Why are front mechs so rubbish?

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Comments

  • cee
    cee Posts: 4,553
    rudedog wrote:
    never had a problem shifting the front mech either - never even thought about it until now.

    another for "is it really a problem?" over here....
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  • bennett_346
    bennett_346 Posts: 5,029
    Running a double and bash here with SLX front mech and X5 shifters, yesterday the whole area around the cranks and BB, especially the front mech and cage were caked in mud to the point where you couldnt see them, yet shifting was as smooth as normal, hardly and effort to shift up or down.

    Can't fault them really.
  • Neily03
    Neily03 Posts: 295
    No trouble here either, XTR mech and shifter on 2x9, full length XT outer with XTR inner cable.
    Transition Covert.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    It's when your 'front mech' stops becoming stiff you need to worry. :oops:
  • hbrashaw
    hbrashaw Posts: 286
    heres an idea, get rid of it! it's lighter, so the xcers will be happy, and it looks cool so everyone else is happy! and it costs less! 1x8/9/10 is the way forward!
  • tony620
    tony620 Posts: 194
    SLX double front mech works pretty good i think.
  • bennett_346
    bennett_346 Posts: 5,029
    hbrashaw wrote:
    heres an idea, get rid of it! it's lighter, so the xcers will be happy, and it looks cool so everyone else is happy! and it costs less! 1x8/9/10 is the way forward!
    I don't think this applies to many riders... I regularly use all the range of gears i have.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    bennett_346 wrote:
    hbrashaw wrote:
    heres an idea, get rid of it! it's lighter, so the xcers will be happy, and it looks cool so everyone else is happy! and it costs less! 1x8/9/10 is the way forward!
    I don't think this applies to many riders... I regularly use all the range of gears i have.

    +1

    I'd really like to get rid of my front mech, and have thought about it. But as someone who uses a MTB for on and off road, up and down hill, I also use the two extreme ratios.
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    I wouldn't have survived my week in france on 1x9. Not unless it was a 24T front ring or something :lol:
    Uncompromising extremist
  • weeksy59
    weeksy59 Posts: 2,606
    RichardSwt wrote:
    bennett_346 wrote:
    hbrashaw wrote:
    heres an idea, get rid of it! it's lighter, so the xcers will be happy, and it looks cool so everyone else is happy! and it costs less! 1x8/9/10 is the way forward!
    I don't think this applies to many riders... I regularly use all the range of gears i have.

    +1

    I'd really like to get rid of my front mech, and have thought about it. But as someone who uses a MTB for on and off road, up and down hill, I also use the two extreme ratios.

    So do i... but run a 1x9 perfectly well.

    I'm doing the 100km Afan monster on a 1x9 on Sat
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  • rudedog
    rudedog Posts: 523
    Northwind wrote:
    I wouldn't have survived my week in france on 1x9. Not unless it was a 24T front ring or something :lol:

    Why - were the French chasing you? :lol:
  • shm_uk
    shm_uk Posts: 683
    RichardSwt wrote:
    Sorry but I can't see the problem.

    I have nothing fancy on my bike - SLX shifters and a XT front mech with a cheapy FAS chainset.

    Not once have I ever been concerned by the amount of effort it takes to change the front rings.


    I was thinking exactly the same thing.

    Front mech's seem to be the simplest solution to a problem, not over-engineered, easy to clean & setup.


    (although things only change/progress when the accepted norm is challenged...)
  • phearnde
    phearnde Posts: 73
    I don't have any problems with my front mech - it's Shimano DI2 (all electronic & smooth as a baby's a%$s
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    weeksy59 wrote:
    RichardSwt wrote:
    bennett_346 wrote:
    hbrashaw wrote:
    heres an idea, get rid of it! it's lighter, so the xcers will be happy, and it looks cool so everyone else is happy! and it costs less! 1x8/9/10 is the way forward!
    I don't think this applies to many riders... I regularly use all the range of gears i have.

    +1

    I'd really like to get rid of my front mech, and have thought about it. But as someone who uses a MTB for on and off road, up and down hill, I also use the two extreme ratios.

    So do i... but run a 1x9 perfectly well.

    I'm doing the 100km Afan monster on a 1x9 on Sat

    But with a 1x9 you are losing out on at least on of the extremes, though most probably a bit at each end.

    For the type of riding I do I would lose performance. I would probably have to get off and walk on the steepest ascents and would spin out on the fast road descents.

    The bike would still be perfectly usable and MTFU would help me on the up-hill bits, but I'd still miss out on the 40mph descents.

    I'm interested to know what size front ring you use?
  • stubs
    stubs Posts: 5,001
    ROCHA wrote:
    There's a reason why there are no reverse action front mechs.

    Suntour front mechs used to work back to front. They were utterly brilliant and worked in the worst crud but were too expensive compared to Shimano they were just too well built. Also they had a odd ratio of cable pull so didnt work with anything other than a Suntour mech.
    Fig rolls: proof that god loves cyclists and that she wants us to do another lap
  • RupertCommunicator
    RupertCommunicator Posts: 734
    People just need to MTFU. You must be epically weak to be struggling to press a shift lever FFS... :twisted:
  • nickfrog
    nickfrog Posts: 610
    edited September 2010
    I agree that a single front ring is not for everyone nor all terrains but it would benefit many riders who don't actually realise it, because of natural resistance to change. If you actually crunch the gearing figures, you realise than with 1x10 you lose very very little for a massive gain in ease of use. It's impossible to describe until you've tried it. It has substantially improved my riding enjoyment, not least because I don't have a front mech.
    2007 Commencal NUTS5 Superteam
  • biff55
    biff55 Posts: 1,404
    ^^ +1
    even 1x9 with 11-34 cassette still gives a pretty wide range of gears that will suit lots of different terrains.
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    phearnde wrote:
    I don't have any problems with my front mech - it's Shimano DI2 (all electronic & smooth as a baby's a%$s

    I suppose there's an iPhone app for changing gear as well?
    I don't do smileys.

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  • biff55
    biff55 Posts: 1,404
    cooldad wrote:
    phearnde wrote:
    I don't have any problems with my front mech - it's Shimano DI2 (all electronic & smooth as a baby's a%$s

    I suppose there's an iPhone app for changing gear as well?

    via bluetooth connection of course.
    snigger.
    :D
  • Paul 8v
    Paul 8v Posts: 5,458
    RupertCommunicator wrote:
    People just need to MTFU. You must be epically weak to be struggling to press a shift lever FFS... :twisted:

    I did feel like saying this, try a gripmaster or a powerball :lol:
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  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    rudedog wrote:
    Why - were the French chasing you? :lol:

    No but I was always left chasing everyone else up the mountains :lol: (as far as I can tell, there are no hills in france, only enormous spiky mountains with roads that go straight up them at 45 degrees)
    Uncompromising extremist
  • rudedog
    rudedog Posts: 523
    just thought of something - what type of mech and cable routing are the people who are having problems using - top or bottom swing? top or bottom routed cabling?

    might expain the differences or it might just be Mr Burns boney girl arms.
  • weescott
    weescott Posts: 453
    Top pull FM. Using XTR shifters and XT FM. X9 FM and XT FM, Sram Attack Shifters, Deore shifters.....various bike builds over the years, tried different cables, Clarks, XTR etc...

    The phrase you can't polish a turd comes to mind.

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