Hard shifting on the front derailleur with XT Deore all-in-one Shifters

I apologise in advance for the elementary-ness of this question but it
has me stumped. I just completed building a new bike with the new
Shimano Deore XT All-In-One levers. Shifting from the middle to large
chainring is a serious strain on the lever and my fingers. It is very
difficult to do and I am afraid that I will damage the shifter. I
built up a Rivendell Atlanis frame using components that I am familiar
with except for these shifters. I am using an Ultegra front
derailleur and an XT rear. The rear is a dream but the front is
bugging me.

Shimano Offroad shifters are not compatible with Road front derailleur.
You have to use an Offroad front derailleur.

LASR

On 17 Aug 2004 12:22:33 -0700, Dave Jones wrote:

I apologise in advance for the elementary-ness of this question but it
has me stumped. I just completed building a new bike with the new
Shimano Deore XT All-In-One levers. Shifting from the middle to large
chainring is a serious strain on the lever and my fingers. It is very
difficult to do and I am afraid that I will damage the shifter. I
built up a Rivendell Atlanis frame using components that I am familiar
with except for these shifters. I am using an Ultegra front
derailleur and an XT rear. The rear is a dream but the front is
bugging me.



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Shimano Offroad shifters are not compatible with Road front derailleur.
You have to use an Offroad front derailleur.

LASR

On 17 Aug 2004 12:22:33 -0700, Dave Jones wrote:

I apologise in advance for the elementary-ness of this question but it
has me stumped. I just completed building a new bike with the new
Shimano Deore XT All-In-One levers. Shifting from the middle to large
chainring is a serious strain on the lever and my fingers. It is very
difficult to do and I am afraid that I will damage the shifter. I
built up a Rivendell Atlanis frame using components that I am familiar
with except for these shifters. I am using an Ultegra front
derailleur and an XT rear. The rear is a dream but the front is
bugging me.



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Dave Jones wrote:

I apologise in advance for the elementary-ness of this question but it
has me stumped. I just completed building a new bike with the new
Shimano Deore XT All-In-One levers. Shifting from the middle to large
chainring is a serious strain on the lever and my fingers. It is very
difficult to do and I am afraid that I will damage the shifter. I
built up a Rivendell Atlanis frame using components that I am familiar
with except for these shifters. I am using an Ultegra front
derailleur and an XT rear. The rear is a dream but the front is
bugging me.

I was quite surprised at the amount of force needed for this upshift
when I "upgraded" from worn-out, irreplaceable DX thumbies to Rapidfire.
Lube the FD and the cable thoroughly - I think they're just like this
because there isn't much leverage.

lasr wrote in message news:opscv6zad652tyd8@k7n2...
Shimano Offroad shifters are not compatible with Road front derailleur.
You have to use an Offroad front derailleur.

LASR

Thanks for the reply, LASR. Some other ideas that have been offered
was to use cable sleeve on the cable where it bends around the bottom
bracket and I had done that before the fisrt shift. Actually I had
given my choice of front derailleur some thought. Shimano recommends
the FD-M761 (standard linkage) or the FD-M760 (top swing) with the XT
shifter group. I also have a recumbent with the older style XT
shifter and an Ultegra front--no problem. Do you or any of the
collected wisdom out there have a preference for a top swing type
Front Deralleur with this type of shifter or standard linkage?

dj

Any front derailleur in the range from Deore to XTR (or even lower quality
than Deore) will work just fine with your shifter.
Surprisingly, the best combo I have have ever used is on my Hybrid with LX
shifter and Nexave FD-T401 front derailleur - very crisp shifting, no
force needed, but that bike also have a Truvative Stylo crankset that, to
my experience, shifts better than any Shimano crankset that I have ever
tested.
However, the key to success with front shifting, as with the back shifting
is always proper adjustment and service on drivetrain. Have a look at this
page:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html

Good luck
LASR

På 17 Aug 2004 18:58:39 -0700, skrev Dave Jones :

lasr wrote in message news:opscv6zad652tyd8@k7n2...
Shimano Offroad shifters are not compatible with Road front derailleur.
You have to use an Offroad front derailleur.

LASR

Thanks for the reply, LASR. Some other ideas that have been offered
was to use cable sleeve on the cable where it bends around the bottom
bracket and I had done that before the fisrt shift. Actually I had
given my choice of front derailleur some thought. Shimano recommends
the FD-M761 (standard linkage) or the FD-M760 (top swing) with the XT
shifter group. I also have a recumbent with the older style XT
shifter and an Ultegra front--no problem. Do you or any of the
collected wisdom out there have a preference for a top swing type
Front Deralleur with this type of shifter or standard linkage?

dj



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