On Thu, 5 May 2011 14:10:07 -0700 (PDT), landotter
wrote:

On May 5, 1:48*am, yirgster wrote:
A few weeks ago my sram force shift lever (the actual paddle that you
push) broke off on the right shifter. 30 miles to go.

Looking around in the forums, I'm not alone. Maybe an extra 10 grams
or so would have helped.

About 3000-4000 miles.

Which model year? They switched to magnesium last year which may have
contributed to gimpiness. I'd contact Sram and see if you can warranty
the levers.


I haven't had any SRAM parts break, but I've wanted spares, and had an
awful time getting them.

They are very generous with exploded diagrams and part numbers, but
the actual pieces are next to impossible to obtain. Some European bike
shops list a few for sale, but if you try to order them, they turn
out to actually not be in stock.

I did once ask a LBS to order axle nuts and a click box for a SRAM
DualDrive hub. The manager had to go through a ton of red tape to get
them. After over six months of runarounds, he finally got the order -
2 sets of nuts (weird size: 10.5 x 1) and washers and 2 click boxes.
When I asked how much, he replied, "No charge; warranteed items."
Can't beat the price, but SRAM's policy is discouraging.

Apparently, they would rather you just swap out a $250 component when
the problem is just one piece worth only a few bucks. For most of
their customers, this isn't a problem. Most of them won't put more
than a few hundred miles on their bikes in a lifetime, so nothing
breaks. For anyone who rides a lot, though, it can be a real
irritation.

I guess the days are long gone since you could get hold of all sorts
of spares. Once upon a time, many manufacturers were at the ready
with every little piece one way or another.

Nowadays, when when we in the West manufacture so little, and use the
dustbin rather than repair anything, this is to be expected. Fairly
often I've found myself in the home of someone who doesn't even have a
screwdriver or pair of pliers. If no one fixes anything, why bother
with parts?

Last month, I was on a lunch break in the middle of a ride. Outside
the diner where I was sitting, there was a long line of patrons at a
table in front of a housewares store. I wondered what was in such
demand that so many were turning out. Then I saw the banner
advertising the deal: bring in you chef's knife for a free sharpening!
These people couldn't even sharpen a kitchen knife! Not a few, but
they were showing up in droves! What the store was offering seemed
like a sign of the times. Would this have been a draw 50 years ago?
Probably not. What will be next? A shoe store offering to tie
shoelaces for free? We're becoming helpless. Last year, on a club
ride, someone's chain broke. No problem, maybe; I had an extra 9-speed
master link with me. I asked the rider how many rear cogs she had. She
didn't know. Probably couldn't sharpen a knife, either. (She had nine
cogs; the chain was fixed.)

You very well may get the same "warranteed item" policy on your
brifter, in which case you're set, though with another brittle paddle.
The way those things tend to be riveted and crimped together, it
probably couldn't be remedied with a replacement part, anyway. Still,
you have to wonder just how much it would set SRAM back to keep a room
stocked with spares, for the few remaining who do have a few tools
around the house, and know how to use them. I reckon if they did, the
payback in their reputation would give them such a competetive edge,
it would be well worth it. But I've got to stop thinking that way;
that's SO twentieth century.