STI \ NEXAVE?

[cannonball]

I have a similar question to a previous post, will a Shimano STI shifter (front) work with a Shimano NEXAVE front derailler?
Background Story: I changed the big ring on my wifes CDale silk road with DuraAce triple (53 down to 48), only to find out the DuraAce front derailler is not compatable with the 48T. I got it to work, but the outer rail is about 3/8" away from the big ring. I found the Nexave front der in my box of parts but I don`t know where it came from or what shifter it will work with, however it looks like it is the right curve and cage length to work with the 48T. I`m hoping someone knows as I would have to break the chain to install it and again if it doesn`t work.
Thanx...   Jim

[DaveB]

When you say "the outer rail is about 3/8" away from the big ring" do you mean the outer plate of the cage is about 3/8" above the big ring?  

If so, that is easily fixed by lowering the front derailleur until the lower edge of the outer plate is 1 to 2 mm above the big ring.  That should dramatically improve your front shifting.  My experience is that STI compatible Shimano road front derailleurs can be made to work just fine with big chainrings as amall as 46T.

[cannonball]

Yes, the outer plate is so long that when you try to lower it any more the rear end runs into the chain stay! Also the inner plate is so deep that to lower it anymore it runs into the middle ring and stops there. I have given the matter more thought and I figure I can drop the existing front der out of the way, install the NEXAVE front der, hook up the cable and see if it shifts across the chain rings sufficiently before running the chain through it. I also had a chance to compare it to a mountain bike front der and except for the location of the spring, it looks the same. Thanks for the response, I will post the results of my experiment.                 JIM

[cannonball]

Apparently designed for a hybrid type bike with more space between the tire and seat tube the NEXAVE front der will not fit the C-dale road bike. I installed a 105 double front der for now and surprisingly it works well on the triple crankset, however I ordererd an ULTEGRA triple front der and hope it will work better. (not as long as the DURA-ACE triple front der)   JIM