Apex and Force compatability
 

I have a Nashbar bike with Force components and I plan on buying a Specialized Roubaix Elite with Apex tomorrow. I know the compact chain rings are interchangable so I plan on swapping the BB and crankset. The shifters are interchangable so I will do that too.

My questions have to do with the FD and RD. I was told by a LBS my full size FD would not work with a compact crankset, but on SRAMs website it says I should not have a problem. So which is it?

For the RD I know I need the longer cage for the 11/32 cassette, but can I just use the cage from the Apex RD and put it on the Force RD?

Are there any special tools I will need? I have a very large tool collection, but not many bicycle specific tools.

I can borrow the tools from a guy at work. The only unresolved issue is with the RD. Can I swap the Apex long cage onto my Force RD.

nothing? Not even a "you are an idiot to even think about this"

Yes, you can swap Apex for Force. In fact, I did the swap for the Death Ride. Because I don't need that type of gearing any further, I re-installed the Force RD last night.

The only caution I can think of is chain length. You will probably need to install a longer chain to accommodate the larger cassette.