New bike...can't shift into big chainring!

[Buster]

Thanks everyone.

As an added data point, my husband (with large strong hands) has tried it and said that although he can shift, it is tougher to shift than any of his bikes. I'm not really comfortable taking the shim out, because I think I would rather be able to reach the brakes. I think I need to try the R700s, but I'm a little hesitant to spend the money if it doesn't work. I have another LBS that I like that I'm due for a trip to to buy some new gloves...I may ask them if they've encountered this before.

aeiea, I do a fair bit of shifting because I live in a hilly area. I'm rather hung up on this even though I think that most of my riding will be in the middle chainring because I just spent a good amount of money on this bike and I want to be able to use it properly!

I'd be grateful for any other suggestions!

[OakLeaf]

Maybe you know someone who has R700s on their bike already, or maybe one of your LBSs has a bike you can test ride, just to see how the shifters work for you.

But if you can reach the brakes as is, a couple of people on here have said that the spring tension on a Dura-Ace front derailleur is much lighter than 105 or Ultegra. That would be a much less expensive change than swapping the shifters (plus you wouldn't have to re-tape the handlebars, which is ALWAYS a plus in my book. )

[Cataboo]

Maybe have the shop completely start over on tuning the front shifter - screw the cable adjuster round things (on your down tube, can't remember what they're called), all the way in, undo the cable at the derailleur.

I know on my bike, it was initially easy to shift in the front, then I asked the bf to adjust the front derailleur and whatever he did made it much harder to shift - like the cable was just too tight to begin with, and I'm thinking he just adjusted those cable guide things...

Then just recently I changed my cranks, and I moved the front derailleur (closer in, 'cause the new cranks were narrower) and suddenly it has gotten a lot easier to shift on that bike.

I just measured my hand - from the bottom of my palm to my middle finger tip is less than 6.5 inches (probably like 6 and 3/8s). My middle finger is 2 and 3/4 inches long. I have no problems using ultegra shifters and brakes without shims. I do have them kinda adjusted to be in the perfect spot for me to reach them on the hoods. My hands are small, and my fingers are stumpy. So you should be able to reach without the shim - but you probably shouldn't have to if they tune your bike right.

[Biciclista]

i had trouble with that (not as bad as you ) before i shifted to Campy

[OakLeaf]

Catriona, what kind of a FD do you have?

As I mentioned in the other thread, reach isn't a problem for me with my R700s, but it's a BIG effort upshifting my 105 FD. Maybe 10% of the time I'll end up trimming rather than shifting, and I always have to be cautious about not steering while I shift. It's a pretty long throw, but it's the effort much more than it is the distance. And in general I've got pretty strong forearms from motorcycling.

Someone else mentioned in the other thread - maybe it was aicabsolut again - that it's an issue for both 105 and Ultegra FDs, but that the spring tension on Dura-Ace is much lower.

[Cataboo]

I think they both have ultegra front derailleurs. One is a triple with 105 shifters and the other a compact double with ultegra shifters. I haven't noticed any problems with the 105 shifters - but then that bike doesn't have any of those cable barrel adjusters, so the bf can't just screw those out to tune the bike...

He's done it to my surly as well - I've got XTR shifters with a 105 front deraileur on it - it was initially easy to shift on the front derailleur, then I asked him to adjust something - and now in order to shift up on the front derailleur, I literally have to use the palm of my hand to push it in. They're trigger shifters and I mostly commute & rarely leave the large chain ring so I haven't made a huge deal out of it... But I noticed the other day when he was looking at that bike for me that he was having a hard time shifting up on the front. I think he made the cable too tight with his adjustments.

[laura*]

He's done it to my surly as well - I've got XTR shifters with a 105 front deraileur on it - it was initially easy to shift on the front derailleur, then I asked him to adjust something - and now in order to shift up on the front derailleur, I literally have to use the palm of my hand to push it in.

Hmmm. Could the shift cable be routed wrong?

