Bicycle Mechanics - Shimano 105 Shifter "Toast"?

Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.



PDA

View Full Version : Shimano 105 Shifter "Toast"?

uciflylow
10-04-05, 07:05 AM
Bad Day

I was ready for a quick ride yesterday morning, went to the bike, flat tire. I always run my chain out to the smallest sprocket on the cluster before removing the rear wheel. The shifter was working fine at this point. When I started on the ride, I couldn't shift up or down!! The right shifter makes one click an moves no further. I brought the bike home and even removed the cable from the derallier, still no movement.
Is this shifter toast? Will I have to get a new shifter set? BTW The bike has just over 9000 miles on it at this time. :(

64deville
10-04-05, 07:33 AM
This seems to be a common thing as the STI units get some age on them. I've noticed a lot of RSX shifters doing the same thing when they get some miles on them. This works about 95% of the time: get some degreaser (finish line citrus is what i use) and completly hose down the shifter. Pull the brake lever in so you can start spraying in the cable hole and all the creases. Let it sit for a while and try using it. If this works spray a little Finish Line lube in the same areas and you should be good to go for awhile.

If that doesn't work:

It kind of sounds like maybe the cable head might be jammed in the shifter. If you had shifted it into the lowest cog right before it stopped working you should be able to pull the brake lever in and see the cable head in the cables access hole in the shifter. If you are in the smallest cog and you can't see the cable head in the access hole it means it has become wedged/jammed inside the internals of the shifter. That could be a problem. Had that happen twice, once I was able to pull it free with by yanking on the cable, once I couldn't get it un jammed and the shifter was hosed (had a lot of miles on it anyway).

Good luck
hojo12
10-04-05, 10:54 PM
The same thing happened to me recently. Rather than shifting 9 times, it only shifts 5 or 6 times. Took it apart (only as much as is recommened by Shimano), cleaned, and replaced the cables.. and it still doesn't work. I think it is cooked! When it was apart I noted that it would shift if I put a lot of tension on the cable by pulling on it, But during normal conditions it doesnt work.

catatonic
10-04-05, 11:39 PM
I had similar, but to the left (front) brifter...it literally broke, as in I heard a loud bang and the deraileur dropped to the small ring, and the brifter's shifting motion was locked up. About the only word I could come up with to describe how I felt about it was "sucktastic".

Pretty much made me rethink the idea of indexed front.