Help! Before I destroy my bike in frustration!

[curium]

I gave my bike a clean up since I'm due to do a 100 mile ride on Sunday.

Commuting in the rain has caused a build up of crud and grease which has caused problems shifting and with the brakes so I gave it all a good clean and lube but I'm now struggling to get my front derailleur functioning.

The bike is a Specialized Tricross Sport with a Tiagra Triple front derailleur (50/39/30) and a Deore LX rear derailleur (12-25).

Since trying to reindex the front derailleur I've been unable to get it working properly. I've now replaced the cable and housing but I've made so many changes to try and get it working I now need a base setting to work from as I'm fire-fighting and going nowhere fast.

Either the cable is massively tight and I can barely move the lever to change gear or it's too slack and I can't get enough tension to shift into the outer ring. There have also been issues with the h & l screws in that I initially was confused about why the chain wouldn't move from the inner-ring to the middle ring and was using the l-screw to move the cage across when I should of been increasing the tension. The whole lot has been adjusted a million times and i'm frazzled and starting to panic about my ride

 

[ElChingon]

I'd vote for destroy.

 

[MarkvW]

I gave my bike a clean up since I'm due to do a 100 mile ride on Sunday.

Commuting in the rain has caused a build up of crud and grease which has caused problems shifting and with the brakes so I gave it all a good clean and lube but I'm now struggling to get my front derailleur functioning.

The bike is a Specialized Tricross Sport with a Tiagra Triple front derailleur (50/39/30) and a Deore LX rear derailleur (12-25).

Since trying to reindex the front derailleur I've been unable to get it working properly. I've now replaced the cable and housing but I've made so many changes to try and get it working I now need a base setting to work from as I'm fire-fighting and going nowhere fast.

Either the cable is massively tight and I can barely move the lever to change gear or it's too slack and I can't get enough tension to shift into the outer ring. There have also been issues with the h & l screws in that I initially was confused about why the chain wouldn't move from the inner-ring to the middle ring and was using the l-screw to move the cage across when I should of been increasing the tension. The whole lot has been adjusted a million times and i'm frazzled and starting to panic about my ride

Youtube has helped walk me through stuff like that.

 

[Fiemme]

Remove the cable and determine what has failed it can only be the FD or the shifter.

 

[fatsprintking]

If the shifter and FD are working, then the most likely situation is that you do not have enough tension on the cable when you initially tighten the retaining nut. This means that when you try to shift you are just pulling loose cable. The other option is that you have too much initial tension on the derailleur and have efectivelly pulled it through its travel so that the lever now does nothing as it is already jammed against the stop.

You need to get the cable tight enough so that that it pulls the derailleur when you shift from the smallest chainwheel (where it sits when there is no cable) position, but no more. If there is an adjuster in the shifter or cable, set this so that it is the middle of its range and then pull the cable through so that it is firm and tighten the retaining bolt. Then use the adjuster to get initial tension on the cable.

Hopefully you have not fiddled with the high/low screws!!! If you have this will require a bit more stuffing are around. If you have not, the above should get you shifting up OK.

 

[Gistane]

Silly question but do you happen to have the chain on the small ring when you are tightening the cable?

If you take the cable off and then use the H and L to make sure that it is line to go in to the small ring then tighten up the cable that should give you a good starting point

 

[Giuseppe Magnetico]

Sounds like the DIY thing isn't working at all for this poor guy. Bike shop should be your next stop.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

Sounds like the DIY thing isn't working at all for this poor guy. Bike shop should be your next stop.

bing, bing, bing, we have a winner!!!

 

[fabramowski]

you could read this!
http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/front-derailleur-adjustments

 

[richwagmn]

I gave my bike a clean up since I'm due to do a 100 mile ride on Sunday.

Commuting in the rain has caused a build up of crud and grease which has caused problems shifting and with the brakes so I gave it all a good clean and lube but I'm now struggling to get my front derailleur functioning.

The bike is a Specialized Tricross Sport with a Tiagra Triple front derailleur (50/39/30) and a Deore LX rear derailleur (12-25).

Since trying to reindex the front derailleur I've been unable to get it working properly. I've now replaced the cable and housing but I've made so many changes to try and get it working I now need a base setting to work from as I'm fire-fighting and going nowhere fast.

Either the cable is massively tight and I can barely move the lever to change gear or it's too slack and I can't get enough tension to shift into the outer ring. There have also been issues with the h & l screws in that I initially was confused about why the chain wouldn't move from the inner-ring to the middle ring and was using the l-screw to move the cage across when I should of been increasing the tension. The whole lot has been adjusted a million times and i'm frazzled and starting to panic about my ride

All of Shimano's tech docs are on their site. If you read and follow their directions for your front derailleur, you'll find it's not that hard to set up.

http://techdocs.shimano.com/media/t...RA/FD-4403/5EW0B_EN_v1_m56577569830606953.PDF

As others have said, if you're really stuck, you can always hit a shop.

 

[Fiemme]

bing, bing, bing, we have a winner!!!

Should wait until he destroys the bike in frustration. Then sell him a new one!

 

[purpletezza]

Before you clamp the cable into the FD make sure that the shifter is in the position of your smallest(least teeth) chain ring. Do this by pulling the cable at the RD end and action the shifter lever so that you feel the cable pulling out of the cable housing.

Put the RD into the easiest gear. With the cable disconnected from the FD, it will be in the position closest to the bike frame. Adjust the FD end stop screw(marked as L) so that the FD cage is 1-2mm from the chain on the frame side of the parrallelogram of the FD. Adjust the cable tension barrell on the frame to be in the mid position.

Clamp the cable into the FD. The cable should be pulled firm, not tight. The cable tension at this point is such that you can move the cable by about 1cm where it runs down the down tube. Put the RD into the hardest/least teeth cog.

Activate the gear shifter to get the FD onto the biggest ring. Make sure the stop screw (marked H) is out far enought to allow the FD to go into the postion. The FD should be 1-2mm from the chain on the outer side of the FD parrallelogram cage. you may need to shift it into and out of this postion a few times while adjusting the H screw until you get the gap.

Next click the FD gear shift lever to get the chain to drop into the middle chain ring. Put the RD into the easiest gear. Adjust the cable tension barrell adjuster until there is a 1mm gap between the chain and the FD parrallelogram cage on the frame side.

Done.

If you can't do this then take it to a shop and pay em $20-40 to do it properly.