Front Derailleur

gingerbeardedrunner
gingerbeardedrunner Posts: 6
edited February 2015 in Workshop
Help! I think I've messed up my front derailleur...

I'm relatively new to cycling and very new to bike maintenance.

I wanted to make my front derailleur quieter, so did the "normal" thing and watched a couple of YouTube videos...

Now my front derailleur won't move enough to change the gear and I'm not sure if I've done something to the gear mechanism on the handle as it no longer clicks? Should it click when even when it's not changing gear... I feel I've done more harm than good...

Comments

  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    A) What did you do to it?
    B) What were you trying to make quieter? I have never heard of a noisy derailleur before!
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    On Strava.{/url}
  • gingerbeardedrunner
    gingerbeardedrunner Posts: 6
    Loosened the tension the cable and adjusted the front de railleur so the chain was no longer scraping and making noise on the lowest gear and highest gear
  • wongataa
    wongataa Posts: 1,001
    Does your gear system have a trim function? If it does then that sorts out the chain rub.

    As you have reduced the cable tension then it is likely you don't have enough to shift now. Find the set up instructions for your kit (should be available on the manufacturer's website) and start from scratch. It isn't hard and shouldn't take too long and it will help you understand how they work.
  • gingerbeardedrunner
    gingerbeardedrunner Posts: 6
    OK thanks, will find the instructions.
  • gingerbeardedrunner
    gingerbeardedrunner Posts: 6
    I think as the shifter is not clicking or changing, even when the cable is removed from the derailleur, I may have broken my left shifter :(((

    Does anyone know if this can be fixed? Expensive? Will it have to be replaced?
  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    It's possible.

    Firstly check under the hood of the shifter to make sure the cable hasn't snapped within the shifter and the pip is correctly seated.

    Then grasp the other end and apply a load while you operate the shifter.

    If you get no cable movement, or the shifter won't stay in position, then you've broken it. Shimano shifters aren't repairable; Campag are. They are always expensive :(.
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    On Strava.{/url}
  • gingerbeardedrunner
    gingerbeardedrunner Posts: 6
    Checked under the hood and it seems the cable is in ok. When I move the shifter, I can feel it pulling the cable. It's shifting down gear that does nothing. Booked in the LBS this week, see if it can be fixed, if not, ouch on the wallet by the sound of it! Cheers Des
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    My 105 triple front shifter packed up recently. It's possible I hastened it's demise by setting the cable tension too high, but I've had 7 years use from it so it's not that painful.

    Looking for new ones online it seemed cheaper to buy a pair, and then the cheapest I could find them for was over £100 :shock:

    Managed to find one on Ebay and bagged it for £26. Happy days! Now I'll have one silver and one black shifter, and every time I notice I'll remember the £90 I saved!

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