I rode an old 1988 CroMo frame for 25 years. In it's last setup it had SRAM chain, cogs and crank. Shimano shifters and derailers. It never misses a shift up front, never throws the chain either. Around the first of the year I finally took the plunge and bought a 2013 Fuji Grand Fondo 1.5. It is georgeous and very light, 17lbs. It is all Ultegra with the Rotor 3DF crank and KMC chain. From day one the front shifting has been abysmal. It could not climb the big ring for ****. My LBS put a SRAM force big ring and chain on. It now shifts a lot better but still gets a lot of shifts that clatter a bit before getting the big ring. It also drops off the small ring A LOT into the bottom bracket leaving the crank spinning free. It's been back to the shop numerous times and I've also adjusted it myself several times. It works fine on the stand but not on the road. Am I expecting too much or is there still something wrong. The shop says they've done all they can.

One thing I forgot to mention. The shop says they have ridden it and it shifts OK for them. My left leg is missing most of the vastus lateralis, about a third of the thigh, and is weaker. Could that have anything to do with it?

I would get a second opinion.

It makes no sense. Even very rudimentary FDs can be made to shift satisfactorily. Make sure you cable is taut when on the small ring. Make sure you have enough high limit clearance to facilitate the upshift. Start limiting the low limit clearance little by little until the chain stops dropping and then see if you have chain rub on the lowest gears. If necessary get a chain catcher, but you shouldn't have to.

Compact crank?

I have nearly the same setup, but a step down (Rotor 3D, FD-5700) and it shifts perfectly. I'd have a second shop take a look. There's absolutely no reason it shouldn't shift crisply.

When Parktool.com is back up, go to their repair section and follow their directions.

One point with compact cranks is to not shift chainrings while you're atom the biggest cog in your cassette, see if switching chainrings in the third biggest or smaller cog helps?

falling off the small chainring and not moving up to the big on the first shift is definitely a FD adjustment issue

here is a good instruction video for FD adjustment generally

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnG3t7TyRm0

Sounds like the cable might be 1mm or so too slack, outer adjustment screw needs to loosened for more clearance on the big ring, probably has too much clearance for the small ring so the screw needs to be tightened. Even 1/4 turn of the adjustment screws can make a big difference sometimes so it's worth learning to do yourself because nobody else will ever be as familiar with it as you. Shimano details a somewhat exacting procedure for FD adjustment on their website in a pdf file for your specific FD model. It's worth following the exact instructions because they're good.

There's also that chain tension screw on the RD which may be a factor to consider.

Not familiar with SRAM rings but I'd be surprised if they function better than Shimano's hyperglide sculpted-teeth which are pretty slick IMO.

That fuji is a pretty looking bike.

As far as your shifting issues I would suspect the internal cable routing to be at fault. perhaps it is twisted around a second cable inside the frame or has a wierd kink in it somehow. do all of your cable housing ends have metal caps on them? is it brake cable housing or deraileur cable housing?

Until you resolve the issue I would get a chain catcher to prevent your chain from damaging the carbon of your bottom bracket. $20 on ebay mine is made by token.

[QUOTE=catonec;16018925]As far as your shifting issues I would suspect the internal cable routing to be at fault. perhaps it is twisted around a second cable inside the frame or has a wierd kink in it somehow.[QUOTE]

Very good point. I have seen this even in external routing when crossing cables became fouled up. But do look at the basics first.

My guess is cable tension. My FD will have issues hitting shifts to the big ring sometimes, and when that happens, I tighten the cable via the adjusters. Don't know if you have them since your bike is internally routed, but if so, chem them.

Also, make sure that your loot screws are adjusted correctly to eliminate drop on either side.

Oh, could also be an issue with the cable itself, like a little kink somewhere. That'll do it.

That's a total fail. Whether it's a simple fix, as everyone has indicated, or something more complex, your shope should have the ability to fix it. Time for a new shop.

Thanks for all the input. My shop is usually top notch, Action Bikes in Universal City TX. They went through all the cables, routing, etc. They say they can't reproduce it. I can adjust the FD 'til low side drags in 1st and 2nd and it will still drop. I've set the high side so it drags in 1st and 2nd too and it still won't catch everytime. I am going to have another shop I trust look at it soon. I am a pretty big guy, 6'3" and about 225lbs. Again my right leg is quite a bit stronger then the left. Could that make a difference and is there anything I can do with the bike for that.

can you reproduce the problem FOR them so they can watch you create it and decide if it is "you" or "the bike". If they choose anything but "you" then they should be able to fix it.

[QUOTE=rpenmanparker;16019202][QUOTE=catonec;16018925]As far as your shifting issues I would suspect the internal cable routing to be at fault. perhaps it is twisted around a second cable inside the frame or has a wierd kink in it somehow.his lbs has been up and down this thing. I would hope they know how to set up a f.d. when everything is visible to them.

Are you shifting from very low to high all at once? I have to first shift into the trim position and THEN make my shift to the big ring.you get use to it eventually but it still doesn't seem right to me. Been to three shops and all claim it "normal" Give me the old external (not under the bar tape) shifter any day.

I was just wondering if your chain is too long. And folks who know say not to shift the front when you are nearly cross chained to the back.

Thanks catonec and everyone else who mentioned the cable routing. The first guide from the shifter to frame was not fully seated and was sliding in and out when I shifted. I seated it real good tapping on it with a punch and hammer, lightly, enough to seat it well. I readjusted and pulled the cable really tight. It's now working like I expected an Ultegra bike too! I really can't blame the shop, I was staring at each cable section through several shifts before I saw it. Hasn't missed a tooth for 2 rides now.

I guess I spoke to soon. The next ride it was back to crappy front shifts. I took it back to the shop last week for that and a broken spoke. They called me the next day and said the front derailler MOUNT was broken. It is a plastic part held to the frame with 3 pop rivets. The rivets are loose and you can feel crunching when wiggling it. It has to go to Philly to get repaired, or a new frame. My shop guy says he's "pretty sure", but can't gaurantee it will be covered by the warranty. (Lifetime frame and a year on everything else). It's 10 months old so there shouldn't even be a question. Worst part is that I'm riding the MS150 this weekend, now on my old steel steed I haven't rode for almost a year. If they fix or replace the frame and the shifting problem goes away I'm gonna find a new shop. They say the broken mount wasn't the problem all along and it wasn't broke the last time I brought it in. I think they have missed it all along.

No kidding. A front derailleur is not exactly a complicated piece of machinery.

There's 2 ways of looking at it. Either in all their attempts to fix a simple FD problem, they completely missed a frame problem. Or all their attempts to fix a simple FD problem may have caused a frame problem. Either way, yeah, new LBS time.

My new 105 doesn't like to shift from small ring to big with one quick flick. If I trim it it works perfectly, if not I have to hold the lever until it completes the shift. Almost everything I've ridden with two trim settings is like this on road. Cross seem to work fine. IDK?