rms13

For my recent build I bought these:

https://www.amazon.com/Inline-Barrel-.../dp/B016LQA9T8

Purely to match the aesthetics of my build. But I have never been able to get my front derailleur (6800) adjusted so there is no rub. I'm about to go through my second cable in about 1000 miles of riding from having to try to adjust and re adjust so much at the bolt.

I've heard some people say that the in line adjusters actually hurt more then help because the break in the cable housing makes it harder to get correct tension. So my question is, should I buy a different brand adjuster and if so does anyone have recommendations? Or should I re do my cables and housing without in line adjusters?

fietsbob

I never needed them , Your method of finishing the Housing cut may be lacking , (IDK)

I grind them square at the Bench grinder after cutting.

rms13

Probably. I basically just cut them with Park cable cutter. I don't have a grinder or dremel or anything

fietsbob

Can you buy a sharp File at least ?

rms13

Yes but probably just get one of those $20 dremels

Andrew R Stewart 

So is the bike lacking a frame mounted cable adjuster? If so that's too bad. We find in line adjusters work well enough. They aren't really a while you're riding adjusting thing but once stationary easy to work with. Do take care where to place them. They don't like being in the loop that gets a lot of movement (from steering or suspension action) and can rattle against the frame over bumps. Andy.

rms13

It's a carbon frame with internal routing. I placed them below the bend

pressed001

Oh how I hate those things. Take them off, being gentle so as to not hurt the bike, step on them, kick sand on them, stomp on them, and then burn them whilst drinking brandy and singing old battle hymns.

No, really, so what problems are you having with your FD exactly? Does it rub when you're in the highest and lowest gears in back? That's kinda normal, but it shouldn't be excessive. Does it rub in these gears while in every gear up front? Post some pictures of your FD so we can better see the alignment, it is highly possible that you can somehow better position it so as to minimize the rubbing. Sometimes it is a chore, but in the end, you can get it right.

pressed001

Here are some examples of dérailleur set-up photos:



The first pic is perfect from Park Tool.

Looigi

For double rings, you don't really need an adjuster as the position of the derailleur is determined by the limit screws and you can get the tension close enough with the fixing bolt. With a triple, the position of the derailleur in the middle ring is determined by cable tension, and here's where fine tuning with an adjuster can be very helpful. The only trouble I've had with in-line adjusters is with those that don't have detents or enough friction to hold their setting.

rms13

Have you worked with newer 11 speed shimano FD? As I've found out, it's not the same process as setting up older models. In particular they manual tells to make a third cable adjustment in the high trim position. Without an adjuster it's basically impossible. I've tried setting it up with the anchor bolt for tension and limit but I get too much rub. It also doesn't help that the frame has braze on FD mount which limits the position of the deraileur

pressed001

Disagree! Dude, I love the new 11 speed shimano derailleurs! They are easy peasy to set up. I see no need whatsoever for an in-line-kill-me-now-get-it-over-with-please adjuster!

I especially like the teflon piece they installed to reduce rubbing noise. Wonderful stuff.

Wheever

Yeah, the 11-speed 6800 is a huge pain without an inline. It's basically impossible to set the trim properly without it, but it's also just really hard to get the trim right in general. Much harder than the 105 FD on my old defy.

One trick I learned from my LBS mechanic is that if you actually position the FD at the high end of recommened , the angle of the chain through the cage becomes less acute, so there's less rubbing at the extremes. (The downside is that shifting isn't quite as snappy.) i'm always trying to get the cage as close as possible to the chainring, which on the 6800 makes the trimming adjustment harder.

rms13

Thanks for all the advice. I think my frame is part of the problem with getting it adjusted. I basically need the outer limit screw almost completely unscrewed to avoid rubbing when in big ring/small cog and even then it's impossible for me to avoid getting rubbing in the smallest cog

On another note as I'm going to redo my cabling. How much difference is there really between these two sets:

Jagwire Road Pro Complete Bike Cables Casing Kit Brake Derailleur Shift Gear | eBay

Jagwire Brake Shifter Cable Housing Kit Road Bike Mountain Bike | eBay

I know the Pro has Kevlar housing, teflon cables and sealed ferrules but how much performance difference does that make? I've heard the Kevlar is basically for longevity but the lining will wear out before the housing on either one. And I've also heard that sealed ferrules hurt performance and should be avoided if you don't need them and I don't really need them in southern california

pressed001

Have you determined that your cables are bad and need to be replaced? You will have to adjust your FD again, after installing new cables...

rms13

The FD cable is fraying pretty bad. But I also want to replace the deraileur housing to get rid of inline adjusters and/or install different ones so I just figure redoing everything won't hurt. I also want to install red housing to match the color scheme where as I have black now that came with my groupset