Originally Posted by
FBinNY
First make sure both limits are correctly adjusted. Leave the lever alone for a moment, and shift the FD back and forth by pulling the bare wire away from the frame near the downtube. You want the limits set so the shifts occur cleanly, but no more out than that.
Once you have the inner and outer limits set correctly, then you can use the cable adjuster to fine tune the shifting within the allowed travel range.
Stupid question - I don't have a maintenance stand so should I improvise something with a broom handle under the bike seat with both sides of the broom handle held up with a ladder and shelves? Or should I invest in a real stand for the basic stuff I'll be doing? Or is there another way I'm not thinking of to pull the cable away from the downtube while turning the cranks with my other hand?