Patent ID: 7186194

Claim:
A bicycle front derailleur comprising: a base member configured to be coupled to a bicycle frame; a movable member having a front end, a rear end and a chain guide portion configured to be moved between first and second positions; a first link member including a first coupling portion pivotally coupled to said base member and a second coupling portion pivotally coupled to said movable member about a first pivot axis, said first coupling portion of said first link having a first forward most surface and a first rearward most surface, and said second coupling portion of said first link having a second forward most surface and a second rearward most surface; a second link member including a first coupling portion pivotally coupled to said base member and a second coupling portion pivotally coupled to said movable member about a second pivot axis; and a biasing member disposed on said first pivot axis to normally bias said movable member to said first position relative to said base member, said biasing member being at least partially located in front of said first forward most surface of said first coupling portion of said first link member relative to said movable member when said front derailleur is mounted to the bicycle frame in a normal operating position, said second coupling portion of said first link member including a pair of axially spaced mounting elements with said biasing member arranged axially between said mounting elements, an overall axial length of said second coupling portion of said first link as measured between said second forward most surface and said second rearward most surface being about 1.5 times an overall axial length of said first coupling portion of said first link as measured between said first forward most surface and said first rearward most surface, the normal operating position being defined as a position where said chain guide portion extends longitudinally on a right side of the bicycle frame such that the front end of said movable member is located closer to a handlebar mounting portion of the frame than the rear end of said movable member, said first and second forward most surfaces facing substantially forward toward the handlebar mounting portion of the frame and said first and second rearward most surfaces facing substantially rearwardly away from the handlebar mounting portion of the frame when said front derailleur is mounted to the bicycle frame in the normal operating position.