tandem front derailleur recommendation

[David Lafferty]

Hi,
Has anyone else fought with clearance issues between the front
derailleur and fender/tire on their tandem? The cable fixing bolt on
my derailleur interferes with my fender in the middle and outer
rings. I'm wondering if there is a front derailleur with a cable
fixing bolt that's closer to the seat tube, or that is intended for
bikes with wide chainlines. I've cut a hole in the fender that
roughly matches the travel path of the bolt, but I'd like a better
solution to I can fit 35mm tires.

Here are the details of my setup:
Trek T200 frame (c 1995)
145mm rear dropouts
31.8mm seat tube
Suntour Triple cranks with ~126mm bottom brackets (to match the rear
hub chainline)
54t outer ring, not sure on the other rings but they're probably 30-34
and 42-44
older Shimano 105 front derailleur that does not appear to be triple-
specific
Shimano bar end shifters
8-speed chain and cassette
Planet bike Freddy Hardcore Hybrid (45mm) fenders
Pasela TG 700x32 tires

Thanks,
David

[LG]

David,
That older 105 FD was most likely a SC105 and based on Mt bike
derailleurs such as XT, LX, DX. As such, It has a long pivot arm. From
your description, that is what is hitting your fender. New road triple
front derailleurs have a short pivot arm to be used with STI shifters.
With bar end shifters, you would notice an increase in lever pressure
and quicker shifts because the derailleur cage will move further with
the shorter pivot arm. I'd say you would gain 10-12mm of additional
clearance with a current model triple road derailleur. It should shift
your chainring combo just fine, or maybe not, front derailleurs can be
frustrating despite their simplicity.

Good luck,
Larry Graham

[Greg Merritt]

David,

I have an IRD front triple derailleur on my SKS-fendered T100 of a
slightly earlier vintage: it's got 140mm rear spacing. The T100 vs.
T200 naming was to distinguish versions that were sold with flat bars
vs. drop bars, as I understand, so I believe that our frames would be
generally similar. Mine is one of the larger sizes, but not the
largest.

I don't recall clearance issues with that derailleur or the original
Deore derailleur, but I may be forgetting. I'll take a close look at
it soon.

-Greg