How to Adjust a Shimano Front Derailleur

Co-authored by Jonas Jackel

Last Updated: March 12, 2023 References

Any Shimano cyclist knows how frustrating it is to be unable to shift gears just as you are coming to an important point of your ride. The culprit is more often than not a maladjusted front derailleur. When the front derailleur comes out of alignment, it prevents the chain in the bicycle from moving between higher and lower gears. There is no need to panic if this happens and it is actually something that you can fix on your own! All you need is a Phillips screwdriver and about 20 minutes.

Things You Should Know

Make sure your front derailleur falls about 1-3 mm (0.039 to 0.118 in) above the large chain ring so it doesn't rub against the chain rings or cause a bad shift.
Adjust the inner and outer limit screws to keep your derailleur cage from going beyond the inner or outer chainring.
Do a variety of gear shifts on your bike to see if the derailleur works properly without rubbing against the bike chain.
Make a few counterclockwise quarter-turns with your barrel adjuster to finely adjust the derailleur's position.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Adjusting the Height and Angle of the Front Derailleur

1
Make sure your derailleur sits at the correct height. The derailleur should fall around 1 to 3 millimetres (0.039 to 0.118 in) above the large chain ring.^{[1]
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Research source} When the derailleur cage sits too far above the chainring, this can cause the bike to shift poorly. If it is too far below, the derailleur will rub against the chain rings.^{[2]
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- Fixing the height is a subtle adjustment, based on a difference of millimeters. You will need to be precise. Having your bike on a repair stand can make this work easier.
- You can use a penny to try and estimate if you have adjusted to the right height, as a penny is 1.5 millimetres (0.059 in) thick.^{[3]
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2
Adjust the height with the positioning clamp. This clamp is what connects the derailleur to the frame of your bike. Loosen the derailleur clamp bolt by turning it clockwise and adjust the height as necessary. Then, tighten the bolt back up.^{[4]
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- This should be done while your bike is on its lowest gear so that there is not too much tension on the inner wire.^{[5]
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3
Check to make sure the derailleur cage is at the right height. Shift to your middle front chainring and see if the cage is sitting properly. If not, shift back into low gear and re-adjust the height with the positioning clamp.^{[6]
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4
Check to see if the angle of the derailleur is parallel to the chainrings. The derailleur cage and the chainrings should be parallel. If they are not, you will have to make adjustments.
- It is easier to see what adjustments you have to make while you are looking down at the derailleur from above. Envision an alignment between the center of the cage and the centerline of the bike frame.
5
Readjust the bolt to the correct positioning. Loosen the bolt that is attaching the frame of the bike to the derailleur. Shift to the lowest gear of the bike and turn the derailleur to the right position.^{[7]
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- Once you have the angle set in the proper place, you can tighten the positioning clamp.^{[8]
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6
Loosen the front derailleur barrel adjuster. Turn the barrel adjuster completely clockwise in order to release tension in the cable. This can be readjusted later on.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Making Limit Screw Adjustments

1
Set the inner limit screw to prevent the derailleur cage from moving past the inner chainring. Shift the rear derailleur into the largest cog in the back and front derailleur into the smallest cog. Using a screwdriver, twist the inner limit screw until the inner part of the cage is as close to the chain as possible without touching it.^{[9]
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- You can try spinning the crank to make sure the chain is not catching.^{[10]
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- The inner screw of the derailleur is usually the one closer to the frame that controls the lower limit. This screw is sometimes marked as "L."^{[11]
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EXPERT TIP

Jonas Jackel
Owner, Huckleberry Bicycles
Jonas Jackel is the Owner of Huckleberry Bicycles, a bicycle retail store based in San Francisco, California. Jonas has over 20 years of experience managing bicycle retail stores and has operated Huckleberry Bicycles since 2011. Huckleberry Bicycles specializes in servicing, repairing, and custom building road, cross, gravel, touring, folding, and e-bikes. Jonas was also previously sat on the Board of Directors for Bike East Bay, a bicycle-advocacy non-profit organization based in Oakland, California.

Jonas Jackel
Owner, Huckleberry Bicycles

Our Expert Agrees: Use the high and low limit screws to adjust the tension on the derailleur. Make sure that when the derailleur is in the smallest cog, it won't shift too far, causing the chain to drop off the outside of the cassette. Set the other limit so that you can't shift the chain off the back of the cassette into the spokes. Once the limits are set correctly, adjust the cable tension so the derailleur will correctly shift from one gear to the next.
2
Adjust cable tension. Loosen the cable that is attached to the derailleur at the anchor bolt. Tighten this cable as much as possible and then make the anchor bolt tight again. It can be helpful to use needle nose pliers while doing this, but you don't have to.
3
Set the outer limit screw to stop the derailleur cage from moving past the outer chainring.^{[12]
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Research source} Shift the front derailleur up into the largest chainring and the rear derailleur into the smallest cog. Turn the outer limit screw with a screwdriver until the outer derailleur cage is as close to the chain as possible without touching it.
- Setting this limit will make sure that the chain does not over-shift and fall out again.^{[13]
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- The outer or second screw is the one that controls how far the derailleur shifts outwardly. This screw is sometimes marked as "H."^{[14]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Making Sure the Derailleur Works Properly

1
Test to see if the derailleur is shifting correctly. Shift through the whole range of gears on your bike. The derailleur should be able to shift into small and large chainrings without rubbing on the chain.^{[15]
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2
Use the barrel adjuster to tweak the position of the derailleur. Try twisting the barrel adjuster a few quarters of a turn counterclockwise to fine-tune the position.^{[16]
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Research source} This will increase the tension so that it shifts into the larger chainring.
- If you can push the derailleur out, it can mean your cable tension is not right. Turn the barrel adjuster to fix this.
3
Start trimming while you are riding. Trimming means making small adjustments while you are riding your bike. Doing this will help to protect the chain from rubbing against the derailleur.^{[17]
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Research source} This will prevent the derailleur from coming out of alignment again.
- Shimano bicycles come with a half-click on the lever so that you can make these adjustments easily.
4
Ride your bicycle as you normally would. Things should be running smoothly now! If the derailleur becomes misaligned again, you may have to do a more thorough job in fixing it next time.
- If you feel like you can´t fix it yourself, you can ask a bike mechanic for help.

Community Q&A

Question

How do you adjust a front derailleur?

Drew Hawkins1

Community Answer

To adjust the height of the front derailleur, locate the positioning clamp that connects the derailleur to the frame of the bike. Turn the clamp bolt clockwise to loosen it and then adjust the height. Tighten the bolt once it's adjusted. To adjust the angle of the front derailleur, loose the bolt tht attaches the frame of the bike to the derailleur, shift to the lowest gear of the bike, and turn the derailleur to put it in the right position. Tighten the clamp once you've made your adjustment.
Question

How do front derailleurs work?

Drew Hawkins1

Community Answer

A front derailleur on a bicycle moves the chain between the 3 front sprockets. It moves the top part of the chain and allows you to shift into different gears. They're commonly attached to mountain bikes so you can adjust the gears for different terrain to make it easier to pedal the bike.
Question

Should I adjust the front or rear derailleur first?

Drew Hawkins1

Community Answer

Because any issues that you're having with your derailleur are likely occurring in the front, start by adjusting there first. If your problem still persists after you make an adjustment, then adjust the rear derailleur. However, if you can tell which derailleur is obviously having an issue, then adjust that one first.