After years on bikes with downtube friction shifters, I've gotten a new bike that has STI shifters.

A few questions: What is the purpose of the adjuster on the cable stop for the RD cable?

As with my old bikes, the FD will touch the chain a bit after I shift to some of the larger cogs in the back. I've found that I can move it a bit and resolve this by pushing the small FD shift lever just a little bit. That surprises me, since I had the impression that that lever simply released the "catch" on the cable so that it could drop back by one position, rather than actually moving the derailleur.

Should it be possible to adjust things such that the FD doesn't touch the chain as I shift around in the back?

Thanks,