Best front bike derailleurs according to redditors

This is a direct replacement.

Here is how to replace it

So that's the issue then the frame is designed for a derailleur that attaches to a braze-on mount not one that clamps on with a band clamp like in the photo.

So you want to buy a different front derailleur like this

https://www.amazon.com/SHIMANO-FD-2400-2x8-Speed-Claris-Derailleur/dp/B00CABQRVS/ref=lp_6389289011_1_26?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1565001047&sr=1-26&th=1&psc=1

(shows band clamp type in the photo but you can select braze-on type from the pull down option)

If you haven't tried the derailleur you have like that it might still work, would be worth seeing, you probably do need one desinged for double chainset though

In broad strokes there are five things you need to consider, in order of importance:

1 - How does the derailleur mount to your frame? If you have a hanger with a threaded hole below the dropout you use the "normal" modern style like so

Otherwise if your dropouts (mostly older frames) don't have a hanger you need to use one like this or get an adapter.

2 - (Again broad strokes, there are exceptions) you need to consider the brand. Don't mix Shimano with SRAM.

3 - You need a derailleur for the number of cogs in your rear cassette / freewheel. A 10-speed mountain rear derailleur won't work with 9-speed mountain shifters, for example. There are, again, exceptions but that gets very complicated very quickly.

4 - You need a rear derailleur capable of taking up all the chain slack your gears will create. The rear derailleur not only shifts the rear, it also uses that long dangling cage with two pulleys to tension the chain. The amount of chain used when in the big chainring up front is a lot more than the amount of chain used when in the small. The rear derailleur doesn't shift those front chainrings, but it does take up the slack. You need a rear derailleur which can take up all the slack your chosen drivetrain can generate. (BigChainring-SmallChainring)+(BigCog-SmallCog)=How much slack a drivetrain generates. The longer the "cage" the more chain slack a rear derailleur can tension, but the worse it shifts (in theory) and the more likely it is to get hit by trail obstacles (because it hangs lower). That's why most people run the smallest cage they can. Cages come in three general length categories: Short, medium, and long. MTB cages are almost always medium or long, and road cages are almost always short or medium.

5 - Clutch or not. Clutch derailleurs are (in theory) harder to shift but they don't bounce around as much off road, preventing the chain from bouncing as much on rough terrain, decreasing the chance of the chain popping off the front chainring.


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As far as "what's better than what": Longish article on Shimano and SRAM's heirarchies

You're looking for the Suntour xct jr. crankset. You will also need a front derailleur and front shifter. You will likely need a new chain as the old one is too short, and the shifter may not come with housing. Expect about $100 total including labor for a bike shop to do it. The other option is to talk to the shop and see if they will do any type of return value towards the XTC jr. 24 Disc which already has the triple and comes with a suspension fork.

don't a friggin get an X9 for that bike... its like putting a corvette engine a tercel. doesn't make sense and won't even work. your bike had a tourney rear derailleur which is the most entry level shimano has. upgrade a bit to this acera for $20 and call it a day. It'll shift better than what you're used to and won't break the bank. it will work with your existing stuff as well. simple as removing the busted one and installing this. watch some videos and you can get it done easily.

Looks like you’ve a derailleur that’s for a braze on mount. So yeah, you’ve bought the wrong one I’m afraid. But you can buy mounts that you can put a brake on derailleur on. Make sure you get the right size though. Like this.

https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Tourney-8-Speed-Mountain-Derailleur/dp/B00O7XMG1C

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Like that one?

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There are a couple of others that want me to chose between 'direct attachment' and 'with riveted adapter' like this one:

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https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-RD-A070-Road-Rear-Derailleur/dp/B007Q4PBNO/ref=asc_df_B007Q4PBNO

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Thanks.

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Watching youtube videos about how to replace and adjust a derailleur right now...

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(edit: also https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-RD-TY300-Derailleur-Compatible-Upgraded/dp/B01GO02W5K/ )

Oh wow after going back to the amazon link it does in fact say dual pull design

anyway here it is http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0063R0ZUO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Do you know of a good resource to figure out how to flip it around or whatever is involved? It didn't come with instructions just a derailleur in a box haha.


Thanks for your help by the way I do appreciate your time!

Is the shifting indexed (single click for each gear) or friction? If it is friction, get whichever suntour or shimano derailleur is cheapest online. It should be one without the hook also called a derailleur claw. A used one would be less than $20 online, or you could get something new like http://www.amazon.com/gp/product//B000F5EGAA/ref=twister_dp_update?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The good news is that Shimano 7 speed is mostly compatible with 8 speed, so you can buy slightly more modern parts....

