Bicycle Mechanics - Old bike with tight derailer.

Im fixing up this old bike and the front derailer is extreamly hard to change when tightinging. Loosening it seems fine. Why could this be?

I tried oiling the derailer with no luck.

The cable follows the bottom tube... the fits in a groove which directs it up towards teh front derailer... is that a source of friction?

I just put on new cabling.

Disconnect the cable from the derailleur and test to see if the derailleur is tight or the cable or maybe the shifter.

Al

At least once a day - I get to paste this Copy & Paste regards front-derailleurs. Feel free to copy this. I wrote it, and won't sue:
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Take the cable off the FD. Now install it from scratch as per Park Tool Repair:

http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=75

And BicycleTutor:

http://bicycletutor.com/adjust-front-derailer/

When you have it properly trimmed and are ready for the cable - a new one wouldn't hurt - you want to pull the cable taut - not too tight, taut. Then apply 48 to 60 inch-pounds to the pinch-bolt. Then put it through it's paces.

It's always easier and faster to install a FD from square-one, than it is to make adjustments with it already attached. This tends to fix one thing - while throwing another out of kilter. Start fresh. You'll get it.

Adding an inline barrel-adjuster can solve many problems with the cable coming loose - or being too tight.

Barrel Adjusters:

http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cgi?id=180244260661&c=Cable-Housing&sc=Barrel-Adjusters