Hybrid 3x (flat bar) conversion to Road 3x (brifter) has me stumped
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2021
Posts: 21
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
Hybrid 3x (flat bar) conversion to Road 3x (brifter) has me stumped
Howdy folks. Today I was asked to convert a 3x Hybrid to a Road 3x and I thought it would be a no-brainer but I just couldn't get the Road 3x Front Derailleur to work perfectly.
Opus bike, original crank / chainrings were 42, 32, 22 - replacement cranks / chainrings are Ultegra 52, 39, 30 (I think?). The Alivio derailleur was not swapped as I thought it was capable of handling such a change.
I'm of an era which doesn't know a lot about the technical side of product differences but should a Triple FD not be capable of such a change? We also swapped from Trigger shifters to Brifter STI style...
Cable tension and routing... Check. F Derailleur alignment and height... check. DT Barrel adjustments done with slow and careful tweaking... Check. Still couldn't got all three to play well together.
I wish i had more info to offer. I'm sure your comments will stir my memory.
Thank you all in advance.
Opus bike, original crank / chainrings were 42, 32, 22 - replacement cranks / chainrings are Ultegra 52, 39, 30 (I think?). The Alivio derailleur was not swapped as I thought it was capable of handling such a change.
I'm of an era which doesn't know a lot about the technical side of product differences but should a Triple FD not be capable of such a change? We also swapped from Trigger shifters to Brifter STI style...
Cable tension and routing... Check. F Derailleur alignment and height... check. DT Barrel adjustments done with slow and careful tweaking... Check. Still couldn't got all three to play well together.
I wish i had more info to offer. I'm sure your comments will stir my memory.
Thank you all in advance.
#2
Insane Bicycle Mechanic
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: other Vancouver
Posts: 9,835
Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 802 Post(s)
Liked 703 Times
in
376 Posts
Older Shimano triple front derailleurs used different amounts of cable pull for "road"vs. "mountain" setups. The Ultegra requires less pull than the Alivio so try it.
__________________
Jeff Wills
Comcast nuked my web page. It will return soon..
Jeff Wills
Comcast nuked my web page. It will return soon..
Likes For Jeff Wills:
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 18,073
Bikes: Stewart S&S coupled sport tourer, Stewart Sunday light, Stewart Commuting, Stewart Touring, Co Motion Tandem, Stewart 3-Spd, Stewart Track, Fuji Finest, Mongoose Tomac ATB, GT Bravado ATB, JCP Folder, Stewart 650B ATB
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4201 Post(s)
Liked 3,857 Times
in
2,305 Posts
I'll also add that road and MtB frt ders (by Shimano) have rather different chain ring sizes they are optimized for. Also some MtB cranks space their rings apart more then some road ones. Andy
__________________
AndrewRStewart
AndrewRStewart
#4
Senior Member
Not compatible. You need a road triple fd, ideally designed for a 52t big ring (some are designed for 50t, you can probably get one to work but it'll be worse. )
#5
Expired Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: TN
Posts: 11,532
Mentioned: 37 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3665 Post(s)
Liked 5,413 Times
in
2,751 Posts
Yes, be sure you get the FD that is designed for the 39t middle ring. Some are for 42t.
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: Humboldt County, CA
Posts: 832
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 405 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 430 Times
in
286 Posts
I've never seen any Shimano road triple front derailleur not work on any non-weird triple crankset, including MTB cranks on 9 speed STI touring bikes, where 46/36/26 was pretty common stock gearing. Shimano didn't make a road triple FD that was "designed for" a 46T big ring, but lotsa Treks, Cannondales, and Surlys were built that way, and they shifted great.
Bicycle drivetrains are really forgiving, and specs are really conservative. Most combinations work so well that no rider in the world could tell the difference blindfolded. (Before they crashed.)
--Shannon
#7
Senior Member
Distinction without a difference, IMHO.
I've never seen any Shimano road triple front derailleur not work on any non-weird triple crankset, including MTB cranks on 9 speed STI touring bikes, where 46/36/26 was pretty common stock gearing. Shimano didn't make a road triple FD that was "designed for" a 46T big ring, but lotsa Treks, Cannondales, and Surlys were built that way, and they shifted great.
Bicycle drivetrains are really forgiving, and specs are really conservative. Most combinations work so well that no rider in the world could tell the difference blindfolded. (Before they crashed.)
--Shannon
I've never seen any Shimano road triple front derailleur not work on any non-weird triple crankset, including MTB cranks on 9 speed STI touring bikes, where 46/36/26 was pretty common stock gearing. Shimano didn't make a road triple FD that was "designed for" a 46T big ring, but lotsa Treks, Cannondales, and Surlys were built that way, and they shifted great.
Bicycle drivetrains are really forgiving, and specs are really conservative. Most combinations work so well that no rider in the world could tell the difference blindfolded. (Before they crashed.)
--Shannon
#8
Expired Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: TN
Posts: 11,532
Mentioned: 37 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3665 Post(s)
Liked 5,413 Times
in
2,751 Posts
Yeah, when Shimano switched their road triples from 52-42-30 to 52-39-30, folks found the newer FD would not clear the 42t on the older cranks. And conversely the much shallower inner plate of the older FD did not do a good job pushing the chain off a 39t. Not a biggie if folks don't know this, was a long time ago. Maybe just a reminder that we can't know what we don't know.
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Golden, CO and Tucson, AZ
Posts: 2,837
Bikes: 2016 Fuji Tread, 1983 Trek 520
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 676 Post(s)
Liked 741 Times
in
430 Posts
It may not work in this case, but try clamping the cable on the other side of the pinch bolt.
#10
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,362
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Mentioned: 152 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6218 Post(s)
Liked 4,217 Times
in
2,364 Posts
One proviso: Set up and performance is generally easier and better, respectively, for Shimano’s cheaper front derailers. Tiagra and lower are easier to set up and have a wider useful range than the higher “better” Shimano derailers.
Ifixbikes: your issue is with the mountain bike vs road bike derailer. Swap to a road and everything should work.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Likes For cyccommute:
#11
Insane Bicycle Mechanic
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: other Vancouver
Posts: 9,835
Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 802 Post(s)
Liked 703 Times
in
376 Posts
Distinction without a difference, IMHO.
I've never seen any Shimano road triple front derailleur not work on any non-weird triple crankset, including MTB cranks on 9 speed STI touring bikes, where 46/36/26 was pretty common stock gearing. Shimano didn't make a road triple FD that was "designed for" a 46T big ring, but lotsa Treks, Cannondales, and Surlys were built that way, and they shifted great.
Bicycle drivetrains are really forgiving, and specs are really conservative. Most combinations work so well that no rider in the world could tell the difference blindfolded. (Before they crashed.)
--Shannon
I've never seen any Shimano road triple front derailleur not work on any non-weird triple crankset, including MTB cranks on 9 speed STI touring bikes, where 46/36/26 was pretty common stock gearing. Shimano didn't make a road triple FD that was "designed for" a 46T big ring, but lotsa Treks, Cannondales, and Surlys were built that way, and they shifted great.
Bicycle drivetrains are really forgiving, and specs are really conservative. Most combinations work so well that no rider in the world could tell the difference blindfolded. (Before they crashed.)
--Shannon
__________________
Jeff Wills
Comcast nuked my web page. It will return soon..
Jeff Wills
Comcast nuked my web page. It will return soon..
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: Humboldt County, CA
Posts: 832
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 405 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 430 Times
in
286 Posts
Still, a good thing to have in the knowledge vault!
--Shannon