How to Adjust Your Front Derailleur
Applies to most 3-chainring derailleur systems.
Today we’re going to learn how to adjust the front derailleur. Make sure that you’ve already set up your rear derailleur, as you will need to access all of your rear gears for this tutorial.
Front Derailleur Components
Height Adjustment
The first step is to adjust the derailleur’s height and angle using the positioning clamp that attaches the derailleur to your bike’s frame. This can be a bit tricky, since tightening the clamp’s bolt will set both height and angle at the same time. To make things easier, tighten the clamp so that it is secure, but loose enough to move it around with your hand.
For correct height adjustment, position the bottom of the derailleur cage as close to the largest sprocket teeth as possible, so that it still clears. Manufacturers recommend a 2mm spacing, but this is only meant as a general guide and not a rule. The lower the cage is, the better it will shift. While you’re in this position, take a quick look at the curvature of the large chainring and the outer derailleur cage, to make sure no part of the cage is rubbing on the chainring.
Angle Adjustment
The derailleur angle is set by looking down from above. This can be tricky and requires some patience, as the shape of the derailleur cage is often not straight. You’ll want to imagine a centerline in the middle of the cage, which should line up with the center line of your frame. Once the angle is correct, you can completely tighten the positioning clamp.
Limit Screws
There are two gear limit screws. On older derailleurs the low-gear limit is closest to the frame, but some newer models have reversed the screw’s positioning.
Low Gear Limit
To adjust the low-gear limit, first make sure your chain is shifted to the largest sprocket in the rear, and the smallest sprocket in the front. The low-gear limit stop stops the derailleur from shifting past the smallest chainwheel and throwing the chain onto the bottom bracket shell. If it is too loose, the chain will fall off when you downshift to the small chainring. If it is too tight, it might not shift down at all. Ideally, you want to set up the inner plate so that it barely clears the chain in the lowest gear. However, triple chainrings like this one sometimes require a tiny bit of extra spacing.
High Gear Limit
To adjust the high-gear limit, shift the chain into your highest gear, that is, smallest sprocket in the rear, and the largest sprocket in the front. The high-gear limit prevents the chain from shifting past the largest chainwheel and throwing the chain out into your pedals. Ideally you want the cage to stop just after it clears the chain on the large chainring.
Shifting Adjustments
Now that both limit screws are set up, shift back to the largest sprocket in the rear, and the smallest in the front. Make sure your front shifter is in the lowest gear position, and pull the shift cable to eliminate any extra slack, before tightening the cable bolt.
Shift the front derailleur to the middle gear, and run through the entire range of rear sprockets to make sure the chain does not rub on either side of the front derailleur cage. If it does rub, you can adjust the trim by tweaking the barrel adjuster on your front shift lever. If you have an older friction shifter, often you will have to manually adjust the trim while riding.
This tutorial was based on the most common type of drivetrain, and assumes that you are using the components your derailleur was designed for. If you have a customized set of chainrings and/or derailleurs, you may need to try some different techniques, or even take your bike into a shop for further adjustment.
Related Links
- Jim Langley: Front Derailleur Adjustment
- Park Tool: Front Derailleur Adjustment
- Sheldon Brown: Front Derailer Adjustment
- Utah Mountain Biking: Tuning the Front Derailleur
- Bicycle Torque Specifications
Related Tools
- Park Tool HXS-1.2 Hex Wrench Set
- Park Tool Wrench Combo Set
- Tri-Flow Superior Lube
- Park Tool SA-3 Heavy Duty Shop Apron
- Park Tool SK-3 Starter Mechanic Tool Kit
- Park Tool PK-3 Professional Tool Kit
Categories
Discuss this topic in the Bicycle Repairs and Mechanics Forum
Need help finding a new rear derailleur
Lastest post 14 hours agoHere's my repair situation: I have a what seems like a relatively nice road bike which I found for free on the side of the road years ago. Around three years ago, while cycling, there was a stuck link in the chain that caused it to jam. As I was pedaling uphill, the force caused the metal near the mount screw on the rear derailleur to shear. I have recently wanted to repair this bike. Unfortunatel...
Read moreRemoving DT Shifter Bosses? (Not sure exactly...)
Lastest post 5 days agoHey Everyone, New here and I'm currently taking on a small project on converting an old-school Fuji to a SS/Fixed flipflop. Firstly I want to thank you for your time and I'm looking forward to being in this forum as a regular 😁 So im currently having trouble figuring out how to remove the DT Shimano shifters seeing as I don't want to ruin the frame, but do want a nice clean frame look. is the...
Read moreAxle is clunky/not spinning smoothly, is this an issue of bearings or cub/cone?
Lastest post 5 days agoI'm fairly new to bike repair aside from regular maintenance. Lately I've noticed by rear wheel has not been spinning properly--it's a Shimano 105 hub and axle. When I spin it freely on the bike, or when I spin it when the wheel is off, if feels clunky, like the axle is spinning into 'grooves' or 'notches'. I have two videos to show: On bike: https://imgur.com/a/SQX0I3P Off bike: https://imgur.c...
