Thank you for your responses. I have the shift wire routed correctly. I made sure by looking at a lot of pictures. I did make this mistake once on another bike and the LBS straightened me out. I disconnected the cable and checked everything out including the BB guide. The cable is new and the housing is okay. Shifting with the cable held in my hand worked fine.
The derailleur is adjusted perfectly on the stand but I did manage to drop the chain on a ride. I changed the shifter to a more vertical position so it would be easier to shift (pushing down on it seems easier). I can ride the bike fine. So that brings me to the MTB shifter/road derailleur. Thanks for the explanation but I must admit that I don’t understand the dynamics. I trust you’re right and I’ll see what my LBS can do for me. The options for front derailleur 3x8 with a down pull are getting rather limited. I looked at the online specs and many say nothing about whether or not it is for a road bike or MTB including the description of the one I bought. Thanks again. I’m off to my LBS. Keep on biking.
Last edited by Madtown Bob; 09-12-16 at 12:24 PM.