Bicycle Mechanics - Front Derailleur Upgrade??

Just wondering if an upgrade from a Tiagra front derailleur to an Ultegra would solve my problem. I have a Jamis Nova with a triple crank and have problems going from the 30 chainring to the 42. If I shift all the way to the 52 and back down it seems to work fine. It's not working the way that it should. Is there something I could adjust to make for smoother, more accurate shifting. I am fairly new to cycling and looking for some advice.

Thanks,

Jim

Just wondering if an upgrade from a Tiagra front derailleur to an Ultegra would solve my problem. I have a Jamis Nova with a triple crank and have problems going from the 30 chainring to the 42. If I shift all the way to the 52 and back down it seems to work fine. It's not working the way that it should. Is there something I could adjust to make for smoother, more accurate shifting. I am fairly new to cycling and looking for some advice.

Thanks,

JimWhat gear in the rear are you using when you attempt the shift?

I've mostly been in the middle ranges (4,5,6) of the rear cassette. Also have had what appears to be chain slip when in these same range of gears.

Tiagra front derailler should work fine if properly adjusted. Upgrading won't solve your problem.

Just wondering if an upgrade from a Tiagra front derailleur to an Ultegra would solve my problem. I have a Jamis Nova with a triple crank and have problems going from the 30 chainring to the 42. If I shift all the way to the 52 and back down it seems to work fine. It's not working the way that it should. Is there something I could adjust to make for smoother, more accurate shifting. I am fairly new to cycling and looking for some advice.

Thanks,

JimAs another poster said,a poorly adjusted ultegra will do the same. It may be nothing but cable tension. www.parktool.com has the drill in the repair section.

As another poster said,a poorly adjusted ultegra will do the same. It may be nothing but cable tension. www.parktool.com has the drill in the repair section.

Did it ever work right?

If it never worked quite right, completely disconnect the shift cable and follow the Park instructions starting with the position of the derailleur on the seat tube. Don't skip any steps.

If it used to work right, you just need a cable tension adjustment. Leave the limit screws on the derailleur alone.

I've only had the bike a few weeks. Put around 100 miles on so far. Has not worked quite right yet. I can always take it to the shop where I got it. Part of the purchase includes free adjustments. Still need to get a basic set of tools so that I can do some of these things on my own.

I've only had the bike a few weeks. Put around 100 miles on so far. Has not worked quite right yet. I can always take it to the shop where I got it. Part of the purchase includes free adjustments. Still need to get a basic set of tools so that I can do some of these things on my own.You would be surprised at what you can do with a good 4,5, and 6mm allen wench and small phillips and flat blade screwdriver. None of which has to come from LBS,BTW.

If the bike is new, it hasn't worked right since you got it, and you have free adjustments from your LBS, why are you thinking about upgrading a part BEFORE you let the shop try to fix it??? Yes, you should learn how to tune your own bike, but just to get you started, get the shop to do what they should have done before you ever left the shop with the bike in the first place- provide you with a properly set-up and tuned bike. If you bought a new car, and the radio wasn't working right, would you replace the radio yourself, or get the dealership to fix/replace the thing first?

You would be surprised at what you can do with a good 4,5, and 6mm allen wench and small phillips and flat blade screwdriver. None of which has to come from LBS,BTW.

Sydney's right in so far as tools go. All of those front derailleur adjustments can be made with a 5mm allen wrench, a screwdriver and maybe a needle nose pliers to pull the shift cable. Never-the-less, I'd recommend taking it back to the shop for the service that you've already paid for. Triple STI front derailleur set ups aren't the easiest place to start learning about fixing bikes.