Bike Tutor Repair Guide / , ,

5. How To Adjust Your Front Derailleur

Applies to most 3-chainring derailleur systems. Adjust your Rear Derailer

IMPORTANT: Nuts and bolts on your bike should always be tightened to the manufacturer's specifications.
If you like this video, buy me a coffee Donations
66 Comments - 383,009 views

Today we’re going to learn how to adjust the front derailleur. Make sure that you’ve already set up your rear derailleur, as you will need to access all of your rear gears for this tutorial.

Front Derailleur Components

Front Derailleur

Height Adjustment

The first step is to adjust the derailleur’s height and angle using the positioning clamp that attaches the derailleur to your bike’s frame. This can be a bit tricky, since tightening the clamp’s bolt will set both height and angle at the same time. To make things easier, tighten the clamp so that it is secure, but loose enough to move it around with your hand.

Front Derailer and Chainring

For correct height adjustment, position the bottom of the derailleur cage as close to the largest sprocket teeth as possible, so that it still clears. Manufacturers recommend a 2mm spacing, but this is only meant as a general guide and not a rule. The lower the cage is, the better it will shift. While you’re in this position, take a quick look at the curvature of the large chainring and the outer derailleur cage, to make sure no part of the cage is rubbing on the chainring.

Angle Adjustment

The derailleur angle is set by looking down from above. This can be tricky and requires some patience, as the shape of the derailleur cage is often not straight. You’ll want to imagine a centerline in the middle of the cage, which should line up with the center line of your frame. Once the angle is correct, you can completely tighten the positioning clamp.

Limit Screws

There are two gear limit screws. On older derailleurs the low-gear limit is closest to the frame, but some newer models have reversed the screw’s positioning.

Low Gear Limit

To adjust the low-gear limit, first make sure your chain is shifted to the largest sprocket in the rear, and the smallest sprocket in the front. The low-gear limit stop stops the derailleur from shifting past the smallest chainwheel and throwing the chain onto the bottom bracket shell. If it is too loose, the chain will fall off when you downshift to the small chainring. If it is too tight, it might not shift down at all. Ideally, you want to set up the inner plate so that it barely clears the chain in the lowest gear. However, triple chainrings like this one sometimes require a tiny bit of extra spacing.

High Gear Limit

To adjust the high-gear limit, shift the chain into your highest gear, that is, smallest sprocket in the rear, and the largest sprocket in the front. The high-gear limit prevents the chain from shifting past the largest chainwheel and throwing the chain out into your pedals. Ideally you want the cage to stop just after it clears the chain on the large chainring.

Shifting Adjustments

Now that both limit screws are set up, shift back to the largest sprocket in the rear, and the smallest in the front. Make sure your front shifter is in the lowest gear position, and pull the shift cable to eliminate any extra slack, before tightening the cable bolt.

Shift the front derailleur to the middle gear, and run through the entire range of rear sprockets to make sure the chain does not rub on either side of the front derailleur cage. If it does rub, you can adjust the trim by tweaking the barrel adjuster on your front shift lever. If you have an older friction shifter, often you will have to manually adjust the trim while riding.

This tutorial was based on the most common type of drivetrain, and assumes that you are using the components your derailleur was designed for. If you have a customized set of chainrings and/or derailleurs, you may need to try some different techniques, or even take your bike into a shop for further adjustment.

Related Videos

Discuss this topic in the Derailleur Forums

66 Responses to “How To Adjust Your Front Derailleur”

Comment Pages: [1] 2 »

  1. toujoursraison on January 20th, 2008 11:52 pm

    Thanks mate, keep on your good work!

  2. Tony on February 21st, 2008 4:04 pm

    Thanks for the help, worked great! I didn’t think I’d be able to do it myself!!

  3. ladicius on March 15th, 2008 8:01 am

    Thanks for this just what i needed better than them poxy haynes manuals.

  4. Niallo on March 26th, 2008 4:35 pm

    Alex,

    Great website and very very informative, well done. However, i do have one snag for all these excellent tutorials:

    Not everybody owns the type of bike stand that you use for your tutorials. Nor will anyone be carrying one while touring for example.

    So, would you have any hot tips for a DIY stand to replicate what you can achieve with your own stand?! I was thinking of some way to just support the back wheel while leaning the bike against a fence etc. The bike could of course be turned upside down, but this can be quite awkward, especially for changing gears, plus it can be damaging for light/speedometer mounts.

    Any tips would be great!

    Niallo

    Status of this Request

  5. Alex on March 27th, 2008 12:50 pm

    Thanks Niallo,

    No problem, I am planning to do a work-stand / home tools guide… I’ll let you know when it has been posted!

    Alex

  6. DelBoy on March 30th, 2008 6:20 pm

    Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!

