Front derailleur!

[Tristan]

Sorry for a boring techy post but I wonder whether others have encountered the same issue...my front derailleur has packed in AGAIN! Last year it ceased up and no amount of degreasing/re-greasing would sort it. Took it to a well known Shrewsbury bike shop and they said it was probably the corrosive effect of the salt off the roads (this is what you get if you use a bike on the road!) So new deraillieur fitted and all is working fine until this next bout of cold weather! Of course, I don't use the front range at all on the road so I can go quite a long time before noticing. It seems ridiculous that I am going to have to put a new der on every time there is salt on the roads! Surely there must be a way to prevent this and I have never encountered it before - maybe this is due to the design of the bike...I know...it's a Giant!

[Tim Barlow]

Strange one that, I reckon the front derailleur is the one thing I've replaced least often on any bike I've had - I say that because they are an absolute pig to set up unless fresh out of the box, so I'd have remembered!

So, you say it seized up.. well, was it greased? A lot of people use GT85 or WD40 to 'lube' bikes - I'd put something thicker on the front mech, maybe some silicon spray grease, and of course avoid washing it with soap / de-greaser / pressure washer unless you are going to dry it, use water displacing oil like WD40, wipe and THEN re-apply the grease.

generally, things only seize up when they go rusty. oil / grease should stop this if used correctly.

One point to make though, gear cables cause most non-satisfactory gear changing. always try removing the gear cable and check for freedom of movement before going to the expense of a new mech. Don't get tempted to start adjusting the mech without thinking about what you are doing - they are a pig to put right except when they are new and have manufacturers plastic bits wedged in them to aid setup. So if you think it is seized and start messing with the various settings or worse, move it on the frame, you might well find a bike shop will see a new mech as the most cost effective way of sorting it out, even if the mech could be rescued by someone with time on their hands

Tim

[Silent Bob]

Cheers Tim, I too find this strange as I have never really had to mess around with the front mech! It is almost entirely due to the minimal maintenance my bike gets though (and riding it on those mucky roads!)
I actually bought a replacement bottom pull one by mistake but whilst I had the other one off I put it in some hot soapy water and used a wire brush to really get the grit out of the spring and the tension of the spring now works again! (when I tried this on the one last year it still didn't work!) Like you say I have now put some water displacing spray on there and then some heftier lube.
Needless to say I got my money back on the unused replacement!
Cheers, Tristan

[mikehunt]

I agree with Tim and Bob and am slightly mystified tbh Tristan

The first thing I would like to know is what make is the derailleur? And what lube do you use. I never have problems with front mechs so this seems odd. I agree with Tim that I use a thicker lube than GT85 or WD40 such as finishline wet lub. Even if you don't use the mech that often, certainly give it a shift on a regular basis. Where do you store the bike? Inside or out? I had my racer on the turbo trainer under the car porch for a few months and it was amazing how much corrosion got round it - and that was with out salt anywhere near it!!

Cheers
MikeHunt