Dead Road Shifter

[Joe Soap]

I've tried searching but me and this "search function" are not seeing eye to eye.

 

The 9spd Ultegra shifter on my bike is too happy with life. Especially when it gets the the smaller end of the cassette.

 

If I switch into the smallest cog for example all is good but when I want to shift back, it's as if I have a "blank" level pull.

Nothing is engaging.

I need to press the shifter as far left as possible to the limit of its stroke before I can feel "stuff" is engaging and normal service is resumed.

My logic is telling me that something is not releasing properly after I switched into the bigger gear.

 

Happened to anyone before?
Do I just need give it a proper strip and clean? How easy is this?

[NotSoBigBen]

I've tried searching but me and this "search function" are not seeing eye to eye.

 

The 9spd Ultegra shifter on my bike is too happy with life. Especially when it gets the the smaller end of the cassette.

 

If I switch into the smallest cog for example all is good but when I want to shift back, it's as if I have a "blank" level pull.

Nothing is engaging.

I need to press the shifter as far left as possible to the limit of its stroke before I can feel "stuff" is engaging and normal service is resumed.

My logic is telling me that something is not releasing properly after I switched into the bigger gear.

 

Happened to anyone before?

Do I just need give it a proper strip and clean? How easy is this?

In my experience most times it'll work 'better' after a good flush out with something like a silicone spray (don't be shy, spray liberally, leave overnight) ... Still an occasional 'missed' shift perhaps but it'll work. These things do wear out over time.

 

As for stripping it, I've only ended up with a small bucket of bits... i.e not successful and parts are not available to buy.

 

Others may however have a different take?

[Butterbean]

To be fair tho, this sounds like you've just lost cable tension... Install a new shifter with less than ideal tension and it will struggle up the cassette. It will always shift right back down.

 

Normally, the slack is taken out with the barrel adjuster, but it does sound like, in your case, the lever is taking the initial slack out and then moving up the block.

 

A flush is a good idea, but this may just need tension check, possible cable inner and outer replacement.

 

Of course this is all from a description online so tough to be certain. But if it's not sticking, it's probably the tension, or cable related rather than the shifter mech.

[Fat Boab]

Have you pulled the cable and checked it? I has something similar, at least as I interpret your description, and turns out the cable end at the barrel was frayed. It snapped on the way to the bike shop...

[The Ouzo]

In my experience most times it'll work 'better' after a good flush out with something like a silicone spray (don't be shy, spray liberally, leave overnight) ... Still an occasional 'missed' shift perhaps but it'll work. These things do wear out over time.

 

As for stripping it, I've only ended up with a small bucket of bits... i.e not successful and parts are not available to buy.

 

Others may however have a different take?

This,

 

Had it on my old bike, dad had it on his bike. Give it a liberal clean inside with some degreaser, flush it out nicely, and then as BigBen said, good amount of silicone spray, something like Q20.

should work hundreds after that.

[JacBrand]

I would first replace the gear cable and maybe cable housings, then flush the shifter with silicon spray or Q20

[Eldron]

Damn! I thought I was the only one who knew about the STI Secret Flush method :-)

 

When the lever gets a little older and dirty the lubes tend to get a little tacky and the lifters/springs/leafs etc don't work properly.

 

Do what the others have said and spray the innards liberally before you make it go SPROING by removing anything. Once a STI lever goes SPROING it's time consuming and frustrating to make it go UNSPROING.

[The Ouzo]

Damn! I thought I was the only one who knew about the STI Secret Flush method :-)

 

When the lever gets a little older and dirty the lubes tend to get a little tacky and the lifters/springs/leafs etc don't work properly.

 

Do what the others have said and spray the innards liberally before you make it go SPROING by removing anything. Once a STI lever goes SPROING it's time consuming and frustrating to make it go UNSPROING.

kind of like letting the smoke out of an electrical device, once the smoke is out trying to get it back in is almost impossible.

[Rocket-Boy]

Damn! I thought I was the only one who knew about the STI Secret Flush method :-)

 

When the lever gets a little older and dirty the lubes tend to get a little tacky and the lifters/springs/leafs etc don't work properly.

 

Do what the others have said and spray the innards liberally before you make it go SPROING by removing anything. Once a STI lever goes SPROING it's time consuming and frustrating to make it go UNSPROING.

I was never able to get the one I disassembled to UNSPROING

[Rocket-Boy]

kind of like letting the smoke out of an electrical device, once the smoke is out trying to get it back in is almost impossible.

Especially if its the blue smoke. Gets right chooched in the dingus end.

[Eldron]

kind of like letting the smoke out of an electrical device, once the smoke is out trying to get it back in is almost impossible.

 

Hahahaha exactly the dame principle!

[Eldron]

I was never able to get the one I disassembled to UNSPROING

 

With enough youtube videos (paused every 30 seconds) then it isn't impossible but ultimately if you value your time at more than 5c/hour then it's cheaper just to buy a new one - or at least just a new mechanism which isn't too hard to pop back into the housing.

[Joe Soap]

Thanks for the input gentlemen.

Luckily I have a set a cables and housing ready to go.

I'll give it an assembled-state clean and leave the SPROINGING for another day.

 

I'll update once I'm done

[DieselnDust]

Sounds like its a cable and housing wear resulting in tension loss. 

replace the cables and housing and reset up the gearing.

Always a good idea to give the shifter a good spray with garage door cable lube (Silicone based ) and not a dewatering fluid which is a solvent that will wash all of the good stuff out.

also a good idea to get some sewing machine oil into the mechanism for life extension.

 

But the new cables and housing should sort it out

[droo]

Whenever someone mentions disassembling a shifter, I'll add - do it inside a plastic bag. That way if (when?) it goes sproing, at least you have all the pieces.

 

That said, stripping an STI is always a last resort. 9 and 10 speed will go back together easily enough (though you'll need the patience of a sloth), 11 you'll need to design some tools.