djdelarosa25

Hi! My road bike has a Claris R2000, and I set up the front derailleur by following the Shimano Dealer's Manual in the steps detailed below:

1. Shift to smaller chainring.
2. Screw in barrel adjuster until it stops turning, then back off a few turns.
3. Unclamp cable bolt and derailleur bolt.
4. Make sure the derailleur cage is aligned properly (few mms above the larger chainring and parallel). Reclamp bolt.
5. Pull cable tightly, clamp and tighten bolt.
6. Shift to largest rear cog, adjust L-limit screw so inner cage has a gap of a mm to the chain.
7. Shift to larger chainring, then perform trim.
8. Use barrel adjuster to create 0.5 mm gap between chain and inner cage.
9. Shift back to larger chainring (no trim) and smallest rear cog.
10. Adjust H-limit screw so outer cage has a gap of a mm to the chain.

And that's it. However, I notice that it takes significant effort to shift into the big ring when out riding. I'm a pretty small guy (165 cm, 60 kg) and whenever I want to shift up, my whole arm position would change just to add some leverage. I also noticed the lever motion is not like a smooth shifting motion, rather I have to press hard on the lever until it snaps suddenly, then it shifts. Is this normal behavior?

P.S.: The bike is a month old and I've seen how the mechanics at our shop tune these things, they don't compensate for trim. While I personally don't use trim, I'm led to believe that proper cable tensioning is established in the trim position. Hence, why I do the adjustment myself.

Racing Dan

"this stiff" ..

well, the devil is in the detail. It may not be claris or not claris, or your adjustment that is the issue. Its may be cable friction and/or the geometry of the cable pull. I have to different bikes, both with tiagra 4700. One is much stiffer than the other for no apparent reason. The stiff one have external cables under the bottom bracket and the other have the cables routed in thin tubes. The angle of the cable pull appear a bit different too. Seems to make a lot of difference.

smashndash

I don't know how stiff "this stiff" is but I think there is good reason that Shimano abandoned the long arm design. It's supposed to, as you noted, start off hard and then snap into the shift. This prevents partial shifting. However, depending on the geometry of the cabling, the torque effectiveness of the cable might be lower on your bike than on others. So the initial cable tension might be just compressing the arm rather than actually moving it.

Maybe the cabling/anchor angle can be changed? Not sure. You can also increase the cable tension a bit.

Paul Barnard

I have a hunch you are pushing against your limiter. Try backing off of it. Obviously, don't back off of it so much you dump your chain.

Iride01 

I also have to think that you are simply bumping the limit. Whether it's the low limit on the rear or the high limit on the front, it can be one of two things.

1. Your cable is to short in the hold fast. Your chain goes in that last gear but you find the cable tension gets greater before the shifter clicks. Simply turn any barrel or inline adjuster on that cable to lengthen it. (screw it in) Or reset the cable in the holdfast to give it a tad more length.
2. Your limit is ever so slightly to far in. If your cable tension increases prior to the chain fully moving to the big cog when shifting the rear or to the big ring on the front, then you need to move the limit just enough to relax the tension and all the shift to complete both for the chain and the shifter.

Jack Tone 

If your cable goes through a plastic guide under the bottom bracket, make sure it's clean and put a drop of lube on it.

Iride01 

Did you use the converter tool to gauge where to set the position of the converter switch?

https://si.shimano.com/api/publish/s...001-01-ENG.pdf

page 14.

base2 

I concur with Iride01
I had/have a fancy race bike & the shop that built it placed the cable on the wrong side of the adaptor at the fixing bolt. I had to try to shift so hard I feared breaking the shifter...then it would snap into place, shifting instantly.

The solution was to take the shift cable from the less vertical position where it pulled nearly straight in-line with the derailleur hinge points/pivots to a slightly more vertical configuration where the cable pulled more offset or across the hinge pivots.

You'll need to disconnect the cable & remove the fixing bolt to turn around the little plastic selecting block with the metal pin in it.

Edited.

djdelarosa25

Thanks for all your replies.

Unfortunately, I don't think this is the case. I have backed off the H-limit screw as far as it could go and the shifting performance is the same.

I'll do that, thanks! Would chain lube be enough?

My bike is a built bike so I think the manufacturer (Giant) has already set the optimal converter position.

iterax

Also, lube the "hinges" of the FD. Don't know if this will help as yours is a new bike.

Iride01 

Well in your OP you said you had to set up the DR. So I wouldn't assume anything about what the manufacturer might have done. Bikes get shipped to the bike shops and have to be assembled. To what degree I'm not really sure. But if you got a bike and had to assemble it yourself, I'd be looking for that tool to assess which way to flip the converter switch.

On some bikes it's a toss up which way it needs to go and possibly either is okay. On other bikes, they'll need the switch in a particular position. And mistakes happen even at the manufacturer or bike shop. So simply check it and find out.