How to set up your MTB gears - front mech

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Last month we taught you how to adjust your rear mech for smoother shifting - this month we're looking at front mechs and chain rub
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[@markslattery8261]

10 years old and still the best guide to setting up front and rear derailleurs on KZbin, straightforward, well explained, and not one of the pompous lectures you get off the lycra road bike brigade... 🚲👍🏻

[@modern-chiang-mai-pool-villa]

this was by far one of the best instructional videos, thanks...lots of other ones are virtually worthless.

[@superspecky4eyes]

This video was a life saver, I messed my front mech right up with my obsession with tinkering when I didn't know what I was doing.

[@Manwichman]

I can relate, that my friends is how we learn. I'm a tinkerer too but now I can fix anything with the exception of a rear shock. Never had a full suspension

[@steriophonic1]

i can relate

[@AndrewDBrown2020]

This is still my absolute favourite video on how to adjust the front mech.

[@danielleszczynski5198]

This and the rear adjustment guide are the best I found it is very clear it is almost in possible to not understand. Thank you

[@fredstone5052]

This vid really helped me out and i managed to get my gears working properly by following this video.Bike repairs can be costly and more importantly time consuming when ur desperate to cycle but are faced with a week long wait to get a gear cable changed.Watched a few other vids on cycle repair but none come close to this.Will be subscribing and hope u keep up the good work.Thanks again

[@drjeffreybrunnerdc5955]

Best video yet on this touchy adjustment. Only thing I could say add to make it complete would be to demonstrate the barrel adjustment to clarify its proper use. Cheers on the though for certain!

[@john-r-edge]

Good video. The presenter describes each step well. My front mech now running the best it has been for years.

[@kimbrah]

Helped a lot, thank you. Setting the cable adjustment in the middle before tightening the cable clamp got me where I needed to be, and I needed to WD the spring and pivot hinges.

[@yoelbeniluz5290]

Thank you for a great explanation - short, precise and accurate. Keep it up!

[@catalinbvro]

Thank you! I have used your video, and save it on my playlist, but never thank you for. Great video, many videos with people that talk either to much or have no idea to connect ideas. Your video is smooth and easy. My bike change well thanks to you!

[@RichardGordonBruce]

Best Video on how to do this yet!

[@stevenwilson5172]

Another spot on, no nonsense vid from Al! Brilliant mate, always straight to the point with no waffling!

[@lloydusdavies]

A much better video that most of the others I have seen on this topic.

[@zoranhr1]

Great video, I never had my gears working so good. Finally I learned to do it by myself and better then my local bike shop

[@2wheelsrbest327]

Great video as setting the FD to me is a dark heart. Its got to be the hardest job to get right on any bike and this video has been book marked for reference every time I now need to do the job. Thanks.

[@richardsarahhales534]

explained at a pace that's easy to follow, thanks

[@chrisa9877]

Thanks alot, only your video made me actually adjust the front mech properly, salute

[@redhat1355]

One of the best tutorial on youtube. Many thanks for making such an informative videos and brining all to us.Keep up your good work.

[@fencore]

excellent video! just yesterday I was coming down a very rocky terrain and had my chain on the 3rd gear to maintain traction if needed, but it came out to the front. now I know what to look for and do the proper set up. Best regards

[@daveaaron8209]

This is the best video I've seen so far on adjusting the front mech! Thanks!!

[@MrSandieman666]

Super informative no nonsense no bullsh** on the service vids, best ones out there, been a massive help many times, keep it up mate

[@TazErrant]

Excellent explanation. Best video I found. Thank you!

[@zx115r]

Top video, paid my LBS to do this and wasn't happy with it. watched and did a better job myself

[@edwinromilly4645]

i struggled abit but now the fog is lifting !!!& rays of clarity are descending on my pre frontal & sensory cortex lol many thx for vid keep em coming park tools is good & thorough but your Explanation is clearer and more solutuon orientated park tools lot to observe though good thanks again👍👍

[@SteveAttwood]

Excellent! clear, concise and accurate.. You even demonstrated it on my bike!

