RED Etap rear derailleur q's

[alexsteinker]

So I have the standard length rear derailleur and the max capacity is 28T cassette (manufacturer rec) I've seen in various places via google people are running much larger cassettes with some B Screw fidgeting. I would love to run a 30-32t on this bike but not sure if I wanna shell out 400$ for the mid cage derailleur. So that begs the question also could the mid cage run even bigger than recommended 32 from sram?

Also what about short cage + Wolf tooth road link.

I've never messed with this stuff before and I don't wanna rip my derailleur hanger off first ride. But I've turned into much more of a spinner than a masher so 28t is not gonna cut it for my large self.

Anyone do any magic with Etap ? Not talking AXS here.

Thanks!


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[alexsteinker]

Or is it possible to run the Wifli Long cage on my short cage derailleur. I see people upgrading these to ceramic speed there might be some Long cages running around. Complete etap newb.


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[kppolich]

Best move would be to sell yours and get a WiFli.

Next best would be to add some details about the frame you have and then the braintrust can chime in based on RD hangar and roadlink vs. goatlink. This is due to the hanger drop being the main factor in the max cassette size and not the cage or top pulley wheel location in some instances.

Overall, have you thought about changing up the front chainring(s)?

What is the largest Cassette you see yourself running in the future?

[mistermo]

Within the week, I may have an answer for you. I'm attempting to replace the wifli cage with a longer one, add a wolf tooth, and run a 1x, 11-42 cassette. Bike is in the shop and their working on this experiment now. They tried this on the regular etap rear and it did not work. We're giving wifli a shot now, as they say the derailleur bodies are shaped slightly different.

My experience with both regular eTap rear and wifli is that they can go up a couple cogs from the published max.

Longer cage (https://www.ebay.com/itm/J-L-Ceramic-Carbon-Oversized-Derailleur-Pulley-Wheel-OSPW-for-Sram-Red-Etap/352594347114?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649)

[alexsteinker]

Best move would be to sell yours and get a WiFli.

Next best would be to add some details about the frame you have and then the braintrust can chime in based on RD hangar and roadlink vs. goatlink. This is due to the hanger drop being the main factor in the max cassette size and not the cage or top pulley wheel location in some instances.

Overall, have you thought about changing up the front chainring(s)?

What is the largest Cassette you see yourself running in the future?


I have a compact on there now. 50/34. I'd love to run 1/1 or get close to it. My gravel bike is 1x 38t upfront and 11-42 in the back. I've been loving the range. And have kinda altered my riding style to fit that. Running a 32 would be great with the compact double upfront.


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[alexsteinker]

I have a compact on there now. 50/34. I'd love to run 1/1 or get close to it. My gravel bike is 1x 38t upfront and 11-42 in the back. I've been loving the range. And have kinda altered my riding style to fit that. Running a 32 would be great with the compact double upfront.


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Also the Frame is a Ritchey Logic Disc. Has a built in steel hanger. Non replaceable.


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[elliott]

While the long cage can be installed on a short cage RD, the geometry of the upper linkage is different between the two.

[thegunner]

would not recommend, i ran a 30T large on the regular cage and while it... *worked* it didn't seem happy to work.

[kppolich]

I would still recommend buying a WiFli and then selling your regular cage.

[eddief]

i run 11-34 rear, 48/32 front with etap red wifli rear d. perfection. no screwing with b screw, no Wolftooth. big steel bike with 42 chainstays.

[bikinchris]

The Ceramic Speed cage will allow a 30 pretty easily. A 32-34 might be fine with B adjustment.

[fa63]

It will depend on your RD hanger geometry. Buy a cheap 11-32 cassette and give it a try; you can play with the B-screw and will know in the work-stand whether it is going to work or not.

[bfd]

Within the week, I may have an answer for you. I'm attempting to replace the wifli cage with a longer one, add a wolf tooth, and run a 1x, 11-42 cassette. Bike is in the shop and their working on this experiment now. They tried this on the regular etap rear and it did not work. We're giving wifli a shot now, as they say the derailleur bodies are shaped slightly different.

