Check
1. cage parallel to chainrings?
2. Cage close enough to chain rings 3mm should suffice most of the time
3. Cable tension issue. drop the front derailleur to the lowest point via brifter, disconnect cable, pull taut, reattach, see if that works.
4. lack of cage travel
overtravel screws need to be adjust.
Disconnect the cable.
see how far the cage moves towards the seat tube. spin the cranks forward, does it shift down to the small ring? No? adjust the small screw (assuming shimano) back out the screw closest to the seat tube until the cage travels enough to allow it to shift down. Adjust so that in the small ring/big ring combo, there's not drag against the cage by the chain.
5. frozen front derailleur, pull off bike, soak in something to help disolve corrosion.
Last edited by paul_858; 08-13-08 at 11:19 PM.