Anyone know if the front derailleur bracket can be trued if it is slightly bent?  It appears that the bracket is a plastic material that is riveted to the frame.  I certainly hope that it can be replaced if there is no way to true the bracket slightly. 

I don't really want to risk doing something that can't be repaired.  It is an SLC-SL frameset.

Thanks in advance.

Nik H

I'd take it in to your Cervelo dealer before you do any modification or attempt a fix on your own at this point. I had the same issue with the FDR bracket on my RS due to my own negligence. (Over tightened the DR bolt and spead the slot on the bracket). Even though it may look like plastic, it is metal - aluminum, I think. The kicker is that it is both riveted AND bonded to the fame. I was told that if it could not be fixed on the frame, the frame was probably toast, and the last recourse would be to send it to Cervelo in hopes that they could do some magic. In my case, the bracket was fixed in the shop and no issues since.

Hope it works out for you. Good Luck.

Thanks for the advice. 

I did what you did.  My wife bought me a Super Record Group for the holiday.  I used a torque wrench to tighten the the bolt to the stated specification in Campy's manual but noticed some movement in the bracket before I reached the value.  Thankfully, I stopped before I did anything major.  The deformation is minor but enough to keep the derailleur from aligning itself properly.  I can still shift it but it is not smooth.

I am sure it can be corrected as the damage is slight.  At least I hope so!!

 Nik H

Exactly the same problem I had. Once I screwed the bracket up, I couldn't get the DR to settle in the correct position. I could find the right position and finger tight it. But because of the spread slot, as soon as I put a wrench to it, the DR would twist and settle out of position. There was no way I could get it right and I was launching the chain with every FDR shift. That's when I took it into the LBS. They fixed mine without too much drama. They should be able to fix yours. I'd discuss the matter with whoever you bought the frame from (I'm assuming an authorized Cervelo dealer) and get a commitment from them that they can fix it. I'm guessing they will have seen this before.

Well this is certainly a disturbing report. I just built up my RS a week ago and torqued my FD as spec'd by Campy. I'm not having any problems with throwing the chain, but wonder why Cervelo would use such a soft piece of aluminum for the FD mount. The paperwork that I got with the frame didn't mention anything regarding recommended torque on the FD bolt. Does anyone know what this should be?

I don't know that this is really all that common. I haven't seen it before on this forum or Roadbike Review's Cervelo forum. So no evidence that it is a chronic or systemic problem. In my case, I can say it was operator error, and can't blame the bracket.

My guess is that the bracket is typical of riveted/bonded brackets used on many other high end carbon frames.

I also have a bent front derailleur bracket on my R3.

How do i fix it??

Here is the picture of the bracket:

http://twitpic.com/11vg0n

Hi

I had a 2008 RS that I have had replaced ( Warranty ) due to one of the rivets holding the FD coming off. Cervelo did give me the option of having it repaired or if I did not mind waiting I could have a 2010 bike.

Cheers

John

John,

As my R3 is second hand, i can't use warranty.... I'll try to repair it with hand rivet tool.

 A rider in my club had the unhappy experience of the whole bracket coming off whilst changing gear, leaving a gaping hole in the frame. It was a BMC though.

No this is not a common problem, but yes it happens, and it happens with other bikes with braze on style brackets on a carbon frame.  why is it a soft material, would you rather have your bracket bent or have your frame broke if you break your chain and it yanks on the front der. 

If it is bent you must either bend it back or replace the hanger, or shim the der.  This is considered frame damage, and you are bending things that may break, so no shop is going to make a "commitment" that they can fix it.  You already broke it, so the best they can tell you is we can try, but we may ruin it in the process.  If you do choose to bend it back be carefull and watch the frame, if you see signs of the carbon flexing out  then stop. 

And dont try to bend the whole thing, just the thinner outer piece