aaronM46

I have a new Schwinn Network 3.0 Hyrbrid bike. It was a gift and came with the front derailleur broken so I couldn't have it replaced. I bought a replacement but I cannot get it adjusted properly.

It is a 21 speed. 7 cogs in the back and 3 up front. The front derailleur is a top pull. I have watched tons of Youtube videos on how to adjust it and nothing seems to work. It has twist shifters.

Of the videos I have watched they all seem to assume you have an initial front derailleur with cable tension already set. Mine is new and I don't know how to set the initial cable tension. If it is just barely taught the twist shifter won't click. This is in the smallest front cog and largest rear cog. If I back off the tension even a little it will click shifts at the shifter but won't pull it up to the middle cog.

I am just not sure what to do at this point.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

maddog34

Well heck.. let's try an ARTICLE with Pictures then...and you're gonna need to Do one extra little trick i like too... https://www.wikihow.com/Adjust-a-Shi...20adjuster.%20

Now.. before you set the Cable tension.. the Tourney Der. has a Tab on the cable clamp.. the cable Needs To Be Outside of the Tab, THEN wrapped around the Clamp bolt/nut between the head and actuator arm..... that tab puts the cable at the correct distance from the pivot and makes shifting easier.... once the cable is clamped, reset the low gear adjustment... if this is confusing, Go to Walmart or Costco and Look At A Shimano Tourney-Equipped Bike to SEE what i'm mentioning... it is VERY important that the cable is routed Correctly.

You're certain the Derailleur you bought is a TOP Pull, correct? what Derailleur? Model? brand? Part Number on the back?

hokiefyd 

I think the Park Tool video series on derailleur adjustment is pretty good. Here's the one covering front derailleurs:


The only thing I'd add to that, especially since you're concerned about cable tension, is after you get the L limit screw set, that's generally when you would adjust the cable so that there's no extra slack when the derailleur is sitting against the L limit screw and the shifter is in the 1 position. If your cable has slack here, then you're probably not going to get good shifting up to the middle ring. I think Park Tools' rear derailleur video advises undoing the cable adjustment bolt entirely when you set the limit screws, and I think that's a good idea for the front also. Undoing that bolt ensures cable tension is not influencing your limit screw adjustment, and it brings it back to a baseline situation like you're in -- where you've fitted a new derailleur to the bike. So, I would:

1. Adjust the physical derailleur installation like they show in the video.
2. Set the L limit screw to about where you think looks right.
3. Attach the cable and pull somewhat taught when you affix it so you can do the L limit screw testing, like they show in the video.
4. Once you're happy with the L limit screw adjustment, loosen the cable bolt and re-tighten, pulling all slack from the cable. Fix the cable bolt and test the L limit screw again per the video instructions.
5. Move to the U limit screw like they show in the video.
6. Move to index adjustment like they show in the video.

At that point, your derailleur should be aligned correctly on the bike, the L and U limit screws should be set correctly, your cable tension should be set correctly, and your barrel adjuster on your shifter should be adjusted correctly to get relatively good indexed shifting. Front shifting is usually not precision art; your goal is generally to get relatively consistent and reliable operation and it can be done with some practice or trial-and-error. If you can't get the indexing correct and just generally don't like it, you do have some options for non-indexed front shifters, which many people prefer in general (due to the more finnicky nature of front shifting). You can get these in twist shifter configurations and in thumb shifter configurations. With a non-indexed shifter, you don't have the 1/2/3 positions -- it's just a bunch of smaller clicks during the range of motion that allow you to stop the cable movement anywhere along that spectrum, to correspond where you want the front derailleur to be. In practice, this usually works pretty well for front shifting.

Kontact 

It sounds like you have never installed or adjusted a front derailleur. This may not be the time to learn to do that, on your own.

aaronM46

It is a Shimano Front Derailleur FD-A073. I am starting to wonder if this is NOT a top pull that I have. The cable on my frame comes down the back of the seat tube.


I will take pics so you can see if I have the cable routed correctly.


