# SRAM Red RD Explode?



## willhs (Apr 10, 2009)

I've had SRAM Red for just going on 2 years now with no problems. I ride as a "serious recreational rider" with no racing and ~30-60 mile rides on the weekends when I can in the summer. 

After my second ride of the season, I brought my bike to my LBS (Williamson Bikes in Madison, WI) to tune it. During the process the tech torqued on the rear cage with his hands saying "look at how much play there is here." While doing that, it made a cracking sound. One of the other tech guys said that play was normal on Red cages (I don't know if this is true or not), and I ignored the cracking sound. On my very next ride, my RD completely and spontaneously exploded as pictured:

View attachment 226727


I took it into the LBS, and they claimed there was absolutely no way they had anything to do with it, and they would not even replace the rear cage (even if I paid for the part AND labor). The only option they provided was they would sell me a new Force RD for 30% off (which was the current sale price in the store).

Is it truly impossible that torquing on a rear cage until it makes a snapping sound could cause it to break when ridden, or is it more likely that after only 2 years of casual riding it coincidentally exploded after being torqued? Am I off base in asking them to fix the RD at my expense? 

Also, it seems to me that there are plenty of good options for aftermarket parts -- I guess while we're on topic does anyone have any recommendations there? I guess I'm doing this myself.


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## rx-79g (Sep 14, 2010)

I know those guys - they're not geniuses, but I don't think they'd knowingly break your RD and cover it up. It also shouldn't break just from being flexed a little bit, but I don't know what "torqued" means. In other words, I doubt they did anything more than finish breaking something that was already cracked.

The part that is broken does not appear to be a replaceable part from SRAM's manuals:
http://www.sram.com/_media/techdocs/2011 SRAM EXTDT Wheel Hub SPC_Rev B.pdf
Check page 6.

I'd give SRAM a call and tell them that the outer pulley plate cracked while an LBS mechanic was adjusting it and see what they suggest.

If no one can help you, you have two options:
1. Take a small piece of aluminum or fiberglass cloth, sand, degrease and both the broken area together. Ugly, but it will hold for another year, probably.
2. Buy a new derailleur mail order, which is probably cheaper than 30% off Force at an LBS.

It's too bad Williamson isn't taking some responsibility. It happened on their watch, but people are always trying to blame the LBS for stuff they didn't do, so that becomes a mentality.


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## rubbersoul (Mar 1, 2010)

sram rocks!


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## Kuma601 (Jan 22, 2004)

What would need to be "torqued" up on the rear cage in the first place to have them back there? 

As rx suggested, call SRAM. Buying new or used one is an easy option.


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## willhs (Apr 10, 2009)

Yeah, I definitely think calling SRAM would be the way to go. I just checked and my RD is still under warranty! Those guys told me my RD broke because it's "too old" -- less than 2 years old. And by "torque" I mean he was wiggling the carbon cage from side to side, hard, to show that it wiggles (not really wiggling, but bending under the pressure). At any rate, I will call SRAM and report back.


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## robdamanii (Feb 13, 2006)

The entire cage assembly of the Red derailleur comes off and can be replaced.

Whether or not the LBS can actually get a replacement cage (and if it's worth it, since I seem to recall the cage alone being about 110 bucks) is another story.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

after you get that derailleur fixed i'd start shopping for another shop. if that exact same thing happened at my shop (well...no way it would happen exactly like this), the last thing we'd do is force you to buy a new derailleur w/o even checking on the options of warranty/repair. and if the cage made a 'cracking' sound, i'd sure as hell take a pretty close look at it before letting you ride it.


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## rx-79g (Sep 14, 2010)

robdamanii said:


> The entire cage assembly of the Red derailleur comes off and can be replaced.
> 
> Whether or not the LBS can actually get a replacement cage (and if it's worth it, since I seem to recall the cage alone being about 110 bucks) is another story.


I didn't say or mean it couldn't be removed. I meant that it had no part number to order a replacment. That's why I recommended calling SRAM.


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## PlatyPius (Feb 1, 2009)

Sounds like they broke it. They owe you a new rear derailleur, or at least a new cage.


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## robdamanii (Feb 13, 2006)

Definitely sounds like they contributed heavily to its demise.