  7. Kevin on April 8th, 2008 2:38 pm

    If i can’t even shift to the highest gear on the front does that mean its the high limit adjustment thats off ?

  8. Alex on April 11th, 2008 11:06 am

    Kevin, it sounds like your high limit screw is too tight, or that your cable needs more tension. Try tightening the cable first – if the derailleur stills stops at the same spot, try loosening your high limit.

  9. Hoot on May 7th, 2008 1:25 pm

    Niallo,

    Here are a couple good options for making repair stands:

    http://www.instructables.com/id/PVC-Bench-top-Bike-Repair-Stand/

    http://www.yourmtb.com/story/build_your_own_bike_repair_stand_for_under_20

    I’m currently throwing together the second one.

  10. Victor on May 24th, 2008 11:34 am

    I’m currently residing in Bahrain (lots of sand, dust and hot weather). What are some good lubes and cleaners for derailleurs and chains in this extreme environment?

    How To Choose the Right Lubricants

  11. Alex on May 25th, 2008 1:43 pm

    Wax based lubricants like Boeshield T-9 require more maintenance, but are supposed to be better for dry climates. I will be doing a tutorial on proper use of these kind of lubricants.

  12. Tim Antosy Jr on June 20th, 2008 4:34 pm

    Hello alex

    I love all of your great tips on bicycle maintenence I like to work on my bikes myself and when I get to a point where im not to sure about something your tips always come in handy .

    Thanks for all your great tips

    Tim

  13. Meako on June 22nd, 2008 2:30 am

    Really well done !
    A mate of mine uses his car bike rack (tow bar mounted ) as a work stand . Hope that helps.
    Keep ‘em coming.

  14. GAK on June 22nd, 2008 4:07 am

    Hi,
    I have a Shimano 105 front derailleur that won’t move from the largest chain ring to the middle ring, the chain just rattles against the cage. BUT IT WILL move smoothly onto the inner small ring with a second flick of the lever. It will move back up (from smaller to larger) without any problems. As the movement to the lowest and highest gears seems OK, how do I adjust to get the movement from large to middle chain ring?

  15. Alex on June 23rd, 2008 3:58 pm

    Great tip Meako, thanks!

    Gak, check to make sure your derailleur cage is parallel with the large chainring. If the alignment is ok try loosening off the cable tension just a bit (maybe a 1/2 turn clockwise on your shifter’s barrel adjuster).

  16. Dorin on June 23rd, 2008 3:59 pm

    Hello, I have a question: is the front derailleur that important? I want to build my own custom bicycle for normal street/road travel and i would like to know if having a back derailleur is sufficient for the ups and downs found on city roads .Thank you!

  17. Alex on June 23rd, 2008 4:06 pm

    Hi Dorin,

    I use a 33 tooth chainring on the middle, and I rarely have to use the large or small sprockets. I’ll think you should be fine with just one front chainring for most city riding… and you’ll save a tiny bit of weight and have one less thing to adjust!

  18. Dorin on June 23rd, 2008 4:10 pm

    Thanks your for the fast answer! This is great news, I’m planning to build a chopper style bike so this is one thing I can scratch out of my problem list :D thanx

  19. henriquemaia on June 29th, 2008 8:04 am

    Thanks for this useful tutorial. This is sometimes a tricky issue.

  20. Mike on July 15th, 2008 4:46 pm

    Thanks for the great tutorial. I really prefer to do my own maintenance and I was a little lost without bicycletutor.

  21. Matt on July 25th, 2008 4:45 pm

    Great stuff! I just upgraded cranks to a two chainring with a bashguard. Can’t seem to get it set-up!

    As for bike stands, do a search for “Bike Hacks” or “bicycle hacks”. Lots of cheap designs there. I have a quick release rack in my truck- I locke the front suspensin into the quick release and put a vehicle jackstanud under the BB to get the back wheel off he groun- and VOILA! A bikestand to go!

  22. danO on August 2nd, 2008 5:00 am

    Unbelievable! Finding your site has really helped, thanks!

  23. Aindreas on August 11th, 2008 1:44 pm

    Great site, really helping me out. Thanks.

  24. HaroDon on August 19th, 2008 7:06 pm

    Nice video. I started tinkering with my derailleur (even though nothing was wrong with it) and screwed it all up. Your video really saved me some dollars and a trip to the bike shop. Thanks

  25. gearturner on August 26th, 2008 5:20 am

    Thanks for the good info.
    All the best

  26. Eric on August 26th, 2008 8:09 am

    Hello:

    I’ll start with a big “thank you.” Your tutorials have helped me tremendously. I just bought a classic Raleigh with friction shifters. The front derailleur is giving me trouble with the low-gear limit. When I adjust the cage to clear the chain for the lowest gear, it catches the chain on the other side in fifth gear. When I adjust it to clear in fifth gear, it catches in the lowest (again this is all on the smallest sprocket in the front, not dealing with the larger). I can’t seem to get it in a place where it clears the chain on both shifting extremes. Do you have any ideas? Your advice is appreciated.

