ryanhulce

I'm having a heck of a time with my Front Derailleur (Shimano 2203) going into my small ring of my triple. Sometimes it works sometimes it throws the chain. Also going into he middle gear sometimes sounds like something bad just happened

What kind of options do I have for replacing the FD, and would that fix my problem?

I plan on upgradnig to a new bike soon enough but want to keep this bike in top working order for my trainer and rainy days.

On the road I hardly ever use the small ring but on my I-Magic going up a 10% grade climb it becomes usefull.

My next bike will be a double for sure!

Ryan

DrPete 

Other than making sure your front derailleur is well-tuned, pick up a Deda Dog Fang (you can google it and a bunch of places carry it). It's about $9-10 and should fix the problem of throwing the chain for good.

I have zero experience with the FD you mention, but even Ultegra triple has the problem sometimes, and the Dog Fang does a good job of preventing it.

Good luck!

Ant

This might sound stupid but check and make sure the crank isn't coming loose. I had the same thing happen to me with my Trek 1200 FD and it turns out the cranks were loose.

ryanhulce

Can I blame it on my peak of 508 watts for .0000000000001 Seconds last night while attacking a hill last night on my trainer

I will get the Deda Dog Fang and Check my Crank. The Deda Dog looks like a great idea, it will save your paint.

Thanks for the great advice.

LadyinWhite

I have the exact same problem with my 1000 and have wrestled with it since day one. Even post tune up the FD doesn't work smoothly from middle to big or back again.

ryanhulce

Going to talk to my LBS about it and see what my options are. RD works very well though. Mine goes from Big to Middle everytime and back but it doesn't sound healthy and most the time going from middle to small I loose my chain.

Can we switch just the FD for Ultgra or DA? I mean the FD aren't very $$$

dtrain

If it were me, I'd... 1) Get a Tiagra FD on Ebay to match the rear, 2) Have it properly dailed in by a good shop.

Al1943

Generally a thrown chain means the derailleur needs adjusting. If the bike is fairly new the dealer should adjust it at no cost. Or you could try it yourself by following the instructions found at https://www.parktool.com.
It may not help at all to replace the derailleur, Ultegra or Dura-Ace would be a waste of money. A Sora FD may help. Shimano's new lineup of triple cranksets have a variety of chainring sizes and the front derailleurs are matched to each groups specific sizes. Choosing the wrong derailleur could make the shifting worse instead of better. The Ultegra, D-A, 105, 10-speed and the new Tiagra derailleurs are designed to run with 39t middle chainrings. The Sora and the 2203 cranksets have the more traditional 52-42-30 chainrings. If you upgrade the FD the Sora would be the best choice.

Al

dtrain

You sure about that Tiagra crankset? This one shows 42 teeth on the middle ring. Is there such thing as 10-speed Tiagra? Certainly an older Tiagra FD would work.

https://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...+Crankset.aspx

ryanhulce

Say I was to change the Crankset, would I have to change the RD? Sorry for the n00b questions.

DrPete 

Nope.

You can use a triple rear derailleur with a double drivetrain without a problem.

blickblocks

You need to 1) match up the indexing with the chainrings and 2) set the limit stops so you don't accidentally throw the chain. The people telling you you need to upgrade must not know how to wrench on their own bike, because this is a common, easily fixed issue. Derailers may actually need to be tuned regularly because of cable stretch.

cycle17

The stock Front Deraraillier (2203) is a common problem/weak link on the Trek 1000. Mine shifted poorly and dropped the chain no matter how many times it was adjusted. I put a 105 triple FD on it and it never dropped the chain again and shifted nice and smooth. It's probably the biggest weak point of the 1000. A double will shift nicer, but I doubt I'd invest in one if you are planning on getting a better bike in the near future.

cycle17

The stock Front Deraraillier (2203) is a common problem/weak link on the Trek 1000. Mine shifted poorly and dropped the chain no matter how many times it was adjusted. I put a 105 triple FD on it and it never dropped the chain again and shifted nice and smooth. It's probably the biggest weak point of the 1000. A double will shift nicer, but I doubt I'd invest in one if you are planning on getting a better bike in the near future.

blickblocks

If the retention stops are set properly how could it throw the chain?

Al1943

The Shimano European website shows the 2007 Tiagra triple to have 50-39-30 chainrings. But I was wrong about the speeds, it's 9 not 10. I've edited my previous post. Sorry. A pre-2007 Tiagra front derailleur would probably be good with the 2203 crankset.

Al1943

I've said that before too, but it can still happen.

blickblocks

Is the cage just too flexible or something?

cycle17

We have a winner! Between the cage and the pivots there is too much flex in the unit and it doesn't stay adjusted very well. It's a well known problem on the 1000 that is only solved by putting on a better quality FD. I recommend a 105FD, but a Tiagra might do the job as well.

ryanhulce

I'm pretty sure this is the crank Bontrager Sport 52/42/30

Al1943

A 9-speed front derailleur (other than D-A) would be a good choice.

cycle17

Yep. That's the triple they put on the 1000.

LadyinWhite

This thread is so interesting to me. I've struggled with my FD til I wanted to kick the dern thing. I thought I had to upgrade the whole crankset and FD but from what I'm reading, a few bucks for a new FD and I'm set?

That's great news!