Front Derailleur Woes

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dataretriever

New Member
Location
NW London
Ok, I reattached the cable to my front derailleur after reassembling the trice Q and now the front change is wonky. I couldn't make it work so took it all apart and started again:

  • I've placed the derailleur 2-3 mm away from the big ring and made sure it was parallel to the rings.
  • Set the inner adjuster to set it 2mm from the chain on the small ring

but now the shifter turns to click 2 but misses the middle ring altogether and goes straight to the big ring. Click three chucks it off the edge.

I've reset the adjuster screws and checked the cable tightness and all seem fine, I just can't adjust it to get it working on all three rings at the proper clicks.

My 2007 Q is running campag rings, a no name front Derailleur, microshift shifters, suntour sprockets and a shimano deore rear derailleur. I guess the mix of kit isn't helping but it did work fine before.....

Is it worth going for SRAM shifters and derailleurs front and back? or should I resort to the LBS?

I'm a competent bike tinkerer but this has me foxed.
 

simon_brooke

New Member
Location
Auchencairn
dataretriever said:
Ok, I reattached the cable to my front derailleur after reassembling the trice Q and now the front change is wonky. I couldn't make it work so took it all apart and started again:

  • I've placed the derailleur 2-3 mm away from the big ring and made sure it was parallel to the rings.
  • Set the inner adjuster to set it 2mm from the chain on the small ring

but now the shifter turns to click 2 but misses the middle ring altogether and goes straight to the big ring. Click three chucks it off the edge.

I've reset the adjuster screws and checked the cable tightness and all seem fine, I just can't adjust it to get it working on all three rings at the proper clicks.

My 2007 Q is running campag rings, a no name front Derailleur, microshift shifters, suntour sprockets and a shimano deore rear derailleur. I guess the mix of kit isn't helping but it did work fine before.....

Is it worth going for SRAM shifters and derailleurs front and back? or should I resort to the LBS?

I'm a competent bike tinkerer but this has me foxed.


It's clearly pulling too much cable at one go. My advice: set the shifter in the middle position, and then without touching the shifter set up the mech (by adjusting barrel adjusters on the cable, and the actual clamp on the mech) until with the shifter in the middle position it is EXACTLY perfectly lined up on the middle ring. Then, set the limit screws so that one click up or down doesn't over-shift off the outer rings.

Should work, let us know if it does.
 

Alf

Guru
Worth trying what Simon says but it sounds a bit like the cable tension and cage have already been set up OK. If both cable tension and cage are correct then it may be an incompatibility between the shifter (lever) and the derailleur. ie the lever is pulling more cable than the derailleur wants to be shifted from A to C via B. It's one of the annoying things about indexed shifting - it has to be right in every respect or it doesn't work. I use a Sram grip-shifter (just a continuous set of click-stops between the two extremes) on my chain rings because I have an odd set up (65/42 double) with a Shimano triple.

There is another thing that would be worth trying, though (by way of leaving no stone unturned) the way the cable attaches to the derailleur is crucial. If you get the precise routing of the cable wrong where it goes to the clamp, you can get too much or too little leverage and the derailleur moves too much or too little. In fact with some derailleurs you can use this to good effect. That might be worth experimenting with.

Good luck!
Alf
 
The gears and mechs and controls as discribed are all standard to suit series 3a ICE trikes
So unless damaged or worn or broken it will be setup and adjustment not a mix up of parts etc etc
You could download the ICE work sheet on gear setups for trikes .
Or why not give Kevin at D.TEK HPVS a buzz and I am sure he will guide you through "flying doctor style" .
Be carefull with local bike shops ........many consider recumbents to be the work of the devil ........and to think you only asked for a long chain before you were thrown out on to the high street !
Remember recumbents are just ordinary bikes "laid " out in the wrong order according to some cyclists.
"SIMPLES" ........as the meercats would say ***
 
dataretriever quoted "suntour sprockets"

Just for the record the trice is not supplied with "suntour sprockets"
As your hero Benny Hill would say
"Look crookie broy you sirry iryiodt its SUNRACE
These are the boys who took over STIMEY ARCHARA "

Sorry chaps that should have read Sturmey Archer.
 
OP
OP
dataretriever

dataretriever

New Member
Location
NW London
Woo Hoo!

Done it! it took nearly two hours of fiddling then I went and bought a new cable and, with the help of an 11 year old nephew, it went in first time.

Although I don't think my shifter is the most accurate or reliable so will prob swap it out for an SRAM X9 with new mech at some stage.

Thanks guys
 
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OP
dataretriever

dataretriever

New Member
Location
NW London
Thanks for the pedantry Mr Magoo! I sit corrected
 
Mr Magoo said:
dataretriever quoted "suntour sprockets"

Just for the record the trice is not supplied with "suntour sprockets"
As your hero Benny Hill would say
"Look crookie broy you sirry iryiodt its SUNRACE
These are the boys who took over STIMEY ARCHARA "

Sorry chaps that should have read Sturmey Archer.

My Trice was Suntour throughout........... but that was back in 1994!

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