My experience with both regular eTap rear and wifli is that they can go up a couple cogs from the published max.

Longer cage (https://www.ebay.com/itm/J-L-Ceramic-Carbon-Oversized-Derailleur-Pulley-Wheel-OSPW-for-Sram-Red-Etap/352594347114?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649)

OK, I too have an Etap 11 short cage RD and am looking to run a 32t cog in the rear. If I'm reading your post correct, you said your LBS tried putting one of these J-L Ceramic carbon oversize cage and pulleys on an Etap 11 short cage RD and it didn't work? Did they say why?

If this doesn't work, I'm probably going to do the Wolftooth RD hanger thing for $20.

Thanks!

[R3awak3n]

i run 11-34 rear, 48/32 front with etap red wifli rear d. perfection. no screwing with b screw, no Wolftooth. big steel bike with 42 chainstays.

same here. I bet it can even fit a 36 back there.

With short I bet a 32T fits just fine.

[ikecycke]

I've run an 11-30 cassette with the standard length eTap rear derailleur extensively on a couple different bikes, no issues at all. But as others have said, it may depend on the geometry of that hanger. I've never tried to adjust it to fit a 32t cog, but it certainly seemed to have more room on the B-screw.

[mistermo]

OK, I too have an Etap 11 short cage RD and am looking to run a 32t cog in the rear. If I'm reading your post correct, you said your LBS tried putting one of these J-L Ceramic carbon oversize cage and pulleys on an Etap 11 short cage RD and it didn't work? Did they say why?

If this doesn't work, I'm probably going to do the Wolftooth RD hanger thing for $20.

Thanks!

I'm trying to get max range, preferably 11-40 or 11-42, on an 11s cassette for 1x. They tried short cage, with wolf tooth and the JL oversize cage. I don't recall how big they could go, maybe to 36. I had an extra wifli, so they're trying that now with Wolf Tooth and JL cage.

[nathanong87]

Or is it possible to run the Wifli Long cage on my short cage derailleur. I see people upgrading these to ceramic speed there might be some Long cages running around. Complete etap newb.


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it's not possible, the body of the short cage and long cage RD is different. The ability to use a big casette is not just in a longer cage, but the way the RD moves also. The body is just not the same

Also if you crank the B limit screw on the etap short cage (on some bikes, i can't comment on all bikes), you can shift a 30t 'fine'. I've done it for my everesting bike which was a specialized venge.

The way you could* use a short cage for big casettes is using a wolf tooth hanger extender piece (for 20$ or so).

hope this helps

[oldpotatoe]

I think it's important to realize that bigger cogs in back need two things to 'work'.
A way to get the top pulley from dragging on the biggst cogs AND enough chain length to go big-bog w/o blowing things up.

Wolf tooth does number one but not number 2...You can use just about any short cage rear der for bigger cogs, just make the chain way short..then the rear der will rotate far enough to get the top pulley off the biggest cog but big-big and boom..

I did a lady's bike for MT Evans..DA8s..big biggest cog, MTB cog..just made the chain short enough to clear..but Big-Big was a big problem..BUT..she started at the bottom so no big ring stuff until she came down, and maybe not even then...:)

[yinzerniner]

So I have the standard length rear derailleur and the max capacity is 28T cassette (manufacturer rec) I've seen in various places via google people are running much larger cassettes with some B Screw fidgeting. I would love to run a 30-32t on this bike but not sure if I wanna shell out 400$ for the mid cage derailleur. So that begs the question also could the mid cage run even bigger than recommended 32 from sram?

Also what about short cage + Wolf tooth road link.

I've never messed with this stuff before and I don't wanna rip my derailleur hanger off first ride. But I've turned into much more of a spinner than a masher so 28t is not gonna cut it for my large self.

Anyone do any magic with Etap ? Not talking AXS here.

Thanks!


