Cycologist

So, I'm trying to adjust the front derailleur and can't seem to get the limit screws adjusted properly. I have a Rene Herse front crank and Campagnolo front derailleur. I loosened the slack on the cable, then adjusted the limit screw closet to the frame to adjust the small sprocket. I also had the sprocket lined up with the largest rear cog.

I followed the same step for the largest crank and adjusted the outer limit screw. Now when trying to move from smallest to the largest cog the chain overshoots the crank and falls off toward the crank arm. However, If I back off on the limit screw and try to repeat the shift from small to large, it won't move the chain to the largest cog.

I also might not have enough tension on the cable but pulling on the cable (while loose) I can't seem to get the cable tight. What I'm I doing wrong. Here is a picture of my setup.

P!N20

Can your derailleur come down closer to the chainring? There should only be a 1-2mm gap.

Cycologist

Yes, I think it can. I'll try that in the am. Does the gap look to wide?

Dfrost 

Looks like your using the FD with a braze-on mount, and a 42T big ring. Is that correct?

That’s not typically a compatible combination, since braze-on FD mounts are normally used with big rings around 52T. Your combination results in too much gap between FD and chain ring. The gap between FD a and big ring teeth should typically be 1-2mm.

FWIW, that FD cable is probably now toast since it has frayed so much.

Cycologist

I'll measure gap tomorrow and yes the front ring is 42T

P!N20

Yep

52telecaster

I often run a 42 big ring and getting a front derailleur close enough when the rear derailleur cable is on top of the chainstay can be a problem. Get your derailleur as low as you can without fouling the rear derailleur cable. Sometimes the answer is a slightly larger front ring or a smaller front derailleur cage.

Bianchigirll 

I never understood the whole micro or compact setup. Pairing 42/32 rings in the front with a 10-38 in the rear just seems dumb to me, but to each his own. Perhaps since I’ve never been a good “spinner” is why it’s weird to me

Kabuki12

it may just be that it won’t work with a braze on derailleur mount. I can’t see running the FD so far from the chain ring and it looks like the mount is all the way down. Even if shifting is figured out , the likely “chain drop” will be a issue.

Cycologist

Ok, good points. So would changing the outer changing to a 48 or 52 be an improvement and I'm I able to change the outer and have the set up work?
Let me disclose I don't know WTF I'm doing if that helps.

I'm I able to change the outer chainring only. I see there are multiple options on RH website.

Rene Herse Outer Chainring

$85.00 – $115.00

We back up our Rene Herse cranks with excellent service. If your rings wear out after many years of hard riding, or if you want to change your bike’s gearing, select from the options below. You can also use the 9- to 12-speed chainring to convert your existing Rene Herse cranks (use with the suggested inner ring for optimum shifting).

5- to 10-speed compatible
52, 50, 48, 46, 44, or 42

9- to 12-speed compatible
48 (use with 33-tooth inner ring)
46 (use with 30-tooth inner ring)
44 (use with 28-tooth inner ring)
42 (use with 26-tooth inner ring)

52telecaster

Bigger rings will be better.

Atlas Shrugged

It appears you have an Wickwerks Fit Link braze-on adapter (https://wickwerks.com/products/fit-link-adapter/) already installed allowing you to drop your FD further. Just try to lower your front derailleur and see how that helps. A good local shop would be able to help you out much more than these forums. Whoever built that bike up did an amazing job selecting components. These forums are filled with people who opine about issues and subjects they have no clue about, but yet speak with some false sense of confidence. Your gearing maybe perfect for your style of riding so just ignore those who comment without any context and about issues you aren’t even asking about. Looks like a awesome build and I am sure you can get it to run great.

3alarmer 

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Warren128

Before you do anything else, try lowering the front derailleur as described above, withing 1mm to 2mm of the big ring.

rccardr 

Problem is that the FD appears to be too far from the big ring. Additionally using an extender like that so far down will allow the FD to move back and forth when shifting & will probably never give you the consistent shifting results you seek. I’d be tempted to buy an FD mounting clamp - it looks loke one would fit below the braze on mount. That would give you both a solid FD foundation and the correct spacing.

Cycologist

I'll head out for a ride and do some lowering. And thanks for all of the input.

Dave Mayer

Sigh.. the front derailleur cage should be as close as possible to the big ring for acceptable shifting. With these small rings, the braze-on Campy derailleur will not reach that low. You could Jerry-rig some kind of extender, but this would be too flexible and result in loose sloppy shifting. Like the old Nuovo Record derailleurs already achieve.

No need to change out the rings.

At my local bike Co-op we have 2 x 30 pound bins of front derailleurs ($5 each), most being the old vintage 28.6 clamp-on bottom-pull style. I'd bet that one of these could be installed below the frame tab for the braze-on FD. The result would be clean and tight shifting. Due to the superior design, and tighter pivots, one of the 8-speed generation Campy front derailleurs would produce shifting far better than anything the 70's derailleurs could produce.

SurferRosa

For me, absolutely. For your particular brand of riding and terrain, I have no idea.

One thing that might help me understand your issue is a full drive-side photo of the bike.

embankmentlb

I would at least explore the idea of a clamp on front mech. With some luck it might just noodle under the brazed on mount as well as be angled closer to the chainring.

Atlas Shrugged

There already is a Wickwerks Fit Link braze-on adapter (https://wickwerks.com/products/fit-link-adapter/) installed and they are anything but Jerry rigged. Just needs to lower the front derailleur.

Dave Mayer

Yep; saw that. But the front derailleur has to drop another 10mm or so, and it does not look like it will reach. Besides, the adaptor would not be a very stiff solution, as the front derailleur it is cantilevered well below where it should be. And, let's be frank: the narrow parallelogram plates and primitive cage profile of the old Nuovo or Super Record front derailleurs did not produce the stiffest mechanism or fastest shifting in the first place.

My recommendation still stands: mount a 90's era clamp-on front derailleur on the seat tube and call it a day.

repechage

even with that extender, way too much distance. At this point, lowering more I think is risky, too much potential leverage.
48t outer ring would help a lot, 50 even more.
but that can cascade to ultimate chain wrap capability. With a 50, you might even be able to ditch the mount extender.

I would consider a later Campagnolo triple front mech. The cage shape will catch the inboard side of the chain better. I know, not "50th"
but hey, you have already gone RH cranks.
you have a long cage retrofitted to the rear?

SJX426 

This is an interesting scenario. If the FD is dropped, the point about it hitting the cable or chain stay is real. Using a triple FD might make it worse as they typically have a cage that drops down further than a double FD. The extender makes it even worse as it moves the FD further back. @Cycologist - Keep us up to date.

Robvolz 

I'm also wondering if different campy FD's have a different range and maybe a post 79 might offer enough range to handle a triple.

Since I'm about to install a campy triple myself, I'm invested in this.

repechage

This gap is not helping.

wearing out. Pre circlip mechanisms did this to a greater extent.