10 speed triple 48-36-26 ?

[Paul Smith SRCC]

FWIW those chainrings have pins and ramps to help upshifts but not much to help downshifts. Obviously it won't help exactly but I don't think the problem with the downshifts is entirely confined to the fit of the FD to the chainrings.

If you fit a braze-on type FD on a modified adaptor (eg with a wedge in it) you can get the FD to fit the chainrings better and this will help. However different chainrings, with downshift gates, and/or different chains/chainrings (eg chains that have different side plates, chainrings that have slightly different width teeth vs the internal width of the chain) can make a big difference to the downshift quality too.

IME even teeth that are 0.1mm wider than is ideal (for the chain in use) can completely wreck the downshift performance.

cheers

I concur, upshifts are no problem.

As far as I'm concerned for me the downshift from middle to small ring isn't either; most of the time! I know what I can get away with downshifting interms of what load it will cope with and in what sprocket, when I get it right it's fine. Normally I can 'see' or 'know' what the incline is about to do enabling me to plan my gear change within the parameters of what works. For sure occasionally on a holiday I may be unfamiliar with the route and get caught out, but this is so rare that for me it's not an issue, or if you prefer, that much of a compromise.

That said if I had an braze on FD I would modify with an adaptor just as Brucey referenced! I can even visualise myself making a point of telling everyone about it sitting in a cafe when we are talking about our bikes; Infact there is a part of me that wishes I had a braze on FD just so I could do just that

[Brucey]

I've set several of my bikes (with plain seat tubes) up using a braze-on mech, but using a band-on adaptor with it. This allows the FD to be fine-tuned in the way I have described, and if you mess up the adaptor, it is no problem, a few quid for a new one sorts it.

It also allows you to do other cunning things in some cases. For example if you want to run an extra tight chainline on a triple, the thing that can limit you is the fact that the FD hits the seat tube. Sometimes you can space the FD backwards on the adaptor and this can allow it to swing further inwards before it hits the seat tube.

You'll be wanting one like this;



BTW IIRC the top knuckle on a campag mech is often (in theory) available as a spare part, so you can convert a band-on mech to a braze-on type.

cheers

[Paul Smith SRCC]

....Sometimes you can space the FD backwards on the adaptor and this can allow it to swing further inwards before it hits the seat tube....

Another good point, I use a 116mm BB but the frame and chainset would cope with narrower, but when fitted the FD would did hit the seat tube. In reality it was only marginally narrower, 113mm IIRC. I initially treated myself to a TA Axix BB, but was not that impressed with them to be honest, I quickly swapped these out to Shimano on the four bikes I use with TA.