[@don1coldwell]

Thanks for that. One of the clearest and best presented vids on the subject I've seen, at least now I understand what I'm doing. It's still a fiddly b*****d pain of a job tho ;)

[@jaygarcia6769]

Great vid got the 29er dial in and ready to ride . Thanks again

[@eliteonlyhd8565]

You explain it one of the best

[@slicktrx]

briliant tutorial. got rid of all the grinds in high and low gears now. im no longer "that guy with the noisy mech" at the trails. am still "that guy with a 3x9 26 inch" tho

[@davidthompson7082]

Nice vid, wish I'd found that years ago! Only bit I didn't quite glean was the adjustment of the cable tension, i.e. how many turns (or part turns) are sensible to add or reduce tension. This fine tuning is where i have had to spend significant time in the past. Surprised you only have the cable hand tight tension wise also, I (most likely incorrectly) have focussed too much on having the cable absolutely taught as possible in the past, rather than relying on the tensioner to achieve the final tightening. I'm gonna go retune these now.... Thanks!

[@fergsmith2560]

Thanks this really helped me get my shit sorted.

[@danielmirea]

Thanks, took me an hour to adjust mine :)) and finally I understood how that damn thing works ...

[@teknology01]

Best videos on youtube i should be able to fix it .now that he explaind how the gears works. Thanks.

[@mrmcd6787]

That helps a lot, very informative and well put together..... Thanks.

[@richardhanson2331]

Thanks for the great video, enabled me to set up my mech perfectly.

[@emp29]

It's good to help out the low limit screw when adjusting it by lifting the mech a bit to give it space to move with no pressure on it.

[@NickTaylor-ud7bi]

Great vid. Nicely explained and logical

[@chanunpornu7589]

thanks, for good tips. Finally, I can fix my FD.

[@adipopik4]

Thanks a lot. You helped me a lot. But getting the tension right to move to the big chainring was pretty hard since the H screw didn't do much.

[@ZsoltSzentirmai]

so clear and helpful. i got my bike back!

[@unclepete3759]

great vid perfectly explained now taking out for a test . cheers

[@ftrktm128]

Excellent video. Any videos on carbon fiber frame care?

[@MrJCMANU]

Thanks for sharing this!

[@Harry-nw1zw]

Thank you. This helps a lot.

[@steuk26]

Yeah this video worked for me...Thanks!

[@seanmolloy6843]

Thank you. Great video

[@solodare06]

The first step of this process seems to be, to make sure the out side of the guide is 2- 3 mm above the outer ring. My question is this. Is that while the chain and derailleur are in the middle ring position? In this example it would seem to be the case. would like that to be clarified though if you have the time. thanks so much for the great videos, they have been a huge help and saved me tons of $$$.

[@mohamadfadlimdyusof1980]

sooooooooooooo helpful, thanks friend.

[@kevindelporte4842]

great video, thanks

[@traingp7]

That's the one good thing about bolt on front derailleurs. You don't have to adjust it up or down or side to side for straightness. Just install the two bolts that hold it on to the frame and that part is done.

[@jeromelaceda2422]

Hi very good you're vedio I like it

[@fmdmarc7430]

hi great video. but can I ask your advice. I have a tirple crankset with a 9 speed cassette. when I lift the bike of the ground to adjust front derailleur all works great. but as soon as I go out and actually ride it I'm back to square one it changes down fine from middle to small and back to middle is ok. but won't go into the big ring help.

[@raminvmusic]

Felice Davella i have exactly the same problem i have been searching everywhere for the answer but i finnaly came to the conclusion that my front shifter cable needs changing.

[@pattskatoey3139]

I’m having that issue now where the chain is rubbing against the derailleur if I go into the middle and outer crank.Will have a fiddle with the barrel adjuster and see if that helps.

[@AllKindsofGainz]

Great video. Just wish your camera angles were better and closer.

[@daveofnf]

I've gone through every gear, but I'm left with one problem: if I'm in the 1st gear (largest cog in the rear) and shift from the middle chain ring (in the front) to the smallest chain ring, all is well. If I'm in the 9th gear and shift from the middle to the smallest chain ring, it can be really difficult to downshift. If I back out the low screw enough to allow for a smooth shift in the 9th gear, it will fall onto the BB in the 1st gear. It seems I can't have both. Ideas? Fantastic guide by the way.

[@nbpt1000]

Well done!

