Thanks for the reality check. My LBS (in CA) wasn't happy about having to deal with this.
The internet is not science and we really have no idea what percentage of these derailleurs are failing. Most people are not on bike forums; or they don't post. The failure for me is now 2/3 (66%). 3 of 4 if you include my tandem buddy (75%) who is far too busy to be on a bicycle forum. I don't personally know anyone else with etap. It's a bummer because I really do like the shifting a lot and I don't want to go to Di2. Sram etap shifting makes more sense to me.
What I really want is for sram to come forward with what the issue is; they surely know but so far are not talking to the public as far as I know.
It's ridiculous to have to include a spare derailleur as part of my bike repair kit but that's exactly what I will be doing for my next cycling adventure (600 mile trip) along with the tools needed to make the swap. Too bad about our tandem - no derailleur for it.
Originally Posted by
noodle soup
SRAM usually is pretty easy to deal with, but it's a hassle to need warranty replacements. I wouldn't say that it's a huge problem, but it's a pain in the ass. When people spend $8000+ on a bike, they usually get pretty upset when it won't work right.
I have personally seen 6 eTap "sleeping derailleurs" issues, and none of the owners were on cycling forums. The framebuilder I work for bought 3 eTap groupsets for bikes going to NAHBS 2015, and all 3 have been replaced under warranty..