Do front derailleurs inherently kinda suck?

Mike Kozlowski wrote in message ...
A few weeks ago, I bought a bike (Diamondback Topanga Comp '04) for
the first time since the '80s. The most impressive improvement,
obviously, is the indexed shifting. It's deeply cool.

But: It seems to work much more smoothly on the rear than on the
front. Front gear shifts are slower, jerkier, and way more likely to
"miss" (i.e., not shift, and leave the chain rubbing up against the
side of the shifting mechanism; or shift, and leave the chain rubbing
up against the side).

Why is this? Is it because the front derailleur isn't as good as the
rear one (Deore vs. LX)? Is it because the front derailleur is a bit
out of alignment? Or is it just that front shifts are inherently more
awkward than rear ones?

It's because you didn't buy a singlespeed.

Take it ack to the bike shop and have them adjust it properly if you
think it needs it. If someone here tries to tell an obvious novice
such as yourself how to adjust it, they are an idiot and you shouldn't
listen to them.

JD

(JD) wrote in message . com...
Mike Kozlowski wrote in message ...
A few weeks ago, I bought a bike (Diamondback Topanga Comp '04) for
the first time since the '80s. The most impressive improvement,
obviously, is the indexed shifting. It's deeply cool.

But: It seems to work much more smoothly on the rear than on the
front. Front gear shifts are slower, jerkier, and way more likely to
"miss" (i.e., not shift, and leave the chain rubbing up against the
side of the shifting mechanism; or shift, and leave the chain rubbing
up against the side).

Why is this? Is it because the front derailleur isn't as good as the
rear one (Deore vs. LX)? Is it because the front derailleur is a bit
out of alignment? Or is it just that front shifts are inherently more
awkward than rear ones?

It's because you didn't buy a singlespeed.

Take it ack to the bike shop and have them adjust it properly if you
think it needs it. If someone here tries to tell an obvious novice
such as yourself how to adjust it, they are an idiot and you shouldn't
listen to them.

JD

Agreed. IME, dialing in the front derailleur is the trickest
mechanical thing you'll do on your bike. See if you can get your
mechanic to show you what he's doing when he adjusts it again if you
want to learn. Trying on your own will guarantee at least one lost
afternoon and STILL probably won't shift right.

A well set up derailleur, even a cheap Deore or LX, will shift
smoothly an properly if its set up well. The problem is, it takes a
lot of effort to set it up well so a lot of shops don't take the time
to make it bullet proof when assembling the bikes.

T

On 19 Sep 2003 05:53:09 -0700, (Tom
Walker) wrote:

[snip]
Take it ack to the bike shop and have them adjust it properly if you
think it needs it. If someone here tries to tell an obvious novice
such as yourself how to adjust it, they are an idiot and you shouldn't
listen to them.

JD

Not only should you listen to me you should trust me with your life.
Only an idiot wouldn't.

WTF is "ack"?!


Agreed. IME, dialing in the front derailleur is the trickest
mechanical thing you'll do on your bike. See if you can get your
mechanic to show you what he's doing when he adjusts it again if you
want to learn. Trying on your own will guarantee at least one lost
afternoon and STILL probably won't shift right.

Begging the Colonel's pardon....but that's Bvll****! If you can read
at an eighth grade level, know how to measure, use a phillips or a
flat head screwdriver, then you're in good shape. 10 minutes tops.

Of course in my not so friggin humble OPINION you should get rid of
the damn thing a start riding a real bike, SS.

"Bill Wheeler" wrote in message
...
On 19 Sep 2003 05:53:09 -0700, (Tom
Walker) wrote:
Agreed. IME, dialing in the front derailleur is the trickest
mechanical thing you'll do on your bike. See if you can get your
mechanic to show you what he's doing when he adjusts it again if you
want to learn. Trying on your own will guarantee at least one lost
afternoon and STILL probably won't shift right.

Begging the Colonel's pardon....but that's Bvll****! If you can read
at an eighth grade level, know how to measure, use a phillips or a
flat head screwdriver, then you're in good shape. 10 minutes tops.

Of course in my not so friggin humble OPINION you should get rid of
the damn thing a start riding a real bike, SS.

Great, by this logic, someone who's never touched a tool before can buy a
Chilton's manual and completely strip and rebuild a car in a Saturday
afternoon.

For a newbie, adjusting a front derailleur is very tricky and will take way
longer than 10 minutes to dial in perfectly. Ten minutes is what it takes
for the 15 year old kid who built the bike to get it shifting on the stand.

T

Bill Wheeler wrote in message . ..
On 19 Sep 2003 05:53:09 -0700, (Tom
Walker) wrote:

[snip]
Take it ack to the bike shop and have them adjust it properly if you
think it needs it. If someone here tries to tell an obvious novice
such as yourself how to adjust it, they are an idiot and you shouldn't
listen to them.

JD

Not only should you listen to me you should trust me with your life.
Only an idiot wouldn't.

WTF is "ack"?!

It's what Bill The Cat says.

Agreed. IME, dialing in the front derailleur is the trickest
mechanical thing you'll do on your bike. See if you can get your
mechanic to show you what he's doing when he adjusts it again if you
want to learn. Trying on your own will guarantee at least one lost
afternoon and STILL probably won't shift right.

Begging the Colonel's pardon....but that's Bvll****! If you can read
at an eighth grade level, know how to measure, use a phillips or a
flat head screwdriver, then you're in good shape. 10 minutes tops.

