What front changer do you use?

[JohnW]

If anyone is riding 26/36/46 and/or 22/32/42 triple chainsets..............which front changer are you using? Band-on fitting.

The Ultegra that I'm using with my 32/42/52 chainset, and which has worked perfectly for 12years or more isn't working with my new 26/36/46 chainset. When I'm running on the big (46) chainring the teeth on the outer side (i.e. little ring side) of the middle ring rubs on the cage...........any ideas?

It's as though either :
A). the big ring and middle ring are too close together, or :
B). the profile of the cage plates is wrong for that ration.

I know that there are different Ultegra models but I can't find any helpful information.

I don't have a 22/32/42 chainset myself, but a cycling colleague is about to change to one, and whilst I'm asking.....................

[meic]

How are you changing your gears? With an indexed triple road STI or something non-indexed?

I would be looking for a MTB derailleur if you are not using road STI's.

With road derailleurs I think that the best you can do is get one which is designated for 50 tooth rather than 52 and set it high so that it clears the middle ring. Tiagra were commonly 50 tooth but it depends on the specific model.

[freeflow]

I'm using a 6703 front mech with xt 44/32/22 chainset. The mech sits much higher than recommended by Shimano but is as low as it can go without fouling the chainstay when on 22. The distance between the 44 chainring and the front mech is about 10 mm vertically. I'm using a 34.6 mm band on and it is at its limit for outward adjustment. Changing the front mech requires waltz tempo ( click, 2, 3, click). I've completed a double rrty using this setup with no issues.

[reohn2]

I suspect John is using friction d/t front lever.
For the 26/36/46 use either a Sora 9sp or Tiagra 10sp road front mech.
For the 22/32/42 use a Deore MTB 9sp front mech.

[tatanab]

I suspect John is using friction d/t front lever.

In which case he can use other manufacturers. With 46/36/24 I've been using Campag triple changers for 20 years with no problems.

[robc02]

I use a Sora with 26/36/46 and friction shifters. It works very well.

[reohn2]

I suspect John is using friction d/t front lever.

In which case he can use other manufacturers. With 46/36/24 I've been using Campag triple changers for 20 years with no problems.

But can you still buy them?
I went for the least line of resistance my default manufacturer,Shimano,mainly because they come at reasonable cost and very,very reliable kit.
Today's Campag tends to be quirky niche and expensive by comparison.

[tatanab]

But can you still buy them.

Certainly. A quick Google search reveals many shops with them. Of course there is also eBay if older models take your fancy. In my box of bits I have a band on adaptor to take a brazed on mech. This is for the time in the future when 28.6 band on mechs become like hens teeth.

[reohn2]

But can you still buy them.

Certainly. A quick Google search reveals many shops with them. Of course there is also eBay if older models take your fancy. In my box of bits I have a band on adaptor to take a brazed on mech. This is for the time in the future when 28.6 band on mechs become like hens teeth.

That's good news for Campag fans
I thought Campag had stopped making triples,must have got it wrong

Thinks... ....can the Campag front mech handle the smaller MTB chainrings?

[Brucey]

as others suggest an MTB 9s mech might do the job but (IME) it isn't a guaranteed fix because

- most are designed for a 44T big ring rather than a 42T one (which would be no big deal in itself but it does add to other difficulties)
- an MTB mech is designed for an MTB chainline, and usually won't swing far enough inwards to get the inner ring on a triple with a 'road' chainline, if that is what you have.
- most 9s MTB triple mechs are intended to use a minimum interval (middle to big) of 12T rather than 10T.
- 9s MTB mechs are designed to fit bikes with 559 wheels, which have chainstays that are almost horizontal. On frames with 622 wheels, the chainstays are far from horizontal and when you are using small chainrings there is a very real chance of the mech tail hitting the chainstay (as one other poster reports above)

Some older (6/7/8s) MTB mechs (bottom pull, bottom swing) have a 10T intended interval and don't have the chainline issue but still might hit the chainstay on a frame with 622 wheels if you are running small chainrings. With these mechs on that sort of frame, 46T is often OK but 42T usually isn't. A road double will not usually have the chainstay issue but again most of these are meant for a 12T (or greater) chainring interval and they also won't always work with an MTB chainline.

