What does “SRAM Custom” (front derailleur) mean?

Asked by: Ryan Villanueva

What is a dual pull front derailleur?

Dual pull. Dual pull is something that came out as a solution to make front-derailleur options more universal. Simply, a dual-pull derailleur allows the cable to be routed from either the top or bottom.

What does a front derailleur do?

A: The front derailleur is the mechanism that shifts your chain from chainring to chainring. It moves from side to side as you click your front shift lever, carrying the chain along with it.

Do I need a new front derailleur?

Are Front Derailleurs Necessary? These days front derailleurs are essentially not necessary, on mountain bikes at least. Now even high-end road bikes are starting to lose their front derailleurs. With a larger rear cassette, it’s possible to get the same number of gears without the need for a front derailleur.

Can you mix front and rear derailleur?

The only two ways the front derailer and rear derailer must be compatible are 1) they must be assuming the same chain width (or at least reasonably close), and 2) they must combine to produce a reasonable chainline (more a function of the crankset than the front derailer).

Do front derailleurs wear out?

That said, derailleur springs will lose tension overtime, and pivots will get sloppier. Shifters can wear out too (if you ride enough), and most cannot be serviced back to health.

Does speed matter for front derailleur?

The number of rear speeds (the 9 in 2×9) marked for a front derailleur isn’t too important, but the cage of the derailleur may be thinner for higher number of rear speeds (so if your chain isn’t designed for high enough speeds, you may have some rubbing on the cage, especially if you don’t adjust it properly) — as

How do I know what derailleur I need?

If you are replacing an existing derailleur on a bike, simply count the number of cogs on your cassette and you’re good to go. If your drivetrain’s speed is an unknown quantity, you can count the number of steps that your shifter runs through and add ‘one’ to determine the number of gears your drivetrain has.

Are all front derailleurs the same?

There are two different types of braze-on front derailleur interfaces: one is commonly found on road bikes, the other on mountain bikes. The interfaces are different enough that a quick visual inspection should allow you to determine which type of interface you will need.

Are SRAM and Shimano front derailleurs compatible?

Yes, you can mix Shimano and SRAM front derailleurs and shifters. It’s the rear derailleur that is not cross compatible, with the exception that SRAM has made ‘Attack’ shifters that will work with the Shimano rear derailleurs.

Why do mountain bikes only have 11 gears now?

So why do mountain bikes have less gears? Mountain bikes have less gears for quite a few reasons, however the primary reasons being less maintenance, lighter weight, and the need for only the quickest shifts when running into such a varied terrain.

What is a good average speed on a mountain bike?

What Good Mountain Bike Average Speed? In general, for an average cyclist, 17 mph is considered a good average speed for a mountain bike on road, while on trails speed can drop dramatically to 14 mph due to the hard riding condition on these paths.

How much does it cost to fix a derailleur?

There can be a range of prices for replacement derailleurs, starting around $20 and going all the way up to $700.

How do you adjust a SRAM front derailleur?

Quote from video: Now we want the bottom of the derailleur cage to be one to three millimeters off of the top of the big chain ring teeth. And we want this outer edge of the cage to be parallel with the big ring.

How do I make my bike gears smoother?

Quote from video: Also you want to make sure that you're not cross chaining it puts a lot of strain on the chain. And on the other drivetrain components you could prematurely wear out your drivetrain components.

What is the difference between double and triple front derailleur?

A “double” front derailer has an inner cage plate that extends down only slightly farther than the outer plate. A “triple” front derailer has an extended inner plate that goes down considerably lower than the outer plate.

How do you install a dual pull front derailleur?

Quote from video: The first step is to install the front derailleur around the seat post tube of your bike. You'll want to put some grease on the bolt that attaches the derailleur.

How do you unscrew a front derailleur?

Quote from video: Use a hex wrench as a gauge when the cage is set to high you risk the chance of the chain falling off the largest ring when you shift.

How much does it cost to adjust a front derailleur?

Adjust to the right height



The front derailleur should run parallel to the chainrings. If it doesn’t, slacken the bolt fastening it to the frame and rotate it into the right position. When directly above the largest chainring, the outside edge of the derailleur should sit 2-3mm above the teeth of the chainring.

Should you adjust the front or rear derailleur first?

In a nutshell, adjust the front derailleur first, then the rear. Show activity on this post. If the derailers just need minor tweaking (they are basically in adjustment but are “not quite right”) then you adjust the one that is obviously wrong, check the overall adjustment again, then again adjust what needs adjusting.