Originally Posted by
The Golden Boy
I'm running a 1sr gen Cyclone FD with a Stronglight triple. I think it's something like 52-42-28. It works perfectly , and I do not have the cage extension on it. From a lot of sources, the extension causes more problems than it's worth.
Yeah, I'm one of those sources. I had a '76 PX-10LE that I'd built with an Avocet triple and Suntour F&R derailleurs in about 1979. The FD had this extension. My inner ring was a 32 and rarely used.
Fast forward, I sold off the Peugeot frame and moved the gear to another frame with an inner triple front ring at 28, and the same original Suntour FD with this extender cage.
In my anecdotal experience, it is about chain wrap tension. But, the chain will/did catch on that large inviting edge. I was able to vault off the bike w/o damage, but you can just rip that sucker up. If you're shifting that low, odds of a catastrophic crash are actually low, but you may be w/o a functioning FD.
Anyway, as much as I loved that FD for it's smooth working of the upper rings. . , it came off.
SO, I basically recommend against it. Focus on fine-tuning chain length and wrap strength of RD to solve the broader issues of small granny ring shifts.
YMMV, as it is said, and this is but one piece of data.
:-)
P.S. - If you particularly like Suntour, consider the 3-pulley RD for the touring gear set.