Compatibility between 105 triple front derailleur & SLX left hand rapid fire shifter?
 

Have been switching out components on my new hybrid bike (a Scattante FR-330). Upgraded brakes, levers, shifters, rear derailleur etc. I have a 105 triple front derailleur. Would like to swap out the entry level front derailleur that came with the bike and use the 105. BUT, I have gotten conflicting opinions on the compatibility of the 105 front derailleur with the SLX shifters. Several people have told me NO it will not work. Others have said yeah sure any Shimano front derailleur would work fine. It is a bottom pull just like the one I would be replacing. What sayeth the community of bike mechanics here? (BTW I have a SLX front triple but it will not work as unfortunately the rear triangle on the Scattante is too tight to accommodate the bulk of the SLX.) The 105 clamp is the correct diameter, it is a bottom pull......seems like it should work yet there have been numerous naysayers.

not compatible. the pull ratio for road and mtn FD are different. shimano does make flat bar road shifters

Yep, that's what I thought. Will sell the 105 and look for maybe an XT. Thanks for your help! :thumb:

I knew that the 105 shifter that I had wasn't officially compatible with the SRAM X-9 grip shift that I wanted to use for it (the SRAM has the same cable pull as Shimano MTB front shifters), however since I had the parts, I figured that I'd give it a go. I set the derailleur position to be correct with the shifter in the middle position, I then used the inner limit screw to get it in the correct place for the inner position (even though the shifter releases more cable than needed). I figured I'd have problems with the outer position, but somehow that also worked fine by setting the outer limit screw to keep it from over-shifting. So, I was surprised by how successful it was, and that's been the setup on wife's commuter bike for a few months now.

Having said that, I now need the 105 FD for another project, and I have a MTB FD to replace it with, so it will make me happy to soon have properly compatible components on that bike.

Anyway, the lesson is that if you already have the components, then why not give it a go and see what happens. I think the big secret is setting the cable tension to get the position in the middle ring correct, then use the limit screws to control the other two positions.

grip shift is essentially a friction shifter if you ignore the numbers.