mud and grit into the cable housings. Regular maintenance helps. This video demonstrates the technique on a mtn bike, but it works the same on a road bike.

Try that, it may make a huge difference. And I'd say, making this procedure part of regular maintenance, especially after wet rides, will help save your SRAM system from failure. I've managed to break two shifters due to leaving cable drag too long.

[DebW]

Yes, try new cables and housing. Gunk gets in there and then the spring isn't strong enough to shift crisply to a smaller cog. Or you get a crimp in the cable, or the housing starts to fray. Another possibility is a bent RD or derailleur hanger if the bike has fallen on it's right side.

[luvmyguys]

I have definitely had way more problems with cable drag leading to shifting issues on SRAM than on Shimano. Especially on my cross bike where I tend to get mud and grit into the cable housings. Regular maintenance helps. This video demonstrates the technique on a mtn bike, but it works the same on a road bike.

Try that, it may make a huge difference. And I'd say, making this procedure part of regular maintenance, especially after wet rides, will help save your SRAM system from failure. I've managed to break two shifters due to leaving cable drag too long.

Thank you Wahine! I'll definitely try this. I also found this video which may be useful as well. Opinions anyone? That last step with the grease makes me a little nervous in terms of attracting dirt.

I'm trying to figure out how to get the cable loose like he did in the video - it didn't look obvious to me on the bike.

[Wahine]

I'm trying to figure out how to get the cable loose like he did in the video - it didn't look obvious to me on the bike.

The first part of this video demonstrates the technique really well.

[pinsonp2]

Thanks. Great video!!!!

P2

[Becky]

I like the SRAM Rival on my road bike. That said, routing the shifter cables along the handlebar and under the tape the way SRAM and newer Shimano have it does cause more drag. I can really feel it when I ride DH's road bike with Ultegra 6700 with internal shift routing, compared to my Ultegra 6600 with external routing. So no, it's not just you. I would double-check the derailleur hanger like Deb recommended. I also had an odd situation where the RD itself got "stuck" in the wrong position on the hanger. Shifting to the smallest cog, loosening the the RD anchor bolt, and re-tightening it after the RD re-seated itself seemed to fix the issue. Bizarre, I know....