Shifter chafe

[Yusran]

The story:

 

So I have ridden my bike with my favorite Sram Rival groupset for about 4 months now, and at Die Burger Cycle Tour I wondered why I couldn't shift properly? Had given the bike a good clean and lube the night before and rode it around the driveway before putting it on the bike rack that morning.

 

The issue:

 

The double tap (right hand shifter) took far too much effort to engage and disengage, had to push too hard and had to pull the lever back into place after shifting up gears. Not a smooth clicky click at all.

 

The left shifter wasn't so bad, the right however was terrible. Unfortunately I stressed out and cleaned it before taking any pics.

 

 

The cause:

 

There was sand. Alot of sand. When I pulled the shifter hood off sand quite literally fell out of it. There was sand caked all over the shifter internals and it was extremely painful to see. Just the thought that I had ridden 97km+ like that made me cringe. I realized that driving from the far South along Beach Road to Stellenbosch was not the choiciest thing to do, as our bikes were sandblasted and nearly pulled off the car and this was part of the result.

 

 

The solution:

 

I am no bike mechanic, or specialist, but I am proud of the fact that I put my bike together myself with all the bits and pieces I have acquired through the hub. DIY all the way, and visit the LBS's for general parts, consumables and coffee (and the hub for deals ).

 

- I used lamp oil and a thick brush to loosen up the sand and wash some of it out, then blasted the rest out with the compressor and repeated until there was no sand left.

 

- Afterwards, rinsed with water and blasted it dry with the compressor again.

 

- Finally re-lubed as required.

 

If there is any better way to do this, and suggestions for re-lubing shifter internals please do share the knowledge.

 

 

 

From now on:

 

When it is windy, I will travel the more inland route. Also, the shifter hoods have a 'mouth' underneath and semi-expose the internals so I'll be sure to check up on these more often.

 

So to all the hubbers out there who have yet to do so, check for sand this summer and happy riding.

[gummibear]

The story:

 

So I have ridden my bike with my favorite Sram Rival groupset for about 4 months now, and at Die Burger Cycle Tour I wondered why I couldn't shift properly? Had given the bike a good clean and lube the night before and rode it around the driveway before putting it on the bike rack that morning.

 

The issue:

 

The double tap (right hand shifter) took far too much effort to engage and disengage, had to push too hard and had to pull the lever back into place after shifting up gears. Not a smooth clicky click at all.

 

The left shifter wasn't so bad, the right however was terrible. Unfortunately I stressed out and cleaned it before taking any pics.

 

 

The cause:

 

There was sand. Alot of sand. When I pulled the shifter hood off sand quite literally fell out of it. There was sand caked all over the shifter internals and it was extremely painful to see. Just the thought that I had ridden 97km+ like that made me cringe. I realized that driving from the far South along Beach Road to Stellenbosch was not the choiciest thing to do, as our bikes were sandblasted and nearly pulled off the car and this was part of the result.

 

 

The solution:

 

I am no bike mechanic, or specialist, but I am proud of the fact that I put my bike together myself with all the bits and pieces I have acquired through the hub. DIY all the way, and visit the LBS's for general parts, consumables and coffee (and the hub for deals ).

 

- I used lamp oil and a thick brush to loosen up the sand and wash some of it out, then blasted the rest out with the compressor and repeated until there was no sand left.

 

- Afterwards, rinsed with water and blasted it dry with the compressor again.

 

- Finally re-lubed as required.

 

If there is any better way to do this, and suggestions for re-lubing shifter internals please do share the knowledge.

 

 

 

From now on:

 

When it is windy, I will travel the more inland route. Also, the shifter hoods have a 'mouth' underneath and semi-expose the internals so I'll be sure to check up on these more often.

 

So to all the hubbers out there who have yet to do so, check for sand this summer and happy riding.

 

Great job...next time,leave the coffee and grab a beer.