Options:

-New derailleur

-New stock cage. From Page 6 of the SRAM parts manual (http://www.sram.com/_media/techdocs/2011 SRAM EXTDT Wheel Hub SPC_Rev B.pdf) it appears to be Part Number 11.7515.020.000 - Red Rear Derailleur Cage/Pulley Kit (ceramic pulleys, inner and out cages)

-Aftermarket cages from a different source like Fiberlyte or someone similar. Lots of details here: http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=66573&hilit=sram+red+tuning 
Also more info here (where someone claims the inner cage is $300 canadian): http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=63533

I did a lot of looking into this back before the Red Black group was announced with the thought of swapping a standard Red cage onto a black LTE derailleur body/parallelogram/knuckle to get the proper look. Thankfully, SRAM got to it before I could spend a bunch of extra money and time on the swap.


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## rx-79g (Sep 14, 2010)

robdamanii said:


> Definitely sounds like they contributed heavily to its demise.
> 
> Options:
> 
> ...


My bad - I didn't see the "4" next to the outer cage in the document. I wonder why the shop wouldn't order a cage for you?


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## UrbanPrimitive (Jun 14, 2009)

PlatyPius said:


> Sounds like they broke it. They owe you a new rear derailleur, or at least a new cage.


+1 If I did that I'd pony up and buy the guy a new cage. It's true that a lot of people try to blame their mechanics for things beyond their control ("I swear I didn't strip the threads off your bottom bracket while staring at it") but, if this went down as you describe, blaming it on kit that's two years old is B.S.

I've never worked with the shop in question but if what happened to you happened to me I'd start reviewing other shops in the area.


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## willhs (Apr 10, 2009)

I offered to pay for the cage AND the labor. Yeah, I will definitely be looking into another bike store. There are a lot of options in town, which helps.

I double checked on this, and my invoice for the grouppo is from 4/24/2009 though I put it on the bike later, but still less than 2 years for warranty purposes and roughly 2 seasons of riding.

For calling SRAM, they don't list hours on their website -- has anyone called them on the weekend?


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## rx-79g (Sep 14, 2010)

willhs said:


> I offered to pay for the cage AND the labor. Yeah, I will definitely be looking into another bike store. There are a lot of options in town, which helps.
> 
> I double checked on this, and my invoice for the grouppo is from 4/24/2009 though I put it on the bike later, but still less than 2 years for warranty purposes and roughly 2 seasons of riding.
> 
> For calling SRAM, they don't list hours on their website -- has anyone called them on the weekend?


They won't be there. It's an office in Chicago, not a call center. M-F, 9-5.

Were'd the group come from?


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## willhs (Apr 10, 2009)

Yeah, that's what I figured, which is totally no big deal.

Bought the complete grouppo new from a vendor on eBay, installed by a bike shop back home.


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## FBinNY (Jan 24, 2009)

You know the cage is cracked (now broken) and needs replacing, so do that. Sram will either send a cage under warranty, or you may need to buy one, but either way that's step one.

Now as to whether the mechanic broke the cage by over-flexing it, or was pointing out a cage that was already cracked by demonstrating it's noise flex is a chicken and egg proposition. You'll never know for sure, so it depends on your overall opinion of his skill and honesty.


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## rx-79g (Sep 14, 2010)

If you aren't getting good service from a bike shop, I live 2 blocks from Williamson Cycle West. Come on over when you get the replacement parts and I'll help you assemble it.


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## willhs (Apr 10, 2009)

I wasn't able to call yesterday, but I did call today. It turns out that if you buy a complete new in box full grouppo on ebay from a vendor who does nothing but sell new in box grouppos, the warranty is void on arrival (I guess I should have bought from gvhbikes after all, which is "totally different" from a warranty perspective). So, that's just another cool bump in the road, so to speak.

The rep was really confused why anyone would even touch the rear cage in the first place, or why they refused to replace that part for me. Overall, she was very nice, and gave me info for another bike shop in town. Honestly, I think SRAM can probably afford to replace a single part just for goodwill purposes, but I'm over it.

So, now I'm left with getting a rear outer cage and putting it on. Anyone have any recommendations for aftermarket parts? I figured weightweenies would have a lot of this kind of stuff but it's pretty dry. Fibre-lyte.co.uk makes awesome inner cages, but no outer ones. I'd appreciate any recommendations, and I'll keep looking myself.

@rx-79g: I actually live fairly close as well. I want to check out Erik's and see if that can be my "shop." But, I would appreciate any help.


