UKH

I have an old (26" 9 spd) MTB that still meets my needs. Everything works but the front mech is very wobbly and I am not sure how much longer it will last. I am trying to identify a suitable replacement before it is too late.

It is bolt on (i.e. no bracket/link round the bottom bracket) E-type 9 speed with the cable coming up from below underneath the bottom bracket. The labelling on the existing mech just says Shimano Deore XT with a small label marked mega drive. There is no visible type number. I have yet to find a suitable replacement. All the bottom pull versions I have spotted seem to also use the bottom bracket link. Can this be removed to leave just the mounting holes? Otherwise can anyone suggest a suitable replacement

In reply to harold walmsley:

I think it's a Shimano XT FD-M770 e type

Ukc won't let me link to eBay but search for this number 294920964619

In reply to harold walmsley:

I had an old specialized fsr with an interupted seat tube and the front mech mounted via the bottom bracket shell. In this case the main part of the derailiure and the mount were detachable but I don't think this was in a way so you could direct mount the derailiure, more as a way of adjusting the position for different sized chain rings. 

Have a look at this 

https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/component/deorext-m780/FD-M786-D.htm...

A friend had this model mounted on a carbon MTB, could be the one you are looking for. The Shimano website has a good selection with pictures that could aid your search.

In reply to The Potato:

That type is always photographed with a bottom bracket mount. I would need to know that the bottom bracket mount was removable and that the holes that were left after removing it were the standard E-type spacing and size. 

In reply to gethin_allen:

Thanks, I looked on the Shimano website a while ago but couldn't identify it. This time I looked again with a bit more focus on the essentials and a little more familiarity with the jargon. It doesn't look exactly like the old one but I think the Deore XT FD-M780-A-E is what I need.

In reply to harold walmsley:

It is important that it is designed for a 9 speed or less chain. The side plates get narrower to match the narrower chains used on drivetrains with more cassette sprockets. I ran the same mech XT 3x9 mech you have  on a 3x8 drivetrain for almost 20 years and the chain rubbed on the cage in all but 3 sprockets. I was forever trimming with the able adjuster on the rear shifter to keep it quiet.

In reply to Jon Greengrass:

I have now realised that the FD-M780-A-E is a 10 speed system but it seems (e.g. Sheldon) likely that it would nevertheless work. Rubbing in extreme gears is sometimes a problem but, if it is, it has been suggested that a 10 speed chain could be used, even with the 9 speed chainrings and cassettes, and might help?

In reply to harold walmsley:

It might be worth giving SJS Cycles a ring/email for advice.

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/about-sjs-cycles/

In reply to cragtyke:

Thanks, I'll try them

In reply to harold walmsley: the proper UKC reply is that even though you think you only want a front mech what you really need is a new bike and if you can stretch your  budget another £k or two you could have this …. Etc .

I  m in the process of rebuilding one of my  an old 26 inch Mtb s for my eldest son . It used to have 9 x 3 with an xt  front mech , it’s going to  be rebuilt 1 x 10 . Hence an xt mech will get chucked in the spares box . As I have 3 kids and hence lots of bikes I’ll keep hold of it but somebody will have the exact one you need that they no longer need . It would help your present one to give it a new cable and a good clean . Pack of cheap tooth brushes from Wilco , half a can of gt 85 and an two or three ounces of elbow grease . It might well see you out . 

In reply to harold walmsley:

The type you want is called direct mount, and 9 speed derailleurs can still be bought new.

In reply to harold walmsley:

I was looking for a front derailleur for my oldish 3x9 mtb a while back and there wasn’t much around that was compatible. If your bike can accept a clamp mount then maybe the same model that I used would work. It’s in this thread:

https://www.ukhillwalking.com/forums/biking/help_with_understanding_shimano_st...
 

The replacement gets very close to the rear tyre and occasionally catches when it’s on the innermost chainring. This could probably be fixed using a hammer. 

In reply to harold walmsley:

yes a 10spd chain will work, and by all accounts they're actually more durable than 9spd due to improved materials, and manufacturing process despite the thinner side plates. Only downside is poorer shifting because the narrower chain means the side plates don't interact with the ramps and pins on the sprockets and chainrings.

In reply to Currently Resting:

My post said I need 9 speed direct mount (that is E type). Could you direct me to a somewhere that has them new. Plenty of sites advertise them but then either quote clamp sizes for what are claimed to be E-type mechs (clearly wrong so I don't go for them) or show "out of stock". I would be very grateful to be directed to somewhere that has genuine direct mount (E-type) bottom or dual pull 3x9 front mechs of XT or equivalent quality. I have failed to find any.

In reply to Jon Greengrass:

One of the bikeshops said "10spd uses a different cable pull ratio to 9spd so will not work". I was not sure what they meant by this. I realise the 9 and 10 speed shifters could be different in the amount of cable pulled per click but I only enquired about the mech. The comment suggests a different leverage on the 9 speed and 10 speed mechs so the cable pull from my 9 speed shifter would produce a different movement of the cage. However, other online sources have suggested that the 3x10 mechs are simply re-badged 3x9 mechs. I was going to follow this up to try and resolve the contradiction but 3x10 speed front mechs seem just as hard to source as 3x9 mechs (plenty superficially available but all either clamp mounts or out of stock) so there didn't seem much point. Unless I can confirm the suitability of a 3x10 mech and then source one there is, sadly, no need for a 10 speed chain.

In reply to mike123:

My mech still works fine so there is no need for new cable and cleaning. Despite its decent performance I want to source a replacement because two of the pivot pins for the cage movement on the mech wobble alarmingly and I am not sure how much longer they will last. I am trying to source a replacement before it breaks. I have located a used one as a fall back but it might be in no better condition than mine. It would be nice to get a new one but I seem to be drawing a blank. Perhaps, in the worst case, it would pay to stock up with several used ones (they are relatively cheap).

In reply to The Potato:

You are right. I eventually found the FD number on the mech. It is FD M770 E type.

In reply to harold walmsley:

I beg to differ . 
mind , looks like you haven’t bothered for the lifetime of the bike , why start now ?

In reply to The Potato:

That number leads to a site I was suspicious of because they show a photo of what I want (I have confirmed that the bottom bracket plate can just be removed) but then quote post diameters (a clamp related dimension) for what is supposed to be an E type mech. There is no contact to question this unfortunately.

In reply to mike123:

How could you possibly know my maintenance regime? I have bothered with new high quality cables several times. That is why they are not an issue now. Cheeky sod. If you are referring to the split ends in the photo, they go no further than the first clamp. I know I will need a new inner when I next loosen it but the moving part is fine.

In reply to harold walmsley: sorry   , is that a picture of your mech or just a random one that looks like it ? If that is indeed your mech then I hazard a guess that the words “  maintanence “  and “ schedule “ are not  really matched together . 

Edit : added not 

In reply to harold walmsley:

Yes , it is a replaceable part, SJS have stock of that item.

In reply to harold walmsley:

Take it off and give it a really good clean up - there will be a serial number on it somewhere.

In reply to harold walmsley:

I think he was forming a view of the regime by looking at the mech picture.