Bicycle Tutor

hey there guys,

im new to the forum and im looking for a bit of advice.

im trying to get my bike ready for a regular 20 mile a day shift to uni and back and am having a lot of trouble with the front mech. no matter what i do i cannot get it to shift smoothly from first to second and it definatly won't move from second into third. i have tried everything i could do, putting lots of tension into the cable, putting a less tension into the cable, altering the high screws, the height.

the high screw doesnt alter anything at all on the mech. it isnt that old but could it be time to completely replace the thing? been working on it all day and im about to rip all my hair out.

any advice would be epic.
thanks

Are you sure the problem is with the derailleur and not the shifters? Front derailleurs are pretty straightforward and it would be unusual for them to wear out. The front derailleur tutorial on this site is a good place to start.

I would start be disconnecting the cable and moving the chain out of the way; then verify that the FD will move to where it needs to go - this takes a LOT of force.

I would replace the cable - make sure to lubricate the inside of the housing with light oil.