I got shorter cranks on my touring bike so I removed the big ring and got smaller middle and granny chainrings. The middle ring is 32t. The gap between the front derailleur and chainring is 2 cm, which I know is huge. The chain doesn’t drop, but that’s because of the bashguard. The shifting was mostly ok, but how much of that was because it’s friction shifting?
The reason I started this thread is because my frame was recently damaged. I am considering whether or not I will have a frame builder fix it. I’m considering getting a new bike where the bottle boss wouldn’t interfere with the front derailleur IF that improves the front shifting.
by BigglyPigglyWiggly
2 Comments
If you still have the derailleur that was meant for a triple crankset, but you just have the lower 2 of the 3 chainrings, you wouldn’t need to lower the derailleur to follow the usual 1 – 3 mm rule. In fact it would almost certainly make shifting worse I would imagine.
I don’t really see anything if it’s friction and it’s not dropping. I always just like to test it really vigorously (in the workstand and on test rides) by pedaling as fast as possible and shifting as fast as possible to simulate a worst-case-scenario shift while riding and see if I can get the chain to drop. If your limits are set and no drops, seems like there’s no problem here.
If you value the frame and the cost of repair is worthwhile to you, then you just need a different front derailleur with a different clamp for this.
This page discusses the different types, high clamp vs low clamp. You want the low clamp style. [https://bike.bikegremlin.com/1297/bicycle-front-derailleur-compatibility/](https://bike.bikegremlin.com/1297/bicycle-front-derailleur-compatibility/)
A dedicated 2x FD made for a 32/22 or similar would likely shift better anyway, even before considering the gap/height. For the other variables, you want it to match your current setup (e.g. top/bottom pull, chainstay angle, chainline, etc.). Looks like your cable is bottom routed i.e. bottom pull but most MTB FDs work with either type.. at least the 10 speed and up ones, the 9 speed and below are less universal (FD chain speed doesn’t need to match what you are actually running, so something like a 10 speed FD on a 9 speed drivetrain is generally ok but not always). Sorry for being a bit vague/confusing but there’s a lot I don’t know about your bike/setup just looking at one picture.
Nice thing about friction shifting is that’s one variable you don’t need to worry about (cable pull and pull ratio).