If you've been riding Shimano or Campagnolo for a while, switching to SRAM might be interesting. Not only to get used to SRAM's double tap system, but also to adjust SRAM. We thought it was time to explain how to set up the SRAM Force and address the ideas that might seem a little unorthodox if you're used to the other two major groupset manufacturers.

SRAM Force derailleur

Yes, most people who switch to SRAM think about ditching the front derailleur, but if you want to set up a YAW front derailleur, it can be a little trickier than a Shimano or Campag front derailleur.

To adjust a SRAM front derailleur you need 4mm and 2.5mm Allen keys. To start, you need to know that the front part of the gear cage moves more than the back part of the cage. The reason for this is that we then don't need to trim the front derailleur while riding as you shouldn't get any chain friction.

Because of this cage design, the position of the derailleur is even more important than with other derailleurs. The easiest way to adjust the correct position is to take the 4mm Allen key, loosen the cable anchor screw and then pull out the cable. Now you can use the 4mm wrench to loosen the front derailleur itself.

If your chain is on the bottom ring, the derailleur cage should be about 1-2mm above the outer ring teeth.

alignment

After positioning the derailleur, you need to align it. To do this you will need the 2.5mm Allen key. If you remember we have the chain on the inner ring, but now we need it on the big ring and we've disconnected the shifter cable.

Take the 2.5mm Allen key and start turning it clockwise while slowly turning the pedals. Your rear derailleur should now move up and take the chain onto the outer ring. Now you need to see if the white lines on the cage line up with the teeth on the chainring. If you need to change position, use your inner limit screw.

Now tighten the outer limit screw until it reaches the floor and then turn it back ¼ turn. You should now have a bike where the chain no longer overshoots. To check this, place the chain on the smallest sprocket on the back and slowly rotate the pedals, no rubbing should be felt.

cable time

Now reconnect your cable, it doesn't have to be tight, just taught. Use your shifter and shift down to the inner ring. Nothing will happen because you still have the inner limit screw adjusted to the outer ring. Slowly rotate the pedals while loosening the inner limit screw. The chain will fall off, if this happens, stop adjusting the inner limit screw.

Now switch your chain to the largest rear sprocket. Start turning the pedals slowly and pull back the limit screw until the chain no longer rubs against the inner plate of the front derailleur. If you need a little more tension at the end, use your barrel adjusters and fine tune the tension.

SRAM Force rear derailleur

 As you can already see, adjusting the front derailleur wasn't too difficult, and if you take your time and don't rush anything, the same goes for adjusting the rear derailleur.

You will need needle-nose pliers, a 5mm Allen key, and a #2 Phillips screwdriver.

The first part of the adjustment is the H screw; if you don't know which one it is, it should be the one under the e of Force on the rear derailleur. First, tighten the H screw as tightly as possible without overtightening or using force.

Now turn the limit screw back until the front derailleur sprocket sits directly under your smallest sprocket on the cassette. With your sprocket located here, turn the limit screw ½ turn. Now pedal slowly and listen for excessive chain noise. If there is little or no noise, tighten the screw until it reaches the second sprocket. Turn the limit screw back ¼ turn until the noise disappears. Congratulations, the H screw is now adjusted.

Before we move on to the next step, turn your barrel adjuster counterclockwise a few times.

Be indexed

Indexing is the part that many who are setting up their gears for the first time dread, but there is no reason to fear. The idea behind indexing your gears is that the guide roller is aligned under each of the sprockets. This means that your rear derailleur is in exactly the right place every time you shift to give you the best performance. It is important to note that there is more than one correct position for this task.

During this process, your chain should be on the outside front wheel.

You should still have your chain on the smallest rear sprocket and shift to the second sprocket. When you press the shifter, the chain doesn't make the jump. Click down again. Then turn the adjustment knob counterclockwise a full turn.

Try again and switch; repeat this process until the chain makes the jump easily. If you have unwound the drum adjuster too far, switch down to the small sprocket. Then tighten the drum adjuster again, loosen the cable anchoring screw and use the needle-nose pliers to pull a little more of the cable through, then tighten the screw again. You're just removing the slack, don't pull too hard on the cable.

Now try switching again. If you have skipped 2 gears, shift back down and turn the cylinder adjuster a full turn counterclockwise again. Shift up a gear and you should be in the second cog, now we can start adjusting your gears.

Unscrew the adjusting screw until the chain begins to rub against the next sprocket. Continue pedaling and slowly turn the barrel adjuster clockwise until the noise disappears. You'll need to repeat this process for each sprocket on the cassette, it can be time consuming, but you don't want to rush it. Any time you hear excessive noise, turn the drum adjuster ¼ turn clockwise.

You may need to move the cartridge up and down repeatedly for this to work. You shouldn't do this with the largest sprocket either. Once this is set, it's time to adjust the L screw.

The L screw

Here too you should tighten screw L as tightly as possible. This prevents the chain from falling from the largest sprocket into the wheel. Shift to the inner front ring and the second largest rear sprocket. Try shifting to the largest rear sprocket. Chances are good that this won't work because the L-screw is too tight.

In addition, the chain may run slowly or make excessive noise when on the sprocket. This also means that the L-screw is too tight. If the chain can be shifted without problems, the L-screw is not overtightened. If the chain shifts easily, lower it one sprocket and tighten the L-bolt a little more.

When the L screw is tightened tightly, we can adjust it. Loosen the screw ¼ turn until you can easily shift to the largest sprocket. There should be no excessive noise and the shifting should be crisp, at this point the L screw is adjusted.

 The B-screw

Now all you have to do is adjust the B screw.  The B screw is the Body Angle screw that is used to adjust the distance between the guide roller and the cassette gears.

Carbon AERO road bike A9