Replacing cable on front derailleur.

[Ethan]

Right, I've gone over how to do it time and time again but every time I do it the damn thing doesn't work as it should. I've never had any luck with front derailleurs, on my mountain bike, road bike, shitty halfords bike I had as a kid!

When I reattach the cable, how much tension do I put into it?
Do I pull it as tight as I can then screw it in again?
Where should the limit screws be when changing the cable?

Perhaps you can give me a little walk through, I've read so many yet when I follow them, something goes wrong

Why is such a simple task turning out to be amazingly hard?

 

[rusty bearing]

Ok, I'm hoping you have a work stand, if not, someone to hold the rear end up.
Put rear in biggest cog, front in smallest with cable disconnected. Pedal and adjust inner limiter until the changer doesn't rub on the chain. Should be pretty close, say 1/16th clearance.
If you have an adjuster at the shifter end turn it in then back say 1 turn, reconnect cable with as little slack as possible.
Try shifting up through the gears onto mid front and then up to mid back. If it works check it goes down and back up on the front again. If it doesn't like coming back up add a bit more tension at the front shifter.
Ok? Then move up to big front ring and down again and up again till happy, may need to adjust cable tension at shifter again or ease the limiter if its not set properly and the shifter won' click home.
Finally shift onto small rear large front and adjust changer so it doesn't rub with a little clearance. apart from a bit of fine tuning you should be right now.

This assumes that you haven't got a worn out shifter which can muck up the whole setting up thing. Also some changers like to have a bit more clearance than others and even slacker cable as well so it can be a bit of a black art. Finally before starting make sure its parallel to the chainrings when viewed from above. Clearance over the large chainring is also important or it won't shift properly.

You know, it's easier to do than write about. Good luck......

 

[MossCommuter]

Where should the limit screws be when changing the cable?

don't touch 'em

if they were right with the old cable they'll be right with the new one.

 

[Ethan]

Aye, thats what I thought. But when it came to replacing the cable they just didn't work correctly!

 

[Ethan]

Ok, I'm hoping you have a work stand, if not, someone to hold the rear end up.
Put rear in biggest cog, front in smallest with cable disconnected. Pedal and adjust inner limiter until the changer doesn't rub on the chain. Should be pretty close, say 1/16th clearance.
If you have an adjuster at the shifter end turn it in then back say 1 turn, reconnect cable with as little slack as possible.
Try shifting up through the gears onto mid front and then up to mid back. If it works check it goes down and back up on the front again. If it doesn't like coming back up add a bit more tension at the front shifter.
Ok? Then move up to big front ring and down again and up again till happy, may need to adjust cable tension at shifter again or ease the limiter if its not set properly and the shifter won' click home.
Finally shift onto small rear large front and adjust changer so it doesn't rub with a little clearance. apart from a bit of fine tuning you should be right now.

This assumes that you haven't got a worn out shifter which can muck up the whole setting up thing. Also some changers like to have a bit more clearance than others and even slacker cable as well so it can be a bit of a black art. Finally before starting make sure its parallel to the chainrings when viewed from above. Clearance over the large chainring is also important or it won't shift properly.

You know, it's easier to do than write about. Good luck......

Cheers mate, did as followed and after a few attempts its working like a charm
Thanks a lot

 

[rusty bearing]

Glad I could help