ian0789

So I finished the last upgrade on my one bike. I picked up a set of Microshift - SB-R08 for my triple. The shifter has 3 clicks just like my Sora shifters. But I cant get the pull down for the life of me. It goes something like this. Set my Lower screw perfect then hand pull the slack out of the cable and clamp the cable down (It is routed the proper way over the pull tab) Then I go to shift from my small to middle ring. It takes me 2 clicks to get to the chain ring after I adjust the tension some on the barrel adjuster. From then on it just goes down hill. I have to crank the barrel adjusters so much just to get the chain to go from the middle to the large chainring and then once I get it to shift I cant down shift unless I drop a bunch of cable tension from the barrel.

I just cant figure it out. If I can get it to shift then I cant get it to down shift. If I can get it to down shift then I rub on the large ring and rub on the smallest ring. I have spent the last 3 days in the cold garage trying to fix this. Took it to my bike shop but He was closed. I am about a try away from just judo chopping this thing.

Any idea on what I am doing wrong? If I pull by hand I can get the last bit of tension I need to shift it so I dont think its the High limit screw but I cant seem to get it down for the life of me. My old Sora shifters as much as I hated them never gave me this much trouble. The Microshift shifters are brand new as well so its not like there is crap inside the housing. Cable is sliding free.

I am using:
Microshift - SB-R08 3x8 speed shifters
Shimano 105 FD FD-5504

FBinNY 

At first glance this seems to be a problem of mis-matched cable response ratios. You can test this easy enough if you still have your old levers and a spare cable and short length of housing. Thread the cable, and shift to high (off the bike is fine). Mark the wire where it emerges then shift back to low pulling out the wire as you do so. Note the distance it moves. Repeat on your bike using a cable stop as the point of reference.

It should be the same otherwise the FD won't respond the same. If it is the same and the FD isn't working right, you might be threading the cable wrong (though this usually yields over, nut under travel).

In any case, regardless of cause you can increase the FD travel per click by attaching the wire inboard of the bolt, or other guides. The shorter lever arm means that the FD will move farther for any given cable movement. In this case two wrongs may make a right, but you're better off figuring out where the other error is, and fixing that so you can make the FD work as designed.

mconlonx

Sounds like you're doing everything right. I set up a Microshift double front shifter and it worked out just fine, just like it should. No experience with the triple version. Could be a defective unit. Can you return for exchange?

ian0789

Thank you both for the replies. I ended up just taking a deep breath and going at it one more try. I took the cable and instead of going over the pull tab into the slit I went under it and that gave me the small pull I wasnt getting from the tension. That literately drove me nuts. I was starting to think it was a busted set or something. I am not a master of front derailleurs but I can normally get them to work perfect after a few adjustments and doing all the steps but good god I thought I was going to lose it!

Its funny because I was starting to think they maybe sent me double only shifters and it was a trim click but after going back and checking a 9speed set and my old sora shifters I was dead set on to getting it to work. Well hopefully by using a different route it holds up and doesnt damage the derailleur.