Tandem Tom

I was looking at a friends bike today that had a Shimano Sora shifter . The one for the front derailler which is a triple. She was not able to shift into the large chain ring. So I adjusted the limit screw but it would stll not move out to that ring. The derailler has the available movement but it seems the shifter will not pull the cable any further.
Thoughts?

Camilo

You need to tighten the cable tension. Look on the Park Tool website for proper installation and adjustment of the front derailleur. Read through it and follow each and every step from the point after the derailleur is bolted onto the bike - cable installation on the derailleur, limit screw adjustment, cable adjustment. Don't skip a step.

Tandem Tom

Thanks for your reply. I did tighten the cable,sorry I forgot to mention it. But right after I posted this question I had a thought. Maybe the shifter was not in the lowest position when it was installed? So I was thinking to disconnect the cable from the derailler and click the shifter to it's lowest position then attach it. How does this sound?

HillRider

That's exactly what you should do. The first step in connecting any index (or friction for that matter) shifter is to be sure it is in the most "relaxed" position which is the granny ring for the front derailleur and the smallest cog in back. On Sora brifters shift the "mouse ear" several times to make sure, then connect and adjust the cable tension.

bargainguy

One thing which helps tell you whether the shifter isn't working right:

You can bypass the shifter completely and just grab a handful of bare cable maybe halfway on the down tube and pull it away from the frame far as they go. If you can shift to the largest chainring by hand but not by shifter, then something's up with the shifter.

LarDasse74

Don't forget to put the FD limit switch back where you found it! Too often people start adjusting the limit switches when a bike doesn't shift - yours is one of the rare occasions where this actually might have worked, but it is still not the first thing you should try... limit switches don't adjust themselves, so if the bike ever shifted properly, unless something has been changed (like a new BB or crank installed) then they will practically never need adjustment.

Tandem Tom

Hey guys,thanks for your replies!

Camilo

That's why I suggested finding a complete guide to installation and adjustment of an FD - all these steps suggested are in such a guide and it's important to just start from the beginning and follow the steps one by one. After you do that, future fixes will be much more intuitive.

RubeRad

Maybe I'm just stupid, but here's something perhaps worth knowing:

I have a Sora shifters from a mid-90's Trek 1000 3x8, and I was surprised to learn at the bike shop one day that the front shifter has 4 stops, not just three. There is an extra "trim" position for the granny ring. If you thumb-return all the way down, then you're in the granniest position (FD at the low limit, suitable for big ring in the back), but once you get halfway up the cassette you start rubbing the right side of the FD cage; push the left Sora lever gently, about half of the complete throw, and listen/feel for an almost inaudible 'click'; the FD will be in a halfway position that should allow you to access the rest of the cassette (well maybe not the smallest cog) from the granny ring. One more lever push and you're on the middle ring, one more and you're on the big ring (or blocked by the upper limit screw). Thumbclicks back down, there are only two (you can only reach the trim position on the way "up" the chainrings, not down)