Front Derailleurs & Mechanical Idiot, Please Help.



KellyT

New Member
Aug 20, 2006
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I can do most relatively straightforward jobs on bike (or motorbikes), I don't think I am overly rubbish, but the mystery of my front derailleur, defeats me.

Can anyone describe, or direct me to, a really hard to go wrong procedure for setting up and adjusting a FD, please? I've tried the Park Tools site, and sadly it still hasn't cracked it for me.

I'm not certain that the FD isn't broken of course, although it is very new.

All help welcome, I'm really frustrated with this!
 
Well, here goes. The FD should be set up with the lip of the cage just 1-2mm above the large chainring and parallel. You will need the cable slack to do this and it will help to have something to fit in the mechanism to keep it all the way out over the ring. I like popsicle sticks. Next you let the FD swing to the inner position, and adjust the limit stop screw to keep the inner cage plate just to the left, again about 1-2mm, of the inner chainring. This keeps it from dumping the chain off the ring on the inside shifts.

Now you run through the clicks on the shift lever to get cable to the loosest position, pull the cable through the fastener on the FD with pliers, keep it taught and tighten the bolt. Now run the shifter up to the tightest shift position, while rotating the pedals. Then you set the other stop screw to keep the outer cage plate just 1-2mm or so on the outside of the largest chain ring.

Now everything will be perfect ;) if not, then use the cable barrel adjusters to get the center ring, if you have one, to be perfect.
 
KellyT said:
I can do most relatively straightforward jobs on bike (or motorbikes), I don't think I am overly rubbish, but the mystery of my front derailleur, defeats me.

Can anyone describe, or direct me to, a really hard to go wrong procedure for setting up and adjusting a FD, please? I've tried the Park Tools site, and sadly it still hasn't cracked it for me.

I'm not certain that the FD isn't broken of course, although it is very new.

All help welcome, I'm really frustrated with this!

Front derailleurs are one of the most finicky things to adjust. They also depend on manufacturer and left hand shifter type. sram, shimano and Campagnolo, all make a difference as does double or triple crank.

The only things that are common is distance of the cage above the big ring(close, about 1mm, not more) and ensuring the outer cage is parallel to the chain when in big ring, smallest cog(highest gear).

What kind of shifter/front der/crank do you have?
 
KellyT said:
I can do most relatively straightforward jobs on bike (or motorbikes), I don't think I am overly rubbish, but the mystery of my front derailleur, defeats me.

Can anyone describe, or direct me to, a really hard to go wrong procedure for setting up and adjusting a FD, please? I've tried the Park Tools site, and sadly it still hasn't cracked it for me.

I'm not certain that the FD isn't broken of course, although it is very new.

All help welcome, I'm really frustrated with this!

Where in Scotland? My grandfather was from Glasgow. Moved the family to NovaScotia, sullied the clan name(Chisholm) by marrying a french canadian(horrors!)
 
Peter@vecchios said:
Front derailleurs are one of the most finicky things to adjust. They also depend on manufacturer and left hand shifter type. sram, shimano and Campagnolo, all make a difference as does double or triple crank.

The only things that are common is distance of the cage above the big ring(close, about 1mm, not more) and ensuring the outer cage is parallel to the chain when in big ring, smallest cog(highest gear).

What kind of shifter/front der/crank do you have?
Front derailleurs CAN BE (are!?!) finicky to set up ...

If, by chance, your frame has a braze-on front derailleur then YOU probably need to align the mount RATHER THAN trying to square the derailleur by using the bolt & washer.

I have three (Italian) frames which have braze-on mounts, and I needed to tweak all three mounts to facilitate adjusting the front derailleur even though a "shop" had previously mounted a front derailleur on the bike.

Regardless of derailleur mount (i.e., clamp vs. braze-on), another problem which EVERYONE seems to dismiss as the cause for poor indexed shifting with their front derailleur is using the wrong chain -- MY observation is that the chain must match the front derailleur, or vice versa, unless you are using Campagnolo ERGO (i.e., pre-2009 & non-Xenon derived) shifters.
 
alfeng said:
Front derailleurs CAN BE (are!?!) finicky to set up ...

If, by chance, your frame has a braze-on front derailleur then YOU probably need to align the mount RATHER THAN trying to square the derailleur by using the bolt & washer.

I have three (Italian) frames which have braze-on mounts, and I needed to tweak all three mounts to facilitate adjusting the front derailleur even though a "shop" had previously mounted a front derailleur on the bike.

Regardless of derailleur mount (i.e., clamp vs. braze-on), another problem which EVERYONE seems to dismiss as the cause for poor indexed shifting with their front derailleur is using the wrong chain -- MY observation is that the chain must match the front derailleur, or vice versa, unless you are using Campagnolo ERGO (i.e., pre-2009 & non-Xenon derived) shifters.


Welllll....a shimano 7800/6600/5600 chain shifts sram 10s front der way better than the sram chain.
 
Peter@vecchios said:
Welllll....a shimano 7800/6600/5600 chain shifts sram 10s front der way better than the sram chain.
Yes, I should have explicitly said the chain TYPE must mate with the front derailleur TYPE -- ergo, 10-speed Shimano-or-equivalent chain with 10-speed Shimano front derailleur (or, equivalent), 9-speed Shimano-or-equivalent chain with a 9-speed Shimano front derailleur, and an 8-speed Shimano chain-or-equivalent with an 8-speed Shimano front derailleur ...

