Wahey I’ve finally managed to sign up again. Hello.
Anyway I’m having trouble setting up my front mech on my new-ish xc120, I’m using a deore (bottom swing i think – the old style clamp at the top) but because of the seattube/chainstay positioning the bottom of the cage hits the chainstay when its mounted in the correct position, I’ve currently got it set too high – the band clamp is actually over one of the bottle bosses, for now I’m using an old friction thumby so it is in a workable state with much tweaking as I shift across the cassette, it’d never work properly with indexed. As far as I know the mech is a standard one.

Just wondering what model front mech other xc120 owners use?

How are you arriving at your ‘correct position’? To me it seems obvious it isn’t the correct position if it’s hitting the chainstay! I suggest you put up with it being ‘too high’, assuming it gives perfectly clean quiet normal shifting in this wrong position. ;o)

Have you tried a top swing front mech? the clamp is a lot lower, so will allow you raise the mech up so it clears the chainstay and doesnt foul the bottle boss.

If the clamp’s on the bottle boss it sounds like you need a top swing!

Ah, I read the clamp was ABOVE one of the bottle bosses, not over, sorry!

FWIW I had an XC120 and used an XT low swing mech and didn’t encounter this. The clamp was above the bottle boss and worked perfectly in this position.

Depends on the size of your big ring! lol

It’s a hardly used mech which still has the alignment sticker and if you try to align it the chainstay gets in the way so I’ve had to mount it a bit higher than normal.

Checking the shimano website the deore mechs are rated to 48T but the standard XTs are only 44T I’m wondering if the deore has a slightly longer cage to cope with bigger chainrings and thats why it’s fouling the chainstay.

And GlasgowDan it is your old 120 and I’m quite liking it thanks.