I need help thinking through my first world problem…
I realise it’s unlikely that anyone here wants to talk about new bike options.
I have an absolutely excellent 2018 Scott Addict CX that came with Force 1X mechanical.
I converted it to 2x using Force 22 mechanical derailleurs, Gearoop 48/32 chainrings and 11-36 cassette.
For a couple of months I was really stoked because the new drivetrain just worked.
Then it started playing up. I can’t get the front mech to stay where I put it. It keeps rotating out at the back so it hits my cranks and drops chains, and every time I shift the front mech I have to look to make sure it actually changes successfully.
after a year of fiddling I realised I’ve inadvertently installed a 15 year old drivetrain that everyone always hated so I’m now spending most rides debating with myself what I should do about it.
I also chatted with @caley_fretz about this in Adelaide - both agreeing we were happy to put up with the quirks of our old sram mechanical drivetrain, but that doesn’t stop me questioning my choices…
I could buy a new Crux just like Hels’ but with UDH, and shiny new SRAM XPlore (spellcheck to the rescue)
I could just buy a new AXS groupset for the Addict
I could shutup and be glad I have a really nice bike.
Having checked my spreadsheet I realise that the standard 13 speed xplr has less range and bigger steps than my existing drivetrain, so I would want to swap that out for a 2x12 setup.
I hope someone here can confirm what’s the widest range gearing option for the latest AXS derailleurs - noting that Hels is using a D1 xplr rear mech with 2x chainrings and I want at least the same total gear range. If only I could keep the 13speed rear mech and use it with double chainrings!
I’m really jealous of Hels’ crux because it’s SO light and just a nice bike APART from that headset! I am really reluctant to buy another crux when it seems Specialised have failed to fix the headset design after all these years and updates. I know I can fix it but WTF! Why do I have to modify a brand new >$10k bike!??
I keep meaning to weigh both our bikes so I can confirm if a crux would actually be lighter than my Addict, but it would still have the UDH for future compatibility - and nice new carbon wheels.
What other bikes are readily available in Aus and offer the same light weight ride and comparable tyre clearance? as much as I’d love in-frame storage, I’d choose the crux’s light weight over storage if I can’t have both.
Let me know what you think, while I go weigh our bikes…
Is the problem just the front mech? Why not start with replacing that?
New groupset: When talking with one of my local shops I was surprised to hear that they often have nearly-new “take-off” groupsets available. Someone will buy a new bike with SRAM and immediately convert to Shimano, or vice versa. Might be worth asking, especially at a shop that carries high-end/custom bikes.
I have a 2018 Supersix Evo Hi Mod and a 2018 Domane that I am quite fond of. A little while back I dropped the cash to got from 11 speed mechanical to 12 speed electronic groupsets.
I have zero regrets. It breathed new life into the bikes. As primarily a home mechanic and a fellow who sweats and sometimes kills top headset bearings, the 2018 versions of both these bikes are arguably superior to the modern equivalents.
+1 to buy a group set if you otherwise like the bike.
How do you feel about the bike? I was on my Look 595 for 11 years when I got the itch to do something, either buy a new bike or get a new group set. I eventually settled on getting a new group set. The old group set was Campy Record 10 Spd (that I used for 14 years), and I replaced that with Campy Chorus 12 Spd.
I was chuffed with the group set change. There was nothing at all wrong with the Record 10 group. Far from it: it worked perfectly well. I just wanted a bit of refresh. The new group set worked just as well, if not a wee bit better. I rode that bike for another 4 years before I finally had saved enough to have my dream bike built.
I’m really torn about replacing my mechanical shifters with electronic.
This week I’ve ridden my gen 1 etap (no - not teapot, thanks spellcheck) addict rc road bike as well as my cx bike and I’m starting to miss being able to check my gears via my Garmin - which is also because I try hard not to cross chain my gears, so I like to know when I’m getting close. This is only really an issue if I’m in a bunch on a climb or on rough off road where it’s not so simple to look back at the rear hub.
So I’ve started thinking it was worth getting AXS for the better shifting and ability to lock out the extreme gears - but then I just read Josh’s review of the Stinner bike in which he explains how he’s been stranded too many times by electronic gears, so he much prefers mechanical for bikes that’ll be going on remote rides - which is definitely a concern for me with this bike.
Obviously there is no perfect solution.
