Chain drop problems are mainly associated with the SRAM AXS Force D1 front derailleur. After the release of the new SRAM Force AXS groupset and the SRAM AXS Force D2 front derailleur, the hope was high that this would now be a thing of the past once and for all. In the best case, even with increased shifting performance.
What is different about the D2 front derailleur?
The short answer: not much. The construction is extremely similar to the old front derailleur, the only optical difference is the different construction of the derailleur cage. From my point of view, however, it is more or less a black version of the AXS Rival cage. The short comparison of the two variants is available as an Instagram reel.
In the video, you can see that there are no improvements in terms of speed or deflection of the SRAM AXS Force D2 front derailleur. This was to be expected, because SRAM’s announcement did not refer to any change or upgrade of the electrical components. Unfortunately, this circumstance was confirmed in the direct comparison test.
SRAM promises improvements
Nevertheless, SRAM mentions small improvements in shifting behaviour in the answer to my question about the SRAM AXS Force D2 front derailleur. This has yet to be proven in a practical test. However, SRAM also says that the new chainring design plays the most important role. The blades are made from solid material and are supposed to be much stiffer than their predecessors, so that the climbing aids perform their job more perfectly. All in all, a little disappointing for me – the quality of Shimano will probably not be achieved and the Chain Catcher will remain mounted on my bike.