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## rx-79g (Sep 14, 2010)

willhs said:


> I wasn't able to call yesterday, but I did call today. It turns out that if you buy a complete new in box full grouppo on ebay from a vendor who does nothing but sell new in box grouppos, the warranty is void on arrival (I guess I should have bought from gvhbikes after all, which is "totally different" from a warranty perspective). So, that's just another cool bump in the road, so to speak.
> 
> The rep was really confused why anyone would even touch the rear cage in the first place, or why they refused to replace that part for me. Overall, she was very nice, and gave me info for another bike shop in town. Honestly, I think SRAM can probably afford to replace a single part just for goodwill purposes, but I'm over it.
> 
> ...


I doubt you're going to find aftermarket inner plates. Would SRAM not allow you or a shop to purchase the part?

Erik's is okay, but kind of limited in scope. They're mostly Specialized shills.

Cronometro is the most pro shop in town - but their rates may be higher. If not them, Machinery Row.


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## willhs (Apr 10, 2009)

A shop can purchase it from SRAM, but I can't. I figured I should at least check and see if I can buy the part myself. I don't really trust bike stores at this point.

The SRAM rep recommneded Erik's, but I've been meaning to check out Machinery Row.

@robdamanii: your weightweenies link was really good for links to kits that have the inner and outer cage. Kinda weird that all kits are made in Germany with German language websites... you'd think there's enough demand for a U.S.-based retailer but I can't find any.


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## robdamanii (Feb 13, 2006)

willhs said:


> A shop can purchase it from SRAM, but I can't. I figured I should at least check and see if I can buy the part myself. I don't really trust bike stores at this point.
> 
> The SRAM rep recommneded Erik's, but I've been meaning to check out Machinery Row.
> 
> @robdamanii: your weightweenies link was really good for links to kits that have the inner and outer cage. Kinda weird that all kits are made in Germany with German language websites... you'd think there's enough demand for a U.S.-based retailer but I can't find any.


I've wondered that myself.

Maybe some kind of legal issue with it? Who knows. Generally though, there are a few folks on WW that have ordered from those sites and have some experience, so I'd defer to their vastly superior knowledge on German companies. 

Glad you're getting somewhere with this though...On the road to...back on the road?


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## UrbanPrimitive (Jun 14, 2009)

willhs said:


> A shop can purchase it from SRAM, but I can't. I figured I should at least check and see if I can buy the part myself. I don't really trust bike stores at this point.


You just hit a very important distinction: shop vs store. There are a lot of bike stores out there that do some maintenance wrenching. Most of them aren't shops, in the sense of having competent, professional, and educated mechanics.Good luck in getting this resolved. Here's hoping your future experiences won't be so painful (financially) and annoying.


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## Vee (Jun 17, 2010)

those carbon cages look pricey, perhaps even more so than buying a new deraileur? Not at home at the moment or I'd research it some.


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## willhs (Apr 10, 2009)

Yeah that's what I'm seeing, too. It's only $228.50 for a brand new red RD on ebay. It would be kind of cool to trick out my RD, but I'm not that into bling to spend more than a new RD. Kind of reminds me of teenagers who buy used Hondas and spend more on the bling.

Also, a lot of ebay sellers actually say the SRAM products come with a warranty, so I'm kind of confused? The original listing for my grouppo is long gone, but my invoice clearly states that the entire group is brand new from an "authorized SRAM dealer."


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## rx-79g (Sep 14, 2010)

willhs said:


> Yeah that's what I'm seeing, too. It's only $228.50 for a brand new red RD on ebay. It would be kind of cool to trick out my RD, but I'm not that into bling to spend more than a new RD. Kind of reminds me of teenagers who buy used Hondas and spend more on the bling.
> 
> Also, a lot of ebay sellers actually say the SRAM products come with a warranty, so I'm kind of confused? The original listing for my grouppo is long gone, but my invoice clearly states that the entire group is brand new from an "authorized SRAM dealer."


Then take it up with them.


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## willhs (Apr 10, 2009)

It's a no-go on getting help from SRAM. But, I'm done with complaining and I just want my ride to work again.

This may be a crazy idea, but would it work to buy a brand new Rival RD ($59 shipped from ebay) and just take the cage off of that and put it on my Red? In theory it should be more durable and would only cost me a little money and a few grams of weight. From searching around, it looks like the Red cage has exploded on others before.