    Thanks,

    Eric

  27. Alex on August 26th, 2008 9:42 am

    It might be a problem with your shifting technique, as being in 5th gear (rear) when you’re in the smallest front sprocket causes the chain to cross over too much. This video explains how to use the gears.

  28. rony on August 28th, 2008 2:49 am

    Excelent tutorial!
    For two days I had searching how to correctly adjust the front derailer; it’s a good thing that is available on video and text format, too. Now, I’ll watch on the other tutorials, too. Thanks

  29. Canesfan on September 5th, 2008 2:26 pm

    There is basic but surprisingly effective bicycle stand at Harbor Freight. I bought one recently for $7. It supports from the non-drive frame tubes near to the rear axle and will hold the rear wheel several inches off the ground. Weighs only a couple of pounds and is quite stable.

    Great for gear/derailler adjustments, oiling etc.

  30. R2 on September 20th, 2008 7:19 am

    Great site – fully endorse all comments re its usefulness. Interesting discussions about bike stands – I use a broom handle shoved under the seat and levered against the side stand on the the other side – you could use two broom handles though if you didn’t have a stand so long as you could find a way to lock one of them in place for the time you need. Can’t say it is the best or most stable but I went through a complete rear derailleur/chain workout with this setup with only minimal hassle.

  31. Charlie on September 21st, 2008 8:49 pm

    Great site, with helpful info. I have what I think is a unique situation here — I’m taking an old Puch friction shifter road bike and putting on new components (replacing almost everything but the frame), and my friends and I are having a really hard time getting the front derailleur set up correctly.

    One of the issues is that the bike lacks barrel adjusters, since it originally had the friction shifters, so fine-tuning is limited. Are barrel adjusters necessary here, or can the cable be adjusted adequately using other means? Your advice would be most appreciated!

  32. Alex on September 22nd, 2008 11:18 am

    If you don’t have barrel adjusters, You’ll have to adjust the derailleur by loosening the cable pinch bolt and tightening it again. This can be frustrating and will take some patience.

  33. helmsDEEP on September 26th, 2008 1:06 pm

    Thanks so much! You saved me $40, plus I’m not without my bike for a few days!

  34. Seth M. on October 7th, 2008 11:31 pm

    Wow! Novice biker here. I wanted to see if i could save the $50 dollar fee (or more) for taking the bike into the shop. I ordered a new bike and put it together. This tutorial set me up perfectly for getting the front gear setup complete.

    I do have one question.

    On the middle cog in front, and the largest 2 or 3 cogs in the back, i seem to be slipping past the second to largest cog (in the back). I shift through these specific gears while driving the bike and it rattles a little bit, and doesn’t ’settle’ into the gear. Every other gear settles in fine, just these 2 or 3 are acting up.

    Any ideas for adjustments to be made?

    Thanks again for the amazing tutorial!

    ~Sincerely, seth

  35. Alex on October 10th, 2008 10:05 am

    Seth, your problem sounds strange. When some of the rear gears shift well, but others don’t, it’s usually an indication of a bent derailleur hanger (the part of your frame where the derailleur mounts). But since it’s a new bike that doesn’t make sense. Any chance the bike was dropped on the derailleur side?

  36. Rick on October 20th, 2008 8:36 am

    What a godsend. I’m trying to learn how to work on my bike because my local bike shop mechanics aren’t reliable. I have overhyped Shimano 105 on the front and rear. One thing that shocks me is that Shimano doesn’t indicate what stop screws are low or high on the body of the front or rear deraillers. So I went to their website to hopefully find out in a downloadable manual, and found out they dropped the ball there, too. Looks like the Japanese can be every bit as stupid and thoughtless as American manufacturers. How much extra would this cost the manufacturer to engrave or paint an H and L next to the screws? When I buy my next bike, if this info isn’t readily available, I won’t buy it.

  37. spyke on October 24th, 2008 3:42 pm

    Alex,
    I adjusted the derailer angle and height like you said. But when i did the part when I shifted to the largest rear sprocket and smallest front sprocket, and pulled the tension cable, things started going whack. It is impossible to move my shifter past the “M” part of the shifter. It is very easy to shift down from “M” to “L” buy hard going up from “L” until it just can’t go anymore. What happened? It was absolutely fine before. (BTW I have the kind of shifters that are built into the handlebars. You can see it by clicking on “Larger Image” on my bike’s product page: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=882808 )

  38. Alex on October 28th, 2008 7:19 pm

    Once you have the derailleur angle and height aligned, try putting the shifter in ‘L’ or ‘1′ and then release the derailleur cable. The derailleur should now be sitting above the smallest sprocket.

