# Replacement for Shimano C101 Front Derailluer



## JayEInd (Jan 21, 2012)

I have a Giant Cypress with a Shimano C101 front derailleur. The bike has three front chain rings and 7 rear cassette. The front derailleur has a great deal of play and so bad I'm afraid it's coming apart. I tried to order a replacement from Performance Bicycle, but they did not have anything that would work and sent me to Nashbar. Nashbar did have a replacement part, but it had to be back ordered. The ship date has been moved back several times since the original order. Can any one offer a suggestion as to a derailleur that would replace the C101 or another supplier that I might try? Thanks for any suggestions.


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## blackfrancois (Jul 6, 2016)

ebay?


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## JSR (Feb 27, 2006)

It may be the FD-A073. It's in the Shimano Tourney model group. It's only road triple for 7-speed I could find.

http://productinfo.shimano.com/download/pdf/spec/2.3/en#page39

https://www.amazon.com/Tourney-Shimano-Front-Derailleur-FD-A073/dp/B00U0NQFFG


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## JayEInd (Jan 21, 2012)

Thanks for the suggestions.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

Chances are you can ditch that C 101 and replace it with a mountain bike front derailleur. It doesn't matter if your C 101 is the nasty E-type (attached to the bottom bracket). I've taken a number of E-types off bikes and replaced them with clamp-on front derailleurs.

Bring the bike to a shop whose owner or manager can think outside the box. Number of speeds don't matter much since cages can be slightly widened or narrowed if needed with some very basic tools.


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## Roland44 (Mar 21, 2013)

blackfrancois said:


> ebay?


I can hardly find anything on there anymore...


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## riccardo123 (May 29, 2014)

Is it definitely the FD that is the problem? If you have the Suntour crank (48/38/28), as the current Cypress does, those chainrings are very prone to bending. I am UK based so I have no idea f these prices are good, but there are some inexpensive cranksets on here if your chainrings are bent.

7 Speed Crankset at bikewagon


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## Srode (Aug 19, 2012)

Shimano C101 Bicycle Front Derailleur...Triple....34.9...Clamp....Trusted Seller | eBay


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## JayEInd (Jan 21, 2012)

Thanks All. JSR I ordered the FD AO73 from Universal Cycles, should have it next week. Riccardo that is the crank set I have, I just put a new one on two weeks ago. I don't know if it was bent, I replaced it because I had ran a chain too long and had to replace both the cassette and chain ring...........won't make that mistake again! The FD had seemed to me to have way too much play for some time so decided to change it out while I'm in the mood. Thanks everyone, I greatly appreciate all the advice. Jay


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## turb0chrg (May 9, 2017)

JayEInd said:


> Thanks All. JSR I ordered the FD AO73 from Universal Cycles, should have it next week. Riccardo that is the crank set I have, I just put a new one on two weeks ago. I don't know if it was bent, I replaced it because I had ran a chain too long and had to replace both the cassette and chain ring...........won't make that mistake again! The FD had seemed to me to have way too much play for some time so decided to change it out while I'm in the mood. Thanks everyone, I greatly appreciate all the advice. Jay


How did the FD-A073 work for you?

I also have a Giant Cypress. I've owned it for nearly 4 years and bought it off Craigslist. I've replaced pretty much all the components everything on it over time and wheels and learned a lot about bikes! I haven't touched the front of the drive train yet (derailleur, crank set, chain rings). I think about retiring this thing from time to time but it's been a dependable daily commuter (10 Km return) for me for a few years now. 

Anyways, the front derailleur won't change to the small chain ring most of the time (I replaced the shifters and tried adjusting the H/L and also pulled apart the derailleur but I think the recoil spring is just toast or the thing is just overall tired. The large chain ring teeth have seen better days and shifting up there could be smoother... I'm thinking of replacing the crank set, chain rings and the derailleur. Anyone have a suggestion on cheapish crankset? I'm running a non-replaceable chainring crankset that is 28-38-48T w/ Shimano FC-C103 markings. I believe this is a square taper and cranks measure 170mm centre to centre. 

Lastly... Is the only reason to replace the bottom bracket is if there is play? Sounds like the width can be different...

Cheers.


