I agree, it seems likely that your FD is rotated just a wee bit. I'm not familiar with "indexing" FDs, like your GRX 810, but I would expect them to be wider than older friction only FDs, just to accommodate the fact that indexing front shifters can't trim. Either I'm the best home mechanic, or I got really lucky, in that when I set up my new-to-me c. 1990 Campy Croce d'Aune FD for 2x11 friction, I got it in just the right spot no not rub on the chain through the entire 11 speed range with the "big" ring (middle position of a 26-42-guard triple). I was fully expecting to have to trim as I ran the cassette. With my bar-end shifters and 9-speed, I would occasionally have to trim the FD as I used more of the cassette, but I shifted the FD a lot more with a triple than with my "one-by with bailout" setup.
Anyway, if you want to embrace full friction, a simpler, older FD may do the trick. A quick search on eBay for "Shimano 600 front derailleur" got quite a few for under $20. Ultregra was one time "600" then "600 Ultregra" so that's an easy search for older Ultegra-level equipment. Dura Ace has been Dura Ace for a very long time, but an older 8-speed or 9-speed era DA FD would be nice too, but for more money. I went with a Campy FD to go with my Mavic DT shifter so I could maximize the number of different brands in my drivetrain just to be a contrarian. Drew On Tuesday, June 25, 2024 at 6:15:52 PM UTC-7 Jay wrote: > I've been riding my Roadini since February and it has been great, although > the FD seems less than ideal. When I'm in the big ring, it works quietly > on only the few smallest sprockets. When I'm the small ring, works quietly > on the 4-5 largest sprockets. I'm often making minor adjustments to the > front DT shifter to line it up so there is no chain rub / noise. I've > gotten used to this and it's not really a big deal, but I was thinking > there may be something I can do to improve things, and figured this group > knows friction! > > The shop who built the bike is great, and everything was well done from > what I can tell, so my guess is the FD is set up as good as possible, and > maybe only a very minor tweak is required. Perhaps it's just the specific > parts and how they work together (i.e., not a perfect system). > > Before I try and make any adjustments myself I thought I would ask about > others' experience with friction shifting, front derailleurs, or perhaps > this specific from derailleur. My success rate at fixing drivetrain issues > in the past is moderate...though it's not intuitive for me, and I have to > watch youtube videos to learn before doing anything. > > Other bikes I have/had are index, usually 105/Ultegra/GRX, and the front > derailleur wasn't noticeable, it just worked, quietly. > > The down tube shifters are Dia-Compe ENE Ciclo 11sp, front derailleur is > GRX 810. > > Thanks in advance! > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/60f603e1-955e-4d3f-9602-e065ae585c7fn%40googlegroups.com.
