How does a shimano shifter die?

[FAswad]

Hi

Has anyone had an experience with a Shimano rear shifter going bust?

My rear shifting has been acting wierd lately, and I am trying to pinpoint the problem.

Briefly, the problem oocurs when I try to shift from the 3d smallest cog to the 2nd smallest cog (i think). When I attempt a shift, there is no click. I have to give the lever a couple nudges, and then, I get a click and a double shift down (or triple, depending on the number of nudges).

Anyone ever come across this?

Edit: Its an Ultegra, if it makes any difference.

[christian]

This just sounds like its on its way out. Unfortunately Shimano Biffers can't be rebuilt, not even Dura ace. If you got it apart you would never get it back together. I had an old RSX bifter that diaplayed a similar problem, you had to play around with it and you could get it to shift, eventually. Its most probably due to wear, I think they are just made out of plastic.

About the only thing you can do is flush them out, you just get a can of spray solvent/lube, something better then WD40, spray it in one side until it comes out clear on the other side. It may be best to have it odd the bike with the hood removed for this. It may keep you going for a little longer. All this is going to do is clean the crap out of the mech.

[jimmy]

I have no idea about the shifter, but you could try INOX, it is an australian product and is available from pretty much any hardware store.

Contrary to popular belief, WD-40 isn't a lubricant, it is designed to remove water from something, that is what WD stands for Water Displacement.

James

[Toff]

WD-40 is a lubricant. Says so on their web-page.

It's got lots of other uses, which makes it a very versatile solvent (water displacement, cleaning, rust-prevention, ant-seize, etc.) It is made up of roughly 50% mineral oil (think kerosene) and around 15% light machine oil, like sewing machine oil. Put some on your finger and it feels slippery...

The high content of mineral oil means it makes a better chain cleaner than chain lubricant, but that's only on first application. The more volatile components soon vaporise, leaving the lubricating components behind. It will keep your parts moving just fine for a very long time.

A specialised chain lube will no doubt be superior, but for general use, there's nothing wrong with the stuff. Many bike shops get stroppy with customers who choose to use a cheap substitute for their ultra expensive (profitable?) teflon superlubes, but they have a vested interest, don't they? I would have no problem flushing out a brifter with the stuff.

[FAswad]

RANT MODE ON

I mean, seriously, who wants to engineer a disposable piece of precision equipment? It just does not make sense. No customer will buy it, and the company will go broke. Oh wait, no, the guys who did just that happen to have captured the lion's share of the market. And they say Campagnolo is crap, Shimanos last a lifetime, and who wants to rebuild a shifter anywayas? Well guess what? If two years is a lifetime, then I must be God, and yes, I actually would rather pay $10 worth of spring to rebuild a shifter, than paying $500 swapping both, yes you heard it, both shifters on my bike. And if you must ask, I have already checked, and it looks like you can only buy Shimano shifters in sets of two! What an opportune time to swap the front shifter which is still in perfect working order, only to avoid further heartbreak down the track.

This is the dream age of the disposable. Disposable plates, disposable cups, disposable hanckies, disposable shifters, disposable bikes, disposable cameras, disposable this, disposable that, and they complain about environmental decline. Hey, guess what, I have heard that, very soon, coming to a store near you, disposable humans! I'll take one of those thanks.

Now I need to go find the cheapest place that will sell me another set of disposable levers.

RANT MODE OFF

[T-Bone]

9 or 10 speed???

either way, ebay is the place to look.

[FAswad]

10 speed

[mikesbytes]

Long shot

Eugene may have a broken set of shifters, perhaps its the other one.

[Eugen Schilter]

I'm afraid, no luck: I had to use my (bruised) rear Dura-Ace shifter to replace the Sora on my commuty.

My Sora Shifter had the cable broken inside and the darn thing would not come out. So I took the shifter apart ... and after 7h of trying apart is how it is.

[christian]

I used INOX on one of my shifters, its worth trying, cheaper then a new shifter. I've heard that the SRAM shifters can be rebuilt as well, its just Shimano that can't. Its a pity that Campag and SRAM aren't compatible with Shimano, or each other. So if you want to swap to something thats rebuildable then you have to change your derailleurs as well.

[weiyun]

I used INOX on one of my shifters, its worth trying, cheaper then a new shifter. I've heard that the SRAM shifters can be rebuilt as well, its just Shimano that can't. Its a pity that Campag and SRAM aren't compatible with Shimano, or each other. So if you want to swap to something thats rebuildable then you have to change your derailleurs as well.

