Fettling Microshift Front Derailluer - Btwin 500SE

wolfsbane2k

Hi.

I've got a 500SE that's 7 weeks/600 miles old, and as expected the gearing cables have stretched so I thought I'd quickly fettle them.
Unfortunatley, I'm having no end of problems with the front derailleur, specifically because rather than having 3 rest spots (outer, Middle, inner chains), I've got 4 - and I don' t know why, so don't know which rest spot to relate to which chain! The min and max screws are set correctly.

By rest spots, I mean 4 specific "clicks" while going either up, or down the gearing, at which the FD will stay in position.

Does anyone else have this issue, and how do you choose which rest spot is which chain ring?

Thanks in advance.

wongataa

Have you got the setup manual from Microshift?

I use Shimano but I have 4 positions on the front derailleur:
1. closest to the frame - small ring - at end stop
2. trim on small ring so I can use smaller sprockets without chain rub
3. trim on big ring to use the larger sprockets without chain rub
4. furthest away from frame - big ring for use on smaller sprockets - at end stop

Maybe it is similar on your setup.

apreading

I think Microshift bought the old Shimano 2300 technology. This has 4 stops and one is a trim function as stated here. This is normal. I think with a triple it is set up so that the middle ring can have two stops allowing it to be used through the full range on the rear cassette without rubbing the front derailleur.

wolfsbane2k

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19721846#p19721846]wongataa[/url] wrote:

Have you got the setup manual from Microshift?

I use Shimano but I have 4 positions on the front derailleur:
1. closest to the frame - small ring - at end stop
2. trim on small ring so I can use smaller sprockets without chain rub
3. trim on big ring to use the larger sprockets without chain rub
4. furthest away from frame - big ring for use on smaller sprockets - at end stop

Maybe it is similar on your setup.

I did think this might have been the case, but when I took it out of the shop it was set up as a 3 stop ( or at least the top 3 stops directly correlated to the chainrings.

No, unfortunately there is no "manual" for the gears that came with the bike - the only manual online is a very simple 5 stage process.

http://www.microshift.com.tw/support.html

wolfsbane2k

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19721873#p19721873]apreading[/url] wrote:

I think Microshift bought the old Shimano 2300 technology. This has 4 stops and one is a trim function as stated here. This is normal. I think with a triple it is set up so that the middle ring can have two stops allowing it to be used through the full range on the rear cassette without rubbing the front derailleur.

Having gone and fiddled at lunch time, this does make sense, and is running better now. I wish that Decathlon had set it up as such, rather than the 3 step they had set it up with originally, as I've had 400 miles getting used to a 3 stop. Does explain why the tolerances were never quite right as well.. Jumping to a 4 stop is going to be a pain.

wolfsbane2k

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19721867#p19721867]oxoman[/url] wrote:

Again I would recommend taking it back to decathlon and letting them do it as its new. A lot of people get stuck on sti shifters and don't realise that they have a trim function, again youtube would be your best friend on how to not only adjust and set-up but use the gears correctly.

Yep - will do so, it's booked in on Friday as it means a train ride with the bike, but I've still got another 3 days of commuting to do until then. I'm trying to avoid being dependant on Decathlon, or the LBS for this type of maintenance though - desperately hoping to reduce expenditure!

wolfsbane2k

Ffs, I'm here again.
I'm completely unable to get this right. After a strip clean I've tried to refettle with the intention of reducing my cross chaining and I can't get it to drop from the largest sprocket to the middle sprocket without tuning it so that it rubs.
If it's a four place system, it only seems to be four going from smaller to larger, and 3 from larger to smaller, meaning that I can only get 3 rings down on the rear cassette before I have to drop to bottom gear and then back up to middle gear. Pondering if that is a tension issue in the rear derailleur.

I've really had enough of this now.