    Then tighten the cable and try it again. You may have to adjust the ‘L’ screw a little to make sure it is loose enough to allow the derailleur to shift down, but also tight enough so the derailleur doesn’t shift down into your bottom bracket.

  39. LexOram on November 18th, 2008 10:16 am

    Alex,

    On my front derailleur, when I drop a gear the chain doesn’t move. On a second drop, the chain shifts straight into the lowest setting (3 in total).

    Problem is, when I shift up again the chain comes straight off, but not completely. You know, that scratchy horrible sound that occurs when the chain does not swap properly. Then when trying to get back up to the higher settings the chain shifts too far sliding the gear onto a plastic protector I have.

    I recently went cycling through some heavy mud but have cleaned the bike up as much as possible. Is this an expert job or can I sort it myself?

  40. Alex on November 19th, 2008 10:41 am

    You should be able to fix it yourself. Have you tried going through all of the steps in the video at top of the page? Sounds like your cable tension and limit screws need adjusting.

  41. Arvind Prasad on November 30th, 2008 8:37 am

    Hi,
    Thanks for your advice on adjusting the rear derailleur. The bicycle I have has crank with cotter pin (cotter pin with nut). Since the cotter pin nut was loose the bicycle mechanic hammered it and tightned the nut. Now I find that the chain gets jammed in between the highest chain ring and derailleur cage if I try to shift to highest diameter chainring. My bicycle has three chainrings. Can you suggest a remedy for this?

  42. Alex on December 1st, 2008 7:13 pm

    Hi Arvind… it sounds like your derailleur height or angle might need adjusting. Try raising or lowering it just a slight bit (see video above) and see if it helps.

  43. rick conyers on January 7th, 2009 3:45 pm

    Alex,

    Thanks for the great tutorials! You are a boon to home mechanics!

    I just purchased an XT 761 top/bottom pull front derailleur and can’t figure out how to change it to top pull? You are supposed to be able to swap between the two by flipping the cable guide, but I just don’t see how.

  44. Alex on January 8th, 2009 3:13 pm

    Hi Rick,

    I’ve been doing some searching and have yet to find detailed instructions on how to swap that model. I’ll keep searching and let you know if I find something!

  45. SAm on January 18th, 2009 4:20 pm

    Alex,
    Regarding front derailer, when do I adjust and tighten the cable? How much tension and what position should the derailer be when I do this?

  46. Michael on February 23rd, 2009 1:40 pm

    Front derailleur appears seized as it wont change to big chain ring. Spayed it with wd40 but no movement, so removed it from bike and tried more lubrication and some brute force. Still no movement. Any ideas – I was thinking about soaking it all in petrol.

  47. Alex on February 23rd, 2009 5:51 pm

    Try soaking it in the petrol for an hour or two. If it still doesn’t free up it may be seized beyond repair :(

  48. jack on February 25th, 2009 10:48 pm

    Hi

    I have been tinkering with my bike and was attempting to fix my front derailleur but have come across a snag. I have a 27 speed mtb. As far as I understand one should move the bottom of the bracket so that is almost touching the biggest cog (i.e. 2mm away). Then making sure the derailleur is aligned with the smallest cog take up any slack in the cable. This done I have both my lower and higher limit screws set to their maximum so that the derailleur cage moves as far over on each side as possible. The chain however still rubs on the outside edge of the cage in my smallest gear ratio (front 1 – back 1) and on the outside edge on my largest (front 3- back 9). (i.e. the cage does not move far enough inwards on the smallest cog or outwards on the biggest cog) There seems to be not enough range of movement in the bracket. If I try to tighten the cable to get the bracket to move further out on the big cog (to stop the rubbing) then it overcomes the spring when the chain is on the smallest cog and rubs against it even worse or wont let me change down. Am I doing something wrong or is my spring in need of replacement.

    Thanks for your help in advance

    Jack Emerton

  49. jack on February 25th, 2009 11:45 pm

    FROM ABOVE

    Just to add to the previous comment: the problem I was referring to occurs when my chain is straight: big cog at the front small cog (big gear) at the back, or small cog at the front and big cog (small gear) at the back.

  50. Maurice on March 12th, 2009 7:28 am

    Hi Alex,
    Thanks for the vids, they’re really helpful. Built a couple of bikes recently and wouldn’t have managed it without your tutorials on adjusting gear dérailleurs and headset.

    Have you got any tips on loosening an allen key bolt thats completely worn? My saddle angle is adjusted using two 2mm allen key screws. One of the allen key screws is completly worn (the allen key wont catch) so i cant adjust the saddle.

    Cheers,
    Maurice

Comment Pages: [1] 2 »

Feel free to leave a comment...
and oh, if you have a maintenance/repair question, please ask in the help forums.





How To Adjust Your Front Derailleur
Repair Guide / Help Forums

Free Email Updates: