Rebuild advice needed

[vincentpaul]

I'm rebuilding my late 80's Diamondback Apex. I need some advice on a proper front derailleur. The crankset is a 110/74 five bolt mountain triple, geared at 46-36-26. I'd like to switch to 48-36-26. What would be an appropriate bottom pull front derailleur for a 48 tooth chainring?

At the time of purchase this bike was considered a great "poor man's racing bike." I couldn't afford it at the time, and bought the next step down in the line (Ascent EX). The Apex was a great frame, TrueTemper Platinum OX chromoly, with mainly Deore XT components. Most riders would upgrade the components with time. I'm having the frame powder coated. Here's the rest of my specs, comments welcome:

Headset: Deore XT
Brakes: Shimano Deore XT cantilevers
Brake Levers: Shimano Deore XT
Derailleurs: Shimano Deore XT M770 Front ??????, Sram X.9 Rear
Shifters: Sram X.0 Twist
Saddle: Brooks B17
Seat post: Cane Creek ST Thudbuster
Crankset - original Shimano Deore XT
stem and handlebars - original Diamondback

[hemp22]

I'm not mechanic or anything, but I think the FD-M770 XT you have listed should work fine - they'll accept a 12t difference in chainrings. (and it's supposed to work with shimano's 48-36-26 crankset).
Be sure your chain length is still sufficient, and that your rear derailleur has enough total capacity.