[@joefi44]

Just kidding. I kid b/c I'm jealous. I just love those words/phrases like 'mech', 'bit' and 'bloke'. Nothing about a front mech in 2x system, though if you can tune a 3x, a 2x system is cake.

[@7600e]

Good video and I think I have everything set up par one gear combo, could you give advice please? Im using 8spd chainset with three front rings. When in small front ring and small back ring im getting rubbing of the bottom of the chain against the derailleur. If I move the derailleur down it will then hit the (cogs/spikes?) on the big front ring. Any ideas on fixing this? thanks

[@robthesamplist]

very well explained but i still feel like tomorrow i will go to do it and my chain will be knackered, ill need new gear cables new bottom bracket, tools for new bottom bracket, tools for chain..i have a bolt missing from my crank for some reason so probably end up getting new cranks... really can't be assed with maintenance but i suppose it comes after about the 6 year mark. i managed to service and regrease my front wheel bearings and that felt good at least but i know i need to adress my very slightly wobbly bottom bracket, stiff gear cables and cranks and i cba :( oh and i need new brake pads meh probably about 60 quids worth of stuff if i go for cheap tools and amazon style

[@markandar4496]

theres also a third option, go single speed.

[@silvaaa70]

I have always had all my bikes with the rear brake lever on the right. I noticed yours is on the left. Why is that? Just curious. Nice explanation on the adjustment by the way.

[@williampaterson1706]

Best i have watched good for new cyclists wanting to fix bike themselves

[@karuppaswamy4445]

Hi bro, I have a question , I got new bike with shimano Tourney on front and shimano Acera on rear , I shift rear gear with one trigger,but when shifting fron I need to hold till the gear set , is all the front shifter will be the same or when I get the next version I will get the same like trigger

[@krneki111]

Hi! Thanks for a great video. I have a particular problem on a Deore M590 system. I am running 26-36-48 chainrings on the front and a 9-speed 11-34 cassette in the rear. I am having difficulties with the chain rubbing against the mech cage on the middle ring. For example, I have to use the small chain ring up to the 5th sprocket in the back as number 3 and 4 rub heavily against the cage on the middle chain ring. If I release the cable tension a bit, it starts shifting poorly from the small chain ring on to the middle one. I've adjusted the limit positions of the mech on the low and high chain rings and they are fine, I just can't seem to get the cage to sit in the "middle" of the medium chain ring. I am starting to think it was factory fitted with the wrong bottom bracket (hollow tech II deore), maybe the problem is in the chain line? Do you have any advice for me how to fix this thing? On my other mountain bike, I am running an alivio front mech and the performance is stellar. Thanks and best, Luka

[@lhusisatoiralu4486]

Really need some help here with fixing the gear shifting for front. The problem is i have to exert extra force with the thumb in order to shift to the 2nd and more force in order to shift to the 3rd [Almost to the extent that it hurts]. The barrel adjuster has also been adjusted according to the instructions in this video, but of no avail. Please help.

[@theD-show]

Is it possible to achieve absolutely no derailleur rub on the front?

[@KimC141]

The derailleur, in this case the front. Its the bit that actually moves the chain across the chainrings.

[@rockinginafreeworld3256]

What if I cannot get the chain to go onto the granny ring? It's the the low screw and it will only go into the granny ring if my rear is in the highest gear.

[@olipitt12]

im getting really frustraited with my bike now ive adjusted it so that in the lowest ration the chain is as close as it can be to the mech without rubbing then i move it to the 2 smallest gears front and back and its rubbing on the mech on the other side ive also done the same with the top and it does the same is there anything that can be done or do i have to put up with it rubbing

[@Davehiphop]

Hi, I recently changed my front left shifter as the old one broke they are both Scram X7 9 Speed. All is good, however with the new one I seem to have to push further up for the shifter to go up, sometimes my thumb is not long enough. Any ideas why? The last shifter was fine.

[@andrewhowden3887]

I think I understand that,thanks.

[@Tubestiina]

should you setup front or rear mech at first?

[@hikoshi6915]

Start with the one making problems.

[@Corey_G]

What is this bike?

[@willh2822]

what are the two screws for? bottom and top one?