At a bike co-op I was helping someone with a really cheap department store bike. The front shifter was *really* hard to move and I think it had even split the cable housing. It turned out that the cable was clamped on the wrong side of the FD's clamp bolt. It needed to attach as far out on the pivot arm as possible.

[Cataboo]

I'll check, but I don't think so since it used to be fine, but I'll look at it tomorrow

[OakLeaf]

He's done it to my surly as well - I've got XTR shifters with a 105 front deraileur on it - it was initially easy to shift on the front derailleur, then I asked him to adjust something - and now in order to shift up on the front derailleur, I literally have to use the palm of my hand to push it in. ... I think he made the cable too tight with his adjustments.

If the cable were too tight, then the frameward side of the cage would rub the chain, or it wouldn't want to downshift, or both. It would actually be easier to shift to the big chainring, because the 105 FD is low normal.

+1 on what laura* said. The cable doesn't go where it seems like it ought to on the 105 FD. There's a little protrusion on the washer (or on the pivot arm? I forget which even though I just replaced that cable four days ago) - anyway, there's a little protrusion that looks like it's supposed to hold the cable, but it's not. It's to keep the washer from turning when you tighten the bolt. On the opposite side there's a shallow channel that's very hard to see, especially if there's any grit or dirt in there - that's where the cable goes. When it's properly installed, the cable lives on the frameward side of the pivot arm, and the end of it is pointed out toward your leg, so that it could even catch your calf or heel if you don't bend it back.


PS - a barrel adjuster is really handy. Make sure you install one the next time you replace your cable housings...

[aicabsolut]

DA is much easier to shift, but I think it's a combination of the shifter and the FD. The throw is a lot easier and shorter compared to ultegra or 105. Some of that might be due to the spring tension on the FD, but I think a lot of it is the shifter. That's because you'd have the same cable pull with DA (at least 7800) as the others because of cross-compatibility.

I think the new DA has adjustible levers, like SRAM. Anyone know if the new ultegra (6700) will too? The cable pull on that system is very different than the old because of internal routing, so you'd have to upgrade derailleurs and shifters. Then you might as well save some money and go with SRAM Rival or something.

I still think that it's likely the tuning isn't quite right. It shouldn't be impossibly hard. What does your husband have on his bikes?

[Cataboo]

+1 on what laura* said. The cable doesn't go where it seems like it ought to on the 105 FD. There's a little protrusion on the washer (or on the pivot arm? I forget which even though I just replaced that cable four days ago) - anyway, there's a little protrusion that looks like it's supposed to hold the cable, but it's not. It's to keep the washer from turning when you tighten the bolt. On the opposite side there's a shallow channel that's very hard to see, especially if there's any grit or dirt in there - that's where the cable goes. When it's properly installed, the cable lives on the frameward side of the pivot arm, and the end of it is pointed out toward your leg, so that it could even catch your calf or heel if you don't bend it back.


PS - a barrel adjuster is really handy. Make sure you install one the next time you replace your cable housings...

Oh, the bike without barrel adjusters - I'd bought a frame that evening and just had to build it up immediately. So I stripped all the pieces off an old bike & put it on the new bike. The barrel adjusters didn't fit the new bike, so they were left off. bike was finished at 2 am, and I took it for a spin. I haven't had to tune that bike since (it shifts great), so I haven't bothered to go get barrel adjusters to fit it. It does have a barrel adjuster on the rear derailleur, so I can tweak that if I have to.


Whenever I replace the cables or anything like that, I'll get it some barrel adjusters.

I checked my surly's 105 front derailleur - the cable does stick out towards my leg and the cable is clamped on the frameward side of the arm. And it looks like there's a slight groove that it's sitting in, but I didn't unscrew it to tell for sure. I don't think it's that the cable's routed wrong. But then, the cable is routed how it seems like it out to be (at least to me), so maybe it is routed wrong. I checked the diagrams on the install pdf on shimano, and it seems to be in line with that.

[kenyonchris]

i had trouble with that (not as bad as you ) before i shifted to Campy

+1 on this. Campy rocks for small handed people who hate the Shimano throw.