Front derailleur adjustment

dapower

Hi - problem I have is that chain won't drop from outer ring to middle ring...unless I push shifter pretty hard and then it drops all the way to the bottom ring. I thought I'd set upper and lower limits ok, as chain doesn't really rub or fall off, so looking for tips? Do I need to release tension on gear wire?

Thanks,
A frustrated cyclist :rolleyes:

smacl

Adjusting front deraileurs on triples can be very finicky, as I've found out over the last few years. If the chain isn't falling off the large or small rings, and you can get to the large and small rings, the problem is not your limit screws, so leave them alone. To move from a larger ring to a smaller ring, the spring in the deraileur is used, and the tension in the cable acts against this. If you can get all the way down to the small ring, the spring isn't likely to be the issue, so that leaves either cable tension, or something jamming the cable slightly. You need to check that the cable can move freely (e.g. there could be some gunk in between the inner and outer cable, or a small kink in either) and you could try loosening the cable tension slightly via the barrel adjuster. Best way I find to do this is to put the bike up on the turbo trainer, and make minor adjustments while cycling with a reasonable level of adjustment. I found that the adjustments you make without resistance on the drive train are way less accurate. If the problem persists, it could be worth replacing cable inners and outers.