So then.. I got a new bike that has drop bars and STI shifters. Don't have the exact type to hand, but they use the separate wee lever (ie. not fully integrated into the brake lever) to move the gears in the 'sprung' direction, and a sideways movement of the brake levers themselves to do the work against the derailleur spring. Never used STIs before, and that may be a factor in what follows...
The rear derailleur works fine, but the front one won't budge off the big cog. I'm scared rigid of forcing something in case it breaks, but I'm wondering if I've missing something obvious, like, for example, a transit screw or somesuch that stops a lever, or the mechanism itself, from moving.
Any ideas what the problem might be, what to check, etc,etc? Don't be afraid to point out potential idiocy on my part - I'm new to all this stuff and I am perfectly capable of doing something very dumb (or even failing to do something that should be obvious...).
All advice gratefully received :-) If push comes to shove I'll take it back to the shop but they're shut tomorrow and I was hoping to have a cobweb-clearing run out on the new steed, hence my appeal to CCE.