[Tornadobike]

We had our '98 Burley Softride out today for about a 15 mile ride...sunny and in the low 40s.

It didn't get much use this fall and this was the second ride we'd done in a couple of months (the other was last Thursday).

Anyhow, the release paddle on the front shifter wouldn't work most of the time, failing to engage whatever it's supposed to engage. We got stuck in the big chainring at a few inconvenient times.

A local shop blew out the mechanism with compressed air and lubed it and it starting working again, but I'm thinking toward the long term.

What options do we have if it completely fails?

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[gregm]

You wrote front, right? Virtually any Shimano brake/shift lever will do. Well, be a little careful with double vs. single -- the lowest-end Soras must be matched, but at least some of the the higher-end models (at least 105 and some above, iirc) will shift either a double or a triple as-is.

You probably covered this, but make sure that you don't/didn't have a cable which was fraying at some point, either within the shifter or somewhere farther down the line. This can make shifting all screwy before the cable breaks.

Also make sure that the front derailleur is unobstructed and free to move.

Good luck!
-Greg

[cs1]

This is not uncommon on Shimano or Campy. The difference is I can rebuild my Campy brifter for about $15 and 1 hour of time. You have to use either compressed air, you did, or solvent to clean the offending brifter. IMO, clean out the brifter with compressed air and follow up with solvent. Brake cleaning fluid works well. Then use the lubricant of your choice. Most of the problems with Shimano are due to being dirty. Shimano makes a very good product. It just isn't very user servicable. Good luck

Tim

[Tornadobike]

I'm hoping it was just dirty...the bike had been sitting for awhile and there's plenty of dust in the garage, plus time for gunk to settle in on the parts.

If this "warm" weather holds, we'll get the bike out again for a test.

Thanks for the ideas and encouragement.

[Retro Grouch]

How many speeds?

I own a couple of Ultegra 9-speed bikes that I have no particular interest in changing to 10-speed. I recently bought a brand new pair of Ultegra 9-speed brifters just to keep as spares because I have doubts about Ultegra level 9-speed parts being available for much longer.

[Tornadobike]

This bike is just a 7 speed, and I understand the upgrade to 8 or more would require a new wheel and a whole new drivetrain.

I'm okay with 7 speeds (we're a very casual team) and we just got a new chain and cassette, so it'd be a waste to toss them right away.

Are you suggesting I should pick up a NOS 7 speed set of brifters? I understand only the Sora is currently available in 7 speed.