Chain doesn't move out of big ring

rowanharley
rowanharley Posts: 76
in Your road bikes
Hi all, So I'm trying to get back on the bike after maybe a year or so off it, and I've just realised that I can't move my chain into the small ring. I messed around with the limit screws to make sure if everything was in order, and it seems to be, but this hasn't helped at all. One thing I've noticed is that when the chain is on the big ring and smallest rear gear, the derailleur isn't parallel to the big ring. This seems to be true for all gears, and it's pretty noticeable.

I also attempted to turn the barrel adjuster but it doesn't seem to budge. Are there some steps I can take to potentially fix this, or do I need to turn towards a bike shop to get this fixed?

Comments

  • wongataa
    wongataa Posts: 1,001
    Take the cable off the front derailleur. Verify the derailleur can move freely by moving the cage with your hand. Verify the cable moves freely when operating the shifter. Check that the cable isn't fraying/damaged where it connects to the shifter.

    If the cable doesn't move freely or is damaged replace it. If the derailleur doesn't move freely give it a good clean.

    Now get the installation instructions for your derailleur from the manufacturer's website. Set it up from scratch following the instructions. Now you know how to set up and adjust your front derailleur.
  • Munsford0
    Munsford0 Posts: 678
    If it's not been used for a year it's possible something has seized up. As a first step I'd second the suggestion to detach the cable from the FD and see if the mechanism can be moved by hand, and if the cable moves freely in the outer.
  • MattFalle
    MattFalle Posts: 11,644
    can only be three things:

    shifter
    mech
    cable

    start st the easiest, end at the trickiest
    .
    The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
  • racerex
    racerex Posts: 69
    Barrel adjuster? On the front derailleur? Where?
  • alwaystimetotorque
    alwaystimetotorque Posts: 226
    There is usually a barrel adjuster for a front mech - quite often an inline one on newer frames where some/all of the cables are internal. On older frames there is usually one on the down tube cable stop.
  • Munsford0
    Munsford0 Posts: 678
    Ditto ^ I installed inline adjusters on my carbon bike because it didn't have provision for them on the downtube. Winter bike has conventional barrel adjusters at the DT cable stops. I find setting up a FD a lot easier with an adjuster.

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