How to adjust your front derailleur
At first, adjusting your front derailleur might seem complicated, but with a few tips you can get it set up just right.
When the weather gets nasty, caring and maintaining your components is key to keeping wear and tear down to a minimum. This isn’t just true of the increased friction from mud and dirt. It is also important to have your drivetrain adjusted properly. If your chain is jumping between sprockets or chainrings, the amount of wear on your components increases significantly. That is why you need to make sure everything is set up correctly.
Note
For this how-to post, your front derailleur should already be installed and the cable should already be tensioned. To be sure that you can turn the barrel adjusted both ways when adjusting the cable tension, unscrew it about halfway out.
There are other factors that can influence the smooth front derailleur shifting. For example, a bent chain plate, incorrect height or general wear and tear on cable, housings, chainrings, chain or the derailleur itself can make it near impossible to adjust.
Cable tension adjust.
How to adjust the front derailleur
When adjusting the front derailleur, you are limiting it to how far it can move both outward and inward. This is done using the two limiter screws shown in the picture below. The screw that effects the outer limit is known as the H-screw and the one that sets the lower limit is known as the L-screw.
Front derailleur adjust
| Screw | Direction | Adjustment | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| H | clockwise | upper limit | front derailleur moves toward frame |
| H | counter clockwise | upper limit | front derailleur moves away from frame |
| L | clockwise | lower limit | front derailleur moves away from frame |
| L | counter clockwise | lower limit | front derailleur moves toward frame |
Adjusting the lower limit
To adjust the lower limit, you need to first shift to the smallest chainring in the front and largest sprocket in the rear. At this point, you can set the lower limit. When you screw the L-screw in, the front derailleur moves away from the frame and when unscrewing the L-screw, the front derailleur moves toward the frame.
The lower limit is set correctly when the inner chain plate is ca. 1 mm away from the chain.
Adjusting the upper limit
To adjust the upper limit, you need to first shift to the largest chainring in the front and the smallest sprocket in the rear. Now, you can use the H-screw to set the distance between the outer chain plate and the chain. When you screw the screw in, the front derailleur moves towards the frame and when you screw it out, it moves away from the frame.
The upper limit is set correctly when the outer chain plate is ca. 1 mm away from the chain.
The correct cable tension
Now that the limits are set correctly, you can adjust the inner wire tension. First you need to shift the front derailleur back and forth a few times. If the chain is not cleanly moving from the smallest to the largest chainring, then you need to increase the inner wire tension. To do this, turn the barrel adjuster (see below) counter clockwise.
If the chain is not shifting well from the largest to the smallest chainring, then the inner wire tension needs to be lowered. To do this, turn the barrel adjuster clockwise.
Cable tension adjust
| Barrel adjuster | Direction | Adjustment | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| on shifter | counter clockwise | When shifting up (small to large) | increases cable tension |
| on shifter | clockwise | When shifting down (large to small) | decreases cable tension |
Now you’re done
After all the adjustments, the front derailleur should shift smoothly and precisely. Time to get back out there and shred some trails or clock some kilomtres on the road.
If you want a to know how to adjust your rear derailleur, click on the following picture:
Adjusting the B angle
