Let me describe the situation. I have a bicycle that is set up as an 81 speed. In order to keep gearing in the range of mere mortals, I went with a front triple with 34-36-40 gearing. In theory, it should be a breeze to find a front derailleur that can handle the massive 6-tooth gap, but I have an issue.




I can't lower the FD any further to get it any closer to the chainrings because it will hit the cable and chainstay.



This shows the chainline when at the limit. I have fiddled with angling the derailleur, but in order for it to reliably shift to the inner chain, it ends up hitting the tire.



Does anyone know of a FD that can handle the triple that either has a shallower angle, or which has an adjustable angle (like the old Simplex FDs)? Hoping to find something that doesn't cost more than the frame did.