Sram apex bar end shifter problems



Gnol91

New Member
Sep 26, 2012
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hello,

I recently purchased a new trek speed concept 7.0 fitted with a Sram Apex groupset and am having issues with the front derailleur bar- end shifter. Whenever I go to change into the big chain ring and push the shifter up into position the chain will move up successfully, however, as soon as I pull my hand away from the shifter, the shifter itself will spring back down to the small chain ring position (also dragging the chain back down to the small chain ring). The shifter has never 'clicked' (I'm not sure if it's supposed to) like it does when I change gears for the rear derailleur so I'm not sure if that's an issue. I suspect it might be an issue with cable tension perhaps? Just looking for a solution as it's quite frustrating!

Thanks in advance!
 
I have the same thing happen to me, but I hold the shifter an extra second and it remains on the top ring. If I shift real fast, it pops back down to the lower ring, too. I spoke to the shop about this issue and was told that I needed to slow shift. So, I am interested in this question, too, as I don't know if the shop's response is legit.

Also, I've noticed that when I shift through gears, say 6th to 1st that sometimes it shifts 2 gears at a time and then drops back down 1 gear. So, I placed the bike on the bike stand and began going through the gears and noticed that I had to tap (shift) quickly inorder for it to shift correctly (say 6th to 1st). I have no issues going from say 1st to 6th; the double tap works flawlessly. So, I kind of concluded that part of the problem is me not being used to shifting.

Again, I am interested to find out from others the correct technique, too.

Al
 
I don't know about SRAM's bar end shifters, specifically, but on ALL other bar end shifters it is possible to adjust the tension by either loosening or tightening the bolt (often afixed to a D-ring) which attaches the lever to its base ...

If you have tried the fore mentioned & isolated that it is not possible to adjust the tension sufficiently, then the problem could be a defective front derailleur whose spring is actually too strong. If that is the case, then bring it back to your SRAM dealer (or, try to find a local LBS who is willing to attend to the warranty ... good luck with that!) ...

  • IMO, and it can be taken as being ONLY my opinion, the suggestion given to Methodical by his shop seems weak at best. If that is what SRAM recommends that bike shops tell their custoemrs then it is SRAM's fault for telling the shops to attend to the matter in a half-assed way rather than providing a warranty replacement of either the front derailleur or the shifter ... or, both!

FYI. A little over a decade ago, I had two Ultegra 6500 front derailleurs whose springs were too strong to function properly with 6500 STI shifters (they were "okay" with downtube shifters) ...

  • the turnaround for Shimano to send replacements was probably just a week from the time I contacted them (i.e., time to receive the derailleurs from me & ship the replacements back to me) ...

Next time, I recommend that if you are not a sponsored racer that you do yourself a favor and stick with SHIMANO components ... or, opt for CAMPAGNOLO.
 
Originally Posted by Methodical .

I have the same thing happen to me, but I hold the shifter an extra second and it remains on the top ring. If I shift real fast, it pops back down to the lower ring, too. I spoke to the shop about this issue and was told that I needed to slow shift. So, I am interested in this question, too, as I don't know if the shop's response is legit.

Also, I've noticed that when I shift through gears, say 6th to 1st that sometimes it shifts 2 gears at a time and then drops back down 1 gear. So, I placed the bike on the bike stand and began going through the gears and noticed that I had to tap (shift) quickly inorder for it to shift correctly (say 6th to 1st). I have no issues going from say 1st to 6th; the double tap works flawlessly. So, I kind of concluded that part of the problem is me not being used to shifting.

Again, I am interested to find out from others the correct technique, too.
FWIW. I think that your LBS was blowing smoke ...

IMO, both YOU & Gnol91 need to get warranty replacements for your respective derailleurs and/or shifters ...

Since SRAM seems unresponsive and/or the dealers with whom I have frequented don't seem to like to contact SRAM's customer service (at least, on my behalf), I can only say:

"Good luck with THAT!"

I resorted to contacting SRAM Europe ... they gave me the North American contactee ... he said that he had replied (he hadn't) ... he (Josh) gave me the name of a shop in Pennsylvania to contact (I live in New Mexico) ... that shop NEVER replied to my query.

Nice, huh?

That was several years ago ...

Maybe, things have changed, but I seriously doubt it.