My Front derailleur won't shift?

Front derailleur wont shift?

• So my sis got an old bike which I'm cleaning and fixing for her. The rear derailleur shifts like butter but the front is messed up. The bike uses what are called friction shift levers. U gotta twist them to make it change gear. So I can get the front derailleur to move the chain to the largest chainring but when I let go of the shifter the front derailleur moves back to the center chainring. Also I can't seem to make the front derailleur move to the smallest chainring its stuck in the middle. Any tips? I cleaned and lubricated everything.

• Answer:

  Depends on the type of shifter. Based on your explanation it sounds like a thumb lever. On top of the shifter there should be a screw, Tighten it. You might have to break through a sticker to get to it. If you have a grip shifter, where you grab the shifter and ot rotates around the handlebar, you'll need a new shifter. As far as not moving to the small chainring, there could be lots of problems. Go to http://parktool.com and go to their repairs page.