Originally Posted by
dreamingant
so, it turns out that cleaning the excess lube off the chain helped a bit, but not entirely. i was at least able to shift up to the big chainring about 60% of the time. which was extremely fortunate as i'm using cyclocross gearing & the ride was extremely hilly.
anyway, it appears i still need to figure out what the underlying problem is. between my & the LBS mechanic, we've already tried adjusting the limiting screws, adjusting the ft derailleur height, and making sure the cage is aligned.
re: FB's comment - we already tried pulling on cable directly. it still has the same problems shifting.
i'll check the chain length, but wouldn't it be odd for it to stretch so quickly? i've had the bike for less than 6 months.
re: ultraman - my friend also mentioned the pulley, but i haven't had a chance to check it thoroughly - at a glance, it looks fine i.e. nothing impeding the cable. what else should i be looking for?
re: FastJake - would bikesdirect sell me a bike with a FD that's incompatible with their chainrings? how do i determine if they're compatible?
thanks!
dB
A last resort is to swap out components. If the mechanic has a spare derailleur he can install, that would either identify or eliminate the derailleur as the problem.
Another thing to possibly check is the chain ring alignment/straightness.
The distance from the ring to the center of the down tube should be exactly the same as the distance from the ring to the center of the seat tube. Measure it with the cranks in several different positions.