Front derailleur

On Wed, 7 Apr 2004 15:41:22 +0100, in
<[email hidden]>, "Doki"

Quoted message said:

I've currently got a Shimano front Derailleur, variously
marked Shimano, OSO or 050, and Top Swing SIS. Would
replacing with something like a Deore or Alivio make
upshifts easier? Currently swapping up a cog takes a lot of
effort. Or perhaps it's my hap hazard derailleur
adjustment.

In my experience a front mech is the least important of all
components. Shifts will be made easier by having higher-
specced chainrings (with ramps/angled teeth) and/or better
shifters. I'm not too hot on chain-specs but guess that better-
specced chains which are designed to be used with better-
specced chainrings might be useful.

In fact the Crane brothers apparently had trouble free front
switching by not bothering with a shifting system at all:
They simply picked up the chain with their fingers and
dropped it onto the desired ring.

In my experience too, rear-mechs are not actually such an
important thing to worry over.

£0.02

Rich x

--
Isn't it annoying when cyclingforums.com publish messages
that they haven't been granted permission to archive. In my
opinion it is as bad as software piracy.

Doki said:

I've currently got a Shimano front Derailleur, variously
marked Shimano, OSO or 050, and Top Swing SIS. Would
replacing with something like a Deore or Alivio make
upshifts easier? Currently swapping up a cog takes a lot
of effort. Or perhaps it's my hap hazard derailleur
adjustment.

If it takes a lot of effort I'd say first stop is give
everything a good lube and if that fails then second stop is
replace the cable (and give everything an even better lube).
Better mechs make lighter work, but even pretty grot things
shouldn't be a major effort.

My flatmate recently complained her gears weren't changing
(on a cack old 2,000 tonne comedy MTB) at the back. Bit of
oil on the various bits of mech and it was good as new
(which still isn't very good, but works okay with a
thumbshifter and she's a waif with wee hands).

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext.
33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177
Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

Doki said:

I've currently got a Shimano front Derailleur, variously
marked Shimano, OSO or 050, and Top Swing SIS. Would
replacing with something like a Deore or Alivio make
upshifts easier? Currently swapping up a cog takes a lot
of effort. Or perhaps it's my hap hazard derailleur
adjustment.

I'd say it's worth having another go at adjusting what
you've got. It can be tricky to get the angle just right
with any front mech.

sheldonbrown.comderailer adjustment.htmlOpen ↗

~PB

Richard Bates said:

In fact the Crane brothers apparently had trouble free
front switching by not bothering with a shifting system at
all: They simply picked up the chain with their fingers
and dropped it onto the desired ring.

Didn't David Millar adopt a similar technique?

Richard Bates <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

In fact the Crane brothers apparently had trouble free
front switching by not bothering with a shifting system at
all: They simply picked up the chain with their fingers
and dropped it onto the desired ring.

I presume that's Richard and Nicholas rather than Frasier
and Niles. I have read that in the early days of cycling
many cyclists did use a double chain ring and slipped the
chain from one to the other with their fingers. As they were
riding fixed this was highly dangerous and amputated fingers
were not uncommon.

--
Dave...

Dave Kahn said:

I presume that's Richard and Nicholas rather than Frasier
and Niles. I have read that in the early days of cycling
many cyclists did use a double chain ring and slipped the
chain from one to the other with their fingers. As they
were riding fixed this was highly dangerous and amputated
fingers were not uncommon.

Not quite in the realms of dangerous, but a pal fitted his
Brompton with a twin front ring but no changer. It was
downhill to the station in the morning and uphill on the way
home, so he'd just manually engage the relevant wheel before
the journey and that was all that was ever needed.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext.
33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177
Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