How to Force Install SRAM

Force is SRAM's midrange component group, below the top-of-the-line Red group but above the entry-level Rival. It is becoming more and more common to find on road bikes, and has received positive reviews in many cycling publications. It is also a viable option for people who want to build up a frame with their own components, as it requires few special tools to install. What it does require is patience and a willingness to spend a time working on your bike.

Things You'll Need

  • Shimano spline tool
  • 8-mm Allen wrench
  • 5-mm Allen wrench
  • Shimano cassette tool
  • Vice
  • Grease
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Instructions

    • 1

      Install the bottom bracket and crank. Grease the threads on the inside of your bicycle's bottom bracket tube, which is the tube on the bottom of the bike. Thread in one side of the bottom bracket with your hand, then thread in the other side. Once both are in the bicycle, use the Shimano spline tool on the edge of the bottom bracket cup to tighten down the two sides until very tight. Take the crank's spindle side, which has the long tube attached to it, and apply a light coating of grease to the spindle. Then insert it through the bottom bracket on the right side of the bike, until the end of the spindle comes out on the left side and the crank is flush with the frame. Attach the non-drive side of the crank to the left side of the bike, and tighten the bolt on it with the 8-mm Allen wrench until tight.

    • 2

      Attach the rear derailleur to the bicycle. Grease the derailleur's mounting bolt, place it against the derailleur hanger, and align the plate on the back so that it presses up against the upper notch in the derailleur hanger. Use a 5-mm Allen wrench to tighten the bolt into the hanger until tight.

    • 3

      Attach the front derailleur to the bicycle. Clamp the derailleur around the seat tube above the chain rings and tighten it until it stays in position but is still movable by sliding up and down the tube. Adjust the derailleur so that the cage, which is the section composed of long flat pieces of metal, runs parallel to the chain rings hangs about 2 mm above the chain rings. Tighten down the bolt until snug but not overly tight.

    • 4

      Install the brake calipers. Insert the rear caliper, which has a shorter mounting bolt, through the hole in the bicycle's seat stays. If there are any washers on the mounting bolt, stack them along the locking bolt. Insert the locking nut that came with the caliper into the other side of the seat stay, and tighten with a 5-mm Allen wrench until snug. Put the front caliper, with the longer mounting bolt, through the hole in the front fork, and repeat the same process as with the rear brake.

    • 5

      Install the cassette onto the rear wheel. Remove the quick release from your rear wheel. Put a light coasting of grease on the cassette body, then place the cassette onto the body and hand-tighten by inserting the Shimano cassette body into the hole where the quick release was until it locks into the cassette's lock ring. Place the Shimano tool into a vice, then place the cassette and wheel on top of the tool, and turn the assembly clockwise. You will hear clicking noises and the wheel will get progressively harder to turn. Turn until tight.

    • 6
      You want to mount the shifters in a position that allows you to ride like this.

      Mount the brake and shift levers on the handlebars. Like most road manufacturers, SRAM integrates their shifting and braking system into one unit. Unwrap your handlebars of all bar tape. Slip the brake levers over the end of the handlebars, and move them up until they reach the apex of the bar's downward curve. You should see a depression leading into the rubber hood of the shifters. Once you have the shifters where you want them, slip your 5-mm Allen wrench into that depression, and turn to tighten the recessed bolt that will clamp the shifters to the handlebars. Do this with both shifters.