How to mount the front derailleur on your road bike

Fitting the front derailleur on your road bike is a simple operation, which can be carried out independently and without the need for special tools.

We will show you how to install the Shimano 105 R7000L front derailleur. The technique is basically the same for all Shimano rear derailleurs, but it is also interesting to note that the process for mounting the front derailleur of other brands is very similar, the differences are really minimal.

WELDED OR CLAMPED DERAILLEUR

First of all, explain that there are two types of derailleurs: welded and clamp-on.

Welded front derailleur: this is the one used on carbon bikes, where the frame already has a slot to screw the derailleur into.

Clamp derailleur: this is the most common system on aluminium and steel bikes. In these cases the frame is completely smooth and the derailleur must be clamped to be fixed to the tube.

THE ADAPTOR

Here is the “solution” to the problems.

The adapter: it consists of a simple ring that we will mount on the down tube of the bicycle and that allows us to use a welded derailleur on a frame that is not prepared for this type of derailleur.

So, we have a welded-on derailleur + adapter = clamp derailleur

The use of the adapter, in case you have a frame without a slot, is definitely what we recommend. It’s much simpler, it even saves a few grams, and it will also be easier to remove and fit the front derailleur if needed in the future.

The only thing to do here is to buy the right adapter: there are different types depending on the diameter of your standpipe. 

FRONT DERAILLEUR MOUNTING

Once everything is ready, the only thing left to do is to mount the front derailleur. If we have an aluminium bike and, therefore, it does not have the specific slot for the derailleur, what we will do is mount the adapter.

The only two elements to pay attention to are the mounting height and the parallelism between the front derailleur itself and the chainrings.

Mounting height.

Shimano helps us because the front derailleur is sold with an orange sticker on which the profile of the chainring is drawn. So all you have to do is fit the drawing with the plates.

If for some reason the sticker is lost or you have purchased a derailleur from another brand that does not use this aid, simply make sure to mount the derailleur 3mm above the largest chainring.

Parallelism change of direction/plates

In this case we do not have any technological or other assistance. We just have to put our eyes on the dishes and use our gaze. At a glance, it will be relatively easy to see if everything is parallel.

This action is only necessary if using a front derailleur or clamp adapter. If, on the other hand, we have the slot in the frame, the frame will already be mounted so that the front derailleur is completely parallel to the chainrings.

All cycling products can be found in Deporvillage

Stefano Francescutti

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