Hey guys
I need some help with the setting of the front derailleur.
I cannot get it to drop into the smallest gear.
Even with the cable out it still wont go in, i have tried to set the screws as seen on YouTube and nothing works.
If i put the chain on the small cog, it constantly rubs on the derailleur, if i move it so there is no rubbing the back part of the arm nearly touches the back wheel.......
I can only guess that either the cogs are put together wrong or i need a different type of derailleur for this frame??????
Its seem to me like the body of the derailleur is too wide for this frame, it just wont go back enough to let the chain drop.......

If i set a gap the arm nearly touches the back wheel.

Is it a new build? How wide is your BB, is it wide enough/spaced enough to suit?

Front mechs can be a PITA and often setting them up is trial and error. However, as psling says, it does sound like there may be an issue with the mech / BB axle length.

Will it shift between the middle and big ring okay?

I gave up on it and set it so there was a gap between the chain and mech on the small sprocket.
Went for a ride deciding not to use it.
Promptly forgot and changed into the middle ring........worked fine????
Changed to the big ring and it was rubbing the mech a little so adjusted it.
It now seems to be working ok.........why it wouldnt do it when i had it hoisted into the air i dont know but all seems ok for now.

Will get the Sisters bloke to fettle it in properly next time he is here. But for now im good to go.
Heading off for a 15 miler to an area i want to see.
Will post pics etc when i get back from her maiden voyage.

HEADSET.
On my first ride today there was a wobbling and knocking noise over bumps.
I have had a look and there is a gap at the bottom of my headset between the bearings and the fork allowing the forks to move when riding.
Is there supposed to be a spacer or something in there or is the forks supposed to sit flush??

FRONT WHEEL BEARING.
Also on this ride the front wheel bearing came lose and the wheel started to wobble.
I managed to get them done up again.
How tight are these supposed to be?? Hand tight or really tight??

Thanks guys.

Headset: It relys on the bolt that screws into the star nut (in fork steerer). Loosen the bolts that hold the stem to the steerer, now start to tighten the bolt on top of the stem ... this should pull the forks up and remove all the play. Once the play's gone but the forks still turn freely re-tighten the stem bolts - job done.

Wheel: When you say bearings, I take it you're talking about the wheel quick release? These should be pretty tight ... but remember the lever works on a cam action, it's not just a matter of tightening the lever or the nut on the opposite side. Release the lever and tighten the nut on the opposite side until you feel it 'bite' now close the lever. It should take a pretty decent push to get it over centre and locked, if the lever didn't require a good old shove then release it, tighten the nut 1/2 turn and try again - repeat as required.

The head set is done just like you said but is still lose at the bottom.
Thats why i wondered if there should be a spacer between them.

The front wheel its not the quick release.
Its the actual hub bearings. I could see them nearly falling out.

Okay then ... take the headset top cap off and look where the top of the fork steerer is, it should be 5mm or so below the top of the stem. If it's much less than 5mm the top cap won't tighten down enough to remove the play and you'll beed a headset spacer to cure it. You can fit the spacer either below the stem (but above the headset) or above the stem below the top cap.

Have the locknuts come loose on the wheel axle? You should have 2 nuts either side of the hub, as a pair they should turn freely with the axle but you shouldn't be able to unscrew them off the axle by hand ... because obviously they should be tightened against each other.

The wheel locknuts are lose, well one is. I say locknut but its really a cone shape with 2 flats to fit a spanner on. 1 side is a 17mm the other side os a 13mm??
One side seems to be fixed on the axel and the other side unscrews.
How tight should i do it back up?

With the head set........i dont have a clue lol

How tight should i do it back up?

Okay, leave the side that's tight alone. On the other side, tighten the inner nut until all the play has been removed from the axle (no wobble). Next, tighten the outer nut against the inner while trying not to tighten the inner one anymore. You might have to try it a few times to remove any play from the bearings but still allow the axle to turn smoothly.

Can you take the headset top cap off and do a pic of what's under it? Maybe also a side-on pic of the top of the forks, frame and stem.

Did you fit the crown race to the top of the forks?

There is no inner or outer nutmon the hub.
just the one and then its supposed to be held tight by the forks.
will have a troll through YouTube later and see if I can find anything.

I sorted the headset........I had put the side bolts on before tightening down the top one.....doh.

There is no inner or outer nutmon the hub

What make of hub is it?

Good job so far Martin. Looks like the BB axle may need to be a bit longer to push the chainset out a little. If you measure from the middle ring of a triple chainset to the middle of the frame's seat tube it should be 47.5-50mm (called the 'chainline'), std spec for MTB front mechs. Most MTBs with triples use a 50mm chainline now.

Not sure on the front hub sorry. Pic of the hub and axle end area may suggest something?

it's a Deore with a WTB laser disc rim. not sure what the problem could be as I had recently stripped and replaced the bearings etc and used it on my bike 'cos of the tyre problems with the wild grippers. There is a cone for the bearings and a small lock nut about 4mm-ish deep on both sides, are they both still there?

I will get pics tomorrow.
Each side had a cone shaped nut that hold the ball bearings in but the is no lock nuts.

here are the pics,
Now i have had a proper look
This side has an inner ring/bearing cup with a rubber surround and a washer, then there is the flat sided nut.......which only goes on about 2 threads and then stops.



This side just has the bearing cup and no other nut.



I took the axel out earlier and it seems like there are ball bearing missing as there is a gap in both sides. I assume there should be a solid ring of bearings??

Pretty sure I have some Shimano axle part spares, will have a look later.

Was the box split at all? Just asking as the cover and locknut are clearly missing from one side, and am wondering if it came out of the box somehow on the way?

It really needs new cones at some point, but I had asked at my LBS and they were of the opinion that it would be as cheap to just buy a whole new axle assembly. The bearings would have originally been a caged set of balls, as they are loose there will be a space that would have been taken up by the cage. Another ball wouldn't actually fit, I have tried that in the past for this very reason, and it just won't sit flat! As long as there are as many as will fit ok it will be fine.
Could probably get a part number from the LBS if you need one.

I am going to look around the workshop now in case the cap etc came off while I was sorting it for packing!!!

Yeah the axel had poked through the box on one side. I guess it was the side thats missing the bits lol.
Can anyone point me in the direction of where i could get an new axel or a rebuild kit for it??

Thanks

You'll need to know the hub model but here you go.

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/shimano-whee ... s-dept856/

It's gonna be well down that page don't worry!! I just opened the link and the first thing to greet you is an axle set with a price of about £120 ........
The model number should be on the body of the hub, but it looks to be around £15-£20 for a complete axle. There may be individual spares, I just haven't looked that far down the page.
Sorry, I should maybe have padded it some more.

Dont worry about it mate.
Its my first build and i wont be complaining after all you guys have done for me.
It works well enough for the now, i just have to stop every 4-5 miles and give it a little tighten up.
I will probable be able to get a kit at the end of the month, so if one of you nice fellows can find me a correct one.........

I didnt know there were so many different types of wheels/hubs/parts........its easier buying parts for my old Mitsubishi Pajero than a bike!!!!!

HB M525 is the hub number.
Is the disc on the left or right side of the wheel???
Need to know so i can order the correct side locknut etc.

Left, same as the rear