Adjusting front derailer & loose chain?

[silk186]

I just purchase a GT avalanche 3.0 and I'm tuning it up myself.
I've adjusted the disc brakes. I can't lock the tires but the bike can stop in 1-2m.
The brakes and tension have both been adjusted.

The next to adjust was the gear set. The rear gears work well, I can cycle true gears smoothly.
The front gears are the problem. After adjusting the front derailed my thumb is sore from the amount of force required to shift up in gears. I haven't found a guide that explains how to adjust the tension required to shift.

Secondly, the chain feels loose. What I mean is that the chain doesn't appear to have much tension. It's bouncy and it I'm shifting from and rear gears at the same time it can get stuck, almost tangled. Should I do some type of adjustment to the rear derailleur to tighten things up?

The bike is 2010 and came in good condition. The derailleurs appear to be in good condition.

 

[ColinJ]

See if this article on chainsuck helps...

 

[jarlrmai]

Is the rear derailleur spring tight?

 

[Apollonius]

Check the condition of the chain, would be my suggestion.

 

[raleighnut]

At the moment the bikes not in that good a cog combination not that bad but the middle ring is on the smallest rear cog that you should use.
As for cable tension on the front shifter the only thing that the tension does is to position the shifter correctly for the middle ring the other 2 rings are controlled by the limit stops so you may need a new gear cable inner, they cost less than £2 for a stainless one at my LBS.

 

[Cycleops]

Does the front derailleur move smoothly when you disconnect the cable? If it does it may be the cable or the shifter itself. As an aside I notice that the outer chainwheel is quite worn and could do with replacement. The rear gears also look a bit worn. If you do decide to replace them you should get a new chain at the same time.