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

turb0chrg said:


> Anyways, the front derailleur won't change to the small chain ring most of the time (I replaced the shifters and tried adjusting the H/L and also pulled apart the derailleur but I think the recoil spring is just toast or the thing is just overall tired.


A few things here:

1) Are you sure the cable is adjusted slack enough so the derailleur can drop that low? Even if the H/L is adjusted properly, the cable tension could be an issue too. 

2) If your cables are old or the cheaper galvanized ones, they will get rough with time and use. Rough cables mean they won't slip and slide through your housings, resulting in poor shifting. The best (and cheapest) thing you can do for your shifting is replace your cables with good quality stainless steel cables. While galvanized cables oxidize and become rough, stainless steel cables stay smooth. If your housings are old, it won't hurt to replace those too.

3) It is entirely possible that your derailleur spring is gunked up. Give it a squirt of WD-40. Derailleurs seldom go bad. With very high mileage and rough use, they can develop play, but that is quite unusual.



turb0chrg said:


> The large chain ring teeth have seen better days and shifting up there could be smoother... I'm thinking of replacing the crank set, chain rings and the derailleur. Anyone have a suggestion on cheapish crankset? I'm running a non-replaceable chainring crankset that is 28-38-48T w/ Shimano FC-C103 markings. I believe this is a square taper and cranks measure 170mm centre to centre.


The 28/38/48 crankset you have is a difficult one to find a replacement for in a square taper. The closest thing there is to this is one made my Sugino:

Sugino Xd2-350T 26/36/48X170Mm Lp Crankset Silver | eBay 

It is actually a 26/36/48 which is pretty close and will give you even better hill climbing ability. It is marketed as an 8-speed crankset with an emphasis on marketed. It will work just fine with your 7-speed as the chain width isn't different enough to matter.



turb0chrg said:


> Lastly... Is the only reason to replace the bottom bracket is if there is play?


Yep. You will know when the bottom bracket goes south as you will get a clicking or creaking sound that is cyclical with your pedaling. That is the first sign there is play.



turb0chrg said:


> Sounds like the width can be different...


Oh yes, absolutely! You need to get the correct width and thread size for your frame. The best way to find out what you need is to take the old one out and look what it says on it.


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## riccardo123 (May 29, 2014)

You can get this one with square taper

Buy Shimano FC-M311 Altus Square Taper Chainset at Tredz Bikes. £27.98 with free UK delivery

Sorry for the UK link but I'm sure you can get it elsewhere.


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

riccardo123 said:


> You can get this one with square taper
> 
> Buy Shimano FC-M311 Altus Square Taper Chainset at Tredz Bikes. £27.98 with free UK delivery
> 
> Sorry for the UK link but I'm sure you can get it elsewhere.


It looks like you can get it on Amazon. And it's only $34 with free shipping if you spend $50 or more on the same order:

https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Altus-Mountain-Bicycle-Crankset/dp/B005531XR6?th=1&psc=1


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## turb0chrg (May 9, 2017)

Lombard said:


> A few things here:
> 
> 1) Are you sure the cable is adjusted slack enough so the derailleur can drop that low? Even if the H/L is adjusted properly, the cable tension could be an issue too.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the tips. I've done 1-3 already. I replaced the cables when I did the shifters. When I disassembled the derailleur I greased it up too...

I think I might be onto something with it. I bent the cage a bit and things worked better for while, now it's back to the way it was before. Perhaps the cage metal is just not rigid enough anymore. I found Front Derailleur Adjustment | Park Tool and will give it a thorough look before I replace this thing!

Cheers


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

turb0chrg said:


> Thanks for the tips. I've done 1-3 already. I replaced the cables when I did the shifters. When I disassembled the derailleur I *greased* it up too...


I hope you didn't use grease. WD-40, my friend. Anything heavy will just gunk it up.


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## turb0chrg (May 9, 2017)

Lombard said:


> I hope you didn't use grease. WD-40, my friend. Anything heavy will just gunk it up.


Heh, semantics I used this stuff https://www.mec.ca/en/product/1899-129/Lube-2oz


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

turb0chrg said:


> Heh, semantics I used this stuff https://www.mec.ca/en/product/1899-129/Lube-2oz



OK, just making sure.


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