Chain won't shift

Have you tried loosening the front derailleur cable clamp bolt to make sure the cage can travel enough to effect a shift? Also, have you checked the rotational alignment of the cage to see if it co-planer with the chainrings?

5-6mm of vertical clearance sounds a bit too high, but if you can't lower it due to chainstay clearance...

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by russmoz [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

All shimano running gear including 105 front derailer. Chain stay position means I can not get the front derailer closer than about 5-6mm above big ring. This is how it came new. New chain (Ultergra) and big ring and I am now having trouble shifting from big ring to small ring. The lower limit screw is all the way out. It is an Orbea Onix. Any suggestion to help get chain shifting?

WHY can't you lower the front derailleur so that the bottom edge of the outer plate of the cage is only ~2mm above the teeth of the outer chainring?!?

• Does your frame have a braze-on mount AND your largest chainring only is a 42t?
  
• Are you running a 9-speed with a 10-speed chain?
  
• OR, are you running an 8-speed with a 9-speed or 10-speed chain?
  

Does your bike have a Double or Triple crankset?

Who put the chain on the bike?

Posting a picture-or-two may better clarify what is wrong with your current setup.

Getting the height of the outer plate of any front derailleur withing 1-2mm of the highest teeth of the big chainring is essential to making it work, If you can't do this, then you need a different derailleur, a bigger chainring, or a different bicycle. But nobody can help you solve your problem until you show your hand.

Spent ages fiddling finally pushed the derailer plates slightly closer together and this along with the other adjustments seem to have done the trick. The outer derailer plate is still 5mm above the ring and can't go lower otherwise the bottom of the inner plate at the rear of the derailer hits the chain stay when shifting inwards. Only way to stop this is rotate the rear of the derailer out from the frame, then it is no longer parallel with the rings and shifting is worse.