Question about Red shifting

[Chip]

Hello,
I just joined this forum.
I am planning a Meivici AE. My wife got a Serotta in '07 and a house in '09 and I get a bike in '10!
I am spec'ing a compact Red but I am being told by my shop that Reds shift poorly w/ compact chainrings. Does anybody have any experience using a Red with compact chainrings? Also: I'm being told the levers are to sensitive for non-racing use. Let me here your opinions.
Thanks,
Chip

[bkboom123]

I took the old man's bike out this past weekend and could not tell a difference what-so-ever. Though, that could be due to the fact there is less need for the inner chainring when riding with a 50T. I took my bike out today, which has the standard crank setup and it shifted the same to me, though I shifted more into the smaller ring because I was on a standard setup. There was no difference that comes to mind....

As far as the levers, they are amazing. The ergos are awesome and the zero loss travel on the paddles make everything else seem cheap and inefficient, like when i was toying around with the new ultegra shifters today at the LBS.

I will say the RD shifting is prob the best I have been on, which includes Dura ace 7800 and earlier ultegra....

I hope this helps and welcome to the forum

[BumbleBeeDave]

You're in Saratoga Springs. You took out the "old man's" bike . . . ARE YOU BEN SEROTTA JR.??? :p

BBD

[bkboom123]

I wish I was Ben Serotta Jr. But I am not.

If I was then I probably wouldn't be riding a specialized......Unless I misbehaved or forgot to do my chores...

[palincss]

Also: I'm being told the levers are to sensitive for non-racing use. Let me here your opinions.


My opinion is that it's nonsense. One of the regulars I ride with in my bike club has Red. He doesn't race, he shifts all the time, and the shifting is fine.

Besides - back in the day, they used to justify the lousy braking of Campagnolo sidepulls by saying they were "speed modulators", and racers who were amped up on adrenalin would use too much force and go over the bars if the brakes actually worked. Using that logic, shifters for racers should require more effort than shifters for non-racers.

[jpw]

My opinion is that it's nonsense. One of the regulars I ride with in my bike club has Red. He doesn't race, he shifts all the time, and the shifting is fine.

Besides - back in the day, they used to justify the lousy braking of Campagnolo sidepulls by saying they were "speed modulators", and racers who were amped up on adrenalin would use too much force and go over the bars if the brakes actually worked. Using that logic, shifters for racers should require more effort than shifters for non-racers.

Very funny.

[Dave]

For a bike of that caliber, I'd be choosing Record or SR 11 speed. I've ridden behind a couple of Red equipped bikes and was amazed at all the noise - clack, clunk on every shift. The shifters clack and the chain clunks on the cassette.

I much prefer one push of a Campy thumb button to the tap, tap, tap required with Shimano or SRAM.

[weatherman]

Hello,
I just joined this forum.
I am planning a Meivici AE. My wife got a Serotta in '07 and a house in '09 and I get a bike in '10!
I am spec'ing a compact Red but I am being told by my shop that Reds shift poorly w/ compact chainrings. Does anybody have any experience using a Red with compact chainrings? Also: I'm being told the levers are to sensitive for non-racing use. Let me here your opinions.
Thanks,
Chip

Think you are getting "questionable" advice (my opinion). I've ridden Red for a few thousand miles (no racing, on the road anyway) and it works great. As for the compact, have to agree with the others, works fine with compact. I've run it with Std Red and S-Works rings as well as compact Force rings, works like a charm.

It "may" be a bit harder to get dialed in just right (ie you or your shop may have to work a little harder to get it adjusted/installed, but I have found it to be spot on and requires no less "regular" maintenance than DA or anything else for that matter).

Good luck!

[Kevan]

I used my son's Felt last weekend for the first time and it's dressed with mixed Sram components and a compact crank. It was my first try of the stuff and I'm impressed. His bike does need some tuning, I was getting some FD rub when in the highest gear, but that wasn't the fault of the bits-n-pieces. The campact comment I think is bunk and that about wraps up my views.

[oldguy00]

I recently started using a new Red group (standard, not compact).
It is different, and a bit lighter. It did take a few hours of fiddling to get the shifting just right, especially when it came to cross-chaining. It was also the first time I've ever had to make much adjustment to the 'b-screw' on the rear derailleur, but it helped a lot.
I should also note that I am using a DA7800 cassette and chain. Everything runs pretty quite on it.
I would say the only thing I'm not in love with is the 'double-tap' shift to an easier gear. Doesn't feel exact....not sure how to describe it.....and I often accidentally shift two gears instead of one..
Shifting down to a harder gear, the zero loss part of the shifter, is pretty neat, basically a very short throw on the lever.

Now if I were doing it all over again..........I'd probably go with DA7800. That stuff just works perfecto.

[Chip]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I currently ride Record 9sp on a Kestrel 500 SCI with about 10,000+++ miles on it. I want to use a Sram gruppo as it is American made and they are the underdogs.
I plan to use Topolino wheels...either AX 3.0 or VX 4.0. The question on the wheels is clincher vs tubular. I have zero tubular experience but I am a Clydesdale (my wife says Tubbydale) so I have had snake bites w/ clinchers. I am very mechanical so the fiddly factor with tubulars is interesting to me.
Thanks, Ride the miles!
Chip

[malcolm]

I have red with a compact and it shifts fine, it was a bit more difficult to set up but it was the first one I had done. It seems to stay in tune or adjusted better than my campy stuff although I like the campy better overall. I find the campy much more aesthetically pleasing. I think the FD and the cranks on the red just look cheap. I didn't realize they were made in the us, I thought actual production was in asia.

[Chip]

Hey Malcolm, I stand corrected...as far as I can tell Sram is a USA company with manufacturing in USA, Europe and Asia.

[vqdriver]

the only thing i can think of is that i've heard some use the force front derailleurs with an otherwise red group. reason being that the ti cage on the red isn't as strong as the force der. is it worse with the jump in a compact setup? don't know. but that's the der, not chainrings.

just what i've heard.

[NRRider]

I own Red compact as well and it shifts fine, front and back. As far as noise goes, it is noisy, but the nice decreased dramatically when I switched to a Shimano cassette. Shifts just as well with theshimano also.

[PaulE]

I own a Red compact set up. One thing I've noticed is front derailleur shifts from the small to the big ring need to be deliberate. If you try that shift slowly, the front derailleur cage, chain and big chainring can jam up against each other.

A local shop recommended No. 5 Chain-L (http://www.chain-l.com/) for the SRAM Red chain. I was using Prolink Gold which wouldn't last for a 30 mile ride without the chain getting real noisy. This Chain-L name sounds silly but it really lasts and keeps the SRAM Red chain quiet. I've gone 3 rides without touching the chain and it's still quiet.

[Bruce K]

I have Red Groups in both 52/38 and 50/34 versions. The 50/34 is a factory Red crankset while the others are Red with FSA cranks.

No shifting issues in any configuration and all are 110BCD.

BK

[John H.]

Most/All SRAM Red shifting issues are caused by poor set-up. You need to set everything up different from Shimano. There are some good set-up videos on Youtube.
Most common thing I see is the der. cable for the rear der. is too tight. It should be almost slack when der. is in the bottom cog. Requires barely enough tension to get it off the bottom cog.