Okay.... Got a Force Group that was a take off from a production bike being shipped to me next week. It will replace Ultegra 9s on my main bike.

Any "gotchas" I should be aware of during installation? (example - loctite this part because it comes loose, Watch the torque on that part because it can strip, etc. etc.).

I know the cassette should work with the Shimano freehub. I've also downloaded most of the manuals on the various Force components...

Looking forward to trying this stuff out!

as you're one of the first, i don't think there's too many small tips out there for installation on the group.


that said, everyone has said that the group is solid, so i wouldn't worry too much about the quality of the parts or bolts threading...just check the torque recommendations and follow suit.

the one thing i've heard is the brake pad bolts are pretty coarse and pretty tough to set up correctly.....be patient with it and i'm sure it'll come out fine

Take care tightening the shifters to the bars. At first it felt as though I was stripping thr bolts. If I get a chance to do it again, I would take my time and double check the thread alignment. I am not sure, but I think the bolts are magnesium. And that may just feel different than steel or aluminim bolts.

Does anyone know if SRAM brake calipers have a centering adjustment setscrew on the side like those on Shimano's? Thanks!

They do not have an adjustment that I know of....this is a pain as you really need to get it right the first time....

the Flash

The adjustment is done using the 12mm wrench flats on the mounting screw. This is similar to how old single pivot brakes were centered. It can be done with a standard 12mm wrench. You don't need a thin cone wrench. I suspect this move was done to save both weight and machining costs.

Note - Here is where I learned about this (and installation of the other SRAM components).

http://www.sram.com/_media/pdf/sram/dealers/TM_RoadMTB_MY07_E.pdf

Thanks for the follow-up, Steve-O...the PDF is quite helpful.....

The Flash

Thanks for the follow-up, Steve-O...the PDF is quite helpful.....

The Flash SRAM has installation videos for all the Force/Rival components on their website.

I installed a SRAM Rival group - minus cranks & bb - on my winter road bike and the install was easy. The instructions are very good. The only tricks I can think of:


Make sure you've got the front derailleur adjustment dialed. There are two trim positions for the small ring and none for the big ring.
I somehow managed to cut my front shifter housings too short, even though I was careful to measure them. I think it's because I ended up moving the levers further down the bars.
I haven't measured them, but I think that the SRAM brake levers are shorter than Campagnolo's and Shimano's. I felt like I had to move them further down the bars to have a good access to them from the hoods and the drops. I miss the way my old Campagnolo levers made a flat line form the bars to the hoods.


Morgan