Shimano 3 speed front derailleur adjustment

[Stul]

Hi all, fitted a new cable today, but no matter what I do I can't seem to get the front 3 speed Shimano derailleur to work properly?

I have followed all the (many) Youtube vids, but nothing seems to work? I have made sure the gap is set at around 3mm, ensured the "cage" runs parallel to the sprockets, set the cable tension. I have tried adjusting the deraileur height both a little higher, and a little lower, but no matter what I do I can't get the gears to change smoothly. Most vidoes seem to si=uggest this is a 30 minute process, but after 4 hours.....am I missing something obvious???

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Hi all, fitted a new cable today, but no matter what I do I can't seem to get the front 3 speed Shimano derailleur to work properly?

I have followed all the (many) Youtube vids, but nothing seems to work? I have made sure the gap is set at around 3mm, ensured the "cage" runs parallel to the sprockets, set the cable tension. I have tried adjusting the deraileur height both a little higher, and a little lower, but no matter what I do I can't get the gears to change smoothly. Most vidoes seem to si=uggest this is a 30 minute process, but after 4 hours.....am I missing something obvious???

It's worth checking the exact cable route into the derailleur, eg the difference between one side of the retaining bolt or the other can make a huge difference

 

[All uphill]

Have you set the limit screws before connecting the cable?

Is the gear cable and outer in good condition? How do you know?

Good luck!

 

[Stul]

It's worth checking the exact cable route into the derailleur, eg the difference between one side of the retaining bolt or the other can make a huge difference

..ta for the tip...as far as I am awar it only goes one way that I can see...but I will check tomorrow...

 

[Stul]

Have you set the limit screws before connecting the cable?

Is the gear cable and outer in good condition? How do you know?

Good luck!

.....Yes I set the "lower" one before attaching the cable....

 

[raleighnut]

Select the middle sprocket then adjust cable tension so that the shifter sits central on the chain.

Indexing for the large sprocket is set by the outer limit screw and indexing for the smallest sprocket by the inner limit screw but the indexing for the centre sprocket is set by cable tension ONLY. BTW if when selecting the big sprocket the cable hangs loose don't worry that is quite normal.

 

[C R]

BTW if when selecting the big sprocket the cable hangs loose don't worry that is quite normal.

Don't you mean the small one? The cable pulls to take the derailleur to the larger chainrings, so can't be loose in the middle or large.

 

[raleighnut]

Don't you mean the small one? The cable pulls to take the derailleur to the larger chainrings, so can't be loose in the middle or large.

Depends whether the mech is sprung inboard or outboard (reverse swing) still holds true that the middle cog is only indexed by cable tension though

 

[Stul]

Hi all and thanks for all your replies. I had another go this morning and things appear a little better as I managed to get all 3 gears working, although still a bit of a compromise.
I went back to square one and reset the derallieur height, and angle, and made sure it was as accurate as I could get it. Hoewver the main impact seemed to be the new cable I got from a local bike shop. The old ones I had "in stock" where a generic Amazon brand, bought a few years ago and probably got 2 for a couple of quid.

The new cable I fitted is a recognised make and cost £5 for just the one cable...so I guess you get what you pay for??

Moral of story...buy cheap buy twice...and NEVER buy a bike with a 3 gear set up at the front. (I note I have not seen any new bikes with a 3 ring system at the front...but more gears at the back...probably tells it's own story..).

I got this bike 2nd hand as I wanted to se if I could get back into "manual" riding after my main ride which is electric. I intentionally bought cheap as if I can't get back into it I will give it away if necessary. I may even configure it to just use the lower 2 front rings as in general I find them "fast" enough for me...

 

[Stul]

..well afterva short test ride it is still not right. Really stuck now as there is nothing else I can think about trying. I have therefore decided to set it up with just the 2 (lower) front rings and forget about the larger chain ring....not able to use it much anyway....

 

[Ming the Merciless]

..well afterva short test ride it is still not right. Really stuck now as there is nothing else I can think about trying. I have therefore decided to set it up with just the 2 (lower) front rings and forget about the larger chain ring....not able to use it much anyway....

Take it to LBS if it’s beyond your skills and experience. Then ask what they did when it’s all working smoothly.

 

[raleighnut]

..well afterva short test ride it is still not right. Really stuck now as there is nothing else I can think about trying. I have therefore decided to set it up with just the 2 (lower) front rings and forget about the larger chain ring....not able to use it much anyway....

A triple is easy to set up.

 

[All uphill]

Generations of amateur cycling mechanics have successfully set up and used 3 speed fds, so I don't believe they are a bad design.

If its the big ring you can't use let me ask again, have you set the high limit screw correctly? Can you push the fd to the correct position for the big ring with your hand?

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Moral of story...buy cheap buy twice...and NEVER buy a bike with a 3 gear set up at the front. (I note I have not seen any new bikes with a 3 ring system at the front...but more gears at the back...probably tells it's own story..).

The moral is that there's something wrong with your setup. Whatever the problem is, it would very likely equally affect a double as a triple.

 

[rogerzilla]

Triple FDs are best as friction shift!