sram apex gears

[wearwell]

Anybody else tried the sram apex gears?
I hate them. Bloody tedious. Big mistake.
Back changer works except it's nine whole clicks to go from bottom to top compared to one shift on my old bar end set. Then it's an unpredictable number of clicks going the other way.
Front changer completely erratic. Can do up to three clicks but you have no idea where the chain will end up. Sometimes off big ring and back on again in one movement, sometimes nothing, sometimes goes the way you want it. Misses 2 changes out of three.
So I've only done about 100 (hilly) km so far so it might get better but somehow I doubt it. Please tell me it will be OK!
I am thoroughly brassed off.

[new2touring]

I have SRAM Rival on my CX bike which will work in exactly the same way. I came to indexed gears after a 20+ year gap from cycling so they were a novelty and they work fine for me.
I like the double tap method - going to a higher gear it always changes 1 at a time, to lower gears a more pronounced 'tap and hold' will change 2 or 3 gears or a quick tap will just do the one.
maybe you just need to get used to them. if they are overshifting then the relevant deraileur needs trimming to correct that.
I have never had bar shifters so I cannot compare them to that.

[cadseen]

They will never catch on

I see merlin are discounting them 42%, is that because they are no good
http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/Bike+Shop ... -OFFER.htm

[wearwell]

...
I like the double tap method - going to a higher gear it always changes 1 at a time, to lower gears a more pronounced 'tap and hold' will change 2 or 3 gears or a quick tap will just do the one......

Glad somebody likes them. It's not a "tap" though, it's more a big swing of the lever.
I'll try some adjustment. The one movement which does work neatly is from big to smaller sprocket on the back, but you can only do one at a time so it's a lot of lever flipping if you want to do more.

They will never catch on ...

I think you are right. Pointless IMHO.

[wearwell]

Not much comment on here. No reviews out there except vaguely optimistic trade ones. I think they are a non starter.
I doubt the set would have much 2nd hand value. I think a non-indexed pair of bar end shifters would work better and be the cheapest way forwards.
It's the Spa Audax bike BTW. Nice bike, crap gears.

[new2touring]

All the STI brake lever mounted systems SRAM/CAMPAG/SHIMANO work in different ways so if you really want to change be sure to research them all before buying.

I've just bought a 2nd bike , this one has Shimano Tiagra shifters on it - slightly different mechanism but has the same end result

[loafer]

i have a cannondale synapse carbon with apex groupset was a little strange at first but once i got used to them i found it easy and have had no probs shifting at the front or back ..

larry

[531colin]

.....................
It's the Spa Audax bike BTW. Nice bike, crap gears.

We do our best to persuade people to visit the shop and take a test bike out for an hour or so.
We are happy to build them up with Shimano if thats what the customer wants.
Or supply a frame for somebody else to build up with Campag.

What more could we do?

[pete75]

.....................
It's the Spa Audax bike BTW. Nice bike, crap gears.

We do our best to persuade people to visit the shop and take a test bike out for an hour or so.
We are happy to build them up with Shimano if thats what the customer wants.
Or supply a frame for somebody else to build up with Campag.

What more could we do?

Why won't you build them up with Campag ? If you build a frame in titanium to last why not use the longest lasting components?

[531colin]

Why won't you build them up with Campag ? If you build a frame in titanium to last why not use the longest lasting components?

Business opportunity there for the taking, why don't you do it Pete?
All the hard work is done for you, frame designs are here http://www.spacycles.co.uk/smsimg/uploads/audaxgeometry.jpg, all you have to do is bolt the latest Campag. wheels and gruppo on it.

Some say Rohloff is the longest lasting, you could do that, too.

[pete75]

I thought Rohloff break their spoke flanges quite often and quite quickly.... I doubt they'll last as long as STurmey Archer have been proven to last anyway....

I was just interested in why you won't use Camapag and what you have against the stuff...

Why is there a business opportunity in buying a farme and then bolting components on - surely anyone with an ounce of sense would buy the frame, components and build it up themselves savinga fair bit of dosh.... I'm sure doing waht you suggested onlyw orks for someone with the buying power of a large volume retailer at the very least..

[reohn2]

........ If you build a frame in titanium to last why not use the longest lasting components?

They do,as Colin said they can build up with Shimano

[wearwell]

......
What more could we do?

If people don't like them then don't build bikes with them?

The point of my post was to ask for reassurance that sram apex gears are generally deemed OK, with satisfied users etc, but I didn't get a big response so I guess they are still a novelty. Though the replies above are 2 positive and non negative.
I think I'm getting more used to them though. The front changer works better for me if when going from little to big I do one click (as one is supposed to) then immediately to do one click more - which doesn't change gear but brings the cage back a touch and perhaps aligns it better. Then after that it just takes one click to go back from big to little. Seems to be working.

Certainly a nice bike, it has to be said!

[531colin]

.............

I think I'm getting more used to them though. The front changer works better for me if when going from little to big I do one click (as one is supposed to) then immediately to do one click more - which doesn't change gear but brings the cage back a touch and perhaps aligns it better. Then after that it just takes one click to go back from big to little. Seems to be working............

OK,.... bearing in mind that I have only just gone to bar end from down tube shifters myself.......
That sounds like the big sweep of the lever for the upshift, which involves an overshift, followed by a "tap" to trim the cage position "left a bit"....and from there a single tap for downshift....sounds right to me, you may need to re-trim the cage in big ring small sprocket, this time its a "right a bit" trim so its a long sweep for that trim....if you want to downshift from here its tap tap.

........If people don't like them then don't build bikes with them?.........

I don't think we have had any other complaints, maybe people who have bought SRAM bikes have taken a test ride on SRAM bikes......we have Shimano testers as well.

....................
Certainly a nice bike, it has to be said!

I'm glad you like it. I'm certainly quite happy with the handling, I find it lively enough to be entertaining without being twitchy and "high maintenance", which I find tedious after a couple of hours.

Will you let us know what you think of the SRAM gears after you have ridden it for a month or so?

[wearwell]

.....
Will you let us know what you think of the SRAM gears after you have ridden it for a month or so?

Interim report.
On normal roads these gears are no prob once you have twigged their eccentricities and got used to them.
Anywhere demanding, such as one of my local rides involving lots of sharp corners and sudden very steep ups and downs, then they ain't so good. Changes can be too slow, and if you get it wrong in a hurry it can change the wrong way, or not at all, just when you need to drop into a much lower gear to avoid stopping dead. Not being able to change down through several gears, quickly and reliably, is a problem.
Thrown the chain twice, once got it tight jammed behind the block.
But it is a "road" bike after all so maybe I should just accept that and stick to my Dawes Galaxy for anywhere a bit difficult.
Maybe it'll improve with a bit more practice.