Have questions or want to discuss cycling? Join Now or Sign In to participate in the BikeRide community.

New: Take Part in the July Giveaway to Win the Luckeep X1 Foldable Ebike


Cable on front derailleur keeps getting damaged
#1
I have a Shimano "050" front derailleur, and every few months, the cable is breaking - always at the same location at the point where it is tied to the clamp (which is held by the bolt on the derailleur).

I am using top routing, and here are the instructions as published by Shimano:
http://techdocs.shimano.com/media/techdocs/content/cycle/SI/Tourney/FrontDriveSystem/SI_6DK0B/SI_6DK0A/SI_6DK0B_En_v1_m56577569830607106.pdf

The following image shows how Shimano recommends the cable to be installed, and that's how it is on my bike.
[attachment=4875]

The problem is that when the cable is pulled (to move to the higher gears), the pulley moves up and forward, and therefore the cable gets bent at a very small radius as all the force is being made on that clamp. Therefore, the cable gets bent on every shift, and after a few hundred shifts, it breaks.

By the way I'm using Jagwire cables so they shouldn't be bad (or so I'm told).. so what can I do? Is replacing the derailleur the only option?
  Reply
#2
You could try sanding a small bevel onto the area of the clamp that really digs into the cable as it pivots. Perhaps if it spreads the bend out over at least a few millimeters it may prevent it from causing the wires to break. You wouldn't want to radically change the pivot point of the cable as it could affect the shifting. But I don't think it would hurt anything to round off that corner so it doesn't make such a sharp bend in the cable.
  Reply
#3
Thanks for the tip. I tried rounding it down using a bench grinder, and it still seems to be shifting just fine. Hopefully now the wire will last a bit longer
  Reply


Possibly Related Threads...

Forum Jump:

[-]
10 Latest Posts
NC Newbie
Today 05:32 PM
Would you use WD-40 for cleaning and/or ...
Today 05:09 PM
Fair Weather Cycling
Yesterday 03:32 PM
Would you be scared to ride a bike on th...
Yesterday 03:30 PM
Fuji vs Schwinn
Yesterday 12:59 AM
Off-season hill climbing training tip
07-24-2024 09:44 AM
The HELMET Thread
07-24-2024 09:20 AM
Cycling apps
07-24-2024 06:53 AM
Naming a bicycle - Yes or No?
07-24-2024 06:48 AM
Ebikes for big guys
07-23-2024 03:58 PM

[-]
Join BikeRide on Strava
Feel free to join if you are on Strava: www.strava.com/clubs/bikeridecom

[-]
Top 5 Posters This Month
no avatar 1. Jesper
41 posts
no avatar 2. GirishH
26 posts
no avatar 3. enkei
21 posts
no avatar 4. meamoantonio
16 posts
no avatar 5. rydabent
14 posts