Caerus Posted March 30, 2011 Share Just wanted to know what the difference between all the front derailleurs that you can get. Ive tried a search and couldn't find a specific topic for this. You get a Top Pull & Bottom Pull - From what I know this refers to how the cable routing is on your specefic make of bike. ie: If the cable runs along the top tube you would need a Top Pull and if your cables run under the bottom bracket you need a Bottom Pull. Which gets me to my question, What does the Top Swing & Bottom Swing refer to, and what are the differences and advantages of one over the other? Ive asked my boss( he has ridden Cape Epic, J2C, Sani2C ) and he didnt even know there was a difference, Ive known that there are differant types of derailleurs available, but how do you know which to go for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreZA Posted March 30, 2011 Share Edited March 30, 2011 by Mampara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Brunsdon Posted March 30, 2011 Share What got me with the "wing" was I thought it was the clamp position. My bike uses a top swing and I bought a bottom swing off a Hubber as I mistook the terminology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caerus Posted March 30, 2011 Share Thanks Just seen that same picture, was looking for a bit more of an explanation as to whats going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaeTrewBrowne Posted March 30, 2011 Share the bottom swing has the 'joint' under the clamp that secures it to the frame and the top swing's 'joint' is above/next to the clamp. dont think anyone is better than the other, some full sus frames have pivot points just above the BB which force one to use a bottom swing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caerus Posted March 30, 2011 Share What got me with the "wing" was I thought it was the clamp position. My bike uses a top swing and I bought a bottom swing off a Hubber as I mistook the terminology. I did the same thing a while back , so hoping this thread can clarify this for anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreZA Posted March 30, 2011 Share Top swing: cage pivots are above the clamp. Can be either top or bottom pull. Bottom swing (conventional as in road bike): cage pivots are below the clamp. I'm not sure on then but I think they can be either top or bottom pull.Which one to use is determined by the frame design. If you have a fat BB or suspension pivots low down, then a bottom swing will be used. I personally like top swing as it is neater but net easier to clean. The top pull cable is hidden behind the seat tube and does not stand out like on a bottom swing. Both of these also come in different clamp sizes determined by you seat tube. Shimano has one size that comes with spacers and Sram has two sizes. E-type: Can be used on any frame. The bracket takes the place of one of the spacers on the BB. Direct mount: can only be used on frames that have direct mount holes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caerus Posted March 30, 2011 Share Top swing: cage pivots are above the clamp. Can be either top or bottom pull. Bottom swing (conventional as in road bike): cage pivots are below the clamp. I'm not sure on then but I think they can be either top or bottom pull.Which one to use is determined by the frame design. If you have a fat BB or suspension pivots low down, then a bottom swing will be used. I personally like top swing as it is neater but net easier to clean. The top pull cable is hidden behind the seat tube and does not stand out like on a bottom swing. Both of these also come in different clamp sizes determined by you seat tube. Shimano has one size that comes with spacers and Sram has two sizes. E-type: Can be used on any frame. The bracket takes the place of one of the spacers on the BB. Direct mount: can only be used on frames that have direct mount holes. Thanks for that, Emo Kid had me a bit confused as he was mentioning "joints" when "pivot" was the correct terminology. I see that on my bosses Santa Cruz Tallboy he runs the bottom swing. I then run the top swing on my Giant Trance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Drongo Posted April 1, 2011 Share You can use this as a top swing ie. cable in from the top (seat-stay) provided that the last cable stay is not too close to the mounting position. If it is the angle between where it leaves the cable stay, and secures to the clamp, becomes too severe and friction issues arise when you activate the shifter. If it is used as it is properly intended, then the cable comes up from the BB, over the 'cam' and into the clamp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Drongo Posted April 1, 2011 Share So here, the blue line is cable with a good angle, red bad, and magenta the 'correct' use method Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LazyTrailRider Posted April 1, 2011 Share In addition to what everyone else has said, I've consistently found bottom-swing models to be more durable. The pivots on top-swing tend to very quickly wear out and work themselves loose, leading to annoying rattles and slop. Unfortunately, my current bike's fancy pivots dictate that I can't use bottom-swing, the SLX I put on 800km ago is already rattling. I had a bottom-swing SLX on my previous bike which I sold with 2500km on it, without even a hint of play. If you can, go for bottom-swing IMHO. Edited April 1, 2011 by Martin Hattingh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caerus Posted April 1, 2011 Share So here, the blue line is cable with a good angle, red bad, and magenta the 'correct' use method The red line is what made me think about all this, The ride line is representing whats on a Santa Cruz Tallboy, and they say its shifting better then ever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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