Claris 46/34t crankset, $35: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C45HO0I/

Claris FD-2400, $20: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CABQZQ0

Claris RD-2400 GS, $24: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CABM7XK/

KMC X8.93 Chain, $12: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001MXQHPG/

Will I be happier with the shimano acera?

Its made of steel like my old one and I like the idea of nice shifting on my refurbed bike. Then again I also like money and your recommendation for the matching tourney cheapo model. Let me know what you think.

https://www.amazon.com/Jockey-Wheel-x-sync-x01dh-Derailleur/dp/B00KBYA72G

search for SRAM x01 pulley wheels and you'll see tons of stuff

So yes you will want a double front derailleur with a 31.8mm diameter clamp. You will also want to verify that it is an 8 speed derailleur. The 9/10/11 speed derailleurs will have a skinnier opening and may not shift quite right.

If you are getting a shimano derailleur I would stick with the road versions. The road lines are claris, sora, tiagra, 105, ultegra, dura-ace lines. Those go from cheapest to most expensive and the price swing is wild. Your bike originally came with a claris and I would suggest to stick with a claris or sora. The other's will be unnecessarily expensive for you.

I would not suggest going with an mtb type derailleur (e.g. acera, alivio, deore, slx, etc.). I think there are some differences here but I dont know them offhand.

You may also be able to go with another brand of derailleur (sram, microshift, campy, etc.). Sometimes there are problems with the length of cable pull available from the shifter where crossing brands may not work. I can't speak to what will work here but if you do go this route keep this in mind.

In the end, I would recommend going with a shimano claris or sora. It is the safest bet. important derailleur type: double, 31.8mm clamp, 8 speed

It is easy to replace. Park tool and others have lots of videos online. If you have any other questions feel free to respond or pm. There are a few tricks to getting the tension right if you are having trouble

Edit:

here is an example

If you want a direct replacement, I suggest this: Shimano FD-2403

Even though it's newer-gen and from Claris instead of Sora, it should be compatible. It keep the same pull ratio as the FD-3304 and the same cage sizing, since it's an 8 speed triple. Also available in both a 34.9mm band and braze-on (not sure which you have, as you mention both).

As nrp2a mentioned, any 9-speed FD (road or mountain!) works as well since it also has the same pull ratio. The cage will be slightly more narrow, likely leading to slightly more rubbing as you shift through the cassette, but it shouldn't be a big deal. 9 speed stuff is gonna be a few bucks more though, if that matters to you.

Do you really have the derailleur hanger? You should post the pic of broken one so that we can make sure.

If you do have the derailleur hanger, I think you can use something like this. Shimano Tourney.

https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Tourney-TX55-Speed-Derailleur/dp/B003ZM9RDQ/ref=pd_sim_468_10?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B003ZM9RDQ&pd_rd_r=X7ESM3A6V3YXM80YCV7T&pd_rd_w=k6Gma&pd_rd_wg=hsYVC&psc=1&refRID=X7ESM3A6V3YXM80YCV7T

Lots of people are going to tell you to just reuse your old triple FD, but a new double FD is like $25. Just get the right damn piece and save yourself the potential dropped chain and hours of headache trying to get it to work right.

Oh, and the other thing to be aware of is to NEVER SHIFT INTO THE THIRD RING AGAIN. I've seen people try to find that "hyperspeed" and end up breaking the shift lever. If you do shift into that gear, then manually detension the cable before clicking the release button. Anyone who sold Treks ~8 years ago can remember the debacle when Trek specced triple shifters with double cranks.

There are a few details that matter for your derailleur.

• If the current one is a SRAM, the new one needs to be a SRAM.
  
  
• If the current derailleur has an integrated claw-type hanger (like this one does, as opposed to this one) then you want to get the same thing.
  
  If neither of the above apply to you, then you can buy just about anything else out there.
  
  If you don't have indexed shifting, or if you do, and you have less than 8 gears in the back, then you can get away with really cheap cables. WalMart and Amazon sell a Bell-branded kit with everything you need for $6.
  
  Take note of the cable routing as you take the old parts off, and use the old housing sections as a guide to cut the new ones (even if you need to make some changes). Also, read this first. You don't really need special tools, but you will need to do some clean-up work on the cut housing ends with a file.
  
  

ok last thing http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007Q4PBNO/ or http://www.amazon.com//dp/B007Q4PGPM/

whats the dif with Smart Direct Mount or Smart Mount with Bracket

FD-6800 looks like it has a screw

That should work?