Read moreCant find broken cog for Next Powerclimber
Lastest post 7 days agoOk, so I am not real fluent with bikes, however I am attempting to repair my girlfriends Next PowerClimber 24". The cog that holds the rest of the sprockets on the rear tire is threaded to lock them in place. The cog is cracked and the threads are not holding allowing the rest of the sprockets to fall off. I have attempted to find a place to buy this broken threaded cog with no luck. I am get...
Read moreBike Chain Falling Off
Lastest post 1 week agoMy chain keeps falling off especially when I transition from 1st to 2nd chain ring. I also feel like I have to use a lot more pressure to shift from 1st to 2nd compared to going from 2nd to 3rd, which just might be me but I thought it was relevant to include. I am not super mechanically inclined so I can't diagnose an issue on my bike like this. Can you please tell me whats the issue and maybe how...
Read moreCassette compatibility question
Lastest post 1 week agoA short questions for those knowledgeable. I currently have on my bike a Shimano HG50-11-36t 10 speed cassette. Would the HG81-11-36t 10 speed be a direct replacement or will I encounter problems?...
Read morePodcasts with bike mechanics
Lastest post 1 week agoHello everyone. Are there any podcasts about cycling and more specifically bike mechanics? I have been learning more about bike repairs recently and would love to hear tricks from guys with know-how; need something to listen to during the work....
Read moreTire and Rim sizes
Lastest post 1 week agoI was looking into wheels, just for the heck of it, and something is confusing me. I have a cruiser. The tires are 26" x 2.125" (57 x 559) The rim is 1.25". Cruiser wheels, online, are 1.75" The difference between a 1.75" cruiser rim, and the 1.25" rims I have, is approximately half-inch. I bought the bike, new, from a bike shop, and bought white wall cruiser tires for it. It had wide tires o...
Read moreTools for bottom bracket on 1970s Sekine
Lastest post 2 weeks agoHi folks! I was directed here by the folks over at r/bikewrench as I hear you are a helpful lot! I have a beautiful old Sekine which I think after a little research is a SHC 271 from the mid seventies. Unfortunately I was in a pretty nasty accident last year and it was out of commission for a while. I was using it indoors on my trainer and slowly going about repairs, getting it road ready again wh...
Read moreReplacing a 7-speed freewheel with a 9-speed?
Lastest post 2 weeks agoIs that possible without switching out the hub, and is that possible at all? I have a base shimano groupset and I'm in the process of upgrading everything (I'm switching out the crappy tourney der for altus 9-speed, cables etc), and I would really rather switch out my freewheel for a 9-speeder also. Do you think it's achievable?...
Read moreCan't Find Replacement for 6-Speed Shimano Cassette
Lastest post 3 weeks ago20200613_221949.jpg (Size: 64.32 KB / Downloads: 62) Hey everyone. I'm new to working on bikes and have been cleaning mine from using it at college. I replaced the chain since it was very stretched. The new chain was slipping a lot. After searching for why that was happening I concluded that I needed to replace my sprockets. The tool fitting rotates with the sprockets, so I think th...
Read moreSentimental MTN bike rebuild, need help with group sets
Lastest post 3 weeks agoHey everyone! I was led here from reddit and told to try my luck with the fine folks here on bikeride. Let me preface by saying I know I’ve seen a lot of criticism when it comes to converting a MTN bike to a road bike due to a variety of reasons. But that’s not what I’m here to discuss. I am in need of direction. My father passed away a little over 5 years ago and a little over a year ago...
Read morefinding right BB for old Dutch city bicycle
Lastest post 3 weeks agohello from Estonia, I try to help a friend in replacing bottom bracket. we don’t have the old one anymore, so we have to find out the right bottom bracket just from measurements on the frame. the frame is supposed to be an old Dutch one. Detailed pictures of left and right side of the bottom bracket are here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-D-RO479uMl7NKhsrdkNF2oPW2IdTd1U wide = 65.8...
Read moreMy Cassette is clunking on the 2 highest gears & the chain rubs the front derailleur
Lastest post 3 weeks agoAs I pedal on the highest gears (the 2 smallest rings on my casette) I can hear a pretty loud clunking/clicking noise that I can't locate the source of. The chain also drags against the front derailleur. You can hear both sounds in this video: [https://gofile.io/d/2MY8gS] Unfortunately I couldn’t upload the clip here for some reason. I just recently replaced the crank arms, gave the bottom br...
Read morePossible bad pedal bearings.
Lastest post 3 weeks agoI have these [VP Urban pedals](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2191/9809/products/vpurban__83868.1471321314.1280.960_700x.jpg?v=1501609051). One of the pedals were making a ticking sound each revolution. So I greased the hex bolt and the pedal threading with lithium grease. Not sure what the pedal hex bolt is called. Now, when I ride I'm getting a clicking feeling in the pedal on the downstroke....
Read more