If the present mech is just tickling the middle ring then I'd try it a little higher up so it clears and see how that goes; obviously if the mech gets too high then the chain will want to overshift off the big ring, but since this shift isn't one you would need to do under duress (as it were) then it may be possible to live with it if you are careful, as per Freeflow's comment.

A little while ago CRC were clearing some old Sachs branded MTB/touring mechs for cheap; on a hunch, I bought several. These are bottom pull, bottom swing, allow a ~8-10T minimum interval, have no major chainline issues (in either direction, but I did have to do a little strategic filing of one limit screw), are designed for a big ring up to ~50T, have a braze-on fitting (which means there is plenty of scope for filing the band-on adaptor to adjust the angle of dangle) and seem to be OK up to about 22T total capacity (on a 559 wheeled frame, so perhaps a little more is OK on a 622 wheeled frame). To my surprise the pinch bolt doesn't stick out towards the mudguard (on frames with short chainstays) that badly either. I don't think they are easily compatible with any known form of indexed front shifting but apart from that (or maybe because of it) they otherwise seem rather versatile for use with a lot of triple touring setups.

I just checked on a machine set up with 559 wheels and a 48T big ring and the tail of the mech clears the chainstay by about 1"; I've not tried one on a 622 wheeled machine with a 42T big ring but I think it will work OK.

BTW campag did stop making triples for a while but then started up again. Not sure how well their current (11s) mechs work with wider chains....?

cheers

[tatanab]

Thinks... ....can the Campag front mech handle the smaller MTB chainrings?

Certainly can cope with an Alpine double, 40/24 using a triple front mech. This to me is an advantage in using friction levers or Ergo, they are not indexed so the quality of the change is to some extent a matter of skill.

[reohn2]

Thinks... ....can the Campag front mech handle the smaller MTB chainrings?

Certainly can cope with an Alpine double, 40/24 using a triple front mech.

22/32/42 may be a different prospect.

This to me is an advantage in using friction levers or Ergo, they are not indexed so the quality of the change is to some extent a matter of skill.

I like my Kelly Take Offs with d/t levers,friction front and indexed rear

[531colin]

Its my recollection that John W uses friction left shift, as i do, so an MTB front mech. is suitable.
Shimano ones come with an oversize band, so i use an eccentric shim filed from 1/8" alloy strip so they line up OK to a "road" chainline. (double-sided tape holding the shim in place while fitting. ...I have seen a commercial eccentric shim on St John St website....Shimano supply shims to fit the same band to more than one seat tube diameter)

I have shimano FDM581A front mechs. working well with 22/32/44 and 24/34/46 rings. The 12T difference between middle and big rings is so the F. mech. cage has suitable clearance between both middle and big rings....with a 10T difference, if you set the cage to just clear the middle ring, then there is more clearance than you need over the big ring...... although many users don't have a problem with this, I prefer to use a 12T difference.

[Valbrona]

Thinks... ....can the Campag front mech handle the smaller MTB chainrings?

The older ones were good with small chainrings. I had my Record Triple FD doing 26/36/46.

The new Athena Triple FD needs a 13t jump, which means 34/48, 36/50 or 38/52.

This has forced me from Campag to the Shimano triple group I now use.

[JohnW]

How are you changing your gears? With an indexed triple road STI or something non-indexed?

I would be looking for a MTB derailleur if you are not using road STI's.

With road derailleurs I think that the best you can do is get one which is designated for 50 tooth rather than 52 and set it high so that it clears the middle ring. Tiagra were commonly 50 tooth but it depends on the specific model.

Thanks meic -

Ah - yes meic - I've done the up-and-down the seat-tube bit, but if all's clear on the middle ring, then the cage doesn't throw far enough to engage the chain onto the little ring.

I use friction down-tube levers, so I have the ability to f9ine-tune as I ride.

This problem is a new experience for me.