The shifter (on the handlebar) was your issue, not the derailleur. if you don't want to clean out the shifter (it's easy, I promise!), you could use these shifters with this derailleur.

That's a long cage, which you probably won't need looking at your bike.

See this link for more information on cage length.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007Q4PBNO/ might be better. Read the above link though and work out what cage length you need.

Having a look myself and I found this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007Q4MDI0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007Q4MDI0&linkCode=as2&tag=faqloadcom-20

What do you think? Should it work?

hey could you give info regarding what chain are you using? and regarding slx derailleur is it this one ?

It threw the chain four times during a relatively easy 25-mile ride, and it's having trouble keeping H/L and rotational adjustments. I was initially looking at the Force but Amazon's 3rd party price for the last Red FD model just made it a better buy.

Sorry about the late reply, but here you go:
Shimano Acera 6/7 speed rear derailleur:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F5EGAA
It has plastic roller gears for the chain! I have not ridden it much, but something tells me when a stick lands in, it won't shred it up like my xtr. You might want to spend more for a better one.
I'm not sure what the cage length is but if you get another, you'd probably be best off with a medium cage, but you might need a long cage. Check this for more info: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=205890


Here is the cassette: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001BY7ZP2
I got the 13-30, but I think i'd recommend the 13-34 for the lower gearing.

The cheap wal mart bikes can be okay as long as you aren't looking to ride offroad, and replace the shifters/rear mechanicals with proper parts.

That doesn't meant spending a ton of money, the older 7 speed shimano freewheels can be found on Amazon for $15 or so, and so can the derailleurs.

The problem with the freewheels on the walmart bikes is you often see they'll be "slick shift by DNP" freewheels which have a reputation for lasting for about 50 miles then dying. I think I've read they're also made from old shimano tooling, which is worn out so they never shift right no matter how much you adjust them.

>None of the modern bikes I listed for comparisons’ sake had disc brakes. All had linear pull, just like the ‘00 Specialised.

The bike you link to has disc brakes

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>well you can just cut your sentence there. It’s a steel crankset. It’s cheap, it’s shitty, and it is heavy.

How is it shitty? How much heavier are the cranks on the modern bike vs the older bike? 4lbs difference in bike could be the coil suspension fork alone. Additionally, both the OP's bike and the Pitch are "Forged Alloy". Guess what? Probably the same stuff. The components you get on a bike like the Pitch aren't as shitty as you seem to think they are.

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>Modern Geometry

You realize that with aluminum, specifically, they have modified their manufacturing techniques in the frames to be more compliant where it matters while remaining stiff where power is transferred? I rode an aluminum road bike from 2000 for 17ish years. My butt definitely knows the difference between it and the modern CAAD bikes that Cannondale is putting out. Just because you aren't aware how the modern changes to MTBs affect construction doesn't mean they don't exist.

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>That is a change from the past where MSRP was used as an advertising gimmick to get the rider to think they were getting a great deal- when it really never actually came off sale.

This hasn't changed. The OP bought a year old model, which can bring a bike down 30% in cost. I've only bought one bike (high quality kid's bike) at full value, and have probably bought 7/10 of the bikes new from a shot that I've purchased new in the past decade.

You are only picking out any possible negative comparisons to fit your narrative and haven't provided any actual contradictions to my points, just a lot of hate.

>Claris

can't find this exact model on amazon.de, only amazon.com, for which I will have to pay import fees. Found this: https://www.amazon.de/SHIMANO-FD-R2030-Umwerfer-3x8-fach-Mountainbike/dp/B06X9KK5W8/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=shimano+3x8+claris&qid=1564245073&s=gateway&sr=8-4

and this:

https://www.amazon.de/SHIMANO-FD-R2030-Umwerfer-Schnelle-Mountainbike/dp/B06Y4LZ161/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=shimano+3x8+claris&qid=1564245073&s=gateway&sr=8-7


though both say that they are for "mountain bikes" is it ok to buy any of them?

Hrm, this might be tricky. I've never seen or heard of that brand of derailleur.. And of course I can't find a direct same model replacement available for sale online to make this easy.

A quick search yielded this: http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-FD-M390-Derailleur-28-6-34-9-mm-Low-Clamp/dp/B0069330PE

It's listed to support 3x7(or 8), is a dual-pull design and has the same clamp band range as the original. That being said I cannot vouch for its true compatibility with the rest of your drivetrain because of my unfamiliarity with Falcon.

Amazon reviews for the 105 triple front derailleur look good, though.