SRAM Red eTap With 11 X 32 Cassette

[peacefulloflove]

Hey Everyone!

I'm building up a Colnago C60 and want to be able to run an 11 X 32 for uphill climbs like Mt. Washington. I was going to get Dura Ace di2 and then use the Wolf Tooth Components Road Link to run a 32 on the back. I contacted them and they said that though they haven't tried using it with eTap, they see no reason why a 32 wouldn't work.

Before I place the order for etap, I wanted to see if anyone here had any thoughts as to why, or why not, it wouldn't work.

Thanks!

[topflightpro]

I have an 11x32 cassette at home and a regular Red RD. I'll put the cassette on and see how it fits with the RD.

My understanding is that you need a Wi-Fli (long-cage) RD to run the 32. I usually swap out my RD for a Force Wi-Fli when I run the 11x32 cassette. I'll report back my findings tomorrow evening.

[peacefulloflove]

Thank you!

I imagine that there is no issue from an electronics point of view with running a 32, it just comes down to the length of the derailleur hanger and clearance. The Wolf Tooth basically allows you to position the entire rear mech lower, which I guess addresses the issue.

let me know what you find!

[oldnslow2]

I wonder how you set the "B" tension spacing? Will the jockey wheel be less than 6mm on the 32 cog?

[eric]

32t does not work with a regular Red 2012 RD. 30t does.

[oldnslow2]

eTap uses a short cage which Sram says 28 is the max.

[eaglejackson]

Another Shimano solution is the Ultegra DI2 rear derailleur. It is designed to handle a 32, whereas the DA is not. The Ultegra Di2 rear derailleur is fully compatible with the rest of your DA Di2 gear.

[eric]

Sram says 28t is the max for the Red 2012 derailleur, but 30t works fine. And it takes up 35t worth of wrap without issue.
32t cogs are too much in my experience.

[bearsdidit]

Another Shimano solution is the Ultegra DI2 rear derailleur. It is designed to handle a 32, whereas the DA is not. The Ultegra Di2 rear derailleur is fully compatible with the rest of your DA Di2 gear.

A 9070 rear will actually work with a 30 as well.

[deek]

The Wolf Tooth Road Link will get you around the max cog size issue, but I kind of doubt that the RD cage is long enough to take up all of the slack in the chain. You could just run the chain a little long so big/big works and small/small doesn't. If you're feeling adventurous you might be able to swap a longer cage to the eTap RD.

I'd probably just wait until a WiFli eTap RD comes out which I imagine shouldn't be too long.

[topflightpro]

OP, Everyone who said it won't work is correct. I just tried putting the 11x32 cassette on my regular cage Red RD, and it did not work. I put the B-Screw all the way out and the teeth on the cassette and RD pulleys were pretty much bumping each other.

The 28t cog worked fine.

[eaglejackson]

Here's my unsolicited 0.02. If you've got the means to build up a Colnago C60, and you want the wide range of a 32, then if it were me, I'd either wait till the long cage (wifly) version of the eTap Red came out or I'd put an Ultegra Di2 rear derailleur on. You could switch back to your DA Di2 rear derailleur when you didn't need to go to a 32. Do it right -- your C60 deserves it. I wouldn't do any kludges.

[peacefulloflove]

OP, Everyone who said it won't work is correct. I just tried putting the 11x32 cassette on my regular cage Red RD, and it did not work. I put the B-Screw all the way out and the teeth on the cassette and RD pulleys were pretty much bumping each other.

The 28t cog worked fine.

Thank you for testing that out!

[peacefulloflove]

Here's my unsolicited 0.02. If you've got the means to build up a Colnago C60, and you want the wide range of a 32, then if it were me, I'd either wait till the long cage (wifly) version of the eTap Red came out or I'd put an Ultegra Di2 rear derailleur on. You could switch back to your DA Di2 rear derailleur when you didn't need to go to a 32. Do it right -- your C60 deserves it. I wouldn't do any kludges.

Thank you. I think you're absolutely right, and I'd forgotten that you can switch between a DA and ultegra rear di2 mech.

What I'm wondering is why they don't just offer a medium cage DA version? The ultegra rear mech is nice but weighs about 70 grams more!

[eaglejackson]

Thank you. I think you're absolutely right, and I'd forgotten that you can switch between a DA and ultegra rear di2 mech.

What I'm wondering is why they don't just offer a medium cage DA version? The ultegra rear mech is nice but weighs about 70 grams more!

It's odd to me, too, that Shimano doesn't have a medium cage DA.

I like the flexibility of the current Shimano cranks where you can switch chainrings on the same crankset -- 53/39, 52/36, 50/34, etc. And if I needed to go real low, I'd swap out the DA rear mech for an Ultegra one. The good news is that the Ultegra Di2 rear mech is way less expensive than the DA one, so it's really not a big deal to have one in the spare parts bin that you can swap in when needed.