Piff 

I'm having issues with tire/front derailleur clearance when using a '90's Deore LX front derailleur on a road bike.

As such, I am on the hunt for a road triple front derailleur. Specific attributes include:

• Short pivot arm.
• Tall/modern derailleur cage specifically meant for triples.

Example of part geometry below:

Piff 

In case you're up for a trade, I do have a 8.5/10 condition Shimano Ultegra 6500 front derailleur available for trade.

jdawginsc 

So obviously not a braze on type? Is the tire being caught by the clamp or the cage?

unworthy1

you want a CLAMP-on FD, correct?
See if any of these strikes you as a contender: i went thru a big trial-and-error test to find something that would fit and shift a road triple to replace a broken early Shimano Tigre on a steel "Randonee" sporty touring bike and these were all FDs I tried but none worked. Finally got best results with a Deore XT (not shown).
I believe all these have 28.6 clamp (AND I might even have a couple more!)


front view

back view

EDIT, As I recall there was a tire-clearance issue with a lot of FDs with this particular frame, I think the knuckle on the broken FD had an arm that was designed to fit very closely to the seat tube and most others would appear to fir but when the cable pulled the arm they either touched the tire or got too close for comfort! You might have similar issues, it was a real head-scratcher for me!
That FD might have been something like the FD 4403, below, but can't recall the model number. it certainly had a 28.6 clamp.

Piff 

Either braze-on or clamp is fine, I can use an adapter if need be. The tire is being caught by at the end of the pivot arm, so, yes, the clamp bolt. This is when the front derailleur is pulled to its maximum (i.e. big chainring). Makes it damn near impossible to remove the rear wheel.

jdawginsc 

@Piff

What's the issue with the Ultegra you have pictured? There are adapter bands available if it will shift the triple (most were seemlingly made as triple shifters in 6500)

What shifters are you using? What is the triple chainring layout? Is it spaced for 8 or 9 speed?

Piff 

Yes, exactly. I think some of the late 90s and early 2000s front derailleurs are well-made for this application, like the tiagra pictured. Designed to avoid the mentioned clearanced issue while still incorporating more modern FD improvements for triples. Thank you for offering some options, I'll take a look and get back to you soon.

Piff 

I just found that the Shimano LX triple FD shifted wayyy better. I know that for friction shifting it's not a problem to use a double FD for a triple crankset, but I'm finding that the shifting is a bit lackluster compared to a more modern FD made for triples. The set-up is:

Crankset: Shimano 6206 triple 46/38/28
Chain: 9 speed KMC
Shifters: Suntour friction

jdawginsc 

Ok. I have a few possible ideas.
1. SunTour Cyclone endless band. Might have a Superbe version as well.
2. Shimano RSX? Have a few of them...and maybe an RX100 for triples.

Do you need clearance from the pivot arm? I think I understand now.

Piff 

Yes, exactly. Clearance from the pivot arm, aka a short pivot arm. But I also want to have a front derailleur that incorporates modern triple front derailleur design since I find that they work better than the old stuff.

If you have a front derailleur like that please let me know!

jdawginsc 

Rx100

RSX not sure if this would help or increase the issue.