dukeofearl 

i've been slowly revamping my favorite bike and wondering if anyone has a recommendation for a front derailleur that can handle 32/42/52? i've kind of given up on finding a triple that matches the rear spidel, at least at a reasonable price. very few stock parts left on this build (though it's mostly french), so could be anything really. just don't want it to look too out of place.

dukeofearl 

also - i was planning on using this shimano cable guide that doesn't have a cable stop, not sure if that matters. i do have the original plastic simplex one so could use that instead.

scarlson 

Huh, I was going to say Suntour Mountech if you don't mind not being French. Then I remembered tubing size is probably French. So...

Simplex (the maker of the Spidel-branded derailleurs) and Huret would have decent triple front derailleurs. These are easily recognized by their deep inner cages when compared to the doubles. It appears the ones that are on ebay (reasonably priced!) are braze-on. But you could put a rivnut in the frame. It would be fine. That would be pretty slick actually. Or buy a clamp-on one and re-rivet the triple cage onto it?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/165711027561
https://www.ebay.com/itm/275640746089

Heck if you are ever in Boston, I will braze a mount for you. Looks like just a water bottle cage type boss, nothing crazy like the Italian derailleur braze-on. I will not burn off enough paint for it to be visible behind the mounted derailleur.

juvela

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looking great!

"nothing can stop you now, 'cause you're --- ---- -- ----!"


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dukeofearl 

hey i appreciate that, not going to be in boston anytime soon unfortunately. yeah i saw those braze on ones and was trying to think of a way to mount one since the clamp adapters don't work with them. interesting idea about re-riveting it to a clamp-on one. or could find someone local to braze. hmm

scarlson 

You are right near Bilenky if you're in Philly. Give them a buzz. They'd probably listen to you if you asked them to try and keep as much of the paint as possible. Put wet rags on the tube around it and go in hot and quick. Should be child's play for Bilenky.

I'd do it for you for free beer if you came all the way up here.

Or just put a rivnut in the frame! A stainless rivnut will be enough for the derailleur - in my opinion.

dukeofearl 

bilenky is a good call. rivnut scares me a bit, don't want to botch it!

scarlson 

Yeah I mean, grab a 50-pack of m5 rivnuts and a rivnut tool and try on some scrap first! You don't want your first try to be on your nice frame!

I can tell you that I've tried seating a stainless m5 rivnut with a nut and a bolt, and that didn't work. Needed the tool. But a Chinese $25 tool works just fine.

After some experience, they go like butter. I once had a bike I was reselling, with a rivnut-mounted bottle cage, and about 10 minutes before the buyer came, I noticed one of the rivnuts was ruined, with a bolt seized into it. I cut the head of the bolt off, smashed the rivnut with vise grips until I could push the rivnut into the tube, pulled out the seat post to dump the old rivnut out of there, and installed a new rivnut before he showed up!

Probably someone is going to come along and tell us that rivnuts for French front derailleur mounts are taboo and everyone knows that, but take from that what you will, the steel ones are plenty strong if even the alu ones can hold a 1kg Zefal Magnum bottle on my Vitus for nearly a decade of rough boston roads. I mean heck, Breezer used alu m5 rivnuts for their rear rack mounts on their alu-framed commuter bikes, and I've seen those fail only on the bike that someone mounted a Burly Piccolo on. I put in some stainless M6 ones and it's been fine since!

scarlson 

WAIT, how about this one?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/204223622724

It's an SJA 102 triple derailleur, clamp-on, missing one half of the clamp. Just bodge together the other half out of ...something. I'm sure you can find something to make the other half of the clamp. It's from the UK but under $40 even including shipping! No rivets or rivnuts to mess around with, as long as you can get the clamp to work.

The clamp looks pretty simple. It inserts into a little slot on the non-bolt side, and then the bolt tightens it up. I bet you could take a portion of the clamp from something else and file it down to make it work. See the little tongue sticking into the little slot? All you need is a strap of metal that's approximately curved to your seatpost and a tongue on one side and a bolt hole on the other.


Best of all, you can use it with or without housing going to it. Très versatile.

dukeofearl 

Ordered that one! Thanks for the heads up. Shouldn’t be too hard to figure out that clamp. Glad to not get into modding the frame. Was about to try and rig a clamp mount for the braze on one but I think this will be better.

dukeofearl 

ended up getting the braze on one and adapting this simplex cable guide clamp to mount it. feels pretty solid but we'll see how it holds!

dukeofearl 

In the end I gave up on that idea lol. I think one more trip to the hardware store would've got it working but I was at the end of my rope so snagged a Sachs-Huret Hi-Stepper from another bike that's awaiting an overhaul.

Went on the first ride and sure do love these retrofrictions! First time using them.

One issue though - front derailleur won't shift to the smallest ring when I'm riding. It works on a stand. I'm pedaling very gently and it's not the limit screw. I've searched the problem and could be a variety of things.

Since I switched to a triple, with a longer bb spindle, maybe the small chainring is too close? I could add a spacer on the end of the axle. The hi-stepper curve doesn't really match the chainring. It won't go any lower, I could try raising it or angling it differently.

Any suggestions on where to start?