The replacement front derailleur was finally delivered today. As I mentioned earlier, I added a master link to the chain so it was a snap to break the chain and thread it through the derailleur. Since cables may stretch but never shrink, it is always a good idea to make sure the barrel adjusters are run in tight and then back them off about a ¼ turn before attaching the cables. I must admit that I have installed new cables on a bike without running the barrel adjusters only to find that when the new cables stretched, I couldn’t take up the slack because I forgot to do this step.
With the brake and derailleur cables completed I trimmed them down, soldered the ends to prevent fraying and added end caps. I know soldering the ends of the cables sounds like overkill since I also put end caps on the cables. But this is a touring bike that may need to be adjusted alongside the road or trail miles from anywhere and the last thing I want is a frayed cable.
The Park Tool website does a great job on how to install a front derailleur.
Ken Whittaker