TIME ADHX 45 UDH + SRAM Force XPLR E1: rear derailleur not clamping correctly — anyone seen this?
Hello all,
I’m looking for help diagnosing a rear derailleur mounting issue on a brand-new gravel build.
The bike is a TIME ADHX 45 UDH, size XL, gloss carbon, built with a SRAM Force E1 1x XPLR groupset. The frameset and groupset were purchased together, and the invoice explicitly lists:
- FRAMESET TIME ADHX 45 UDH GLOSS CARBON SIZE XL
- SRAM FORCE E1 1X XPLR BASE KIT
- SRAM FORCE E1 1X XPLR DUB 175 42T WIDE CRANKSET
After the bike arrived, it was fully assembled by a professional mechanic at a bike shop in Fontainebleau, France.
After a few training rides, I started noticing slack in the chain. At first I couldn’t clearly understand what was happening. Later I realized that the rear derailleur itself was moving toward the chainstay, as if the Full Mount interface was not clamping securely.
I didn’t want to overtighten anything or risk damaging the frame/dropout/derailleur, so I stopped trying to fix it myself and brought the bike back to Brazil.
Here in São Paulo, I took it to a high-end specialist bike atelier. Their diagnosis was that the SRAM Force XPLR E1 Full Mount rear derailleur does not clamp correctly on the rear dropout/interface. They measured approximately 11.95 mm at the mounting area and said the derailleur loses adjustment / does not tighten properly.
From what I understand, SRAM’s UDH / Full Mount interface has a specific dimensional requirement, and the mechanic mentioned that the required thickness should be around 12.5 mm. So this measurement seems suspiciously low — but I also want to be careful before assuming the frame is out of spec.
My questions for the community:
- Is the TIME ADHX 45 UDH definitely compatible with SRAM Force XPLR E1 Full Mount?
- Has anyone installed SRAM Force/Red/Rival XPLR E1 Full Mount on a TIME ADHX 45 UDH?
- Is there any frame-specific washer, insert, bushing, spacer, dropout part, or revised interface part required for this frame?
- Could this be caused by the wrong rear thru-axle or missing hardware?
- Does the measured 11.95 mm suggest a real frame/interface tolerance issue, or could this be a measurement point problem?
- Has anyone seen a Full Mount derailleur move toward the chainstay under riding load?
I’ve already contacted TIME / the seller, but I’d really appreciate input from mechanics, SRAM users, TIME owners, or anyone who has worked with UDH / Full Mount gravel frames.
I’m trying to understand whether this is likely:
- an assembly issue,
- a missing part / wrong axle issue,
- an incorrect measurement,
- or a warranty issue with the frame/interface.
Thanks in advance. I’d really like to solve this properly without resorting to random spacers or overtightening something that should not be forced.