Hmmm

Hey all, I searched the forum for a similar thread but with no success at finding answers I've decided to make a new post.

I purchased a SRAM Apex 1x Giant TCX last September. In the 13 months of owning the bike, the RD cable has had a problem 3 times. I am assuming it is all a similar problem.

The first instance I was indexing the RD and shifting down and up without pedaling, then pedaling to get the bike to shift. I don't have a workstand so this is what I've done. Shift up or down a few times, then rotate the pedals. At some point the shifter stopped catching or pulling the cable when I would try to shift up the cassette and would only do a small click sound when the lever is released. Bike shop fixed it, I assumed the cable had broke for an odd reason.

Second instance I was tired after an effort and mis shifted. Down instead of up. To correct my shift I quickly pushed the lever hard to try to skip a few cogs, the RD struggled at first then settled into a small cog and stopped working. I took it to a different shop as the Giant dealer was busy, and the shop said it was bent. This is all in French, which I am not a native speaker, and the speaking skills I do have go out the window when I'm nervous or stressed. So I don't think I fully understood the shop.

It's been two weeks and 4 rides since the broken cable was repaired for a second time and it happened for a third. I wanted to take my wheel out while cleaning the bike. I shifted down a few times, lifted up the back wheel and turned the pedals. I did this a few times and it stopped working like the first two times. A click as the lever goes up and down but nothing happens.

I've pulled back the lever cover and took a photo:

As I've pointed out, the mechanism on the top pulls through as I shift, but below the cable won't pull through. If I understand correctly.

I would like to be able to solve this myself, replace the cable, etc. Also I want to avoid this happening again. Am I not able to "dry shift" Apex 1x without cranking the pedals? Also worried it cannot handle shifting up multiple cogs in one shift.

Thanks for the help. I apologise for my lack of expertise.

JoeTBM 

It looks a little gummy in there, I'm thinking that the ratcheting mechanism has a stuck/sluggish spring in there.

Try spraying some light oil, WD-40 or even PB blaster in there to soften up the gelled grease

dwsmartins

I’m not used to Sram shifters, but I definitely won’t recommend stationary shifts, especially from a smaller cog to a bigger one.

When you pull the gear on the lever, the cable gets tensioned and transfers this to the derailleur, who can’t move freely due to the chain’s resistance to twist.

If the cable isn’t strongly fastened to the pinch bolt on the derailleur, it will slip and that’s the best case scenario. Otherwise, you can broke the cable or even bend the derailleur.

If you don’t have any means to lift the rear wheel and pedal to adjust the gears, try working on it with the bike upside down on the floor. I’ve done it some times and just works, but be careful with the handlebar accessories (flashlights, for example).

02Giant 

A couple of things;
Don't shift unless you are pedaling, no good comes from it.
At 13 months old, there is nothing wrong with the lube in the shifter.

Return to a shop and have them verify the operation of the shifter (near impossible over the interwebz) then don't shift unless pedaling.

dsbrantjr

As mentioned, don't shift without pedaling. One of these will hold the rear wheel off of the ground: https://www.amazon.com/Sunlite-Displ.../dp/B000C17HJ4

dsaul

There have been a few threads on this recently, but you are the first to admit shifting without pedaling and that is the key to the problem. SRAM road shifters don't seem to have a very deep recess for the cable head to sit in the shift mechanism. When you shift toward a smaller cog without pedaling, the shift mechanism rotates but the cable doesn't move because the rear derailleur can't move. This allows the cable head to come out of the recess in the red part shown in your picture. If you only shift one gear, the cable will usually go back into the recess after you pedal. If you shift multiple gears, the cable head comes out and slips past the recess when the derailleur is able to move again. At this point, your shift lever has no control over the cable movement and the cable needs to be pushed back out a seated in the recess again.

Hmmm

Ok, so I should detach the cable from the derailleur and essentially install it again? Seat the cable again in the shifter? I apologise for being an amateur at this.

