Sram eTap rear derailleur sporadically stops shifting - then performs all queued shifts at once?

Back by popular demand, the general all-things Road forum!

Moderator: robbosmans

haze513
Posts: 104
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2015 4:34 pm

by haze513

haze513 wrote:
Tue Sep 15, 2020 9:24 am
Had mine changed just before the warranty ran out, had hoped they'd already addressed the issue but seems my relacement may also be prone to failure at some point.

Given the original warranty period has passed I expect I'll need to shell out for one of these if the new one fails, still at least 11sp is still being supported in a fashion...
And right on cue...

bikeboy1tr
Posts: 1395
Joined: Thu Mar 21, 2013 3:19 am
Location: Southern Ontario Canada

by bikeboy1tr

Wow thats unbelievable haze513, I guess I cant be too disappointed as I have just got 3 years in on my etap but today the RD stopped shifting.
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=154188
2018 Colnago V2R Rim Brake
2019 Colnago V2R Disc Brake
2014 Norco Threshold Disc Brake
2006 Ridley Crosswind Rim Brake

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



haze513
Posts: 104
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2015 4:34 pm

by haze513

bikeboy1tr wrote:
Fri Sep 25, 2020 1:33 am
Wow thats unbelievable haze513, I guess I cant be too disappointed as I have just got 3 years in on my etap but today the RD stopped shifting.
Couldn't make it up honestly, 15 minutes into a ride and it just stopped responding totally...so a little different to the symptoms described on this thread but a fail all the same.

I guess a fair few don't have any trouble but there are clearly issues with many of these.

Good luck getting it sorted.

haze513
Posts: 104
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2015 4:34 pm

by haze513

Update: Sram agreed to replace the derailleur, took a few weeks due to delays but I've finally picked up a second generation A2 unit.

These hopefully address the issues with the original, believe it's based on the AXS version and it's a fair bit sturdier than it's predecessor...not sure that's really the issue here but it seems a bit more reassuring anyway!

Fair play to them honouring the original warranty date, also P-X for sorting the exchange

shawnito
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2018 11:38 pm

by shawnito

Well finally I got a “not working, spare parts” rear mech to fiddle with. To my surprise it was not an electrical but mechanical problem. Solved with a throrough cleaning of the pivots with brake cleaner and a teeth brush, some gently hits with a hammer on the pivots (protect the mech with a cloth) and voilá... it has been working flawlessly for the last hour. Maybe I should try to extract the pivots and lube them too.

At the begining the servo sounded quite muted and the led was blinking after every command. After the cleaning some sand and dust came from under the servo arm. Now it sounds as the one I have on my bike.

I guess most of the failing mechs are due to grime under the arm and around the pivots and not electrical failure as we thought. Worth giving a try before buying a new one


Enviado desde mi iPhone utilizando Tapatalk

XCProMD
Posts: 1125
Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2008 10:25 am
Location: Cantabria

by XCProMD

That’s the same conclusion we arrived to a while ago. Good to see it confirmed again.

Old XX1 and X01 MTB mechanical derailleurs had the same problem and would return to the smaller cogs as the spring would not be strong enough to counteract the stiction at the link pivots.


Skickat från min iPhone med Tapatalk

Packer
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Dec 21, 2019 4:29 pm

by Packer

I've developed a more fatal problem.
Short ride yesterday in the dry, all fine with the shifting world, put bike in the stand and shifted to a small sprocket.
This morning, still in the bike stand, found the RD shifter unresponsive. Removed chain and still no shifting.
Have tried 3 fully charged batteries with no result. Green led on the RD flashes when I push the button on the RD but no movement from the mechanism and no noise or buzz at all from the servo/motor. Tried pairing again from scratch - it looks to have done this successfully but RD remains as dead as a dodo! FD shifts normally. The only other curiousity is when I go back to try again after a couple of hours the RD led shows red, as if something has drained the battery. Replacing the battery again has no effect.

I'm pretty sure the parallogram pivots aren't stuck, as there's a little free play when I push by hand - it just won't shift at all.

I'm assuming the unit is now an expensive paperweight but if anyone can suggest a solution, or a UK repairer, that would be great!

The eTap came with a Canyon ex-team bike bought from the factory last December. So I guess it's probably a 2018 model, maybe even 2017. Presumably no point even trying to find a UK Sram dealer prepared to seek a warranty replacement from Sram?

