What is the difference between top pull and bottom pull derailleur?
Daniel Martin
Updated on March 05, 2026
Keeping this in view, what is a bottom pull front derailleur?
Some front derailleurs are designed to work with cables which pull upwards from above the derailleur, and some work with cables which pull downwards from below. They are called “top-pull” and “bottom-pull” respectively. Locate the cable stop or routing on your bike frame through which the derailleur cable will run.
One may also ask, are front derailleurs necessary? Front mech is not necessary to climb slopes. You can swap out the rear cassette for even larger one if you need lower gearing. With 10 speed cassettes, you can easily have a rear cog with more teeth than the crank. i.e. 40T rear with a 36T crank would give you granny gear like low without a front derailleur.
Also asked, what is a dual pull front derailleur?
Dual pull is something that came out as a solution to make front derailleur options more universal. Simply, a dual pull derailleur allows the cable to be routed from either the top or bottom.
What's the difference between braze on and clamp on derailleur?
Clamp-on have a metal clamp that wraps around the tube of a frame that doesn't have a built-in mounting tab for the front derailleur. Braze-on derailleurs can be mounted to frames that don't have a mounting tab, using an adapter.
Related Question Answers
Can you use a 10 speed front derailleur with 9 speed?
A 9-speed front derailleur will work, but it's not optimized and may result in more chain drops or slower shifting -or no shifting at the extreme ends of the cassette- because the gap between plates is larger than what's required for a 10-speed chain.Can I use a SRAM shifter with a Shimano derailleur?
The SRAM rear derailleur (mech) will not work with a Shimano shifter as is; the cable pull and shift activation ratios are not the same between the two systems. If you have an 11-36 (mid-cage SRAM RD) or a 10-42 (long-cage SRAM RD) cassette, you won't be able to use a Shimano road rear mech.Will a 9 speed front derailleur work with 8 speed?
Re: 8 speed front derailleur w/9 speed chainThe wider (8-speed as they are commonly referred to as) front derailleurs work perfectly fine with a narrower (or 9-speed as they are commonly referred to as) chains.