It was the drop heard 'round the world. Who could forget the infamous chain drop during stage 15 of the 2010 Tour de France? Andy Schleck dropped his SRAM Red chain as he attacked Alberto Contador on the climb of the Port de Bales, and witnessed his Tour hopes ride away while frantically struggling at the side of the road to get his chain back on the ring. Fans watched as the young Luxembourger wrestled with his chain, and SRAM feverishly took notes. It mattered little, regardless of whether or not it was the fault of their Red derailleur or chain. It simply couldn't happen again. So in the aftermath of the tour, SRAM engineers reimagined and redesigned an optimal solution to ensure a mechanical would never again dictate the fate of one of its sponsored riders -- or you. From the ashes of Andy's disappointing tour defeat rises the vastly improved SRAM Red Front Derailleur with Yaw Technology, and its included Chain Spotter. What exactly is SRAM's Yaw technology, and how does it apply to their new Red Front Derailleur? Borrowing from the principles of an aircraft's rotational movements across a single axis, yaw dictates fore and aft lateral movement, pitch is the opposing vertical movement, and roll is the definitive vertical lean, from one side of the axis to the other. Rather than simply moving back and forth across the singular plane like that of a conventional derailleur, the new Red Derailleur is designed to rotate 'like an airplane' along its axis in conjunction with your shifts, preserving an optimal angular alignment with the chain at all times, no matter your gear combination. Because of this, the new SRAM Red Derailleur has done away with the concept of front derailleur trim. This is a revolutionary new design that actively maintains perfect chain alignment while still providing the crisp and punchy actuation that SRAM riders have grown accustomed to.
J**S
Works great with my older version Sram Red shifters
For background: I have a 2012 Cannondale EVO that came with the previous version of Sram Red group (no yaw derailleur). All worked well except for the Red front derailleur which was made of titanium and tends to flex when shifting under load leading to slow shifts, chain drops, etc. This was a common problem with this derailleur and Sram replaced mine with a Force steel cage derailleur (as many pros have done). Big improvement but still not up to par with the Red rear derailleur in terms of shift quality. My bike shop would not install the new yaw derailleur because Sram maintains it is not compatible with the older Red groupset shifters. Based on other reviews, including some bike magazines, I purchased the yaw derailleur on Amazon and installed myself. Installation is fairly straightforward, and actually a little easier than other derailleurs due to the scribed alignment marks on the cage. The written directions are notthat great so I highly recommend checking out some videos of the installation before and during the install. I found the Sram install video the most helpful (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTOyxOPHoGc). The performance of the yaw derailleur is fantastic, and it works JUST FINE with my previous version Red shifters and chainring. The chainspotter does a great job preventing chain drops on inward shifts, and although the trim adjustment feature is retained through the older shift levers it is not needed at all! I have heard that the performance is even better with the new red chain ring and chain, but this works just great for me with the current group and has eliminated the only reservation I had with the performance of my Sram Red group.
E**Y
Very good upgrade
This was a great upgrade from my current Sram Red 10 speed derailleur. Shifting is very smooth and the yaw movement allows for no chain rub throughout all range of gears. In order to use the chain spotter I did have to buy a different braze on clamp. The included adapter works only on newer clamps that have a radius on the front of the clamp where the screw is located. Mine had a flat surface that would not mate up correctly. I held off before purchasing the clamp just to make sure, but pointing it out to save you some time and unexpected cost. Note: The old style clamp will still work without the spotter, I just preferred it since I have had a few chain drops over the past couple years.
C**V
Excellent Upgrade !!!!
Excellent upgrade for pre 2012 Sram Red Group Set using first generation derailleur. Major improvement with shifting with absolutely no chain rub regardless of cross chaining. I don't ride cross chaining because of the damage that can occur to the rear cassette and chain. It was just something I had to try myself after reading others buyers reviews regarding no chain rub after installing the Yaw derailleur and they were right. Sram instructions are little vague regarding setup however there's plenty of online videos that simplify process which allowed me to finish within less then 30 minutes.
N**R
Awesome Front Shifting
I run Shimano on one bike and SRAM on another. I love everything about the SRAM group (Force) other than the front shifting. I found the front shifting to be hesitant and require regular tuning. I needed to put a lot of thought into planning my shifts due to the delay, but with the Shimano I just didn't need to think about it.After some internet research I decided to try the Red Yaw chainrings and Yaw front derailleur. After a little tweaking and adjusting, the front shifting is freaking awesome. I followed the SRAM instructional video and then tweaked things a little bit to get rid of a little chain rub. Front shifting is dramatically improved and it's now even better than my Shimano group. I'm running this derailleur with my SRAM Force shifters so it doesn't indeed work with the old shifters.
A**R
Sram Red Yaw Front Derailleur - they got it right this time!
I have a 2011 Cannondale Synapse 6 Carbon and replaced the stock Apex front derailleur. The 2012 Red/Yaw derailleur works with the Apex shifters, however I got a much, much better response from the Red shifters (2011, not the factory recommended 2012 model). Very smooth with a short travel. I am using this with a Fulcrum RS compact carbon crankset - 34-50 spec'ed for Sram or Shimano chain. In the large chainring I can select all the 10 speeds and in the small chainring I can select all but the two tallest (smallest) sprockets. I use an Ultegra 10 speed 12-30 cassette and an Ultegra 10 speed chain. I get close gear spacing ( 1 tooth) in 12,13,14 and 15 cogs and still have a low gear for the steep hills.The install setup is critical and takes some extra patients, but the results are well worth it. This is the smoothest shifting, quietest front setup I have ridden or built and has the added advantage of a very short travel shifter lever without a heavy feel. Note the shifting levers are about 1/4 inch longer on the 2011 Red shifters than the Apex - extra leverage can't hurt.
J**S
SRAM Red Yaw Front Deraiileur
This is the best derailleur built to date by SRAM and is seriously worth the investment! I have now upgraded all my SRAM bikes to these now even with the old style cranks!
W**N
Yaw is not short for Yawn...
Another product that does what it says. As temperamental as Front D's can be, this one mounts quick and is spot on. No need for the inside chain catcher unless you're set up is wrong.
G**T
Five Stars
Light and very good with other Sram components! This is a good investment and just a little more than a Force derailer.
J**Z
Excelente desviador, mejora la versatilidad de su antecesor modelo.
Evita cualquier roce de la cadena, por extrema que sea su posición.Delicado de instalar, cuesta bastante dejarlo perfecto.Imprescindible para ello utilizar la abrazadera original Sram si tu cuadro no es de saldare.
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