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SRAM Transmission Installation

18K views 59 replies 24 participants last post by  Exalix  
#1 ·
Just throwing out my experience and maybe a location to bring up issues or questions. I have to say if you follow these steps the install is SUPER simple.
2022 Ibis Ripley V4S medium 432mm chainstay and 32T XO Transmission 73mm bottom bracket shell with 2.5mm ISCG plate.
That should be all you need information wise from your bike to do this.

1. Installed DUB BB with no inboard spacers, a 3mm outboard non-drive side spacer, a 5mm outboard drive side spacer. (my bb measures 75mm with the ISCG plate, if you have a standard 73mm shell you must use a 3mm non-drive and a 7.5mm drive side outboard spacers)

2. Crank install same as previous SRAM gear, no changes.

3. Prepared my equipment: Set up key on derailleur lined up with B mark. Cut 10 links out of 126 chain to bring it to 116. (that's 5 inner links and 5 outer links)
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4. Pair the pod with the derailleur, also same as previous AXS, by holding down button on derailleur until it blinks green and then hold button on pod until it blinks fast. One more press on derailleur button to turn light off and complete.

5. Shifted the derailleur all they way outboard. Make sure you shift to where the set up cog will be so in my case cog 7 or 5 shifts up from full outboard position (some may use 24T cog which is cog 6 which is 6 shifts up the cassette) I screwed this up for a dumb reason the first time and shifted up from full outboard 7 times. Don't do that.

6. Undo the mounting bolt on derailleur with 8mm Allen (normal threading lefty loosey and all) and put the red bushing into the empty UDH hole on the rear swing arm. Put derailleur over the swing arm mounting area and insert the mounting bolt. Righty tighty until snug and then back off 1 full revolution. (little grease on the mounting bolt) Extend the derailleur cage all the way down to service position, same as all previous EAGLE and push set up button key to lock it. Install rear wheel with cassette installed and tighten the axle to firm and back off 1 full revolution.

7. Thread chain in as you normally would and lock the link with chain pliers. Obviously here flat top up. Chain is threaded around the 21T cog, through derailleur and around chainring. Then push the case forward like you would to unlock it from service position and release slowly so you can push it again (same button) for the next opening where a little A and B line are. This is for set up. Once here grab the lower jockey wheel cage by the little trapazoid guard at the bottom and pull it until the chain is tight and tighten the derailleur mounting bolt to 35 N-m. The line on the metal knurled washer and the derailleur bracket will line up if you have the right chain length, chain stay length, set up key position, and set up cog noted in the pic above for your bike.

8. Tighten the rear axle and Done. Once you take it step by step it's crazy simple compared to having to mess with limits and B tool and compressing suspension to sag, chain wrapping and adding different number of links based on HT or FS, etc... DEAD SIMPLE. Way way faster than cable or AXS setup in the past. Bravo SRAM (almost:cautious:)

Only issue I ran into was being stupid about how many shifts to get to the set up cog since they reference it as 7 which is correct but obviously that's only 5 spaces away from cog 12 or the smallest one.

Here's my review. WTF SRAM the shifting blows! LOL. I was super stoked to get it on and then ran through the gears downshifting to the largest cog and it was butter! Shifted down cassette and all hell broke loose. Once you get to cog 4 or 5 it's a complete **** show. binding, clicking, skipping, wandering between two cogs, all the way to the 12 cog or 10T. I thought, huh, maybe it just has to go up again and down and it'll be all good. Nope same experience but worse, total crap show. Shifted up and down about 10 times and complete mess every time. I was so pissed I walked away.

Next steps I'm going to play with micro adjust today to see if I can get it straightened out. I know the downshifts (or up the cassette) are supposed to be delayed and the marketing videos say that you may experience unusual "bench" shifting but riding shifting will be perfect. I didn't test that yet either but dubious that it behaves like total garbage on the stand but perfection on the ground. We will see later today.

I set up up perfectly and everything went exactly how they say it should. Perfect and I'm really annoyed that it sucks. Anyone else install and find this or different experiences?
 
#3 ·
I

I love his videos but in all fairness he bumbled that install pretty badly. I doubt I could do it the first time either with the pressure of being live and trying to be interesting and respond to comments. I micro-adjusted from 6 to 4 using the app and it’s much better on the stand and finishing brake line shortening today and riding so I’ll know soon enough.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Finished the brakes and just did a quick ride up and down the street. Sounds TERRIBLE. Feels like you’re braking it shifting under load up or down the cassette. I’m super bummed that this is so bad compared to my old AXS. I was really looking forward to it being smoother and this just ain’t it. I’m a decent mechanic so it’s not that. Thank god I wasted less money on the XO version.
I’m actually shocked nobody is really chiming in on this post.
 
#6 ·
FWIW I installed X0 on my Ripley V4S today as well and didn’t have the same problems. Took it for a spin right after - shifting is crisp (although very slightly delayed sometimes under load) and everything is quiet, much smoother and quieter than AXS in my opinion.
 
#12 ·
Chain length is most likely wrong. If 10 links needed to be removed, there's another 5 links to take out. One chain link is an assembly of the inner and outer; each individual piece does not make for a link.
 
