Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

Help: Explain Derailleurs Please!!

729 views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  doug4sail 
#1 ·
Hey, I am new to bike components....

I bought a Weyless XP FS bike and it rocks but then I found a good deal on a 2003 Santa Cruz Heckler frame. So I am swapping all components over to the Heckler.

Now I ran into a problem with the front derailleur. Its clamp is too small, so I found out I need a 34.9 to fit the Heckler frame.

BUT.... what I am confused with what it needs to be, Santa Cruz says Top Swing AND Top Pull. I do not know what that means?

Second question.. how do I get the cranks off the BB. Are the threads reversed or something? Will my BB and cranks fit my new frame?

Thanks!
 
#3 ·
hatch4raceb16 said:
Hey, I am new to bike components....

I bought a Weyless XP FS bike and it rocks but then I found a good deal on a 2003 Santa Cruz Heckler frame. So I am swapping all components over to the Heckler.

Now I ran into a problem with the front derailleur. Its clamp is too small, so I found out I need a 34.9 to fit the Heckler frame.

BUT.... what I am confused with what it needs to be, Santa Cruz says Top Swing AND Top Pull. I do not know what that means?

Second question.. how do I get the cranks off the BB. Are the threads reversed or something? Will my BB and cranks fit my new frame?

Thanks!
Top swing means the cage pivots are at the top of the derailleur (And the clamp is near the bottom). Top pull indicates that the derailleur cable is routed from above the derailleur. Most Shimano derailleurs are dual-pull now (So they can be wired either top-pull or bottom-pull).

You'll need a crank puller to pull the cranks, but you'll need to know whether or not you've got external bearing cranks. Go buy yourself a copy of Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance. It will answer all the questions you need to ask to do the swap you're doing.
 
#4 ·
thecrazyfinn said:
Top swing means the cage pivots are at the top of the derailleur (And the clamp is near the bottom). Top pull indicates that the derailleur cable is routed from above the derailleur. Most Shimano derailleurs are dual-pull now (So they can be wired either top-pull or bottom-pull).

You'll need a crank puller to pull the cranks, but you'll need to know whether or not you've got external bearing cranks. Go buy yourself a copy of Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance. It will answer all the questions you need to ask to do the swap you're doing.
I have Truvativ FireX cranks. I got the bolt out and can see inside. They are the ISIS style. It seems they are just pressed on?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top