Hi guys, I bought an Olympic with what the guy has told me is all original parts that he bought secondhand. I have t verified it yet cause I was just excited to get riding but I’m having trouble with the front derailleur. On the low gear the chain hits the derailleur and on the high gear I have to be careful with the friction shifter or it will pop the chain off which is scary as hell when I’m going downhill. My limit screws are maxed out and I’m wondering what the issue could be. Is it just that the derailleur doesn’t suit the crank?

Good Morning and welcome to the forums. It sounds odd that the limit screws are "maxxed out". and the source of the problem could be a few things. If your unfamiliar with bicycle maintenance I strongly recomend taking this to a shop for a good tuned and safety inspection.

There is a safety feature that keeps you from posting pics and links right away but you should be able to upload them to your gallery/album and we can see them

I’m pretty new to cycling and don’t have money to take to a shop. I’m also pretty smart so i Want to tackle this issue myself and learn in the process.

i haven’t tinkered too much with it but I moved the limits screws until I saw movement in the direction I wanted and the low limit screw is unscrewed to a point where it didn’t move the derailleur any more and the high limit is screwed all the way in to the point that it can’t screw in anymore. I also tried pushing the derailleur in to see if there is more movement inward and nothing. I will post pictures when I get home.

When I got the time I was going to thoroughly inspect it and see what the issue could be. I was thinking of taking it off and inspecting as well.

So where do you live? We are a pretty friendly and enabling bunch perhaps there is someone nearby who will take you under their wing and show you basics

Adjusting the front derailleur (FD) starts at small ring...Park Tool explains the process better than I can.

https://www.parktool.com/en-us/blog/...eur-adjustment

I live in Southern California in loma Linda. Thank you guys for the help.

Nice looking bike. But unfortunately, the seller have not told you the truth. As far as I can find out from google, Potenza 11 was introduced in 2016, so clearly NOT original to the bike (In 1988 8 speed groups was top of the line stuff). I would like to see some pictures where the front derailleur is set to go as far in as it is possible. The pictures should be taken front to back, or back to front (It dosen´t matter which you choose), instead of taken from the side. I suspect that the bottom bracket is too narrow (Bottom bracket axle too short).

I second the recommendation of the Park Tool videos. Had not checked them for this issue, but each aspect of what to check has its own video there. From other videos of theirs which I have seen, they are clear, concise and accurate.

Welcome, and best of luck getting things dialed in.

I was wondering what a "Centurion Olympic" was. Having worked in a Centurion dealer shop in 1988, that didn't ring a bell.

If you're "unscrewing" the limit screws that far, or screwing them in that far, you're doing something wrong. From your description, it sure sounds like things are being done incorrectly. If you want to do it yourself, you definitely need to watch some videos.

If you can afford a bike like that, you should be able to afford some shop service.

Man you’re bike is so clean! My framb looks exactly the same just add some chips in the paint

This isn’t my bike lol it’s another users I’ll add pictures once I figure out how to

I have an 87 centurion master Dave Scott and a 86 comp ta so I for some reason put centurion and now I can’t edit the title.

I have been riding the bike just how I got it cause I thought the person I got it from was very knowledgeable and trust worthy (still think it) but on my ride the chain was popping out and I think it was a quick fix to adjust the limit screws only to find out that they are “maxed out”. Bike rides fine if I’m careful but on low gear the chain rubs. I’ve seen the park tool videos where you set the height according to the big ring teeth and then make sure it’s parallel to the rings and then se the low then high and just move the screw to see which direction it goes in. I’ll rewatch and try from scratch but I just thought it was odd that even when pushing the derailleur in with my finger it doesn’t move in anymore even though the low limit isn’t set properly

I’ve never, myself, adjusted a FD by manually moving it (unlike a RD). Seems painful.

Haha yeah it does sound painful. I didnt adjust it I was checking to see if there was anymore travel or if the tension in the cable was causing the issue.

not the op but just a poster throwing out some pics of a frame than (i think) had the same specs and paint job but just had different names for different countries/markets.
yes, threw on a newer campy group for giggles to upgrade and bike rides really nicely.

Oops sorry. For some reason I thought that it was someone doing a picture assist. I didn´t think that anyone would think it would be helpful trying to solve your problem by showing a bike with different components than yours.

yeah...doing my best to drift the thread...

Finally can post pictures, hopefully these help you guys spot something that can help

Great buy!

Others will chime in, but some thoughts and observations. First, since it’s a used bike, it could have a different spindle or crankset than stock which could shift the crank one way or the other not allowing proper adjustment. The derailleur looks to be mounted too high also, and the teeth look quite worn.

Looks crooked on the seat tube. Loosen the mounting screw and twist the derailleur a couple degrees toward the back of the bike(clockwise when viewed from the top).