Going with those German cages doesn't actually save weight, but it reduces chain tension and in theory gives you a few extra watts of output per watt of input. And, that's relatively expensive.


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## rx-79g (Sep 14, 2010)

willhs said:


> It's a no-go on getting help from SRAM. But, I'm done with complaining and I just want my ride to work again.
> 
> This may be a crazy idea, but would it work to buy a brand new Rival RD ($59 shipped from ebay) and just take the cage off of that and put it on my Red? In theory it should be more durable and would only cost me a little money and a few grams of weight. From searching around, it looks like the Red cage has exploded on others before.
> 
> Going with those German cages doesn't actually save weight, but it reduces chain tension and in theory gives you a few extra watts of output per watt of input. And, that's relatively expensive.


Why not just live with the deep shame of a full Rival RD on your bike while the Red awaits some sort of resolution?

I can think of lots of ways of repairing or replacing the outer cage for little money - they just require time and opportunity. Use the excellent Rival RD, suffer with those extra 35 grams for awhile, then sell it when the Red is back up.


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## robdamanii (Feb 13, 2006)

I *think* the rival/force is different from the Red, according to their online tech docs. Then again, that may just be a ploy to get you to buy a full Red kit...


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## willhs (Apr 10, 2009)

@rx-79g: Haha, good point, part of it is shame. But, I actually think this could be a long-term fix. I mean, the rival rd is ~35g heavier as you say, but the rival cage is likely only ~5g heavier, and it has similar aesthetic (more black, which looks cool), so it would look just fine and be more durable. I'm not interested in another rd explosion. And, this is definitely the cheapest option.

@robdamanii: you may be right regarding the RD, but I think the cage itself should fit from what I've seen?


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## rx-79g (Sep 14, 2010)

willhs said:


> @rx-79g: Haha, good point, part of it is shame. But, I actually think this could be a long-term fix. I mean, the rival rd is ~35g heavier as you say, but the rival cage is likely only ~5g heavier, and it has similar aesthetic (more black, which looks cool), so it would look just fine and be more durable. I'm not interested in another rd explosion. And, this is definitely the cheapest option.
> 
> @robdamanii: you may be right regarding the RD, but I think the cage itself should fit from what I've seen?


Seeing that the part on you RD that broke is carbon, I'd just fix it.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Part numbers*



willhs said:


> @rx-79g: Haha, good point, part of it is shame. But, I actually think this could be a long-term fix. I mean, the rival rd is ~35g heavier as you say, but the rival cage is likely only ~5g heavier, and it has similar aesthetic (more black, which looks cool), so it would look just fine and be more durable. I'm not interested in another rd explosion. And, this is definitely the cheapest option.
> 
> @robdamanii: you may be right regarding the RD, but I think the cage itself should fit from what I've seen?


You need to look at part numbers. While it's possible that cages with different part numbers are interchangable, it's doubtful. I'd want to see it done before I would believe that cages with different part numbers would work with both derailleurs.


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## willhs (Apr 10, 2009)

@rx-79g: I see what you mean, but when it split in half in the middle, the jump stops at the end got ripped off as well. It probably could be fixed by someone who's really good with carbon, but that'd probably cost more than the replacement part, which costs a lot more than a rival RD.

@Kerry: You may be right. The part numbers would be different either way, though, since it's a different material. I'll try calling SRAM again to ask them if they think it'd be possible. I searched but couldn't find anyone else trying it before.


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## rx-79g (Sep 14, 2010)

willhs said:


> @rx-79g: I see what you mean, but when it split in half in the middle, the jump stops at the end got ripped off as well. It probably could be fixed by someone who's really good with carbon, but that'd probably cost more than the replacement part, which costs a lot more than a rival RD.
> 
> @Kerry: You may be right. The part numbers would be different either way, though, since it's a different material. I'll try calling SRAM again to ask them if they think it'd be possible. I searched but couldn't find anyone else trying it before.


It would cost almost nothing to try. I can certainly think of way to remove enough material near the break to reinforce it - like how frame repairs are done.


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## farva (Jun 24, 2005)

1.5 oz & 2 watts isn't going to make any difference. Use the Rival RD


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## sonic_W (Sep 2, 2008)

willhs said:


> Also, a lot of ebay sellers actually say the SRAM products come with a warranty, so I'm kind of confused? The original listing for my grouppo is long gone, but my invoice clearly states that the entire group is brand new from an "authorized SRAM dealer."


maybe the seller is operating under another name. have you contacted him for warranty info? that might work...