Apparently Campag shifters are compatible with SRAM RD and Shimano cassettes combo. Zinn said so.

[mikesbytes]

Apparently Campag shifters are compatible with SRAM RD and Shimano cassettes combo. Zinn said so.

Well that would make them a good buy. The bottom end Campag shifters are cheap on PBK.

Does it require some sort of adaptor?

[weiyun]

Well that would make them a good buy. The bottom end Campag shifters are cheap on PBK.
Does it require some sort of adaptor?

No, it would not require one of those J-Mate adaptor. It works straight out of the box according to Zinn. There's are a number of reports and a short article written by him on the net.

[Toff]

It is possible to make a Shimano drivetrain compatible with Campy or Sram shifters. You either need to respace the rear cassette with some aftermarket spacers (costs up to $40 plus postage from USA), or you need to buy a J-tec pulley which changes the amount of cable pull for each click of the shifter. Around $30 USD plus postage.

Campy wears in. Shimano wears out.

[Toff]

Weiyun posted whilst I was typing. Can you link to the article?

[Huw]

Fouad, have you simply tried replacing the cable?

Twice now on my Ultegra shifters, the rear shifter cable has frayed at the shifter end, near the alloy stopper. The symptom for this was much the same as you describe. I simply replaced the cable and was right back to crisp, delectable Shimano shifting.

Check it out sooner rather than later - if left too long, the stopper can fray right off, and get stuck in the shifter. Then you've really got a problem. This is what happened to Eugen, and I saw it happen to Neil, a guy who we did the Southern Highlands tour with.

Simple recommendation (before you start mucking around with overpriced, overblown Italian stuff ) - check out the cable and replace.

[weiyun]

I didn't keep the URL so got a little lazy, but was half expecting someone would want the verification. I first heard of it from a Usenet poster who was told by Zinn of his little experiment. A few weeks later this Velonews article came out.

http://www.velonews.com/article/73404

Based on his findings, it's clear how SRAM strategized their approach to the road gruppo market. They based their rear end spec on Shimano's cassette splines and their shifter on Campagnolo's spec.

[wallman]

Buy Campagnolo.

Gotcha!

[mikesbytes]

Buy Campagnolo.

Gotcha!

You save on shifters, but everything else is more expensive

[T-Bone]

Don't forget to get the special Red label Campagnolo record with the stiffer springs

At the moment there's not much point buying a whole new groupset with all the new stuff coming soon, better off just getting new shifters, but first check the cable as Huw mentioned.

[Toff]

Don't forget to get the special Red label Campagnolo record with the stiffer springs

Or just buy the regular (much cheaper and easier to find) shifters, then buy the stiffer spring as a spare part, and...
...
take the Ergolever apart
...
swap the springs over
...
and re-assemble the shifters.

All possible with Campag. Oh joy

[T-Bone]

but you still need the red paint!!!!

[Toff]

but you still need the red paint!!!!

Click the green gremlin's laughing face, and your problems are solved...

[T-Bone]

Close, but it has to be Italian paint, putting Japanese paint would be like giving it a little bit of Shimano.

Anyway, Campy isn't for me, i don't like those thumb shifters. I'll be sticking to Shimano for a while, and with the cables finally getting hidden away, there's no longer a need to go to SRAM.

[Toff]

Close, but it has to be Italian paint, putting Japanese paint would be like giving it a little bit of Shimano.

Touché

[eric]

Hi Fred

Would this help you ? Your cable maybe sticky as well .

http://s304.photobucket.com/albums/nn17 ... gain8/one/

[FAswad]

Thanks all for the sympathy.

Fact is, I am not about to swap drivetrain. Frustrated, I needed to let off some steam, and where better than our beloved forum?

I always check the cables and, unfortunately, I have oly recently swapped the caple so it is not cable fray.

Where exactly can INOX be bought? I might give that a try.

when all else fails, I will try eric's suggestion and, once I have messed mine up beyond repair, buy a new shifter.

[FAswad]

One more question.

In terms of durability, what's the consensus on Ultegra vs Ultegra SL vs Dura Ace vs 105?

thanks
F

[FAswad]

This is too confusing. There is also a Shimano model R700, compatible with both double and triple...

[mikesbytes]

The more analysis you do, the more confused you are going to get.

[T-Bone]

Not sure about Durability, but Dura-Ace has always been fine to me.....

I think the R700 is the short reach sti, but i'd have to check to confirm.

[jimmy]

You should be able to find INOX at any hardware store, Bunnings and Mitre 10 definitely have it.

James