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How to adjust your front perfect Tuesday
on the trail with
derailleur for perfect and the vivid fall

silent shifting colors

(https://havefunbiking.com/bike-
by John Brown, HaveFunBiking.com pic-perfect-
In the late 1920’s, in France, there was a bike race under way tuesday-family-
and it wasn’t the Tour De France. Instead, this race was a
fun-ride/)
technological race that brought the derailleur
(https://havefunbiking.com/rear-derailleurs-relatively- Bike Pic Oct 25,
maintenance-free/) into the light. Before 1928, bicycles had a fond memories
maximum of two speeds, and you needed to remove the rear riding into the
wheel to change those gears. As there was need for quicker
shifting, the bicycle derailleur was born. Initial derailleurs Monday morning
consisted of nothing more than paddles that were actuated by sun
steel rods located between the rider’s legs. Needless to say, (https://havefunbiking.com/bike-
there was a lot of finesse that went into shifting those bikes.
Then after the second world war parallelogram derailleurs, pic-monday-
what we use today, were developed so riders could shift their morning-sun/)
gears with ease. Read on to see how to get the most out of 100 Anoka, a fun
years of technological advancements. You will find adjusting
your front derailleur is easy if you follow these steps. place for a fall
trail ride
especially around
Halloween
(https://havefunbiking.com/anoka-
fun-fall-trail-ride-
destination-
around-
halloween/)

EARLY “ROD STYLE” BENELUX FRONT DERAILLEUR – YIKES

Front Derailleur parts

Limit screws (A) – The front derailleur needs to work within the
largest and smallest ring. Limit screws work to stop the front
derailleur from shifting outside of its intended range. They are
adjustable as to match different types of cranks.
Derailleur Cage – The cage is what holds the chain on gear and
what presses on the chain to move it from one gear to the next.
The outer portion of the cage (C) is what helps the chain move
from larger gears to smaller ones. In contrast, the inner portion
of the cage (B) forces the chain from smaller gears to larger
ones.
COMMON PARALLELOGRAM FRONT DERAILLEUR FOUND ON
HYBRID AND MOUNTAINBIKES

Derailleur Fixing Bolt (D) – The bolt that holds the derailleur in
place on the frame. By loosening this bolt, you can re-position
the derailleur for angle and height.
Cable Pinch Bolt (E) – The Cable that controls shifting needs to
be held firmly in place. The pinch bolt does that job.

DIFFERENT PINCH BOLT AND FIXING BOLT POSITION FOR

MTB/HYBRID (ABOVE) AND ROAD (BELOW) DERAILLEURS

Location, location, location

You guessed it, the most important part of adjusting the front
derailleur is its location. If the derailleur is not positioned
properly, you will never achieve proper, noise free, shifting in all
gears. The reason location is so important is that the front
derailleur cage is formed to position the chain in very specific
locations.
First step in adjusting the front derailleurs location is to set its
height. You need enough room to fit a Nickel between the teeth
on the largest chainring and the bottom of the outer cage when
they are lined up. Any more clearance than that and the
derailleur tends to have issues pulling the chain down from
larger gears.
YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO FIT A NICKLE BETWEEN THE
DERAILLEUR CAGE AND CHAINRING

Once you have the height set, adjust the angle of the front
derailleur so that the outer cage and chainrings are parallel.
Any misalignment will result in poor shifting and excess noise.

PROPER ALIGNMENT ON THE LEFT, AND MISALIGNMENT ON THE

RIGHT

Lower Limit
Set the lower limit by adjusting the screw marked “L”. To do
this, shift the rear derailleur all the way up into the largest cog.
Next check to see if there is clearance between the chain and
the front derailleurs inner cage with the chain on the smallest
chainring. If the chain is running on the inner cage, thread the
limit screw out until you have 2-3mm (that nickel distance
again!) between the chain and inner cage. When the opposite is
true and you have too much clearance between the inner cage
and chain, thread the limit screw in until there is 2-3mm of
clearance.

Cable tension
Your Front derailleur should be properly aligned and the lower
limit should be set at this point. The next step is to attach the
cable to the Pinch bolt. Attach that cable by first making sure
your shifter is in its lowest gear, Then pull the cable tight, and
finally tighten the pinch bolt onto your cable. Usually, you can
shift smoothly up from the smallest ring into the next gear right
away, but if there is hesitation going up add cable tension
either through a barrel adjuster or by loosening the pinch bolt,
pulling the cable tighter, and tightening the pinch bolt down
again. If the chain wants to shift up from the small ring over the
next ring, release some tension. You know you have it right
when the chain can pass from one gear to another smoothly
and confidently without any banging or skipping noises.
 Upper Limit
Setting the upper limit is as easy as getting the chain onto the
largest chainring and threading the limit screw to offer 2-3mm
of clearance between the chain and the outer cage. While
shifting, ensure the chain cannot be shifted over the large ring
and off the crank.

Trouble shooting
This guide is great if all the parts are new, but won’t overcome
many issues related to worn or dirty parts
(https://havefunbiking.com/products/bike-running-smooth-
tips/). The most common shifting issue with older gears is
poor upshifting. Chainrings are built with ramps on the inner
surface to easily guide the chain from smaller to larger rings.
As chainrings wear, these ramps wear as well. If you are having
serious issues going from smaller to larger gears, but the gears
are silent and problem free otherwise, you may want to
consider replacing the chain, chainrings, and gears in the rear.

THESE PRAXIS WORKS CHAIN RINGS HAVE SOME OF THE BEST

SHIFTING THANKS TO CAREFULLY PLACED RAMPS.

Another key wear item is the front derailleur itself. Derailleurs

are designed to pivot off a parallelogram design that requires
each pivot run smooth and precisely. As the Front Derailleur
wears, these pivots can begin to bind, while they generate play,
leading to poor shifting.
Finally, dirty or corroded cables are a key cause in poor shifting.
Replace cables once a year and lube them intermittently to
keep them running smooth and freely.

When is enough, enough

Working on your bike is fun, but can be frustrating if things
aren’t going according to plan. When things get out of hand,
don’t be afraid to start from scratch and go back to step one.
Any missed initial steps will make further steps impossible to
complete. Also, remember that if it gets too tough, your local
bike shop is happy to walk you through the process. You will
pay a fee, but the one on one instruction is well worth it.
 
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THIS ENTRY WAS POSTED ON AUGUST 24, 2017

(HTTPS://HAVEFUNBIKING.COM/ADJUST-FRONT-DERAILLEUR-PERFECT-
SHIFTING/) BY JOHN BROWN
(HTTPS://HAVEFUNBIKING.COM/AUTHOR/JOHNHAVEFUNBIKING-COM/).

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