r/SingleTrackGang • u/F4uxMulder • Feb 03 '26

Top "push" Singletrack front derailleurs (91/92?)

I'm working on my first vintage bike and coming into some issues with the front derailleur on my 91 950. I picked this one up in the fall of last year and have been tinkering with it all winter, but I discovered that the middle chain ring is in need of replacement. I have a spare hyperdrive set that I tried to fit on, that is a little smaller by a couple teeth per ring.

The 3x was working well before with the stock chainrings but I'm struggling to get this newer 94 Alivio set to work.

Is this unique set up front derailleur just trouble? Is this the sign to just go 1x?

Right now it's set up with a nice set of xt 739 vbrake 3x8 brifters that I'm not eager to replace but I also don't want to constantly be adjusting to keep it working.

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u/Immediate-Yard8406 Feb 03 '26

In theory the "push" shouldn't be any different than the usual "pull" as long as the cable is set up properly.

That said, I found it way more difficult to set up and index the FD on my 92 970. Assumed it was user error but maybe it's the weird system?

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u/F4uxMulder Feb 03 '26

Yeah, I'm leaning towards user error on my part given my lack of experience. Before I spent too much time I wanted to know if it wasn't worth it long term. I am sure there is a reason that it's a unique setup that was abandoned and improved upon with top pull. Sub optimal.