I’ve just seen this thread and can confirm problems. I have super expensive Etap red AXS on super expensive SWorks. The rear derailleur has temporarily packed in twice leaving me stranded and is now permanently defunct. There is no light at all on the rear derailleur despite buying another 65 quids worth of batteries. I haven’t asked my LBS to approach SRAM yet but fingers crossed they’ll be honourable and sort it for me. Very disappointed though.
fingers crossed!
Hey guys,
I just ordered a new Cervelo Caledonia with SRAM Force AXS since I really like the color scheme the associated frame comes in, but after doing a little bit of digging, have read a lot of horror stories about the finicky FD and issues with chain dropping.
My current bike has a lot of issues with the FD, so I’m looking to avoid this issue if possible (especially for the money). Not sure how overblown the situation is, though, and if I’m just psyching myself out post-purchase. Seems like there are mixed opinions even in this thread itself.
Is there anybody who would definitively recommend against Force AXS at this point in time? If so, I still have the chance to ask the bike shop to switch me over to a different model.
For what it’s worth, I ordered the bike online (from My Bike Shop), meaning any adjustments needed I’d have to do myself!
I’ve had a new BMC with Force AXS for a few weeks and it has been fantastic. Looks like you have a Quarq PM on your bike. Something I don’t think SRAM promotes well when you sign up for axs.sram.com to set up your account and configure via the app is if you have a Garmin you can connect it to your components and put in the gearing. Then authorize AXS.Sram.com to connect to Garmin Connect. The SRAM site will then show you your power data by individual gear and how much time you spent in each gear on your ride. It also does something similar for HR data if that is available.
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Very cool! Thank you for sharing - I’ll make sure to turn on this setting once I receive the bike alter this month.
How’s your FD shifting been? Did it need any tweaking after you received it?
My 2018 Cannondale Synapse has first-gen Red eTap (before AXS) and Quarq PM. 4200 km and zero problems. Love the shifting, happy as a clam.
I’ve ordered a 2021 Specialized Diverge which I’ll set up with a 2x12 Force AXS: 43/30 in front (46/30 if I can make it happen), 10-33 on the back, and Quarq PM.
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Front shifting has been great and I haven’t touched it or thought about touching it. I think I have 400 miles?? on the bike over the last 3 weeks or so.
That makes me feel a little better! Thanks for sharing your experiences. Hopefully mine comes with no issues as well!
I have a Giant Revolt Pro with Force AXS as my gravel bike. I’ve abused the drivetrain with my low power riding. It has continued to shift clean both front and rear. I have had 2 chain drop over about 1000 miles. They both occurred shift from big to small under power, so I’d say operator error vs the machine. It would be hard to go back to mechanical on a gravel bike now.
I have just received a Focus with SRAM Red. So far have had no problems and love the the set up. Previously i have had a Stages Power meter on my old bike (Cannondale) which i will continue to use on the trainer… However for the outdoor workouts… what power metre do people use with the Sram Red… is it only Quarq ?
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Been using SRAM Red eTap 11 speed since 2016 with Quark PM’s. Literally no issues. Replaced the 2032’s in the shifters once and the Quark 2032 a bid more often but, normal; derailleur batteries have been flawless. No shifting issues what-so-ever. Just sold that bike and moving to either Force or Red AXS with power without hesitation.
Prior to 2016 it was Shimano for years and Campy prior to that. All three are awesome groups. What initially sold me was the F1 shifting and the wireless ops. It always shifted a little slower and not as smooth as Shimano. A million times better than SRAM mechanical though…
What sold me about AXS was the superior gearing and integrated Quark PM. I’ve heard the shifting speed and smoothness is close to shimano now. The Quarq IMO is superior to the 4iiii but, I’ve not researched 4iiii in years. I can’t imagine Shimano factory installing anything not reliable so the 4iiii is probably not an issue.
edit: The one negative is the hood shape. Not as comfortable as Shimano or SRAM mechanical. Just too bulky for me.
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Way better than the Shimano hydraulic I’ve tried…in my opinion at least.
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I used SRAM Force AXS on my Cervelo S3 and I think it is great. I previously was using the original Red Etap prior to getting this bike.
I know there have been some complaints about the noise of the cassette, but I personally don’t find it very noisy, although it is probably slightly more noisy than my SRAM Red setup I came from; however, it is marginal.
In terms of shifting performance it has been first class, very smooth, never missed a beat and the front shifting is very smooth I find. I love the simplicity of the wireless set up and I previously set up and installed my SRAM red etap on my old bike without any issues; it just works.
I personally think the additional gear and the 10cog gives great benefit for the overall gear ratios. I have more than enough for climbing, and no danger of spinning out and the gaps between gears are nice and close.
The batteries last a long time… and given you can switch out the front battery for the rear should the rear ever run out mid ride, means you will always be covered. Especially as the wide range on the rear cassette should mean you could pretty much ride anywhere with a one speed in any case.
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Same experience here, basically no issues. Do check the setup when the bike arrives as I have found the local bike stores aren’t as familiar with Sram as they are with others. I’ve switched from Campagnolo to Sram and have Red AXS on three bikes, all work great. One trick others have mentioned is when you do use micro adjustments to get the rear derailleur fine tuned, it is best to do that on the road with load on. It isn’t too fidly but might take a little practice, but definitely easier than trying to turn a barrel adjuster while riding down the road !
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Just got myself New Caledonia with the SRAM force too, shifting has been spot on. important note is having the correct FD wedge fitted for best alignment. Your LBS will after you for sure 
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Thank you so much for your feedback, everyone! Has really put my mind at ease regarding getting the Force groupset. Hopefully it’ll work out of the box, but it seems like if it doesn’t, I can probably work to adjust it on my end.
Cool!! How do you like it so far? I won’t be getting mine for another 3 weeks or so, so very jealous!
I’m somewhat surprised to hear that so many people have had trouble with the front derailleur. I’ve got the old 11 speed Red eTap which I’ve had for probably 5 years at this point and the only time either derailleur has been adjusted is when I moved it from my old frame to my new one. You’d think the AXS would be even better as the newer generation. I know my experience is n=1 and the internet biases towards folks with problems as opposed to those who are happy and have no problems but 
My so I use and I have Force eTap on our road bikes and love it, even after Di2 on previous ones. The cadence increments are just perfectly spaced over the entire, wide range. The two paddles are very intuitive. Ergonomics are great too, so we did the 1X mullet version on our gravel bikes. We run the Quark spider power meters on all 4 bikes. Perfect setup for us.
Front DR limits are touchy. Set the big one very close and it’s good. After a few random drops on the inside we installed K-Edge chain catchers and ride happily ever after. Cassettes are quiet but as noted, micro adjustment is simple on the road.
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Late reply 
but I LOVE it. Coming from ‘17 S3 Di2, it’s not quite as zingy, but still very fun at speed and nothing like a typical cumbersome endurance bike have you got yours yet???