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## willhs (Apr 10, 2009)

@rx - good point. That would be fun to try, but I don't know if I can really trust my work. I guess it depends on if the rival cage is compatible. Didn't get a chance to call today so I'll have to wait until next week.

@farva - you're probably right. I almost wonder if having a stiffer rear cage would actually make shifting better, as well. On doing some searching, it looks like Red cages are "bendy" at baseline.

@sonic: I did contact him, haven't heard back yet. But, SRAM shut down on me immeidately when I said it was on ebay, saying that since it was bought on ebay, no matter what, it is not supported. So, I don't have high hopes there.


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## PlatyPius (Feb 1, 2009)

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Wow.... you've been a busy douchebag.


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## 92gli (Aug 27, 2009)

willhs said:


> Also, a lot of ebay sellers actually say the SRAM products come with a warranty, so I'm kind of confused? The original listing for my grouppo is long gone, but my invoice clearly states that the entire group is brand new from an "authorized SRAM dealer."


Some sellers have actual brick and mortar shops, which are authorized dealers. If they say they are authorized then you might get warranty help if you contacted them first and sent it back to them. Once you said "ebay" to the sram rep she didn't hear anything else you may have said about the seller. In the future, never say "ebay" if you call sram, shimano, easton or whatever part company; they'll just assume it was a grey market part sold out of taiwan and clam up on you.

That said, even through the proper channels I'd bet the house that they would have told you that was the result of a crash or impact with something. I understand your frustration but telling sram that the guy at the shop broke it off wasn't going to get you anywhere.


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## willhs (Apr 10, 2009)

I specifically clarified that point -- any purchase off of ebay, is not covered by warranty with SRAM. Period.

And, I absolutely did not try to pin it on the shop. A spontaneously combusted RD is a spontaneously combusted RD, regardless of whether a bike shop worked on it. I was just trying to get either (a) warranty coverage or (b) any kind of help with regards to buying the part. There had been absolutely no crashes in the short life of that RD.


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## 92gli (Aug 27, 2009)

willhs said:


> I specifically clarified that point -- any purchase off of ebay, is not covered by warranty with SRAM. Period.


It may not be _period_. Some sellers on ebay ARE real shops that ARE authorized dealers. If you go back to them, and they contact sram, and sram never knows they sold the part on ebay, it will have a warranty. I did this last year with a Rock shox fork. No problems other than having to ship it back to the ebay seller. Of course if you go calling sram asking "how do I get a replacement for this part i bought on ebay?" they will tell you to pound sand. My point is, you should have tried to contact the ebay seller first to see if they could make the call for you.


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## willhs (Apr 10, 2009)

Per SRAM, it is Period. I get your point, but any sale over ebay is void. The only way around it, as you say, would be to go through the seller and have them conveniently not mention that it was sold via ebay.

In my view, a defective product is a defective product. If someone buys the top of the line (at the same price as most online retailers like GVHbikes, but admittedly with the benefit of bing cashback at the time on ebay), then I would think they would at least offer some way to get it fixed. SRAM was undoubtedly compensated the same by the ebay vendor as by the other vendors. Treating your own customers as if they aren't legitimate because they bought it via an ebay vendor is almost as absurd as the bike shop refusing to do anything but sell a new RD, imho.


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## Kontact (Apr 1, 2011)

willhs said:


> Per SRAM, it is Period. I get your point, but any sale over ebay is void. The only way around it, as you say, would be to go through the seller and have them conveniently not mention that it was sold via ebay.
> 
> In my view, a defective product is a defective product. If someone buys the top of the line (at the same price as most online retailers like GVHbikes, but admittedly with the benefit of bing cashback at the time on ebay), then I would think they would at least offer some way to get it fixed. SRAM was undoubtedly compensated the same by the ebay vendor as by the other vendors. Treating your own customers as if they aren't legitimate because they bought it via an ebay vendor is almost as absurd as the bike shop refusing to do anything but sell a new RD, imho.


That is a rather peculiar bias between different ways of selling parts on the internet. Especially when some vendors do both.

Anyway, what did the original vendor tell you? And did you find a local shop who would quote you a price for the parts from SRAM?


