Zweibel

Two questions:

I have three gears at the front, 10 at the back.
It seems to me that there is no way one can adjust the gearing so that the chain does not at some stage rub against the front dérailleur. If I'm on the smallest gear at the front and the largest at the back and set the dérailleur so that the chain is only about 1mm away from the inside of the dérailleur cage and then shift all 10 gears down at the back, the chain will be rubbing against the dérailleur.
A admit, normally I would not use the gears like this, but it seems rather odd to me that the dérailleur isn't wide enough to allow all gears to operate without rubbing.
My question is whether this is normal or whether my bike https://gb.cannondale.com/bikes/09/ce/model-9TR.html has just been put together with unsuitable components.

My second question also concerns the chain. The problem I seem to be having is that the more tension there is on the chain, the more noise it makes. When I'm in low gears, everything runs very smoothly and with very little noise, but when I'm on the largest gear at the front and move down to the smallest gears at the back, the noise increases and I would no longer say the chain is running smoothly. The chain is not rubbing against anything, but it definately makes a lot of noise. As soon as I move 2-3 gears up again, the sound level is similar to all other gears. It's basically only the last 2 gears at the back that seem to make far more noise than the others.
Any ideas what may be causing this?

BILL_W_WV

This is normal situation. So you have a triple(3) x ten(cassette). Did not know this combination existed. My setup is triple(front) by nine(rear) which will rub when operating @ either extreme. Only thing you can do is set it up so it rubs in least used position(s). In my case, largest gear in the front(52) x rear(27) will rub & same is true for front(30) x rear(12). In those combinations it rubs, use it as a guide that I can no longer shift up or down depending on which combination I am in. Seldom if ever in those combinations. This is one reason why some dislike triple configuration since this is not a problem with a typical double setup.


This is probably related to a rub also. My bicycle makes more noise when you cross chain. Chain is hitting the derailer, at least on my bike it is. Usually more pronounced when you ride. Maybe someone else can chime in since I have the same situation, & can provide a solution. However think this is a problem with no fix except getting a double or adjust derailleurs, particularly rear, to suit your operating gear range.

Panthers007

As Shimano explains, there will be some gears that will cause some chain-rubbing with most front-derailleurs. This is unavoidable. Shimano attempts to show the likely ones with the confusing document below. The bottom-line is: If it bothers you, find another gear to use.

Here's Shimano -

bbruce0

I have an issue related to this, so I figured I would add it to the bottom of this. Found this through a search. I have the same setup as the OP, three in the front, 10 in the rear, I'll have my chain on the largest in the front, and the smallest on the back, I'm still getting rubbing on the outside portion of the front derailleur. Do I need to make the cable a little more tighter, I have tried adjusting the screws like the setup guide states, but that did nothing.

andr0id

Setting up a triple FD can be a lot trickier than a double.

If you are getting a little rub with the large chain ring and the smallest cog, there could be two problems. First, with Shimano FDs, the outer part of the cage should be exactly parallel to the chain ring. On a triple FD, this will be the bent in indented part at the bottom edge. Once it is exactly parallel, the outer limit screw should be adjusted just enough to allow the chain to shift up to, but not over the big ring. Your adjustments should be tiny, about an 1/8 of a turn and then test it. If the cage is not moving when you let out the screw, you may need to loosen the cable tension a tiny bit. There is usually a barrel adjuster on the frame for this. If not, slightly loosen the pinch bolt and let the derailleur creep out to the limit screw.