How to get maximum tension on front gear cable

[raleighnut]

So today my front mech shifter arrived.
Hopefully final piece of the puzzle of replacements.

I am struggling to get tension in front mech.
I attached a picture is this the right way to tighten it?

I know that barrel adjuster should do the job but its not.

Front mech is not seized or anything as I can move it by hand.

Hard to see from that picture but the cable should go up between the rear stays, that looks to be outside the frame, maybe it's my eyes.

 

[Ajax Bay]

the cable . . . looks to be outside the frame

Believe that section is the cable 'end' (to which I referred earlier)

 

[raleighnut]

Believe that section is the cable 'end' (to which I referred earlier)

Ah.

 

[Lauris]

Hard to see from that picture but the cable should go up between the rear stays, that looks to be outside the frame, maybe it's my eyes.

Is this better?

 

[Ajax Bay]

Advise you to dribble oil on every pivot of the front derailleur (and work the cage back and forth by hand), and also a smear of grease on the inch of cable as it exits from the fitting on the bottom bracket shell (and work the cable in and out).

 

[weareHKR]

The inner wire needs changing in my opinion, it looks like the strands have opened up a tad?
Either way, it doesn't sit comfortably through there to me, I changed mine in the summer & the cable kit had a small length of plastic tubing (sleeve) to slide over the cable at that point, made it a lot smoother & easier on the pull!

 

[Ajax Bay]

To offer the OP an alternative opinion, the cable looks fine to me. And the cable run round the BB shell on that fitting seems no better/worse comfortable/uncomfortable than normal (externally routed) BB shell plastic fitting. Provided it is cleaned occasionally.

 

[astrocan]

You say that the excessive friction is not with the shifter because you can move it with your hand. As that is the case then the problem can only be the cable or the changer on the bar. A check I often do before clamping up any cable is to apply tension by hand and see if the changer (or brake) works smoothly, if it does and I still have a problem then it must be the mechanism (brake/shifter). Once you have identified which component is the root of the problem, you can start to address it. Also, looking at your latest picture it looks like the cable clamp is at a ' 1o'clock' position and has a mechanical advantage over the cable and shifter, it would be better if the clamp was at 11 or 12 o'clock but frankly I have no idea how you would achieve this. The position of the arm directly corelates to the position of the cage and that doesn't leave much room for manoeuvre, if this is the problem then it looks like it may be a compatability issue between the shifter and the chainline.

 

[mpemburn]

One thing that improved my front shifting tremendously was running it through a teflon or nylon tube at the place where it goes under the bottom bracket. The original one was supplied my my LBS, and it had a flange on one end to keep it from slipping out. For my current bike, I got a roll from Jagwire of some 30 meters—enough to last everyone I know for the rest of their lives!

 

[andrew_s]

Remember that the mech will naturally pull inwards towards the frame, so you'll need to wedge it with something centering on the outer chainring to get the tension about right then tweak it from there.

I find a wine bottle cork to be a very suitable something (end on between seat tube and inner cage plate).
Easy to trim to size, and doesn't slip.