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Front Derailleur Adjusting

Old 06-30-09, 11:22 AM
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Front Derailleur Adjusting

I got new shifters for my bike yesterday and I reran the cables too. I have the rear derailleur working perfect but can't got the front to work. I spent like 3 hours on it and can't figure out what is wrong. I can get it into first with no rubbing and then second but it is very hard to push the lever.
Once it is in second it is impossible to put it into third because the lever is so hard to push.
Nothing is hitting the derailleur to cause this, and I know my derailleur works fine. It is only a few months old.

If I shift back down to first it snaps back with a lot of force.
Any ideas? I hate taking my bike to the lbs if I can do it myself.
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Old 06-30-09, 11:45 AM
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Back off your limit screws substantially, then try shifting again (DON'T force anything). If that allows the derailleur to travel further than before, you've found the problem. Read this article for some help, and set everything up just as they tell you. Presumably your shifter goes full travel with the cable disconnected from the derailleur?

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

Also, with new cables, I find once the cable stretches I must loosen the pinch bolt at the derailleur and remove the slack that has developed from the stretch. Make sure the barrel adjuster on your shifter is screwed in first and the shifter is as far to the small ring position as it will go. With too much cable slack in the small ring position, you will have to remove it with the initial motion of the shifter. Then, depending on the type of shifter, you may not have enough remaining travel of the shifter itself to reach the large ring.

Last edited by krusty; 06-30-09 at 11:54 AM.
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Old 06-30-09, 01:36 PM
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This post is what I figured out with a similar problem. You might be threading your cable the wrong way through the pinch bolt.
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Old 06-30-09, 07:43 PM
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That's what it was. Figured it out after I was messing around with it for a few more hours haha
Thanks
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Old 06-30-09, 09:10 PM
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Glad it was something simple! I guess I shouldn't take it for granted that things like that are correct when I try to suggest solutions.
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Old 06-30-09, 10:38 PM
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Yea every tutorial on adjusting front derailleurs lists nothing about how the cable goes due to the range of different models; I couldn't figure out how it was supposed to even get attached due to the fact that there was a whole guide system on it which I think is just for when you have your cables running from the bottom up.
I don't know but I have every gear working like a charm now
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