[@slapster2275]

idiot

[@markwakeman6902]

my arshole keeps rubbing on the chain do i ajust the chain or my ars

[@matthewlewis272]

I have a Shimano XTR M971 Triple MTB Front Derailleur 34.9 9 Speed the gear route is bottom pull why does to top chain ring get caught on the mech. May I have some advice thanks

[@bikewondo7688]

Matthew Lewis Raise your FD up a little bit. The derailleur should rest 1-2 mm. (the stamped metal) above the largest chain ring.

[@Chirock-dr5gx]

will doing this void with the warranty

[@FatyPaty1234]

Is that a trek

[@anushpatel4003]

My bike chain rubs at the bottom of the mech can you help

[@johnnny2badshields625]

BIG harp box bikes

[@alreadyou]

ive moved it every where,still only got 1 gear on the front,i can get 3 gears on the back,its o.k,but i have to get off on most hills,the two small screws on the front dont seem to do any think,as they only move a little bit

[@swisstony6069]

At 3.55 on the clock, the chain is on the biggest cog at the back, but after he clamps the cable, the video jumps at 4.22, to the chain being on the smallest cog at the back. So confusing as he makes no reference as to if he put the chain on the smallest cog before clamping the cable.

[@melhorzin100]

muito bom

[@ThomasWhatever]

3 mil? That's like ,075 mm. So almost touching the chainring? Is it really that less?

[@kacperkozak8814]

Guys what if my gear cable breaks once rear shock compresses?

[@armaanrashid3899]

my limit screws dont change anything someone help?

[@christianpetersen163]

Even though I understand the adjustment process (thanks to this video), I still can't get more than half of the gears to work simultaneously. Oh well, better than nothing... :)

[@edwinromilly4645]

you may poss find cable change will help As if you get any dirt ingress it does stop it functioning or are your limited screws rusty,or mech poss. Process of elimination I struggled quite a lot with mine👍

[@phantrongnhan2000]

It is, because it has Bontrager wheels, only trek bikes have Bontrager wheels

[@EmptyHeadHeavyFoot]

My rear wheel keeps hitting the FD when I put it on the small front gear. Also my front gears(the whole cage) is flopping basically. When I increase the speed it starts shifting inside n out. Can someone tell me what to do ? Should I tighten or change parts ? Thanks

[@MBRmagazine]

***** Sounds like the High/Low stop adjuster needs tweaking. If you screw the low gear adjuster (usually the one closest to the frame) in, it should move it away from the tyre. Then you may need to tighten the cable tension slightly to take up the slack.

[@EmptyHeadHeavyFoot]

MBR magazine thank you sooo much ... I am gonna try it :)

[@imboyster]

I'm h 😎😚🤓🤓🤓😐😂😂🙂🙂😆😆👌🍸😆😆😆😆🙂🙂😆😆😆🍸🙂🍸😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😬😬😃

[@1969trevor1969]

Sorted out my gears,bike shop had put the wrong sprocket on the bike,so the gears were never going to work properly !

[@markwakeman6902]

Terrible advice 3 mm works in most cases but not all . xt decore triple 9 speed back on the inside of the front mech there is a ridge. On the small front cog the chain should be just under the ridge.Put tension on the chain when adjusting below the ridge this is the only way i could get full range of gears, when on the front large cog the gap is 15 mm

[@cdeccles]

3 mil = 3mm

[@ZanyGeek]

I need to get my arse to someone who knows what they're doing.

[@morgandavies9685]

my bike won't shift up it gets 1 or 2 teeth then no more

[@1969trevor1969]

Bloody gears are a pain,spent 5 hours and no go,crap

[@FuManBoobs]

I think some videos make this look dangerously easy. On my greasy dirt ridden bike it never quite works the same and I always need a tool(a bike stand for example) to do the job comfortably. Think I'll stick to repairing flats. Everything else goes to the local bike shop. Depressing.

[@JimboJones2022]

whats a mech

[@MBRmagazine]

It's a derailleur.

[@PrototypeBMX]

i gave up and cut mine off the fucking chain with a pair of bolt cutters im converting to a fixed front gear fuck this bullshit

[@7Earthsky]

Your camera angles are for shit but at least you've said specifically that the middle cog is adjusted purely by barrel adjustment and cable tension...Most videos don't do that.

[@usmanrabbani2062]

wheres the enthusiasm?