2023 SRAM Force Update

[shoota]

Originally Posted by Chris(NJ)

Does anyone have significant time on the new Force FD? Getting a new bike in a week or two and building it frame-up. So I can get the new Force or go w/ Ultegra.
TBH, the chain dropping is a major concern for me. I do not think we should be so accepting of chain drops this often w/ new tech like this.

Overall, I prefer the appearance of the new Force and shifting (one per side). I prefer shimano for a quiet driveline and more accurate shifting.

Battery I'm indifferent to. ALthough price on the SRAM batteries is a little nicer and so is the fact that it's totally wireless.

But for chain drops....whats the recent word on the street? Better or same ol same ol.

Judging from my riding mates it's same ole, same ole. You have to have the FD set up absolutely perfectly.

[ltwtsculler91]

Originally Posted by shoota

Judging from my riding mates it's same ole, same ole. You have to have the FD set up absolutely perfectly.

I know the internet loves to hate on SRAM FD's but I've never had issues with them (both mechanical and AXS). Yes they're finicky to setup, but once set up properly they work great. Have both Rival AXS and 2 Red AXS FDs and they shift quite well.

Granted I also have a mechanic (in NJ) who's absolutely OCD when he builds the bikes so they come out right the first time.

[shoota]

Originally Posted by ltwtsculler91

I know the internet loves to hate on SRAM FD's but I've never had issues with them (both mechanical and AXS). Yes they're finicky to setup, but once set up properly they work great. Have both Rival AXS and 2 Red AXS FDs and they shift quite well.

Granted I also have a mechanic (in NJ) who's absolutely OCD when he builds the bikes so they come out right the first time.

Hence my comment about having to set them up absolutely perfectly. And you bring up a good point. Not everyone has a mechanic that is meticulous. I happen to live by a really good shop...that specializes in gravel and 1X. They stink at setting up AXS FDs. If they aren't any good at it, the average Joe at home has even less chance. I'm not hating, that's just reality.

[ltwtsculler91]

Originally Posted by shoota

Hence my comment about having to set them up absolutely perfectly. And you bring up a good point. Not everyone has a mechanic that is meticulous. I happen to live by a really good shop...that specializes in gravel and 1X. They stink at setting up AXS FDs. If they aren't any good at it, the average Joe at home has even less chance. I'm not hating, that's just reality.

Sorry if it didn't come across but I 100% agree with you. I've gotten them setup perfectly on my own but it took 2 hours, rather than the 15mins it takes my mechanic. That's why I pay him

[shoota]

Originally Posted by ltwtsculler91

Sorry if it didn't come across but I 100% agree with you. I've gotten them setup perfectly on my own but it took 2 hours, rather than the 15mins it takes my mechanic. That's why I pay him

Ah, gotcha. And yes I agree with you, once it's set up correctly it works just fine.

[cmb5286]

I had a early 2019 D1 Force gruppo and had tons of issues with chain drop.

Fast forward to 2024. I am on a new D2 Force setup and it works so much better. Crisper, quieter, smoother. I haven't had a single drop in about 1k miles.

[Dave]

Reports on the new force chain rings, since they're nearly identical to Red. I've never used SRAM cranks with my 3 bikes that have mostly early model force D1 drive trains. I've used nothing but Shimano GRX. Setting up the FD is easy and I get no chain drops.

The new Force D2 FD is much like the current Rival. I have one Rival FD and find that the cage is an improvement, particularly with my extreme range setup that combines a 46/30 crank with a 10-44 cassette.

I recently switched all 3 of my bikes to the new GRX 12 speed cranks. Several sellers had them on sale. The chain ring teeth are a a little thinner and the big ring teeth have a new shape forged into the inner surface. It may shift a little quicker.

[Alistair]

Originally Posted by Chris(NJ)

Does anyone have significant time on the new Force FD?

But for chain drops....whats the recent word on the street? Better or same ol same ol.

I have D1 Force Wide 2x on my gravel bike and had to install a chain catcher to keep from dropping the chain to the inside. Tried adjusting the FD many times before sucking it up and adding a K-Edge catcher.

I have Rival AXS 2x on my road bike and it's been fine so far. I believe the latest Force FD is the same as the Rival (design, different materials), so might be ok too.

[Chris(NJ)]

Thanks guys! I'm sure the internet does blow this out of proportion like a lot of stuff, but it got me this time. I decided to stick with Ultegra for now. If I was doing a 1x setup, I would've absolutely went w/ sram. But I want this bike to feel different than my cx/gravel bike and not a lot of overlap which is why I wanted to stay w/ 2x.
But to your guy's points and after a lot of research last night and today, I think you're probably right that the new chainrings and FD might do just enough to quiet the critics. Time will tell. In the meantime, I'll ride Ultegra this year and if the new SRAM stuff comes back as a home run, I'll swap it out next winter b/c (like I mentioned) I really do prefer the aesthetics and battery placement of sram stuff. I just don't want to drop this kinda money on a build and be pissed off if it's not up to expectations. (unless I just lower my expectations, of course lol)

[Dave]

It's the old force chain rings that are to blame, not the FD. I've done at least 14 FD setups and none took over 15 minutes. It's rare that mine didn't work perfectly the first time - all due to the grx cranks. I tried some TA chain rings that didn't shift well. It wasn't the FD's fault.