We're talking about a novice here, Bill. Mechanical inclination and
retardation have a really wide spectrum as well.

JD

Bill Wheeler wrote in message . ..
On 19 Sep 2003 05:53:09 -0700, (Tom
Walker) wrote:

[snip]
Take it ack to the bike shop and have them adjust it properly if you
think it needs it. If someone here tries to tell an obvious novice
such as yourself how to adjust it, they are an idiot and you shouldn't
listen to them.

JD

Not only should you listen to me you should trust me with your life.
Only an idiot wouldn't.

WTF is "ack"?!


Agreed. IME, dialing in the front derailleur is the trickest
mechanical thing you'll do on your bike. See if you can get your
mechanic to show you what he's doing when he adjusts it again if you
want to learn. Trying on your own will guarantee at least one lost
afternoon and STILL probably won't shift right.

Begging the Colonel's pardon....but that's Bvll****! If you can read
at an eighth grade level, know how to measure, use a phillips or a
flat head screwdriver, then you're in good shape. 10 minutes tops.

Of course in my not so friggin humble OPINION you should get rid of
the damn thing a start riding a real bike, SS.

If you ride on trails where they allow free range acks you have to
dodge bvll****.

That said, I think it all depends on how mechanical you are. If you
fix your neighbors lawn mover every spring time for kicks you will
probably have no problem with getting the front mech perfect in a
couple of hours (maybe less). But there are tons of us who are not
good with gadgets.

The first time I messed with mine I fscked it up much worse than it
was when I started (Brother fixed it). The second time I wound up
taking it into the shop to have them fix it. Eventually I got it
right but it took me some time. (You can poke fun at me now) Some
people just don't grok mechanical stuff quickly. On a brighter note,
once I do finally get it I generally do fairly well and only break
things occasionally.

I guess what I am saying is that it depends on the person.

-- The Ogre

So

On Sat, 20 Sep 2003 06:23:55 GMT, "Chris"
wrote:

[snip
We all know SS isn't for everyone. And, finagling a front derailleur can
either take two seconds or two days. Once I slapped on an XTR (replacing an
LX) and spent an hour tweaking it, my front shifting problems were
solved...even though I maintain the idea that XTR is, by and large, a ripoff
if you - and not a sponsor - are paying for it, and I am able to get
dependable shifting out of the LX. Go XT for the best performance-for-price
relationship.

Anyway, since there are so many variables in a front der setup - cage angle
relative to chainrings, mounting height, cable tension, limit screw
adjustment - it is nearly impossible to get it right if you're new to
wrenching. Once you do, however, you feel good and the bike works well.
Which makes you feel even better. So, I recommend the OP gets a simple bit
of instruction as to how the front mech works, then spends some (a bunch)
time fiddling with it. The payoff is huge.

But, relative to rear shifting, the front derailleur just doesn't work as
well as the rear...for all the reasons everyone else mentioned...chainring
tooth difference, etc. Still, don't be afraid to tweak it. A good LBS can
always bail you out if you screw the pooch beyond all repair.

Chris


Okay, I agree there are certain things that can be a bit tricky.

On Sat, 20 Sep 2003 15:46:53 GMT, "Tom Walker"
wrote:

[snip]
Great, by this logic,

I'm impressed you agree my logic is great.

someone who's never touched a tool before can buy a
Chilton's manual and completely strip and rebuild a car in a Saturday
afternoon.

Front Derailleurs, Front Derailleurs......


For a newbie, adjusting a front derailleur is very tricky and will take way
longer than 10 minutes to dial in perfectly. Ten minutes is what it takes
for the 15 year old kid who built the bike to get it shifting on the stand.

T

Point taken under consideration.

Peace,
Bill

On 20 Sep 2003 10:38:13 -0700, (JD) wrote:


WTF is "ack"?!

It's what Bill The Cat says.

I thought Ren or was it Stimpy said that.


Agreed. IME, dialing in the front derailleur is the trickest
mechanical thing you'll do on your bike. See if you can get your
mechanic to show you what he's doing when he adjusts it again if you
want to learn. Trying on your own will guarantee at least one lost
afternoon and STILL probably won't shift right.

Begging the Colonel's pardon....but that's Bvll****! If you can read
at an eighth grade level, know how to measure, use a phillips or a
flat head screwdriver, then you're in good shape. 10 minutes tops.

We're talking about a novice here, Bill. Mechanical inclination and
retardation have a really wide spectrum as well.

JD

Yes, yes, yes...okay, okay....but I still say unless you're one of
those "gifted" characters in a Gary Larson cartoon, I still think you
should at least give it a go and try. If you fail then take it to
your LBS.

Peace,
Bill

Bill Wheeler wrote:

Yes, yes, yes...okay, okay....but I still say unless you're one of
those "gifted" characters in a Gary Larson cartoon, I still think you
should at least give it a go and try. If you fail then take it to
your LBS.

Peace,
Bill

I agree, I think that one of the most important things you gain with
experience is confidence, the confidence that you really can't screw it
up that badly and give it a shot.
No-a-days I try to approach new tasks with that in mind, even if I don't
know what I'm doing, I really can't screw things up so badly that it
can't be fixed (perhaps by someone else). Window's OS seem to be the
exception to this rule.
--
Craig Brossman, Durango Colorado
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