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## PlatyPius (Feb 1, 2009)

willhs said:


> Per SRAM, it is Period. I get your point, but any sale over ebay is void. The only way around it, as you say, would be to go through the seller and have them conveniently not mention that it was sold via ebay.
> 
> In my view, a defective product is a defective product. If someone buys the top of the line (at the same price as most online retailers like GVHbikes, but admittedly with the benefit of bing cashback at the time on ebay), then I would think they would at least offer some way to get it fixed. SRAM was undoubtedly compensated the same by the ebay vendor as by the other vendors. Treating your own customers as if they aren't legitimate because they bought it via an ebay vendor is almost as absurd as the bike shop refusing to do anything but sell a new RD, imho.


This is a moot point, though. Your mechanic broke the derailleur. It isn't a warranty situation. At the VERY least, the shop should send the rear derailleur to SRAM for repair. SRAM doesn't sell the cage (even to dealers), but they'll fix it. (I called my SRAM rep/former employer and asked).


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## willhs (Apr 10, 2009)

Platy, that's very good to know... in a bad way... being that the bike shop basically gave me the finger instead. I haven't had time to go into another bike shop yet. I got my new rival RD a few days ago and I'm going to swap them and then figure out how I can get the red RD fixed somehow.

I haven't heard back from the ebay vendor, I'm going to contact him/her again. Do you think I could take it into a different bike shop and see if they'd send it in? That seems unreasonable to me.


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## PlatyPius (Feb 1, 2009)

willhs said:


> Platy, that's very good to know... in a bad way... being that the bike shop basically gave me the finger instead. I haven't had time to go into another bike shop yet. I got my new rival RD a few days ago and I'm going to swap them and then figure out how I can get the red RD fixed somehow.
> 
> I haven't heard back from the ebay vendor, I'm going to contact him/her again. Do you think I could take it into a different bike shop and see if they'd send it in? That seems unreasonable to me.


I don't see why not.


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## willhs (Apr 10, 2009)

Thanks Platy. When I call SRAM, they tell me they can do nothing for me. Well, I tried 2 bikes shops, both were a no go. Basically, they told me that since I didn't buy the RD through them, they wouldn't handle the warranty issues with SRAM (they told me that I have to call SRAM myself to handle it, who in turn tells me that the bike shop has to handle it). One of them called SRAM for me to see if they could get the parts to fix it, which was a no go as you said. I did get in touch with the original vendor I bought from on eBay, but he is apparently not a SRAM dealer anymore (he used to be, but then SRAM apparently cracked down on their vendors selling on eBay). He was unable to help me.

Kind of a strange situation -- if he was a dealer when I bought it, and the equipment failed through no fault of my own before the end of the warranty period, it seems to follow logically that I should get warranty service. Or, just because it's the highest level of their parts, maybe some basic customer service is reasonable. A Google search for "SRAM sucks" produces plenty of very similar stories that don't involve eBay. Yay.

Not sure what the take home message is from this thread. If anyone in the future breaks their Red rear derailleur or other parts (sorry, Andy Schleck) and finds this thread, my advice is to give up early. Or, like Schleck, switch back to Shimano.


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## rubbersoul (Mar 1, 2010)

willhs said:


> Thanks Platy. When I call SRAM, they tell me they can do nothing for me. Well, I tried 2 bikes shops, both were a no go. Basically, they told me that since I didn't buy the RD through them, they wouldn't handle the warranty issues with SRAM (they told me that I have to call SRAM myself to handle it, who in turn tells me that the bike shop has to handle it). One of them called SRAM for me to see if they could get the parts to fix it, which was a no go as you said. I did get in touch with the original vendor I bought from on eBay, but he is apparently not a SRAM dealer anymore (he used to be, but then SRAM apparently cracked down on their vendors selling on eBay). He was unable to help me.
> 
> Kind of a strange situation -- if he was a dealer when I bought it, and the equipment failed through no fault of my own before the end of the warranty period, it seems to follow logically that I should get warranty service. Or, just because it's the highest level of their parts, maybe some basic customer service is reasonable. A Google search for "SRAM sucks" produces plenty of very similar stories that don't involve eBay. Yay.
> 
> Not sure what the take home message is from this thread. If anyone in the future breaks their Red rear derailleur or other parts (sorry, Andy Schleck) and finds this thread, my advice is to give up early. Or, like Schleck, switch back to Shimano.