Thank you for all your replies everyone. Never shifting without pedalling again!

dsaul

Detaching the cable at the derailleur and re-installing it at the shifter would be the first thing I would try. You only need to push the cable out far enough to be able to re-seat the head in the recess. If the picture is the current condition, you should push the cable head out and then shift back to the smallest cog and re-seat the cable.

Geekage

You can get a better look at the red cable spool by removing the three screws holding the cover plate on. You can see one screw in your photo. Another is up and to the left of the ratchet, and the third is at the top of the brake (upper right portion of the photo), pointing down. (I think it's the same for hydraulic and cable brake, I can't tell from your photo).

See if the cable head is in the spool. If that's the cable head in the photo, then, no it's not. Which is surprising, because my 2016 Apex 1 shifter didn't have a slot in the cable spool for the head to pop out from. I guess SRAM changed things recently.

Following the previous instructions to reseat the cable should be easier with the cover removed. Don't worry about removing the cover, it's mostly there to protect the mechanism from the rubber hood. Nothing else should come flying out when you do remove the cover.

You may also need to dry shift to get the red cable spool into the proper orientation to get the cable head seated.

Geekage

Meh. There's just a lot of grease and it can't have gummed up that much in thirteen months. The seven year old grease on my shifters was still fine.

Besides, the pawl springs are pretty strong, they'd break through some pretty thick stuff. IIRC, the pawls have a gap between them, and that's where the grease has built up. (For the red spool. If it had a white spool, the downshifting pawl would be a lot wider, thus less/no gap)

Still, less grease doesn't hurt things. I've taken my shifters apart so many times, there's no grease left on the ratchets..... Okay, I take that back, the chrome plating has flaked off the corner of one of the pawls, but I don't know if that's related to low grease or something else. They are seven year old shifters after all.

Hmmm

Thank you guys. This is helping a lot. I was able to reseat the cable into the groove after shifting into the smallest cog. I was able to pull it through by taking off the bar tape and pulling on the cable on the other side of the shifter.

After doing this, I install the cable at the rear derailleur and when I test it, the gears shift all the way up the cassette with no problem, but once I try to down shift, the cable comes out of the groove and the derailleur stays in the highest gear. Photo below is cable popped out of groove after trying to shift down the cassette from a successful shifting up the cassette.




I am assuming I do not have the cable tight enough at the RD? Getting the cable in the groove seems to be easy, it's getting it to stay there after shifting up the cassette that is proving difficult.

Thanks again everyone!

02Giant 

Is the derailleur cable pinched or at an odd angle somewhere along it's route? It sounds like the cable is restricted somewhere, the derailleur spring is at it's tightest when you are in the lowest gear (biggest) it will naturally want to work it's way down the cassette as you up shift.

Hmmm

Ahh. Good idea. How can I check if it's pinched? Pulling it out and putting a new cable in?

02Giant 

Check the routing first, including where it exits the shifter/brifter for obvious odd angles/transitions. Otherwise I would disconnect from the derailleur and see if it operates freely.

Hmmm

Thanks to you and everyone. I replaced the RD cable and the cable had frayed just enough to be catching on the point of entry on the chain stay. Its all fixed now and shifting well.

Really, thanks everyone for helping me with this. I avoided having to take the bike in and now know another piece of the bike maintenance puzzle.

pwalker78@gmail

Unsure if your problem came back. But your spool looks broken. Not uncommon for this (red) part to break, as it should have a tab over the top, although unless you know what you're looking for you wouldn't know. Anyway There is now a solution! ratio technology from the UK do a replacement cable spool for £8. Google it. I'd post a link but the forum doesn't allow newbies to....

Note I've had the same problem for the last 12 months and so happy to find someone doing a replacement part.

cxwrench

Funny, I've never seen this happen. I worked for the first men's pro team in the US to use SRAM in '06 and the women's team I was with from '07 to '17 used it and not one ever broke. I've never seen one break at the shop either. I've actually never even heard of one breaking on any of the forums either.

pwalker78@gmail

Two threads on this forum alone, then you can also check out ****** to start with.

Then ratio tech mention it as a known problem...

It's definitely a problem from what I'm seeing, searching for and personally experiencing...