Front derailleur - What to do?

[joshcowin]

Road bike, running shimano 10speed at present. The front derailleur is really annoying as it needs constant maintenance to maintain decent shifting. What should I do. I need a new crank set anyway so a good time to bite the bullett.

Option 1 - Go 1 x at the front with something like a 50T, guess this would mean new rear derailleur, cassette and crank set.

Option 2 - Buy a brand new front derailleur and crank set and hope it works better than at present.


I ride in the SE so not super hilly, short sharp climbs but nothing too long.

Any input or help is much appreciated.

[defblade]

I like my 1x, but it works for me because my riding is hilly. I'm at either end of the cassette a lot of the time, going up and down hills, there's little flat, and so I don't care much about bigger gaps in between the middling gears.
If you've got plenty of flat (say, +/-3% or less), then unless you're happy riding across a wide range of cadence, sticking with 2x is probably better.

[Gareth79]

What FD and chainset do you currently have? From 105 up I believe the shifting quality if pretty similar, at least for anything up to say 5 years old. If you have anything 'below' that then it might be worth the investment. Unless you are in a pretty flat area then you might find 1x is has steps too big for road use, or you run out of gears on steeper hills. I used my gravel bike with 40x11-42 for a while when rebuilding my main road bike and found it was hard to get the right cadence (and obviously ran out of steam on downhills).

Edited by Gareth79 on Monday 23 May 17:08

[joshcowin]

defblade said:

I like my 1x, but it works for me because my riding is hilly. I'm at either end of the cassette a lot of the time, going up and down hills, there's little flat, and so I don't care much about bigger gaps in between the middling gears.
If you've got plenty of flat (say, +/-3% or less), then unless you're happy riding across a wide range of cadence, sticking with 2x is probably better.

OK great advice, I am not fussy about my cadence, but as you say the terrain I cycle on dictates what gearing is best.

[joshcowin]

Gareth79 said:

What FD and chainset do you currently have? From 105 up I believe the shifting quality if pretty similar, at least for anything up to say 5 years old. If you have anything 'below' that then it might be worth the investment. Unless you are in a pretty flat area then you might find 1x is has steps too big for road use, or you run out of gears on steeper hills. I used my gravel bike with 40x11-42 for a while when rebuilding my main road bike and found it was hard to get the right cadence (and obviously ran out of steam on downhills).

Edited by Gareth79 on Monday 23 May 17:08

I have 105 front mech which is probably 10 years old, might change that and the chain set to the same 105 r7000 seems available and reasonably priced. Recon that will make it more robust/reliable?

[mie1972]

Take existing to a shop / mechanic, and ask their advice...probably needs all parts checkng over for wear.

Is it the mechanicals at fault or just the way its set up?
Is the deraillieur installed correctly?
Are the front chainrings worn? Probably just need to replace those rather than entire entire new crankset? Whats the issue with current cranks?

Yes a 1X setup removes that issue with FD, but then you will need to splash out on a very expensive cassette on the back, and likely a rear deraillier. Be aware new 4700 has different pull ratios also so make sure RD matches the existing model of shifter.

Im running Tiagra 4700 on my winter hack - works just as good as/better than older style 105 - only difference is parts are miles cheaper for 10 speed than 11 speed.

I do find cables do wear/stretch especially if riding regularly in bad weather - so investing in some good quality cables can make all the difference too.

Edited by mie1972 on Monday 23 May 17:19

[Matt_N]

joshcowin said:

I have 105 front mech which is probably 10 years old, might change that and the chain set to the same 105 r7000 seems available and reasonably priced. Recon that will make it more robust/reliable?

A R7000 front mech will require a new shifter too as cable pull is different and the trim operates differently to previous generations of Shimano.

[joshcowin]

Matt_N said:

A R7000 front mech will require a new shifter too as cable pull is different and the trim operates differently to previous generations of Shimano.

Can I buy a version that is compatible with what I have? Hate all this but my mechanic would prefer I buy the parts.

[joshcowin]

mie1972 said:

Take existing to a shop / mechanic, and ask their advice...probably needs all parts checkng over for wear.

Is it the mechanicals at fault or just the way its set up?
Is the deraillieur installed correctly?
Are the front chainrings worn? Probably just need to replace those rather than entire entire new crankset? Whats the issue with current cranks?

Yes a 1X setup removes that issue with FD, but then you will need to splash out on a very expensive cassette on the back, and likely a rear deraillier. Be aware new 4700 has different pull ratios also so make sure RD matches the existing model of shifter.

Im running Tiagra 4700 on my winter hack - works just as good as/better than older style 105 - only difference is parts are miles cheaper for 10 speed than 11 speed.

I do find cables do wear/stretch especially if riding regularly in bad weather - so investing in some good quality cables can make all the difference too.

Edited by mie1972 on Monday 23 May 17:19

My mechanic is great but more of a general bike guy, not a road bike specific bloke. He isn't a tech geek.

Great for getting things done but fine details not so much, he would also fit cheap stuff if I gave him free reign. He is a great guy and I want to support his small business. There is a bike shop 100yards from my house but the guy only wants to sell 10k electric bikes and charge stupid money for basic stuff.

