JRO

I have a Fuji D6 and the front Derailleur seems to flex a lot causing some gear shifting issues. It appears that the issue is coming from the plastic bracket that attaches it to the frame. Is this a Fuji part or a SRAM part? Is there a metal upgrade or replacement for this bracket?

Thanks,
Jason

joejack951

A quick Google search shows that the bracket is either integrated into the frame or a screwed/riveted part. If it's screwed on, check that the screws are tight. I've seen them come loose before. I doubt that the part is plastic but it could be carbon fiber. I also doubt that there is an easily available replacement part given how specialized that frame appears to be. If you can take a close up picture of that area I might be able to give some better info.

JRO

I'll take a quick pic, I'm at work so it'll be a cell phone pic. CF maybe, but it sure looks like flimsy plastic to me. Screws are tight, and it appears to be the brackt flexing, not the frame.

I googled SRAM Derailleur plus Fuji D6 and bracket, didn't come up with any images of it.

JRO

joejack951

Have you actually checked the tighteness of the screws with a hex key? That bracket looks like a metal part to me. If it was plastic, it would never stand up to the clamping force of the derailler mounting bolt.

Also, make sure your crankset doesn't have any side to side play. It could cause the same issues as a loose front derailler.

JRO

You're right, it is metal...

Let me check those attachment screws again tomorrow when I get home. I can swear the guy working on it yesterday checked all that, but can't say with 100% certainty. I'll put a Allen on them myself tomorrow and confirm.

Thanks for the help and info. I'm new to the bicycle thing, if you couldn't tell.

joejack951

Nice bike for a newbie

You may need to remove the front derailler to tighten those screws. If you are new to bikes, resetting the derailler will require you to learn a few things about how your bike shifts. This forum can help you out with that but I would recommend getting some help if you expect to want to ride the bike in short order. It can be a difficult process if you've never done it before (or have a tough time following directions exactly).

Don't forget to check the crank for looseness too. A number of factors can cause side to side wobble on an external bottom bracket crank like the one you have. If it is loose (grab both arms and push and pull to check), you'll want an experienced mechanic to check it out.

JRO

Ok, bracket is tight. Just talked to my buddy who helped me tune it up last night and he assured me that was the first thing he checked. He got it a whole lot better, but it still isn't great. I'll check the crank next for sure. I understand this is a little out of my comfort zone, but I'm wanting to learn every aspect of my bike. I used to be a mechanic and I prefer to work on and mantain my own stuff.

Yeah, it's a hell of a bike, my first road bike too! :O
It was one of those "too good of a deal to pass up" Craigslist finds, so I had to take it and hope I can just grow into it. The tri bike is really weird feeling to me right now though, but Tri's are my goal so... I took the plunge.

Again, thanks for the help. I will figure it out through presistance. Lol
I coulda swore that bracket was plastic doing the tap test, it's actually just aluminum. Hopefully it's some misalignment torquing it and not a weak frame.

Shang

Have you checked to make sure that the mating surfaces are clean? It might not hurt to remove the front derailleur and wipe down the bracket, as well as the FD mounting area. A little gunk buildup might cause some misalignment.

JRO

I have not, but will check that as well. We are going to pull the crank and clean and relube everything. I'll give it a good once over then.

lobstermike

Is there any weakness or movement of the frame itself where that derailleur hanger is attached to the frame? It looks kind of mucky around there?

JRO

It appears that the bracket is flexing, didn't look like the frame was flexing too much. I'll clean it up nice and check the alignment and report back.

byte_speed

There is a line going up from the derailleur mount area in the picture. Hard to tell from the picture, it could be a reflection. That is not a crack, is it? It appears to branch near the FD mount.

JRO

No crack, just a optical illusion. I need to video it in action, it might be normal like it is, I don't know. It's just if I change gears under any kind of speed it slips a lot. If I slow the pedal way down, it changes over easily. Btw, it's only clunky going from the small sprocket to the large. Going from large to small is butta smooth.