goldfinch

Front der is an EXAGE 400LX. The up shift with trigger shifters is extremely difficult. It downshifts easily. This is what I have done:

1. Cleaned out shifters with PB blaster.
2. New cable and housing.
3. Made absolutely sure the cable routing is correct (over the little tab at the connection point)
4. Limits are correct and cable tension correct.

No luck. So, I next put on a different set of shifters I know are good. No difference.

So, I am left with the derailleur. It is a bit stiff when pulling by hand but doesnt seem terribly stiff. I oiled the movable parts.

Any other ideas? .

WT160

I had a lot of trouble with a Shimano derailleur recently. Cable tension was a big issue, as well as the lower limit. Are you sure that yours are right?

Also, have you checked your geometry (height and angle?)?

goldfinch

Cable tension and lower limits checked and rechecked. In fact, cable tension doesn't seem to matter a whole hill of beans on this bike.

I did go through to make sure that the rotation and height are correct. It has one of those old biospace cranks with the oval rings so that is always an odditity.

andrewclaus

Any excessive length leading to extra bends in the housing? I've fixed this problem on some bikes by removing as little as three or four inches of housing, say if it's making an extra bend around the head tube..

goldfinch

I"ll look and see if I can shorten.

EDIT: Took off about an inch and a half, the max I could get rid of. No difference.

Ugh!

Moe Zhoost

I had that issue with a Shimano FD once (I don't remember the model.. The spring was so strong that my wife could not exert enough pressure to shift up. I don't recall what the pull measured at using a bare cable, but it was much more than others that I tried. I know that Shimano FDs are sometimes sensitive to cable routing but this was triple checked as correct. The only thing that worked was replacing it.

canklecat

Check the cable routing. Some derailleurs are picky and can be set up more than one way.

If the cable runs through a metal or plastic guide brazed or screwed onto the bottom bracket, try adding a bit of cable liner or something comparable to reduce friction. In a pinch I've used plastic stems from cotton swabs. They're hollow, tough and just the right size for shifter cable. Really helps reduce friction and makes shifting slicker with some setups. Currently I'm using transparent cable liner on my old Univega with Exage 500CX group, and plastic stems from cotton swabs on my Ironman with Suntour GPX group. Either way, it slicks up the shifting, much better than the draggy metal on metal feel of cable against brazed on metal guides.

FTB

First of all, since you flushed the shifter, I'm assuming that the lever feel lead you to do this, but following your train of thought, it is likely the FD itself
I see WT already replied mentioned this but I thought I should just share what's worked for me in the past especially with oval chainrings like your biopace ones or rotor QRings too in my case.

Make sure that there is just enough space between the cage and big ring teeth to pass a 2mm allen key through at the chainring's lowest part. Grab a large allen key or straight edge or metal rule and line it up with the fd cage to aid alignment, and make any necessary adjustments. From there, whether you had to mkae any adjustments or not, instead of lining the cage up perfectly straight, try angle the cage so that it points inward toward the front of the bike. (like a back slash on keyboard when viewed from rider perspective)
This usually works for me. The explanation I have come up with is that it's because it lets more of the lowest part of your biopace rings engage with the chain before it returns to its highest part (lowest = furthest from spindle) when shifting into the big ring.

I hope this helps,
Luke

goldfinch

Interesting tip on the rotation. I'll try that tomorrow.

goldfinch

Yeah, I am confident of the cable routing, but I will try the tip on bottom bracket guide.

FTB

I should have mentioned to very slightly toe the cage in. Very slightly. It is more that slightly in is better than slightly out if anything. And make sure the indexing is appropriate after changing cage rotation too.
Hope it solves your problem

goldfinch

Tried adjusting cage. Tweaked a few times for minor changes. Checked indexing. No difference in shifting.

I hunted around to see if I had any ders that had the 28.6 clamp size, I don't have any that aren't for road bikes. Unfortunately, our bike coop which has used parts is closed due to the virus. I might take the risk and buy a cheap front derailleur.

I do have a set of twist shifters. Anyone think that those shifters might make a difference? I am doing this bike for a friend who has arthritis, that is why I am sensitive to how hard it is to push to upshift. I don't think she could do it going from the middle ring to the big ring.

canklecat

Very familiar. Between injuries and arthritis sometimes my wrists and every finger joint ache.

Try a swept bar and bar-end shifters. That's what I've used on one hybrid for a couple of years.

Twist grip shifters can work for some folks. I have Shimano RevoShift on a comfort hybrid/errand bike and they work well, as long as they're in good condition. RevoShift aren't repairable -- about 95% plastic, snapped together, with a few metal screws and springs. If anything cracks it's replace-only. But they don't cost much.

My favorite hybrid came with an Exage 500CX group and thumb shifters (no trigger, thumbies only). After those shifters got balky I tried SunRace SLM10 friction shifters for awhile and they worked pretty well. But a couple of years ago I switched to Shimano bar end shifters. Perfect. I wouldn't go back.

With swept handlebars and bar end shifters I can use the base of my palm to push the shift levers down, and hook a little finger or little/ring finger combo to pull up. No problems with wrist pain.

Also helps to use ergo grips with a palm shelf to support the base of the wrist. There are several brands. Those with locking collars to prevent grip slipping are probably better.

FTB

Sorry to hear it didn't work. Best of luck with another FD if you manage to find one
Luke

goldfinch

Ordered a new front der that is cheap and maybe has a weaker spring. We will see.

goldfinch

For purposes of completeness, the new front der was pointless. Changed to twist shifter and that took care of the problem.