If I set the L screw like the Park video suggests and take out slack on the cable the shifter will not move from 1 to 2 at all. If I take out slack then it will click. This is where I am having issues.

mpetry912 

very quick suggested steps for the beginner:

Put the bike in low low gear - small front ring, large rear cog. Cable is disconnected..
Install the FD so that the outer plate is parallel to the big chainring, and clears it by 3-4 mm (this is important)
adjust the inner limit screw so that the cage just barely clears the inner plates of the chain
connect the cable and tighten the clamp bolt.
... note some Shimano FDs have a little nub that the cable must go over before going thru the clamp
using the lever, shift to the large ring.
If the chain drops off, rurn the outer limit screw clockwise (in) If it won't shift to the large ring, turn the outer limit screw CCW (out)
repeat the previous step until it shifts reliably without dropping

easy !

/markp

aaronM46

Yep. I have the wrong derailleur. I will have to get a different one.

I am looking at this one on Amazon.

SHIMANO Unisex's FDM313X6

maddog34

ummm,,, it seems that is a BOTTOM PULL derailleur.Shimano Tourney FD-TX51/TX50, FD-A073/A070 Front Derailleurs

Specifications:

• Drivetrain Speeds: 7
• Front Der/Shifter Compatibility: Shimano Road
• Double or Triple: Triple
• Front Derailleur Clamp: 28.6 (1-1/8")
• Max Ring (teeth): 50
• Front Derailleur Style: Traditional
• Derailleur Capacity: 20
• Front Derailleur Cable Pull: Bottom Pull

Problem solved, .. kinda... you'll need an actual TOP PULL derailleur.... Does the curve of that derailleur follow the chainring radius well? is the clamp size well fitted to the seat tube? these things matter.

Best plan is to go to a local Co-op or Bike shop and ask them for the correct derailleur.... or you can search the internet/ebay/amazon/etc for a "Front MTB derailleur, 28.6mm clamp, 7 speed, triple, Top Pull" .

then read the article, get that bike tuned in, and be riding in a matter of minutes.

aaronM46

Will a derailleur that says friction in the description work with click/twist shifters or only with friction shifters?

aaronM46

I would love to be able to post a picture of my broken one but I don't have enough posts yet.

Iride01 

Just upload your pics to the gallery here on BF and let us know that you put them there. Someone will find them and post them for you.
Gallery

Iride01 

Is this one of your pics?

oldbobcat

One way or another, shift the chain to its innermost position. That would be the biggest cog in back and the smallest up front. Set the front derailleur on the frame so the outer plate is parallel to and clearing the big ring by 1-2mm. Set the low limit screw so the chain clears the inner plate by a couple mm. Shift the front derailleur to first cog (loosest). Retract the barrel adjuster all the way. Attach the cable so it's got just a little bit of slack. Then adjust cable tension for indexing and high limit so you don't drop the chain.

Crankycrank

Check this video out if you haven't seen it already. Covers installation to fine tuning.

maddog34

here's the Shimano Spec sheet on that Part number... https://bike.shimano.com/en-US/produ...0/FD-A073.html

Bottom pull. "Action/Down swing"

same on Ebay and Amazon...I ran searches with "top pull" added... same result.

aaronM46

Yes, that is my pic. I am restricted to how many posts I can make in 24 hours so I may not be able to post again. Not sure this will go through. Stupid restrictions.

I have the wrong derailleur. I know that. I really am not happy with the components on this bike at all. My girlfriend bought it for me as a gift because she knew I wanted a bike. Good intentions but not a great bike. Everything seems good but the mech components. Even the front gears are not true.

I am just going to replace everything. New 9-speed cassette, rear derailleur, chain, front derailleur, front gears, etc. Would have been about the same price to buy a better bike in the long run but I can't do that. Better to fix what I have than to insult my lady.

