Ol Danl

A while back, I converted my old Raleigh Record to a triple crankset -- a Sakae Sx, with a 5N spindle, and got a decent chainline. I know there have been many questions about which FD to use when converting to a triple, and I guess this is another of them. I got it to work -- although not as well as I would like, with a cheap Shimano Tourney FD. It's cage is longer than necessary, and since the Raleigh routs the RD cable above the chainstay, it has to sit higher than desired. I believe I've read that some models of Suntour Cyclone might handle a triple, but my memory is kinda iffy, and I can't seem to find where I read that with the search function. The chainrings are 48/38/28, and the FD cage clears the chain on the 28 by about the thickness of a fingertip. The cage on the FD measures about 125mm long. Any suggestions for a high-normal vintage FD -- preferably Suntour?

The Golden Boy 

I'm pretty sure any of the old Cyclone front derailleurs will work with a triple. The first style (they came with an extension plate- but you don't need it), and the Cyclone MII ones work- I have personally used them.

Velo Mule

Thanks for the picture. Too bad you are limited on how far down you can position the front derailleur. I am guessing that your picture shows it at as far down as it can go without touching the rear derailleur cable. So, your next option would be a different front derailleur.

Ol Danl

Just re-read my post --LOW normal, I want low normal, not high. The Cyclones are low normal, right? Thanks for the quick responses, folks.

dddd

Cyclone is low-normal.

I used the old Cyclone with a 34-45-52t triple without any pins in the chainrings and it even indexed well, using MTB Rapidfire levers.
That bike went offroad a lot so it was a good, robust setup and I don't recall having any clearance issues.

As front derailers moved into the newer age of indexed shifting, their cage shapes became specific to the tooth count difference between the middle and big ring. Plenty of late-80's Suntour mtb front derailers were made for a 10t difference there and shift quite well, but I can't say which ones have plentiful cable clearance for your current setup.

Ol Danl

Well, I guess I'll start looking for a Cyclone FD, then. Thanks.

Slightspeed

I have a Cyclone II on my '73 Super Course. Works great with my Sugino AT 32/40/52 triple. It was my first ever build, and it turned out great.

thook

i've used an mkII with a large ring of 39t...paired to 36t/24t on my old gran turismo....top of stay rd cable. no rub. but, i suspect the bottom bracket isn't very low, either. probably the standard 73 deg seat tube, also

thook

@dddd

really? i've been contemplating some sti mated to a 3rd gen cyclone fd. what crank, rings, and chain did you use?

Ol Danl

The Cyclone on Slightspeed's Super Course looks like it would work on my bike -- if it will clear the small 28t chainring. Same RD cable routing.

dddd

What indexes with a Rapidfire-Plus mtb front shifter will NOT index with a road front STI shifter, unless perhaps you hack the cable attachment point to the other side of the pinch bolt.

I used a mixed Stronglight/SR-Apex front crankset having 86bcd rings.

repechage

I would consider moving the mech' down and not use the cable stop- run a section of cable housing under the bottom bracket.
it really won't move around. If it really bugs you but works, get a plastic under the BB cable guide and drill/ tap a hole to secure that.

thook

thanks

seypat

Every Suntour FD I have tried would shift a triple. Cyclone, Cyclone II, Blue Line(BL), Mountech, etc. I don't know about Superbe. Suntour made a long cage version of the Superbe II RD. There is a good chance that the matching FD will shift a triple as well. The endless band version of their FDs are hard to assemble/adjust. Get one with standard clamp/band if possible. The Shimano FD-62xx I have will work as well. That is another option.

seypat

I've always found getting parts for a vintage build to be similar to Genealogy. The component companies had to make components to serve all the areas of cycling. Velobase is like the Genealogy site for components. a person can't find the rare RD or don't want to shell out the coin for it on Ebay. They can go to Velobase, do some research and first a 1st or 2nd cousin that will work instead. That cousin came from the same era and lineage and the bike maintains it as well.

Ol Danl

Might consider what Repechage suggested -- running RD cable under the BB -- if a Cyclone, or other FD can't be found to work the way it is. Does someone not make a clamp-on chainstay stop? Or would the existing chainstay stop be okay with cable coming from underneath?

dddd

The chainstay stop would appear to be a serious problem with running the cable under the bb shell, but I fugure that swapping the current Shimano stand-in for something more aesthetically compatible makes choosing a different FD the best choice here.

Whether a double front derailer will handle a triple or not depends largely on whether the chainline falls within the range of the derailer's throw, so be prepared to adjust bb length if the derailer seems to be needing to exceed it's travel limits.