AND SO, for example, using a 9-speed chain with either a 10-speed OR 8-speed drivetrain will be unsatisfactory in most circumstances.

Now, I don't know whether-or-not a Shimano 10-speed chain is better than those made by SRAM 10-speed chain shifts with a SRAM front derailleur, but I believe you!
 
Thank you all for your posts. Tomorrow I will renew the battle with the brute, hopefully with better odds this time.

Answers to points in the posts (apologies for lazily collecting them together);

What kind of shifter/front der/crank do you have?



Shimano 105 shifter and FD, with a compact (R 600 I think it is).



Where in Scotland?



Near Edinburgh. Wouldn’t greatly recommend it, it rains most of the time. Even drizzled today, in the height of ‘summer’.



Properly matching chain?



Not sure. I didn’t build it, but it was running perfectly and then slipped out of alignment (reasons unknown), so I am fairly certain the chain is suitable or it shouldn’t have worked so well before it slipped.


I've ordered a new cable, as I canned the last one with my over enthusiastic use of a 'fourth hand' tool. Bah. And not being happy that the FD is working properly, I've ordered a Dura ace FD. Well it has a Dura ace rear derailleur, so now it matches. (Well, yes, I just fancied more Dura ace on it, of course.) The bike rides so beautifully otherwise. It drives me mad that such a finicky, little, component can **** up the whole experience!
 
KellyT said:
Thank you all for your posts. Tomorrow I will renew the battle with the brute, hopefully with better odds this time.

Answers to points in the posts (apologies for lazily collecting them together);

What kind of shifter/front der/crank do you have?



Shimano 105 shifter and FD, with a compact (R 600 I think it is).



Where in Scotland?



Near Edinburgh. Wouldn’t greatly recommend it, it rains most of the time. Even drizzled today, in the height of ‘summer’.



Properly matching chain?



Not sure. I didn’t build it, but it was running perfectly and then slipped out of alignment (reasons unknown), so I am fairly certain the chain is suitable or it shouldn’t have worked so well before it slipped.


I've ordered a new cable, as I canned the last one with my over enthusiastic use of a 'fourth hand' tool. Bah. And not being happy that the FD is working properly, I've ordered a Dura ace FD. Well it has a Dura ace rear derailleur, so now it matches. (Well, yes, I just fancied more Dura ace on it, of course.) The bike rides so beautifully otherwise. It drives me mad that such a finicky, little, component can **** up the whole experience!

Cage 1mm above the big ring and aligned with the chain when in big ring, smallest cog(highest gear). Shift to biggest cog in back, smallest ring in front. make sure the inner cage is close to the chain('book' says 0.0-0.5mm..almost touching). Adjust with inner limit screw. Connect cable(tight!!, don't use the barrel adjuster even if you Have one). Shift to small cog in back, gently shift to big ring. make sure cage is aligned and clearance from chain to outer cage is 1mm or less. If cage is not lined up with chain, align it, back to small ring and big cog and make sure clearance is close again. Re-do. FDers are finicky.

Been to Edinburgh 3 times, around my family's lands around Inverness also, also Glasgow. Never been rained on yet(lucky). Had my kilt made by a cousin in Inverness(Ian and Duncan Chisholm). VERY friendly even if I can't understand your 'language'.
 
alfeng said:
Yes, I should have explicitly said the chain TYPE must mate with the front derailleur TYPE -- ergo, 10-speed Shimano-or-equivalent chain with 10-speed Shimano front derailleur (or, equivalent), 9-speed Shimano-or-equivalent chain with a 9-speed Shimano front derailleur, and an 8-speed Shimano chain-or-equivalent with an 8-speed Shimano front derailleur ...

AND SO, for example, using a 9-speed chain with either a 10-speed OR 8-speed drivetrain will be unsatisfactory in most circumstances.

Now, I don't know whether-or-not a Shimano 10-speed chain is better than those made by SRAM 10-speed chain shifts with a SRAM front derailleur, but I believe you!

This horse is almost dead BUT a shimano 9s front der works on a 10s 'system' really well where a 10s FD doesn't work well on a 9s system at all. FD doesn't travel far enough.
 
Peter@vecchios said:
This horse is almost dead BUT a shimano 9s front der works on a 10s 'system' really well where a 10s FD doesn't work well on a 9s system at all. FD doesn't travel far enough.
Well, the 9-speed Shimano front derailleur does work better than a 10-speed Campagnolo front derailleur, too, with Campagnolo's ERGO shifters ... but, some/many/most people who use Campy seem to have a psychological problem with inter-mixing non-Campy components with their Campy drivetrains.
 
go to the Park tools website and follow their directions step by step, beginning at step #1 (no matter what you think the problem is.)
 
garage sale GT said:
I think some front derailleur problems can come from the cage being bent.
Missed shifts are usually caused by a maladjusted cable, usually overtightened by an inexperienced mechanic. And dropped chains are usually caused by maladjusted limit screws. After setting the limit screws, dial in just enough cable tension to get the chain to the next ring and get the cage to clear the chain when it's in its outermost position. In this position the front cage should also be hitting the outer limit screw.

If you're dropping the chain on the inside, tighten the inner limit screw very slightly--about a quarter turn--and try again. If you're dropping the chain on the outside, tighten the outer limit screw similarly, and loosen the cable accordingly so the cage hits, but is not jammed against, the outer limit screw.

Most bent front derailleur cages I've seen are caused by the convergence of a maladjusted front derailleur and an impatient rider.
 

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