Front derailleur/Cable Tension issues
paddymeharg
Posts: 2
This may be something I need my lbs to sort out but for the meantime I'm on my own (My car is in the garage and I can't fit my bike in the courtesy car).
Pics - Apparently they're too big so here's the links for them
http://imageshack.us/f/841/n3ln.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/f/442/cdbt.jpg/
Basically I've just bought this Cannondale Synapse (first road bike, yay!) and I took it for a spin and found the front mech was stuck on the big cog and when I tried to shift to the smaller ones the shifters were nearly impossible to budge. So, I loosened the cable tension a tad. I could move the shifter the full range but the derailleur wasn't responding. So I manually put the chain on the small cog clicked the shifters and it all moved to the point where it is now stuck on the smallest cog.
The derailleur is now resting against the frame and no amount of fiddling or cable adjustment can get it to budge. I can pull it across the positions so the spring isn't too tight. I can move my shifters but it doesn't translate to making the derailleur move.
Edit; It's definitely a cable tension issue. Given that I'm pretty new to fix-it-yourself and I only have a pair of pliers to grip the cable with, is this something better dealt with at a shop? There seems to be a very finicky gap between 'too tight' and 'not working' I've gotten it to shift to the middle cog so at least the derailleur isn't resting on the frame and I can ride about a bit.
Pics - Apparently they're too big so here's the links for them
http://imageshack.us/f/841/n3ln.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/f/442/cdbt.jpg/
Basically I've just bought this Cannondale Synapse (first road bike, yay!) and I took it for a spin and found the front mech was stuck on the big cog and when I tried to shift to the smaller ones the shifters were nearly impossible to budge. So, I loosened the cable tension a tad. I could move the shifter the full range but the derailleur wasn't responding. So I manually put the chain on the small cog clicked the shifters and it all moved to the point where it is now stuck on the smallest cog.
The derailleur is now resting against the frame and no amount of fiddling or cable adjustment can get it to budge. I can pull it across the positions so the spring isn't too tight. I can move my shifters but it doesn't translate to making the derailleur move.
Edit; It's definitely a cable tension issue. Given that I'm pretty new to fix-it-yourself and I only have a pair of pliers to grip the cable with, is this something better dealt with at a shop? There seems to be a very finicky gap between 'too tight' and 'not working' I've gotten it to shift to the middle cog so at least the derailleur isn't resting on the frame and I can ride about a bit.
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Comments
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You shouldn't need too much tension on the cable - just make sure the derailleur is in the small-ring position and use some pliers to grip the cable and pull it tight before you clamp it into the derailleur.
More about fitting, adjusting, and indexing here: http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/front-derailleur-adjustments0 -
If you've just bought it, take it back to the shop you got it from and make them sort it out. It should be set up and working properly by them. Good shops offer you a service for free after a couple of moths of riding to ensure everything is ok, so an immediate issue shouldn't be a problem to sort.
Watch how they do it and then you'll know for next time, and get your self some basic tools to sort out issues.
Plenty off stuff on the net to show you how. Go to the park tools website and they have a good section.0
