Originally Posted by
Syscrush
Honestly, if you're only at 10 miles/day, then I have to suspect that part of the issue is just a matter of the rider not really being familiar with the machine yet. The FD will never shift as smoothly as the RD, you need to push it just a bit farther and just a bit harder when going up in chainring size, and you have to do it while turning the pedals smoothly but not applying power. Ride 150+ miles next week and see if the shifter still bothers you or if you get used to it.
When I say 10 miles/day I'm averaging in the days I don't ride because of work/commitments and weather. My commute to work is 10 miles round trip, and I've been doing 40-50 mile rides on the weekend to make up for lost days. I'm still new to this road cycling thing (1.5 months in with a 2 week vacation in the middle). I don't feel like I've had a good workout unless I put up at least 30+ miles. It's just a matter of finding the time to do it.
I may be overreacting. However it just doesn't seem smooth at times. I'll hit the lever over with 3-4 fingers and if I don't hold it for 2-3 seconds it won't make it. Sometimes it even requires 2 clicks to get there. It almost always requires 2 clicks to go down to the middle ring.
I'll definitely take everyone's advise and have a mechanic look at it before changing out any parts. If the difference should be negligible on a well set up triple, then why bother with changing it.