Thanks

Jere
Posts: 111
Joined: Sun Aug 07, 2011 5:35 am
Location: Southern Pa

by Jere

Hi

I'm back again on my # 4 rear derailleur.
Finally got the up dated derailleur this time.
It's physically larger and heavier I haven't tried it out yet.
There are few things to report that I have found.
One you don't get a battery with the replacements, if you sent the old one back with a battery your screwed.
The pulleys wheels are bigger so if you ran your chain tight big ring to big ring you may have too replace it.
There is definitely something Hyd gone on with the lower arm.
I will report back if this one last more than a hundred miles.
Grumpy Old Man
Attachments
D2BEC15D-D2E7-45D8-AB37-0FA05493C554.jpeg
7B64508B-E530-41E5-B051-C16A0CC55134.jpeg
E36A0E69-E2AC-498B-8EEA-261B9D8CCCCD.jpeg
19D99AAD-01D6-4E3A-B448-EE3E0B14A1B0.jpeg

haze513
Posts: 104
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2015 4:34 pm

by haze513

Isn't it basically the AXS with the orbit hydraulic damper, makes sense they'd use as much as the same inventory rather than running a separate product line just for warranty.

Mine came with the battery btw, might want to have a word with your reseller?

Jere
Posts: 111
Joined: Sun Aug 07, 2011 5:35 am
Location: Southern Pa

by Jere

haze513 wrote:
Thu Dec 03, 2020 8:27 am
Isn't it basically the AXS with the orbit hydraulic damper, makes sense they'd use as much as the same inventory rather than running a separate product line just for warranty.

Mine came with the battery btw, might want to have a word with your reseller?
Hi

The box it came with did not have a battery compartment like the original.
However I did get a fancy B screw adjusting tool.
Jere B

haze513
Posts: 104
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2015 4:34 pm

by haze513

Yeah I got that too, found it in the bottom of the box after I'd set everything up!

Packer
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Dec 21, 2019 4:29 pm

by Packer

Looks nice! The jockey wheel teeth look almost twice as deep, unless that's just camera perspective? This describes the differences https://cyclingtips.com/2020/09/updated ... ge-clutch/
Luckily for my wallet, Canyon+Sram have agreed to honour my warranty so I should be getting a replaacement within 10 days, when supplies reach the UK. I hope it's the new version!

haze513
Posts: 104
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2015 4:34 pm

by haze513

My A2 was from Zyro in the UK, should imagine you'll get the new one also 👍

senergy
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Jun 19, 2021 12:38 pm

by senergy

Sorry for resurrecting this old post, but the internet always points to it as being the most knowledgeable for the dreaded eTap rear derailleur stops shifting properly. So, I thought I would add my 2 cents on what I’ve found. (I joined WW specifically although I have lurked here many times)
I have had Red eTap on my bike for the last 3 years with over 15k km with zero issues. I’ve since moved it to a TT bike with a blip box and still no issues. Important to note that approx. 13k km’s were with a waxed chain, i.e. clean!

I came across a cheap rear derailleur that doesn’t shift properly and after reading this thread I thought I can fix it, so I took the risk.
The derailleur was a mess, mud and grim everywhere! So, I thought sure, those pivot points will be cause.
20210616_142446.jpg
While the pivots were disconnected I tested the derailleur and found that it still had issues. So my issues were going to be inside the body. After removing all the screws I couldn’t figure out how to take it apart. There was a small gap so I sprayed circuit board cleaner in and watched muddy liquid flow out… That didn’t sit well for a quick win.

I struggled some more and eventually using a chisel and hammer removed the arm which allowed the body to come apart. You can see in the pictures that the arm goes onto a splined shaft.

As you can see in the pictures the inside was full of rust, mud and other debris.
(Note, I couldn’t find pics of inside the rear derailleur anywhere)
1.jpg
2.jpg
3.jpg
4.jpg
And with all apart it still failed to shift properly



After multiple cleaning with a circuit board cleaner and then a little bit of electrical lubricant you can see it all looks clean
5.jpg
And now shifts properly!! (I really should have taken it further apart and check on the reduction gear pivot points, but it seemed a little risky)



I’ve since put it all back together and run through 100ish full gear changes and it works perfectly.
Thanks Jugi and XCProMD for the help.

User avatar
LouisN
Posts: 3510
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2007 3:44 am
Location: Canada

by LouisN

I saw Ellen Van Dijk (was it her ?) had this problem live on TV at the LotoBelgium Tour this week. Stuck on the biggest gear for a few minutes, than the rd started working again 😁.
Louis :)

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



Post Reply