Originally Posted by
mahutchinson
It seems to me the whole design is flawed as the changer is simply bolted onto the frame with nothing providing either torque (e.g. rubber) or any fitting into the frame to prevent the mechanism slowly sliding down the frame which it will inevitably do by a tiny amount every time it is used.
This is an entirely unjustified fear. Front deraillers have been using a clamp set-up like this for decades and I've never heard of anyone having that problem. Seatposts and handlebars would be much more likely to slide in their respective clamps if this was an issue, but it's not an issue and they don't slide. So don't worry, your front derailler will stay put once properly adjusted, assuming you torque it properly.
I second the recommendation to head to Park Tool's website and learn about front derailler adjustments. Follow the procedure from step one. If you try to skip a step, you'll just end up more frustrated. I've been there. The clearances are tight because they need to be in order to shift properly. That's why you have the ability to make such fine adjustments using the barrel adjusters and limit screws.