SRAM Red 22 with oval rings - usable gears?

bsharp77

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if anyone else uses SRAM Red22 with Absolute Black oval chain rings?

SRAMs big selling point to me was the ability to use all gears, but just wondering if this is not the case when using these rings?
My local mechanic is adamant that I just won't be able to access them all.

I've watched the GCN video on setting up Red showing it running in every gear, but I just can't get it anywhere near that.

I know, I know - I shouldn't be using certain combinations anyway - but its more the principle of the thing to make sure everything is working as good as it should.

At the minute i'm getting rub in the big ring, 3 cogs down from the biggest on the cassette which is really annoying as I like to use that 3rd cog to power over small hills and undulations. 3 cogs down isn't that bad a chainline so think its reasonable to expect to be able to use it without rubbing the FD.

If I thought I could eliminate it by going back to the original chainrings, I would consider it as its just annoying - its my best bike and want everything running as perfectly as possible - but I really like the oval rings so want to keep them if I can (I never used the original chain rings, hence the question).

Its actually got me thinking about Di2 - I would gladly change to Ultegra due to the trim feature and the great way it can be adjusted on the fly. However finances won't be seeing that come to fruition anytime soon!
In fairness, everything else is superb about the Red22 setup - shifts are so crisp and sharp, but is a very annoying niggle not to have a silent drivetrain.

Any experiences or advice very much appreciated.

whyamihere

I had it able to get to every gear with AB oval chanrings. Sram Yaw mechs can be a bit fiddly to set up and are very sensitive to having the angle right - Your mechanic may just not really know how to work on them properly.

bsharp77

Thanks a lot for that @whyamihere good to know that it is technically possible.
Might try another mechanic to see if they have any more luck in getting it setup properly.

joe_totale-2

The SRAM front mech is a pain in the backside to set up but once you or a more competent mechanic achieves it then you shouldn't get any chain rub in any gear whatsoever. That was my experience anyway.

I've got no experience of using it with oval chainrings though I'm afraid.

StillGoing

I built a bike with Force 22 and Rotor Q rings with no problem. But, I was given a bike with a problem running SRAM Force 22 and AB oval rings and couldn't get it to run correctly without sometimes dropping the chain off the outside. It all depended where the oval ring was when the change was made. A slight tweak and it wouldn't change up at all.