Recently I just got myself a '11 Felt Z100 with a Sora FD.

After adjusting, cleaning, and lubing the front mech, I'm still having some problem with chain rub.

The problem occurs with the middle chain ring in combination with at least a third of the gears in the back. What happens is after I shift to the middle chainring, the inside of the cage rubs against the chain. If I push on the FD with my hands, I can get space between the chain and the cage (it stays there), but if I apply tension to the cable or shift the FD away from middle and then back, it's touching again, until I again, have to manually move it.

I figure it would be dirt in the pivots causing it to stick so I WD40'd it, let it soak, then cleaned it off before applying some White Lightning but still the same result.

Also, the bike is tuned up and checked by a mechanic so let's assume the limits/angle/clearance/cable tension is not the issue.

Could it still be dirty pivots or does the spring not have enough tension...or maybe it has something to do with trim adjustments? The bike has low mileage and the FD looks practically new.

Thanks in advance!

"let's assume the limits/angle/clearance/cable tension is not the issue."

I wouldn't assume anything.

I'd make very sure that cable friction was not causing the problem then I'd follow this procedure from the beginning as if installing a new derailleur: https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-...ur-adjustments

Agree. There may be a kink or problem with a housing that's causing the cable to drag. Make sure it moves freely. Here's Shimano's installation/adjustment instructions if the shifter has a trim position for the big ring:

https://techdocs.shimano.com/media/te...9830606806.PDF

or the following if your shifter has a trim position for the small ring:

https://techdocs.shimano.com/media/te...9830606832.PDF

I say assume it's right because I've adjusted it multiple times (following park tools guide) thinking that might have been the cause but as far as I know, everything is properly tuned.

I did not think to check the cable for dirt or grime so I'll do that now.

As for the trim, it is a Microshift 9 speed shifter, I have no clue which way the trim is. It takes two clicks to go from the small chainring to the middle, so is that the trim?

Yes, what is being talked about is cable friction - smooth operation through the housing - not the "tension" adjustment that holds the derailleur in a certain position. The derailleur's inward shift is accomplished by the pressure of the spring pulling the cable through the housing. If the friction is too high the derailleur will not move to the proper position without "coaxing." Sometimes you can check for that problem by "plucking the exposed cable at the down tube to see if the derailleur moves further.

Trim - yes, one click would be the trim position for the small cogs with the small chainwheel, and is also available when going back down for the larger cogs and the middle chainwheel.

Thanks for the response!

I checked all the exposed cables and lubed everything I can see (barrel adjusters, under bb, where it attaches to fd, and ****ers) to no avail. There's no fraying (aside from the tip because I lost the cable cap) or stickiness anywhere.

I just rechecked the trim on my shifters, going up, it has 4 clicks - trim to middle to trim to large and then on the way down, it's just 2 clicks - middle to small.

It's difficult to either lubricate the cable or judge whether there's excess friction without unshipping the housing end from the stop or detaching the cable end so that you can check the upper run of cable by pulling it through from the lever end. You can then lube the cable with oil (not grease) as you feed it back in. If the derailleur is clean and lubed the cable or shifter would be the only things that would cause the derailleur to stop too soon when shifting inward.

OP, did you try this? if so, did the FD still stick?

I'm not sure how to remove the cable from the brifters. Will youtube and try now


Not sure what he meant by plucking the cable, but I did tug on it. When shifted to the middle chainring from inner, if I tug the cable, the FD moves out. However, the problem is, if I push the FD, it goes back in. The opposite is true from largest to middle, after a downshift, the FD will not move if tugged, but if you press on it, it will move inwards. Then you can tug it and it will move back out. Hope that makes sense.

Basically, if you have the FD on the smallest chain ring, you can pull the cable away from the down tube and it will move the FD out which shifts to the larger chain rings. If you release the cable, the FD should move back to the smallest chain ring. If it does not move back, the problem is between the point you pulled on the wire and the FD. If it moves back, the problem is between the point you pulled the wire and the shifter.

It sounds like you did this and the FD did not return back to the small chain ring. If this is the case, it is either a problem with the FD or the cable between the point you pulled on it and the FD. This narrows down the problem a bit.

+1 - the derailleur should always move back to where it was when you pull on the cable and then release - that's how it shifts. Either the derailleur or a point between the bare cable and derailleur is binding - pretty straightforward.

It goes up and down the FD no problem when the cable is tugged manually, the problem is only when the chain is on the middle chainring. It's kind of hard to explain, but in a sense, when the derailleur is on the middle chainring it can be in two different positions with the same amount of tension on the cable. On one position it will rub the chain but then on the other, it's perfectly spaced.

So it's like, upshift from inner to middle, no problem at all, but when I downshift from upper to middle, I get chain rub on the inner cage unless I push the derailleur in.

You've explained enough - we can't diagnose further from afar. It's too much friction or some sort of interference. If the derailleur goes all the way to the low limit screw stop (where there's actually less spring tension) without being pushed it would seem logical that it's something to do with the middle position of the derailleur, or the corresponding position on the lever. To check the derailleur, click down to the small chainwheel position and then push the derailleur with your fingers up to the middle chainwheel. Back off pressure and note whether there is any resistance at all in the area of the middle chainwheel. If not then you're left with the shifters, or less likely - the cable, unless there's one isolated portion of the cable that affects only the middle chainwheel position - which seems unlikely. Flush and lube of the shifter may help - if not then you're down to replacement.

I tried to explain it in different ways because when I read it back, it seemed really confusing typed out

I just removed the cable out of the shifter and it looks as good as new. No signs of grime or damage anywhere. I'll further check and relube everything and see where that gets me, if that's a no go, I'll wait until my chaintool comes in the mail so I can remove the derailleur and do a complete clean before I get a replacement.

Thanks again for the help all!

Check the ends of your housings for stray wire strands, partially blocked openings or distorted ferrules which can restrict the smooth operation of the shift wire.

"I'll wait until my chaintool comes in the mail"
Assuming you have a Shimano chain, you do realize that you will need either the special Shimano joining pins or a master link to re-close the chain, right? You cannot re-use the old pins.