Hi all,

The front SRAM Rival derailleur on my Roubaix catches the chain and rattles when on the larger ring (front) and the two easiest cogs (rear). The first-gear emits a constant rattle and the second-gear a not-so-constant rattle. If I change to third-gear the rattle disappears as does the rattle disappear on ANY gear when using the small front-ring.

I understand the angle of the chain to cogs is more dramatic when on the larger front ring but my bike seems to be much louder than most.

Any "foolproof" way to adjust the front derailleur so I get more reasonable rattle-free coverage?

Thanks!

Your bike is perfectly normal.

As a general rule, you shouldn't ride for any distance in cross combinations; outer front/inner rear or the opposite.

The FD cage only has a given width, and is trimmed to properly clear chains coming from a range of angles, depending on which rear sprocket you're on. When you move to the most crossed combination, you're exceeding the design limit and the chain rubs against the inner cage plate making the noise you're hearing. With some model FDs and shifters you can trim the FD to acommodate the outer/inner combination with a small lever movement, but others don't allow this.

Whether you can adjust the FD to run quietly when crossed or not you should still avoid riding that way because it has much higher friction, but more importantly greatly worsens the chains wear life.

Like he said... not a sin to drop to a smaller front ring, just a tap of the lever.

Shimano tech docs (any series) shows a very comprehensive method for adjusting the front derailleur.

You are Cross Chaining, and while some bikes get away with it, the angle of the chain is more than likely going to rub. I can't do it without issues either.

Seehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24vfX2PtSMM