2012 SRAM Red Quarq on a S5

Triathlon Forum
1

Yesterday I just finished installing the 2012 SRAM Red Quarq BB30 crankset onto my S5.

http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m568/reidpath/D7K_0207.jpg

Before I ordered the crank about 2 months ago, I was going back and forth about the compatibility issues with SRAM BB30 spindle lengths and BBRight. Everything that I could find, including the Quarq website indicated that the 2012 SRAM Red Crankset was BB30 and BBRight compatible. Just to make sure I emailed Quarq and they said it was compatible:

Hi Sean,

Thank you for your interest in Quarq. The BB30 version of the SRAM Red crankset is compatible with the BBright.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Best regards,
Isaac

My S5 Team came with a Rotor 3D+ compact crank, which was holding me over until the Quarq came. After removing the Rotor crank, (As a side bar, the Rotor 3D+ has a really cool extraction bolt system) I measured the spindle length and compared it to the SRAM crank. **The Rotor spindle is 5mm longer than the SRAM Red spindle. **

I won’t bore you with the guess and testing that I had to do to figure out how to get it to fit and mount right, but here is the endstate working outward from the bearing:

**Note that the bearing pre-load has to be removed from the non-drive side. **The preload is 5mm wide and if used does not leave enough spindle on the drive side

Non-Drive Side:

  1. Dust seal
  2. 2mm spacer (self provided)
  3. Wavy washer (self provided)

http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m568/reidpath/D7K_0205.jpg

Drive Side:

  1. Dust seal
  2. 12.8mm spacer
  3. Crank Spider

http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m568/reidpath/D7K_0206.jpg

For those curious, I mounted the cadence magnet on the frame at the 9 o’clock position right on the edge of the PF30 BB. It lined up perfectly with the mounting line on the crank spider. with about 4mm of clearance.

After getting it setup and the FD height and limits adjusted, I took it out for a ride. No creaking, and no play in the BB!

The shifting performance is awesome, way better than the Rotor 3D+'s chainrings, and honestly on par with myDA Di2 shifting on the DA7900 crank on my TT bike. There is no rubbing on the FD with the extreme cross chain gears either. Bottom line, the 2012 Red crank works great with Di2.

2

I thought it was only compatible with SRAM RED shifters and mech - is that a load on BS?

3

I think it is. Especially if you have Di2. Having ridden a set of pre 2012 SRAM Red chaining these new ones are much stiffer.

4

I thought it was only compatible with SRAM RED shifters and mech - is that a load on BS?

Yes. I just did my first SRAMano ride today. The new SRAM Red Quarq crank with everything else 7900. Zero problems. Didn’t even have to tune the FD. It actually shifts better than 7900.

5

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/03/news/it-works-we-test-sram-red-backwards-compatibility_209270
.

6

That was actually the article that pushed me to go forward with the purchase.

The biggest question was the BBRight compatibility though…which I could not find a confirmed build where it worked.

7

That was actually the article that pushed me to go forward with the purchase.

The biggest question was the BBRight compatibility though…which I could not find a confirmed build where it worked.

You must not have asked here, because I could have told you it works just fine. I’ve had one on my S5 for over 6 months now :wink:

8

That figures…

What is annoying is these new BB30 based “standard” bottom brackets seem to rely on a number of tolerances to be correct and small enough. It really blows my mind that there is no standard number of spacers that you use for these setups, instead it is guess and test until it is right.

I am not saying that the 68mm threaded BB standard was without issue, but you could easily solve most of them by re-taping or facing the BB. With the BB30’s you are stuck with the huge hole in carbon fiber and have to make things work.

9

What is annoying is these new BB30 based “standard” bottom brackets seem to rely on a number of tolerances to be correct and small enough. It really blows my mind that there is no standard number of spacers that you use for these setups, instead it is guess and test until it is right.

Uh, that’s a feature, not a bug. Using shims/spacers means that the tolerances don’t have to be measured in the single thousandths of an inch. Instead of requiring that the BB shell be 68.00mm +/- 0.01mm, having looser tolerances and using shims makes manufacturing of both bikes and cranks easier with no loss of functionality. Believe it or not, that’s the way it is in lots of precision systems. The rear differential in my car is the exact same way, using a set of shims to set the differential carrier bearing preload.

10

That was actually the article that pushed me to go forward with the purchase.

The biggest question was the BBRight compatibility though…which I could not find a confirmed build where it worked.

You must not have asked here, because I could have told you it works just fine. I’ve had one on my S5 for over 6 months now :wink:

Tom, I’m working on a R5 build w/ Ultegra…would a BB30 Quarq work?

11

having looser tolerances and using shims makes manufacturing of both bikes and cranks easier with no loss of functionality

You are right. Now the onus is on the mechanic to get it right. Here is a sad story and solid fix that probably was the result of some poor wrenching:

http://roguemechanic.typepad.com/roguemechanic/cervelo-bbright-solution.html

12

That was actually the article that pushed me to go forward with the purchase.

The biggest question was the BBRight compatibility though…which I could not find a confirmed build where it worked.

You must not have asked here, because I could have told you it works just fine. I’ve had one on my S5 for over 6 months now :wink:

Tom, I’m working on a R5 build w/ Ultegra…would a BB30 Quarq work?

Yup…and I can also confirm that a GXP Quarq *also *works in a BBright BB with the use of the Enduro GXP adapters (easily gotten through the Cervelo dealer).

13

veryoriginal, do you live in Hawaii?

I think I can tell from the registration sticker =)
anyway, beautiful S5. My Quarq is coming in a week so thanks for the review.

14

What is annoying is these new BB30 based “standard” bottom brackets seem to rely on a number of tolerances to be correct and small enough. It really blows my mind that there is no standard number of spacers that you use for these setups, instead it is guess and test until it is right.

Uh, that’s a feature, not a bug. Using shims/spacers means that the tolerances don’t have to be measured in the single thousandths of an inch. Instead of requiring that the BB shell be 68.00mm +/- 0.01mm, having looser tolerances and using shims makes manufacturing of both bikes and cranks easier with no loss of functionality. Believe it or not, that’s the way it is in lots of precision systems. The rear differential in my car is the exact same way, using a set of shims to set the differential carrier bearing preload.

This is a really important thing to note that a lot of people have trouble grasping

15

I was using the enduro GXP adapter for my S-5 before I had to send it back when it broke =(

Worked pretty well although it sweaked kind of loudly; are you suppose to loctite the reducer into the bearing or something?

16

I was using the enduro GXP adapter for my S-5 before I had to send it back when it broke =(

Worked pretty well although it sweaked kind of loudly; are you suppose to loctite the reducer into the bearing or something?

No.

17

Leed -

Yep, I live on Oahu. Good luck with your new Quarq!

18

Yeah, including crappy mechanics
.

19

Shoop, does the new solution you have still creak? It may have been a PF30 bad sleeve install or misaligned BB30 bearings if it still does.

20

It doesn’t look like your wave washer is compressed enough. I’d add 1-2 more 0.5m clear plastic shims. Your LBS should have some.