My free Sram RED rear derailleur fix!

[Lucendi]

My Sram RED rear derailleur had the classic problem where the axle on the inner cage and the lock screw is worn.

This issue is widely reported and has it's own thread here on the forum; viewtopic.php?f=3&t=134965&start=120


I came up with a fix that is free and doesn't require any special tools.

First off, I noticed that only about 180 degrees of the axle was worn and that the axle is pressfitted with uniform splines. (My cage is Sram RED 22 with the paint scraped off).


I pressed out the axle with a punch and rotated it 180 degrees. I applied threadlocker and pressed it back in with a bench wise.


I then found a screw which fit in the threads of the rear derailleur but the cylindrical portion was too thick to fit in the hole. I cut off the head and used an electric screwdriver as a lathe and with coarse grit sandpaper i turned down the diameter of the screw so it fit snuggly in the hole. (I tried repairing the old screw at first by welding new metal back on it where it was damaged, but it melted in half).


I cut of excess threads and slotted the head so a flat screwdriver can fasten it.


I then stuffed the rear derailleur with plenty of high film strength grease to avoid further metal on metal wear.


The end result looks like this. The rear derailleur has absolutely no play and came out great!

[alcatraz]

Thank you for sharing and documenting your mod.

[beanbiken]

@Lucendi, my thanks also.

[tjvirden]

Good work and also accessible to many people.

[Lucendi]

Thanks for the kind words everyone!

I hope people will get a few more years of use out of their Sram rear derailleurs with this fix.

[Lucendi]

Update after three months of use.

I took the rear derailleur apart to inspect the parts. There was still plenty of grease around the contact area between the axle and lock screw, and no wear to be seen.

I put some more grease on after inspection and reinstalled everything.

Definitly feeling more confident that this is a long term effective fix.

[ganski]

Do you know what size you used for the lock screw? I keep googling axial shaft screw and I think the M3 might work.

[wheelsONfire]

Do you know what size you used for the lock screw? I keep googling axial shaft screw and I think the M3 might work.

He isn't part of WW these days. Maybe you can send a private message to him still.