Dura ace is the real deal


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## PlatyPius (Feb 1, 2009)

willhs said:


> Thanks Platy. When I call SRAM, they tell me they can do nothing for me. Well, I tried 2 bikes shops, both were a no go. Basically, they told me that since I didn't buy the RD through them, they wouldn't handle the warranty issues with SRAM (they told me that I have to call SRAM myself to handle it, who in turn tells me that the bike shop has to handle it). One of them called SRAM for me to see if they could get the parts to fix it, which was a no go as you said. I did get in touch with the original vendor I bought from on eBay, but he is apparently not a SRAM dealer anymore (he used to be, but then SRAM apparently cracked down on their vendors selling on eBay). He was unable to help me.
> 
> Kind of a strange situation -- if he was a dealer when I bought it, and the equipment failed through no fault of my own before the end of the warranty period, it seems to follow logically that I should get warranty service. Or, just because it's the highest level of their parts, maybe some basic customer service is reasonable. A Google search for "SRAM sucks" produces plenty of very similar stories that don't involve eBay. Yay.
> 
> Not sure what the take home message is from this thread. If anyone in the future breaks their Red rear derailleur or other parts (sorry, Andy Schleck) and finds this thread, my advice is to give up early. Or, like Schleck, switch back to Shimano.


Since you're not having any joy locally, send me the derailleur and I'll get it fixed.


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## robdamanii (Feb 13, 2006)

Sucks that you're getting the runaround. But really, it's the shops you're visiting.

My wife busted her Rival shifter (shift lever failed, as they are known to do) and my LBS took it right in and warrantied it. It's actually waiting for pickup as I type...

All depends on the shop.


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## willhs (Apr 10, 2009)

You guys are right -- for the large number of bike shops in Madison I have been unimpressed by the customer service. There is plenty of bike snobbery going around, though. To be fair, in this instance SRAM still could step up and help customers directly.

But, I suppose awesome shops do exist, i.e. Platy's shop. Hopefully I can find one like his here in town. From here on out, I'm doing all my own tuning, though.


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## roadie01 (Apr 13, 2010)

As an ex LBS mechanic I have to say that it is possible the RD cage could have had wear on the cage plates. This is caused when the bike is riden with the rear deraileur out of adjustment and worn out pulleys, allowing the chain to rub the cage. Although this is very unlikely on a Red system that is two years old. 

The mechanic should not have pushed on the cage and as soon as the "crack" was heard they should have removed the rear deraileur disassembled and checked. Unfortunately the shop has already refused to accept responsibility or even consider the possibility that they could be responsible. So you're left holding the bag. 

Dealers have specific contract rules they must follow in order to be considered an authorized dealer. Any violation of the contract can be tearms for dealer revocation.


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## jahknob (Jun 28, 2011)

Hi,

Did you ever resolve your issue with the broken Red RD? If you've given up, I'd be interested in buying it from you if the parallelogram spring is still intact (a broken Red RD sold on eBay recently for £30 - I missed that one..).

I was trying to get my Red RD machined to save some weight for a project bike and the machinist cut the spring by accident; though the parallelogram isn't user-serviceable, he's willing to try to open it up and, if we can find a replacement spring, see if he can work out how to put it back together again..

Let me know if you're interested.

Thanks,

Neil (jahknob)


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## robdamanii (Feb 13, 2006)

I think a very helpful forum member resolved the issue for him.

Platty, I'm looking at you...


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## willhs (Apr 10, 2009)

Yeah, Platy assisted me, and it was covered by warranty. I am very grateful for his help, and really impressed by how helpful this forum has been in general - especially in contrast to the shops in the Madison area.


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## robdamanii (Feb 13, 2006)

That's how we roll. Glad you got it fixed and everything turned out well.


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## PlatyPius (Feb 1, 2009)

robdamanii said:


> I think a very helpful forum member resolved the issue for him.
> 
> Platty, I'm looking at you...



It obviously wasn't me. I'm a dooshbag.


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## robdamanii (Feb 13, 2006)

PlatyPius said:


> It obviously wasn't me. I'm a dooshbag.


Flatbar?


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

willhs said:


> Yeah, Platy assisted me, and it was covered by warranty. I am very grateful for his help, and really impressed by how helpful this forum has been in general - especially in contrast to the shops in the Madison area.


madison WI???????

I have never had a problem with any of the madison shops i have dealt with and that includes MOST of them over a long period of time


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