Top pull front der?

roadent said:

It's got cable guides on the top tube and looks like it requires a top pull front der. Anyone have any ideas how/if I can do that with STI levers? MTB derailluer? I'm looking for options here.

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Does it have a hole below the der clamp area for a pulley or do you really need a top pull front der? Since it's a '97, that might mean you will have to troll Ebay or swap meets for the elusive top pull fonrt mech.

Cyclocrossworld.com

has a pulley kit with a 31.8 clamp for 26 bucks.

http://www.store.yahoo.com/cyclocrossworld/derclamwitpu.html

or save yourself the coin and cable routing

an use an XTR fr. derailleur. have for years works just fine.

What type of crank are you running? Gearing? I used a SRAM XGEN top pull on a compact for the road on my cross bike and it worked, but not perfectly. Would drop chains pretty easily. I switched to a road bottom pull front derr and bought the pulley and clamp, and now it works like a champ.

The Sram Xgen....

Rocks as a triple MTB derailleur, but I think the cage is wider than the shimano xtr/xt/lx derailleurs, which might explain the chain drop.

Thanks for the tips..

I've been running a 38/48 on an FSA crank (130mm bolt spacing).

I've been thinking about stepping it down to a 38/46 since I've been in the 48 about 6 times in two years of racing it. I've kept the 48 since my cross bike has been my race and commuter bike. Now the Steelman will be my primary race bike, with more off road use, so I won't have to spin the small gear to try to keep up with the road bikes running 53s.

I guess I should have trolled cyclocrossworld a bit. So do I buy a pulley and use a bottom pull front der from my parts bin, or buy a top pull XTR der. Seems the pulley is actually cheaper.

my bike with the XTR Fr.Der

runs a 46/36 for the same reason. can run a tight chain and a 46/12is more than you'll ever need in most cases

Why not simplify things and run a single 42 in the front, and a 12-27 in the rear?

Mostly cause I'm chicken. I ran a 42 single ring with the 12/27 when I started cross, and was loosing places on some hills that I knew I could climb fast enough with a 39 or 38. So I put the double ring on and stayed in the 38 almost exclusively.

Now I'm chasing faster guys, so I'm even more chicken than before. But a 46 will give me a wider range that I'll actually use regularly.

I think it all has to do with the courses they layout in your area. My experience says I can still use the 38.