[sciencegeek]

Who in their right mind puts a freaking LX front derailleur on a >$3K bike to save $10? Specialized apparently.

WTF? The bike is well-spec'd otherwise ...

I wouldn't be complaining if mine were working properly but it ain't. The slightest tension on the chain and the shifting into the lowest chainring is extremely recalcitrant.

So I thought "whatever, I just have to fiddle with the adjustment".
No dice. I can't adjust the mounting without taking off the entire crank set. (And, in case you're wondering, the screw that limits the swing is not the problem.)

Who in their right mind designs a derailleur mount that you can't adjust with the crank set on? Specialized apparently.

ARG!

[/rant]

Any thoughts? Am I missing something?

 

[half_man_half_scab]

Slacken the cable tension a little?

 

[kingbozo]

I seriously doubt that it being LX is the problem.

 

[kelstr]

well, remember it can take awhile to get the chain and the ft chain rings seated in to where they beging to catch and drop the chain correctly.----( the type of chain lube can really matter also )

i have three bikes that all have the lx ft unit ------and it takes awhile to get any bike really adjusted and working -----it is not the derailer per say.

if you got the older xt hollow tech crank set , -----those older ft chain rings take some time to get working -------its just the way they are.

also the other thing to understand --( i am sure you know this ----but i have to say it because some guys do not know )

is you can not be in the 8th or 9th gear in the cassette and think it will drop the chain easily from the middle ring to the granny ring -------especially whith pressure on the transmission-------

you should be in the 4th gear on the cassette or lower and then drop the chain --and still back off alittle .

we all go through a period on a new bike where it takes some adjusting and learning where the chain line is on the new bike and where it works the best and can be droped at .

you gotta remember that the rear derailer can take all the force your legs can dish out ---and it will shft fine up and down,

but the little ft unit will wilt under your forces :eekster:

 

[kelstr]

one side bar on the rings ------your bike is an expert build ----my 08 enduro in an expert build , ---i have the older xt hollowtech built crank wich i believe you do to ----( i think )
i did get my ft rings to work good ( i only run two ----the 44 was never a problem ----but anyway)

i ruined my middle ring ( long story )------i bought the new 08 xt middle ring and i had to mechine the center flats alittle , but i fitted it on my expert enduro older xt crank and that really made the up shift from granny to the second ring work way better , --------and also the drop into granny is quit abit better to .

for what its worth

 

[skleins]

Sounds as if the problem lies in the cable tension - is the cable tight when in the small front ring? If so then slacken it off.

The only time you should have to remove the crankset is to remove the front mech completely to replace it and certainly not to change cables or perform adjustments, no big deal really if you tie it in with a BB change/service.

To be fair, front mechs are a common downspec on most, if not all $3000 bikes - together with lower range cassettes and chains too....the bits you may not notice.

I got my 08 SJ expert three months ago and the front shifting is perfect, infact about the best on any bike I've had - The full outer cables from shifter to mech at front and back is a smart move and I'm finding the shifting is staying remarkably smooth with low friction too.

I've read many times that the front mech is one of the most inhibiting facters around designing a full suspension frame.

 

[sciencegeek]

thanks for input everyone.

cable tension is definitely not the issue, obviously I checked that first.

I think some repositioning of the derailleur is what's needed but I can't do that because of the crank/chainrings blocking access to the mounting screws ...

good to know that is works smoothly at least for skleins ... makes me agree with kingbozo and kelstr that it's hopefully not the LX ...

back to the lbs I guess ...

 

[kelstr]

thanks for input everyone.

cable tension is definitely not the issue, obviously I checked that first.

I think some repositioning of the derailleur is what's needed but I can't do that because of the crank/chainrings blocking access to the mounting screws ...

good to know that is works smoothly at least for skleins ... makes me agree with kingbozo and kelstr that it's hopefully not the LX ...

back to the lbs I guess ...

the crank just pops right out of these things in 2 min or so.

i just take the left arm off ---( slides right off )
i fold the derailer cage way under and i loop the chain off over the rt pedal and big ring and just let the chain lay in ft derailer and dangle down,

then just tap on the left crank spline and the thing comes right out ,------

then you can make whatever adjustamets you think you need , ---then just slam the rt 1/2 of the crank in ---loop the chain back on ------and then you can run it through the gears and see where you are at using only 1/2 the crank-------you can do many adjustaments and test real quickly .

i thought also that these new 08 ft units were not quite correct, so i took them off , i ground away the back of the unit to get it to go further into the frame thinking it would drop the chain onto the granny gear easier, ---------i also screwed with tipping the unit down and back -------,

and i found out that i could make it work differently -------but not really better ,---:eekster:

my oldladys $5,400.00 pro carbon enduro has the same lx unit -------and it works really good ---( now her bike also came with the 08 xt crank and rings which do work better )

but you still need to be carfull when shifting the ft unit , -----you must back off the power alittle , you have to really look ahead and see what you are really comming into and get the ft shift out of the way and then continue pounding while using the rear .

i can't remember what my 08 pro carbon stumpy had on it ( i have sold the bike now -------i road my enduro more :madman: :eekster: ) but i had to play with it alittle to get it where i wanted it

 

[sciencegeek]

awesome. thanks kelstr. i'll try that.
more fun to DIY than to have the lbs to it.

 

[d-bug]

Mine and my girlfriend's have been working super fine since day one.
It sounds like the der is not moving close enough to the frame to drop the chain to the small ring. I would try shifting to the small ring, then release the cable from the der. Adjust the der to the right spot, then put the cable back in and fine tune.

note - there isn't a whole lot of adjustment in the front der. After you get the cranks off, you can unscrew a few bolts and slide the der up and down about 1/4" total. Other than that there are no other adjustments since it mounts directly to the lower swing arm.

-Dan

 

[LititzDude]

My 08 SJ Expert works just fine??