Gear cable tension

[itboffin]

I recently replaced my front gear cable due to a worn cable now I'm having tension issues.

I've adjusted the H L because I've also changed my cassette and crankset at the same time, shifting rear gears is smooth both ways as is up shifting in the front, however down shifting requires a lot of pressure but does work and the cable tension is so tight i'm unable to turn the barrel adjuster, i've attempted to slacken the cable tension but then it goes too loose when in the small ring.

So is it okay too have high tension when in the big ring?
How slack should the cable be when in the small ring?
Should I be able to turn the barrel adjuster when in the big ring?
Is it normal for the down shift to be stiff?
What's up with Shimano clunky gear changes????

 

[itboffin]

Thanks that's reassuring but what about the stiffness when down shifting, surely that can't be right?

 

[PpPete]

Lube the cables before the threading them through the outers?

 

[dodgy]

I personally never lube new cables when installing them, I thought that was against accepted wisdom?

 

[itboffin]

I might have found the answer, I thought i'd give it one more go before taking it to my excellent LBS, I looked into STI lever and could see that the cable head was not fully seated and I'm pretty certain it was when I installed the new cable.

Next I removed the new cable which is now looking a little worse for wear at the derailleur end, applied a small blob of chain lube on the adjuster then thought I'd check outer casing and what do you know the casing was really stiff at the lever end, almost blocked.

So i've thrown the cable inner & outer away and routed a new clean set (more money) a losely tightened the derailleur bolt to test stiffness, so far so good.

Once i've finished my coffee & breakfast I'll have a go at setting the indexing.

 

[itboffin]

Yep that's it all fixed.

Thanks all for your help & suggestions I hope this post is of some use to someone else in the future.

 

[e-rider]

Just a correction to earlier advice - you should have NO slack when in the small chainring. The procedure is: set the front mech to the correct height on the frame and correct angle (very important); set the H and L screws for max and min displacement; then with the mech in the small chainring position, pull cable tight to remove slack and tighten. Further MINOR adjustments can then be made using the cable tensioning thumb screw on the shifter.