I am looking at the Shimano Acera series to go to 3x9. I have taken most of my bike apart to measure everything. I need a couple of tools to finish taking it apart to measure so I get the right parts.

maddog34

Ok.. but your 7 speed rear Wheel Hub won't accept a 9 speed Cassette....you will need a 8-9-10 sp. Freehub type rear wheel/hub... .And you'll need to measure the frame to see if it is a 130mm or 135 mm distance between the rear axle dropouts. Measure from inside face to inside face where the Rear Axle mounts to the bike frame... 135mm is good, 130mm makes things a bit tougher to upgrade to 9 speed.. what is your Wheel size again? 26" tire or 29"/700c?. And this is a good time to learn about the HUB types too... here's an article on how to tell the difference between freewheel and freehub setups...freewheels use a Threaded hub mount.. Freehubs use a lockring and splines, and the ratchet mechanism is part of the hub.

https://bike.bikegremlin.com/199/bic...el-vs-freehub/

smd4

It’s been suggested by at least one poster that you might not have the skill set (yet) to replace or adjust a front derailleur. And now you’re jumping to replacing everything? You might want to rethink this.

grumpus

The basic quality parts will work fine if they're properly set up - use them until they break or wear out, before replacing them with better quality parts.

aaronM46

So I decided just to get a different derailleur. I bought a cheap Tourney derailleur on Amazon. It is the correct one now. I was able to get it mostly working fine. I can get two out of three of the front sprockets working great now. The issue now is that that front gearset is not true. I can watch as I pedal it and I can plainly see the wobble. The chain moves a few mm right and left with the wobble which is why I can't get all three front sprockets silent.

I will disassemble the front gear set and measure everything so I know what I need to buy. The lower bracket is the square type and the arms are 175mm. I still want to open it up and see what is there because it was not standard when I opened up the rear. The bearings are not cartridge style. They are held in place by a conical seat that threads onto the shaft. Also, the hub part with grooves where the sprockets slide on is two-stepped and not straight. The larger sprockets slide onto a larger diameter spined hub piece. It also looks like someone had to grind on the spines after casting to make it work. Terrible workmanship.

And to be clear, I am not uneducated in mechanics or engineering. I am uneducated on bicycle mechanics. I learn best by trial and error. I went to college for aviation engineering and mechanics. I currently work in engineering. I like to do things myself because I have issues with other people working on things for me. For example, this particular bicycle, I took the bike to the local bike shop when I messed up the front derailleur and admitted my ignorance. They gladly took my money to "Fix" it, and what I brought home was worse off than what I took them. They had broken a spring in one of the rim brake arms, broken a shifter, and didn't get the front derailleur fixed. And today my girlfriend needed me to replace the air filter in her Honda CR-V. The people at the quicky lube had torqued the bolts to the airbox down so tightly that I needed a ratchet to loosen the screws. This is why I do things for myself.

I really appreciate all of the help from everyone. That's why these forums exist and hopefully someday I can help someone.

alcjphil

I am afraid that this isn't a realistic plan. 9 speed cassettes require a different hub than the 7 speed freewheel you have now. You will need to replace pretty much all of the drivetrain components including the rear wheel. That would mean new derailleurs, shifters, rear wheel, chain, cassette and possibly the crank as well.
EDIT: your bike has a freewheel. It is not a cassette. The type of bearings your bike has are termed "cup and cone", very common of bikes in this price range. The bottom bracket spindle may also use this same type of bearings. This is very standard for a bike like yours, nothing non standard about it

aaronM46

This may be an option in the future. The frame is pretty decent. I did have to do some welding to add some metal to the rear tab where the B screw touches the frame. There was not enough metal for the B screw to seat against the stop and the screw was sliding down. It is great now.

Changing the wheel isn't something I want to do at this time. If I do in the future I will go with a rear disc setup. The mounting points are already there on the rear of the frame but not on the front fork. I am happy with the new Shimano rim brakes I bought since the springs were broken on the cheap ones that came with it.

Currently, I have a new crankest on order to replace the bent one. I ordered a decent one in the same configuration. Hopefully, the bottom bracket isn't bent but I will get a new one if it is. If I decide to continue upgrading this eventually I will end up with a decent bike. I like to have projects but this will cost more in the long run so I don't want to do much more than make it rideable for me until Winter.

Thanks,
Aaron

alcjphil

Square taper cranks are not all interchangeable. Your bottom bracket spindle may not be the correct length for the new cranks you have ordered. It is very rare for a spindle to bend

aaronM46

After reading this and looking at that article mine looks odd. With the wheel off there is a lock ring that has to be removed to remove the sprockets. There are individual sprockets that have spacers between them and they slide onto a two-stepped splined hub. The article says that freewheel sprockets are bolted together. Mine are not.

aaronM46

I shall find out.