The Bike That Phill Built: Front Derailleur

Exciting time are ahead as nearly all the major pieces have been purchased! The front derailleur acts in a similar role to the rear derailleur - its function is to transfer to the chain from one chainring to another on the front sprockets.

Apparently the difference between the expensive ones and the cheap ones is nearly non-existant. They all have the same moving parts and only vary by small amounts in weight. My options were already limited as I bought a Shimano rear derailleur it was advised I get a Shimano front derailleur. SRAM construuct their derailleurs with a different gearing ratio so unless I wanted to buy two separate gear shifters I had to stick with Shimano.

I had to ensure that the Derailleur was compatible with my sprockets (like the rear derailleur) and also I had to decide on top swing or down swing action. Bikes with suspension need their derailleur swing action to be pivoting from below the clamp so as not to interfere with other components. These are called down swing.
With all this bumping around in my head I went and purchased a Shimano DEORE front derailleur. It was cheap and yet functional. Yay!

Model Number	FD-M530-6
Series	DEORE
Swing Action	TOP-SWING
Cassette Compatibility	9-speed
Maximum Capacity	22T
Top-middle Minimum Capacity	12T
Top Gear Teeth	44T/48T
Cable Routing	dual-pull type
Chain Line	50mm
Chain Stay Angle	66-69
Multi-Clamp (28.6/31.8/34.9mm)	yes
Band Material	aluminum/painted
Average Weight	167g

The important specs here are the Cassette Compatibility, Maximum Capacity, Top-Middle Minimum capacity and Top gear Tooth - all specs relating to my crankset (except the cassette one) I have had to deal with before. Cable routing allows for the cable from the shifter to approach the derailleur from above or beneath, as far as I'm aware one dierection is better suited from actual competitive mountain bike racing where as the other is better suited for a less intense ride. Multi-clamp dictates what size frames it can be attached to.

Shimano Deore M530-6= $ 54(after my 10% aweome customer deduction)

Total
Frame Set $1099+
Wheel Set $ 495
Handlebars $135
Headset $ 77.50
Cassette $ 89.90
Crankset $198.02
Rear Derailleur $108
Brakes $86.38
Front Derailleur $54

$2342.80