Eduardo B. wrote:
> It is a shimano STX RC and was used a couple of times. The bike was bought in 98 and has been
> stored eversince. Now I noticed the front derailleur wont shift from 2nd to 3rd, (middle to outer)
> as if it needed more travel on the lever. Downshifting from second to 1st works. Is it broken or
> needs adjustment?
>
> thanks folks!!!
There're several adjustments that can cause this. The primary 2 are: the cable tension and the limit
screw. It may be both, but you can test quickly for the primary one by pulling out on the cable on
the downtube where it's not in any housing while turning the pedals with your hand -- if it
shifts-up, start with the cable tension, if it doesn't, start with the limit screw.
Cable tension: Try turning the adjuster barrel at the shift lever out a little (in 1/4 turns) to see
if this helps. If you turn it out too far, the chain will rub the shifter cage in the bigger rear
gears and you may have trouble down-shifting.
If that's not it, there are 2 stop screws on the deraileur. One adjusts how far in it can go; the
other adjusts how far out it can go. Try loosening the one that limits outward travel. If you loosen
it too much, you may have problems with the DR throwing the chain past the big chainring. You can
figure out which it is by shifting into the smallest chainring and see which one of the screws is
against a stop -- its the other
.
David
