OH has just bought a T129-S with 22/36 SRAM double cranks and X7 high direct mount mech. I’ve swapped the 36 for a 32 but I’m concerned that the front mech is a bit high and I can’t move it down any further (outer plate is ~10mm above the teeth).

Would a 3×10 front mech reach lower down to cover the 32 and have a more appropriate swing angle? Shimano make them bu5 to cover 24/32 or 22/30 not 22/32. Would that matter?

Any advice appreciated!

Cheers,

S

Had some fun with double and triple mechs, any particular reason for dropping the 36? Not that big a gear with a 10sp cassette (think the normal is 24/39)

29er in big Scotland with a slender lady rider. We demoed one at glentress and she commented that she was forever changing gears at the front. So dropping to a 32 seemed to make sense. I ride a 29er here with 32t ring on a 9sp 11-34 and I wouldn’t want to run a 36t ring for much the same reason!

Surely the STW sages can’t have come up short on this one?

Would a 3×10 front mech reach lower down to cover the 32 and have a more appropriate swing angle? Shimano make them bu5 to cover 24/32 or 22/30 not 22/32. Would that matter?

You’ll have an even larger gap where the 42 would have gone. Double is your best bet. Pretty shit direct mount if your running non standard rings.

Surely the STW sages can’t have come up short on this one?

From what I’ve read the default answer is to ditch the front mech and go 1X.

So is a 3 front mech further off the teeth of the 32 on a triple than a 2x front mech on a double? Wouldn’t that cause awful shifting? I’m not worried by the 42/outer position as it will be running as a double.

Anyone in the evening crowd able to offer an opinion?

Shimano 10 speed triples are designed to work around 24/32/42 rings so will work perfectly well with 24/32 and 22/32,however, there will be a large gap between outer plate and 32 ring. If I understood your original post correctly I thought this was something you were trying to avoid?

but I’m concerned that the front mech is a bit high and I can’t move it down any further (outer plate is ~10mm above the teeth)

I wouldn’t write off your current mech unless you’ve tried it.

I went thru the same faff. The triple FD mount causes the large gap between the “now missing outer ring” and the smaller (middle ring) which is new outer. From my results, the chain would then get thrown “off” over the outside of the new outer, 32T in your case.
Fixed with a proper double FD instead of trying to use/fudge the triple FD. The double FD can be mounted lower down, thus decreasing the gap between FD cage and chain ring.
Currently use 22/34 front end and stuck a race face bash guard (36t sized) on too, works fine for me. Gap closed up.

From my results, the chain would then get thrown “off” over the outside of the new outer, 32T in your case.

Was also an issue for me.

Hmm, OK. Will have to have another look when I’m home as the SRAM X7 double FD on at the moment is in its lowest setting and I can easily pull the chain through the gap between the top of the 32 ring teeth and the cage outer plate.

Do Shimano double FDs allow for mounting lower down?

Am seriously considering drilling another mount hole lower down on the frame mount plate. I can’t believe that such an inflexible design seems so popular!

My FD is direct mount, so can be slid down on its mount on seat tube. Currently a 6.5mm gap between underside of cage and top of my 36t bash ring. Chain is 8.5mm thick roughly so cannot get squeezed thru gap. Without bash ring, my chain was getting thrown outboard changing from 22t up to my 34t, strange but true and a known phenomenon. I found it impossible to set FD at the usual 3mm gap shimano recommend for triple after I went to 2×10. With bash ring all shifting is perfect.

Pic of gap here with mech at lowest position, although from others descriptions it seems like it is one of those “Apple inspired innovations”….

Edit – posting from phone so can’t rotate pic correctly 😕

Would a direct mount 9sp triple (m771) work?