I just want a bike that works, I keep my bike clean and especially the moving parts.

I will investigate changing the chainring on its own, its pretty worn.

[Gareth79]

joshcowin said:

My mechanic is great but more of a general bike guy, not a road bike specific bloke. He isn't a tech geek.

Great for getting things done but fine details not so much, he would also fit cheap stuff if I gave him free reign. He is a great guy and I want to support his small business. There is a bike shop 100yards from my house but the guy only wants to sell 10k electric bikes and charge stupid money for basic stuff.

I just want a bike that works, I keep my bike clean and especially the moving parts.

I will investigate changing the chainring on its own, its pretty worn.

I assumed you were DIYing, didn't know you had a mechanic.

To be honest he it sounds like he might be a great guy, but if he doesn't know what to suggest you buy then I wouldn't use him. Is it possible he has set up the derailleur incorrectly each time? Fronts do require the "fine details" of the height, angles and distances to get correct shifting. 1mm can make all the difference.

[wpa1975]

Before buying a new mech, I would replace the cables and get it set up properly by someone who knows how to.

They can be tricky to set up but don't tend to give a lot of issues.

[joshcowin]

Gareth79 said:

I assumed you were DIYing, didn't know you had a mechanic.

To be honest he it sounds like he might be a great guy, but if he doesn't know what to suggest you buy then I wouldn't use him. Is it possible he has set up the derailleur incorrectly each time? Fronts do require the "fine details" of the height, angles and distances to get correct shifting. 1mm can make all the difference.

He sets it up right then 4 or 5 weeks later its not smooth or just won't go into the big ring, annoying as I rarely use it maybe 2 or 3 times per ride. So 9 or 10 times a week! Iam usually in the big rig as where I live is flat.

I am doing him a disservice probably he has been doing it for decades so is probably blasé about things that I get a bee in my bonet about. All he does is service he is not a bike salesman with tools.

Going to pop to him today and see what he says, I will report back, I will take some pics of the front chainring before I see him.

[take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey]

Can you explain exactly what it's doing that is annoying you.. You'll get more specific advice.

[joshcowin]

take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey said:

Can you explain exactly what it's doing that is annoying you.. You'll get more specific advice.

Basically I have to stop pedaling and yank the lever to get it into the top ring, it's an adjustment issue or cable issue I presume however it's sooo annoying. I presume it should be just as easy as changing gears on the cassette?

1 x would solve it but as replies state above probably wouldnt be the best solution for my riding.

[Paul Drawmer]

take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey said:

Can you explain exactly what it's doing that is annoying you.. You'll get more specific advice.

This would help. All we know is that it's not working properly.

My elderly front changer was bloody difficult to set up. Multiple attempts.

In the end, it was the lever mech. Gave it a bloody good wash out with WD40, multiple actuation through full range of travel, then re-lubed with a light oil.

That fixed it.

[Harpoon]

joshcowin said:

Basically I have to stop pedaling and yank the lever to get it into the top ring, it's an adjustment issue or cable issue I presume however it's sooo annoying. I presume it should be just as easy as changing gears on the cassette?

1 x would solve it but as replies state above probably wouldnt be the best solution for my riding.

Has the inner cable and *all* parts of outer cable housing been changed? Perhaps unlikely on 10 speed, but that includes any outer cable running under the bar tape. As above, has the inside of the shifter been inspected and cleaned out?

Park have a good guide with a video if you are happy to DIY:

https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/front-de...

If the inner cable was changed a few weeks / months ago, it has probably stretched and needs re-tensioning now it has bedded in.

Edit to add you can wear parts out. The front derailleur on my oldest bike which now lives on turbo started sticking. You could see the cable tension release shifting big to little but the spring couldn't move the cage (without it being kicked). Age and copious quantities of sweat (eew!) from turbo sessions were the probably culprits, so I picked up a used Ultegra 6600 from eBay for £15 last year and replaced it.

Edited by Harpoon on Tuesday 24th May 08:02

[take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey]

So it requires a lot of force to move the mech?

If that's the case, that points to (in order of likelihoodl:

• contaminated cable inner.
• cable routing problem - pinched, kinked.
• dry / contaminated bushes in the mech.
• damaged shifter.

Can you manipulate the mech by hand - does it move smoothly? If it does, it's likely a cable issue.

With cables - for the small extra outlay it's always worth buying the best (e.g. xtr / da etc. rather budget. Can massively improve the shift feel - even low mid range shifters.

[joshcowin]

This has been really useful, everyone's input has been great, spoke to my mechanic 10 mins ago, we are going to change the chainring, BB, cable to the deraillieur, I am going to buy the parts.

He thinks the front deraillieur is fine but he agrees it needs more attention than most, so cable and re adjust let's see how that goes if it's the same then front mech.

BB and 165mm cranks will be bought as maintenance items.

This is the front chainring atm ( excuse the dirt didn't wash it this morning)

[jesusbuiltmycar]

Might be world checking the width of the derailleur - after a lot of use (10000km+) they can start to deform such that the gap the chain runs through gets fractionally larger which in turn can cause shifting problems.

[TwistingMyMelon]

Derailer is probs bent over time or just worn

Id try a new one with new cables

sod 1x on the road, each to their own though