#13 ·
that is NOT correct. It is abundantly clear in all SRAM documentation that a link is each segment. The box the chain comes in literally has a diagram that you lay your chain on and it states number of inks and where to cut and each link is only one link not two like you are guessing.

 
#14 ·
After reading through your comments, the only real difference I can see between our installs is that I made the decision to only torque the derailleur mounting bolt to 25Nm, like it says on the mounting bolt, and not 35Nm like SRAM’s instructions say.
 
#18 ·
no they are not.

Just went out messing with it again on the stand and one more notch on microadjust and it shifts pretty smooth although it's still not as crisp as my older AXS stuff. SRAM does say that it will not shift as smooth on the stand and actually shifts better on trail. I hope to get out tomorrow but if not I won't get to ride for over a week due to vacation scheduled.
Despite getting it feeling not garbage it's still not butter and I guess my expectations were far too high for the "SRAM Transmission" and figured it would be lightyears ahead of the older AXS stuff so I take back all my praise in the other thread at least until I can ride it proper. I think I'm flipping sides to "not a game-changer" which is a bummer, but hey anyone can be wrong.
 
#21 · (Edited)
Got out for a ride yesterday on the transmission and I have a theory as to why it was so sluggish and imprecise not the stand. Back in my "working at a shop" days we always degreased new chains for customers and our own bikes on new component installs or simply new chain installs and added a lubricant (back then triflow). Over the last 20 years I mostly did that the same way but past few just got lazy and ran it with the factory coating and added a little lubricant and called it good. Cleaned the chain and added lubricant and micro adjust to 6 and it was now perfect. I guess that was it just colder temps and factory chain coating.

Anyway I really loved the first 20 miles I put on it and same frame, same 20 mile loop of wooded single track I set PR on 11 segments and 22 total in the top 3 and my effort level was just as high last week. I carried more speed into short technical climbs that I would typically downshift ahead of time for because I could slam right into the hill in a bigger gear and keep the power on and as cadence drops grab a gear. Having ridden standard derailleurs (not Shimano in the last 5 years) and AXS since it's release it took a lot of focus to remember that I can shift under full power and I felt myself letting up just a little at the beginning of the ride just out of habit. It does seem that if you let up a little the downshifts climbing are a little noisier then if you just keep full power so I worked on keeping full power on for both up and down shifts as much of the loop as I could. I have 1 XTR bike and while I would shift under power on it too not nearly like this but can't say for sure if it's just because I've been unweighting pedals that split second for shifts for 25 years and that's a hard habit to break or if the XO just shifts better under load.

Also noticed the derailleur would buzz just before the end of the compression stroke on the rear over fast deep compressions and then again as the shock was extending. Happened enough times that I didn't think it was a fluke. I also know I didn't hit anything. Any chance this system is doing something to minimize pedal kickback from super fast chain growth like you would get riding in the saddle through a fast dip in the trail or a sharp climb after going over an obstacle?
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#23 ·
Let us know how that black coating on the cassette wears. I try and sell a lot of parts so I think was not a fan of the X0 and GX worn out look after 10 rides. Buyers always thought it was trashed looking and would lo ball me while my cassettes in the XX1 variations would look almost new. I'm patiently waiting for the XX Bosch version for my eBike.
 
#28 ·
Threw mine on this morning. Had to use the micro adjust a bunch to quiet down the shifts. Still seems rather clunky when shifting under load which is supposed to be one of the main benefits of this setup. We'll see in the woods tomorrow. BTW, if I do back off, and shift while not under load, it is dead silent.
 
#35 ·
1. Installed DUB BB with no inboard spacers, a 3mm outboard non-drive side spacer, a 5mm outboard drive side spacer. (my bb measures 75mm with the ISCG plate, if you have a standard 73mm shell you must use a 3mm non-drive and a 7.5mm drive side outboard spacers)

thank you for answering the question I came here to ask, seems like the new chainline is considered mtb wide longer spindle cranks, I hate that sram doesn't make this clear in their instructions

so are the new chainrings 0mm or 3mm offset in the sram cranks? 7.5 drive side is 3mm wider than the original eagle cranksets, so you would still use a 3mm offset chainring for a 55mm chainline is that correct?
 
#36 ·
They are MTB Wide spindle and 3mm offset chainring. Same as Eagle with a 55mm chainline. Same spacers with the same Dub BB.

Big change is the different cassette spacing, 2.5mm outboard. Makes the chainline perform similarly to the 52mm line of the standard-spindle Eagle.
 
#44 · (Edited)
Weird noise started on my last ride, seems to be on a specific short part of the chain, I can’t see any damage to the chain visually, but I’m thinking I might need a new chain, still might try a full re install


EDIT: this seems to have been dirt, bike wasn’t really dirt trails have been dry, but apparently there must have been some dirt or sand in the wrong spot
 
#45 ·
Just noticed this, can’t say if it was always like this or somehow after some riding, I have a 32 ring and my chain is touching the cage when in the highest gear smallest cog

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Anyone seen this?


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