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Having put regular/short cage 11s Red eTap RD's on five bikes I've yet to find a combo that didn't shift into a 32t rear cog. But the bikes all had moderately short chainstays and typical hanger designs ie not too close from the dropout. Also, when the B Screw is pushed near to or all the way in to get the clearance for the 32t the shifting at the smaller cogs is slightly delayed, a quarter to half second maybe.

On method in case the regular/short cage RD doesn't work with 32t is to get a longer B Screw. I forgot the exact measurements, but they're readily available in the small bolt section of Home Depot. But if you use this then shifting speed might similarly be delayed.

With a Wolftooth Roadlink and the short cage RD I successfully shifted up and down a 10-42 cassette, but the shifting was VERY slow at the smaller cogs.

A WiFli RD will easily get to 36t, and begrudgingly to 40t. A longer B screw gets to 42t, but again begrudgingly. And introducing the Roadlink creates the same issues as before in my experience - easily gets the range, but smaller end of the cassette is slower shifting.

Now, the caveat for all of the above is that they were tried in 1x only. With 2x I only tried the short cage and 32t cassette, and it shifted OK but the chain was very slack at the low ends. If you want the biggest range with flawless operation probably try to source a WiFli RD and stick with an 11-36 cassette, possibly augmented with a longer B Screw. Just my $.02

[alexsteinker]

Having put regular/short cage 11s Red eTap RD's on five bikes I've yet to find a combo that didn't shift into a 32t rear cog. But the bikes all had moderately short chainstays and typical hanger designs ie not too close from the dropout. Also, when the B Screw is pushed near to or all the way in to get the clearance for the 32t the shifting at the smaller cogs is slightly delayed, a quarter to half second maybe.

On method in case the regular/short cage RD doesn't work with 32t is to get a longer B Screw. I forgot the exact measurements, but they're readily available in the small bolt section of Home Depot. But if you use this then shifting speed might similarly be delayed.

With a Wolftooth Roadlink and the short cage RD I successfully shifted up and down a 10-42 cassette, but the shifting was VERY slow at the smaller cogs.

A WiFli RD will easily get to 36t, and begrudgingly to 40t. A longer B screw gets to 42t, but again begrudgingly. And introducing the Roadlink creates the same issues as before in my experience - easily gets the range, but smaller end of the cassette is slower shifting.

Now, the caveat for all of the above is that they were tried in 1x only. With 2x I only tried the short cage and 32t cassette, and it shifted OK but the chain was very slack at the low ends. If you want the biggest range with flawless operation probably try to source a WiFli RD and stick with an 11-36 cassette, possibly augmented with a longer B Screw. Just my $.02


I think I'm going to source a Wifli and just run a 32! Lot of variables I don't have much patience for trial and error it seems after giving it some thought! But I'm glad to hear all these experiences!


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[mdeth1313]

would not recommend, i ran a 30T large on the regular cage and while it... *worked* it didn't seem happy to work.

Mine ran perfectly.

[thegunner]

Mine ran perfectly.

no lag in the shift? it always seemed to be especially slow moving to the 30.

[many_styles]

I’d just sell the short cage RD and buy the WiFli RD.


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[vqdriver]

Good choice

I think I'm going to source a Wifli and just run a 32! Lot of variables I don't have much patience for trial and error it seems after giving it some thought! But I'm glad to hear all these experiences!


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[mdeth1313]

no lag in the shift? it always seemed to be especially slow moving to the 30.

nope. shifted like when I had a 28 on there. I eventually switched to a wifli so I could run a 32.

[mistermo]

I just heard back from the shop working on my bike. With a standard eTap wifli rear, and a Wolf Tooth Roadlink, they say an 11-42 cassette shifts perfectly.

This is 1x with a 44 or 46 on the front.

[bikinchris]

I just heard back from the shop working on my bike. With a standard eTap wifli rear, and a Wolf Tooth Roadlink, they say an 11-42 cassette shifts perfectly.

This is 1x with a 44 or 46 on the front.

That's good to hear.
My dream would be a WiFli setup for my S&S bike with the crank I have (28/42 XX crank) and an 11-42 cassette which would give me enough range to loaded tour.