I should just keep discussing it with myself as I ride the bike I have.
It seems to me that you just have to properly mount front derailleur? I have two bikes with Force 1x11 mechanical, and I have no issues with them at all (except plastic mount for shift cable in the shifter, which broke on one of the bikes and I had to replace it with Ratio one).
Compared to AXS, I would say it is worth the upgrade only to the new generation (E1) due to much better braking. Shift quality is not any better on AXS compared to Force, it is just a different lever feel.
In simple terms I dare say you’re right. The bike worked fine with the CX1 setup.
I’ve just realised I’ve unwittingly restored the bike to the most unpopular version of front mechs..
The front mech did work really well for the first month or 3, and it always works ok when I reset it again.
I have tried repeatedly to fix the front mech in place so it won’t move, including jamming a metal shim to try and keep it where I want it. It just seems to like rotating in the cylindrical mount/bracket, so the force of moving the chain down to the little ring is enough to change the cage alignment. Not the first time, but after a couple of weeks.
I am also trying to see if it’s any better with the shim I added.
I am thinking I should take it to our good mechanic and discuss the problem and my options. It’s just a case of finding time when he’s not too busy to talk..
Can I propose a third option. Commit to the retro with red ren speed and the titanium front derailleur.
But as above, figure out what is going on with your current one. The mech not staying aligned right isn’t a sign of a bad group set - something isn’t setup right (washer/insert missing?), is broken, or just not done up tight enough (torque wrench + thread lock!).
That said, I like new bikes so would do that myself.
I have a 2018 Diverge with Force 22 2x, disc brakes and an FSA adventure crankset I swapped the rear derailleur for a SRAM GX 10 speed derailleur to get one with a clutch. It works fine with the road shifters and 11 speeds. Just add a barrel adjuster for fine tuning.
The shop did a poor job of setting up the front derailleur. I installed a KEdge chain keeper which helped but the alignment was still off and I found the SRAM process useless. Through trial and error I got it aligned correctly and it works great. I’ve never had it loosen and change position though.
I have the older SRAM AXS on my road bike and the newest firmware update really improved things. The front derailleur is still temperamental though.
Force 22 has better brakes than AXS though. Better feel and more powerful, especially with different pads.
I just noticed that Spec have dropped the prices on Cruxes by almost AU$2k, which might influence my decision process.
I was confused to see that they list 2 different versions of the Crux Pro - one with “SRAM Force XPLR AXS” and one with “SRAM Force XPLR eTAP AXS” which is $500 cheaper.
I hadn’t realised that SRAM have dropped the “eTAP” name from the E1 series groups. Is this right?
It seems weird to me that the older D1 version is only $500 less than the new E1 version that includes a spindle power meter.
I’m definitely gonna have to see if I can find one in a real shop to test ride. (Dreaming!)
Last year i replaced my 2018 mechanical group with the new sram. Made my bike feel like a brand new bike. Totally worth it. I didnt realize how much i was putting up with using mechanical with a ton of miles on it and the resulting slop.
I’ve imploded up my own fundamental / mental orrifice over this thought process.
I think I have decision paralysis - because once I actually look at the current gearing options, I realise I can’t actually buy an entire new / current drivetrain with the range I have now with my 48-32 chainrings and 11-36 cassette.
So my idea that I was using old outmoded gear has been blown up by realising (with Eugene’s help on discord) that I can’t achieve that gear range without ignoring the recommended gearing for the new options - eg using a bigger 10-40 or 42 cassette with 46-33T chainrings, and the road rear mech that supposedly can’t cope with more than 10-36 cassettes.
so whatever I choose, I’m gonna end up having to hack/bodge the factory spec.
I really should just ride what I’ve got and convince myself it’s just fine as it is…
I’ve found myself lusting for a gravel bike. I just set up my wife’s otso waheela as such, ultegra 11 speed shifters, ultegra rx rear mech, ultegra 46/36 chainset, 11-40 xt cassette on 50mm g-rx pros.
I’ve always ridden gravel on my cx bike with 38s… The otso looks like a lot of fun, with much more useful gear ratios than 40x11-34…
Hey Fred,
What gear range are you using with your Force 22 / GX mechanical combination?
What size chainrings and cassette can the GX handle?
AND - now that I had a quick look - what cage length GX mech is it?
Cheers,
David.
I love my XPLR group set, albeit on a Checkpoint.
