Troublesome FD

[cyberknight]

The FD on the commuter was working perfectly before x mas and when i started commuting again it felt stiff so i gave it a squirt of wd 40 and it eased it a bit but its got stiffer to the point i need to use so much force it not feasible when riding .
Tried new cable and a new mech to no avail
if you disconnect the fd or take the pressure off the cable it moves ok , the FD moves fine on its own but join it together and its stiff a feck , the cable guide under the BB is clean .

 

[fossyant]

New outer as well ? - potential crud in outer cable under the bar tape - likely on a commuter.

 

[Jenkins]

if you disconnect the cable from the FD and put tension on it while operating the shifter, does it move easily? If not it may indicate a problem with the outer cable (as per @fossyant ) or the shifter itself.

 

[bobzmyunkle]

Did you replace any cable outer? I had a similar problem last winter. I think Shimano outers have some sort of lubricant in them which can solidify/degrade - maybe due to frost.

Edit - obviously slow posting that and others got there before me

 

[Gunk]

I always replace both outer and inner, it is a complete false economy doing only the inner, you end up doing twice the job.

 

[fossyant]

SP41 for the win TBH.