Cycling UK Forum

So I'm having a little trouble adjusting my SORA front derailleur.

First basic question, which side of the pin does the cable go on? The bike came with the cable on "the outside" of the pin (position 1 in pic).
It seems to me that the cable should run between the pin and the bolt, under the metal plate (position 2 in pic).



Ever since I got the bike, the chain rubbed more and more the closer I got to "big ring, small sprocket". I don't spend a lot of time there, so the impetus to adjust it wasn't that big. I kept meaning to get round to it.

Now I've been trying to make it tight enough that it doesn't rub on "big, small", but I'm finding it difficult.
I'm gonna get my 3rd hand tool out of the garage and try again tomorrow.

But in the meantime, I would appreciate it if you could answer my question and/or point me towards a handy youtube video that might explain front derailleur setup process properly.

The bike a cyclocross bike, and it's a compact chainset.
Thanks
Vlad

Between the plate and over the top of the pin (position 1 in your pic). See http://si.shimano.com/pdfs/dm/DM-RBFD001-01-ENG.pdf page 18. I've not come across this "converter" referred to in the manual before.

Thank you for the reply.
I'm surprised, to be honest.
I'll be changing it shortly.
Thanks
Vlad

IIRC the 'converter' is necessary to compensate for small variations in FD setup that arise because of variations in

a) chainline and
b) cable routing

from bike to bike.

Also worth noting that the FD setup relies upon trim clicks in the shifter to allow rattle free running when cross-chained.

cheers

Golly gosh. I have a Claris FD but it's a band-on one and doesn't have anything like that! It looks as if you can adjust the pull ratio. Presumably with a band-on FD and a correctly fitted Shimano cable guide under the shell the cable always meets the FD at the same angle even if the seat tube is shimmed but with a braze-on FD there is some variation. Looks as if life just got a bit more complicated - more bother with front indexing.

Hi everyone.
I'm still doing battle with this derailleur.
I just can't get the cable tension high enough.
From what I understand, it should be enough to simply pull it tight when it's in the small ring, tighten up the bolt and then it magically shifts into the big ring. Mine just doesn't do that.

The lower limit and higher limit screws are set fine, as is the height. The cage is parallel to the chain/chain ring.
Any tips (before I give in and take it to lbs) would be massively appreciated.

Thanks
Vlad

You could try backing off the lower limit screw to give you more room to get the cable tight. Then adjust the limit screw back to the proper position. Usually grabbing the cable with a pair of pliers, puling it tight, and with the cable adjustment slackened right off, then re-tension the cable.

LinusR wrote:You could try backing off the lower limit screw to give you more room to get the cable tight. Then adjust the limit screw back to the proper position. Usually grabbing the cable with a pair of pliers, puling it tight, and with the cable adjustment slackened right off, then re-tension the cable.

Thank you for taking the time to reply.
I tried just that - and no dice!
In fact if I slacken off the lower limit screw completely, the cable fouls the derailleur, and almost seems to contribute to the problem. I can't even get it to touch the chain "in attempting" to shift up to the big ring...
Really got no idea what is going on here.
Starting to think that the guys at Wiggle set it up to the best of their ability, and the crappy shifting that I got before is the best I'm going to get out of it...
Is it possible that the wrong FD was used on the CX frame or the wrong shifter perhaps?

Vladimir wrote:In fact if I slacken off the lower limit screw completely, the cable fouls the derailleur, and almost seems to contribute to the problem.

Ah, my bad. I told you the opposite of what you should do. Screw the lower limit screw in too far and then attach the cable. Then unscrew it to the proper position. Sorry.

[edit] it should work perfectly by the way. There are some "trim" set ups to do to stop it rubbing the chain. See the manual page I posted before for instruction.

LinusR wrote:

Vladimir wrote:In fact if I slacken off the lower limit screw completely, the cable fouls the derailleur, and almost seems to contribute to the problem.

Ah, my bad. I told you the opposite of what you should do. Screw the lower limit screw in too far and then attach the cable. Then unscrew it to the proper position. Sorry.

[edit] it should work perfectly by the way. There are some "trim" set ups to do to stop it rubbing the chain. See the manual page I posted before for instruction.

HA HA - Ok I'll go try it now before I put it back in the garage.

The other thing is to make sure you have downshifted the lever the whole way. You have to pull the cable tight with pliers while operating the small (paddle) lever to make sure all the cable is pulled tight out of the lever. You need three hands

LinusR wrote:

Vladimir wrote:In fact if I slacken off the lower limit screw completely, the cable fouls the derailleur, and almost seems to contribute to the problem.

Ah, my bad. I told you the opposite of what you should do. Screw the lower limit screw in too far and then attach the cable. Then unscrew it to the proper position. Sorry.

[edit] it should work perfectly by the way. There are some "trim" set ups to do to stop it rubbing the chain. See the manual page I posted before for instruction.

I can definitely see how it does work - the plate that holds the cable in place moves closer to the cable outer and you can get more cable through.
For some reason - despite this I still can't get the FD to shift onto the big ring.
I think I'm going to give in and take it to the LBS.
Its possible that the shifter itself is "wonky"...

Vladimir wrote:I can definitely see how it does work - the plate that holds the cable in place moves closer to the cable outer and you can get more cable through.
For some reason - despite this I still can't get the FD to shift onto the big ring.
I think I'm going to give in and take it to the LBS.
Its possible that the shifter itself is "wonky"...

It is quite a fiddly job, and the outer cage on the mech does need to be perfectly parallel to the chainrings. Have you tried pushing the mech with your hand to shift to the big ring? If you can get it to work like that, then it is just a matter of sorting out the cable. Again you need to have the bike in a stand and both hands free.

What model bike is it? And what year?

It definitely shifts into the big ring with my fingers.
It's basically new, barely 200km on it.
It's a Verenti Substance 2016, which I got very late in the season last year.