105 FD5800 Cable Fixing Point Tool - How Critical?

arlowood

Just taken delivery of a new 105 5800 groupset courtesy of Ribble.

The complete package was well priced (£296) for the GS rear mech and 11-32 cassette combination which is usually over £300 in most other outlets.

However the low price does have it's drawbacks - mainly that the parts are OEM and not boxed with all the paperwork that Shimano usually provides. That's not really an issue as I can access the relevant data sheets easily online.

I have noted however that the braze-on FD5800 does not come with the relevant "Cable Fixing Point Checking Tool" (TL-FD68)



Called Ribble and they state that they do not get this item with their OEM stock so I may have to look elsewhere.

Just wondering how critical it is to have this gizmo to set up the cable anchoring position on the mech. Is it possible to eyeball it and take a stab at whether the "converter" should be off or on.

Anonymous

I have 5800 on 2 bikes and never used it in my life. Didn't even know it existed.

There is a fantastic thread in one of the workshops on how to set up the FD - basically you over-trim the lower limit screw (so the FD is more 'in' than it needs to be), pull the cable tight (I use pliers to get extra tension), tighten pinch bolt, then re-trim the FD outwards, putting more tension into the cable using the inner limit screw.

What is very odd is that on one bike I over trim it 'in' when tightening the pinch bolt to get extra tension and on the other I over trim it 'out' prior to tightening the pinch bolt to get extra tension. May be to do with the way the cable is routed through the BB - one's an alu frame where it follows round the BB and one is carbon with a teeny hole coming through the BB shell.

bianchi_dave

I fitted a 6800FD a couple of weeks back, then when doing a bit of garage clearing, found the tool in the FD box! Checked the Shimano DM online to find out what its for and when I checked the bike I noticed that when the derailleur was at its lowest point, the gear cable was touching the inside edge of the cage. Re routed cable with aid of tool and now its fine. I would say you'll be fine without the tool - if cable fouls against the cage, just move the small adapter bolt thingy so the cable is more inbound. The online manual explains how to move from 'on to off' and vice versa.

Secteur

Fitted two of these derailleurs from new and both times wondered what that little gizmo was before discarding it as I thought it was just packaging! Both chain sets run perfectly, so I'd say not essential at all so long as you have some idea on basic bike mechanics

ddraver

To answer the question - there are two holes on the back of the FD, place the tool in them and pull the cable up to the bolt. If it is on the left hand side of the line then just fit as normal, if it is on the right hand side then the bolt can be reconfigured (I guess to give more clearance??). Both my bikes were well to the left though so I can't comment on the difference it makes.

The only other thing is that the cable should do something weird over the little metal bar too.

Secteur

Secteur wrote:

Fitted two of these derailleurs from new and both times wondered what that little gizmo was before discarding it as I thought it was just packaging! Both chain sets run perfectly, so I'd say not essential at all so long as you have some idea on basic bike mechanics

PS, both of mine didn't have anything printed on them - they were just white plastic - hence me thinking they were just packaging (so not a total idiot!). Plus, previous Shimano 105 sets I had built up didn't have such a gizmo.