Bicycle Mechanics - is this a problem??? front der. angle.

im building my first bike right now and today i got the group set in the mail. i got the crank and RD installed and im having troubles with the FD.

as you can see in the pics below, the FD seems to be tilted backwards when tightened on the braze-on. how on earth do i make it rotate farther forward, or is this an issue with the frame? the rear of the cage is about 2mm from the chain ring but the front sits about 12mm away. my other bike doesnt have this issue at all, so im worried that its a problem with the frame. ideally this will be something very easy to fix and im just over looking it. if this is just the way its going to be, will it shift ok like this or will i be tossing the chain off the outside constantly?

im about to leave for work, so ill check back in a few hours. i hope you guys can help me out. :thumb:

http://jdtreon.com/bike-stuff/frontderproblem1.jpg

http://jdtreon.com/bike-stuff/frontderproblem2.jpg

How is the braze-on mount attached to the frame? Can it's position be tweaked at all?

I was thinking the same thing, maybe you could loosen the hanger screws (if you have) and rotate the hanger. Is the deraillleur flush with the hanger? Is there anything causing the derailleur to not be fully seated?

Al

I don't adjust any of that until I have the chain on there

From the photos...it sure looks as if the seat tube is curved just above the bottom bracket, and the front derailleur hanger is sort of "aligned" with the flow of the tubing arc.

That's wrong, if that's the case.

The front derailleur typically has a small range of positions and set tube angles, and from all appearances, you're not even close.

For the record, I once ordered a custom bike frame where the builder decided to get fancy in a somewhat similar way, and the bike NEVER shifted properly.

If you keep working with this frame, I think your options are to work on a way to tweak the mount where it attaches to the hanger, or to somehow bend the cage. But either way, you're talking custom modifications I would guess.

Good luck!

What advice does the company that made the frame have? They must have designed it for use with some kind of front derailleur.

It's a budget brand, right? I imagine this is one of the once that slipped through the quality control. I'd ask them for suggestions, then send it back if they don't help. It might work that way, but it might cause problems, and you shouldn't have to deal with that.

It's a budget brand, right? I imagine this is one of the once that slipped through the quality control. I'd ask them for suggestions, then send it back if they don't help. It might work that way, but it might cause problems, and you shouldn't have to deal with that.

it is a pretty cheap frame but it does have a lifetime warranty against "defects in materials and workmanship" which is what i would consider this. i recieved the frame yesterday, so theres no way i broke anything.

the seat tube looks curved because it has a wheel cutout. this is a triathlon frame.

i spent about an hour trying to get it to sit differently but this is the only way it will mount to the braze on.

im going to send the company an email as soon as im finished with this post. i dont want to keep building this frame if im just going to have to strip it down and send it away for a new one.

thanx for the input guys.

HI. isnt that a leader frame? One of those that are super aero ones with the seat tube curved? Looks like. Well if you dont what to deal with people just put some washers un the bottom of the FD hang boss thingy. Just an idea, nothing else.

HI. isnt that a leader frame? One of those that are super aero ones with the seat tube curved? Looks like. Well if you dont what to deal with people just put some washers un the bottom of the FD hang boss thingy. Just an idea, nothing else.

it is a leader frame, i wanted to leave the brand out if it till i get their explanation (i just sent them an email).

the space in the braze-on mount is too narrow to put a washer in there ( i already tried that ealier :lol: ) i also dont want to be trying to "band-aid" a brand spankin new frame, when i can just get a new one on warranty if this is a manufacturing error.

i played with it a little more tonight and now ive shimmed it so that it is rock solid and in PERFECT position.

so regardless of what they reply with ill probably just keep this frame and bypass the hassle of shipping and time.

thanx for the replys guys.

http://jdtreon.com/bike-stuff/frontderproblem3.jpg