Bicycle Mechanics - Ultegra shifter question

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seat_boy
01-31-07, 06:24 PM
Hello all,

I bought a used pair of Ultegra 600 shifters (8 speed) off ebay for my Gunnar Crosshairs. The right shifter doesn't seem to ratchet: it moves the chain up, but then it falls right back down. The cable is tight. Am I screwed?

Also, is it possible to screw up these shifter by shifting them without a cable? I heard that rumor somewhere.

Thanks,

Eric
Dublin

barba
01-31-07, 06:27 PM
Does this happen on all the gears or just some cogs on the cassette? Have you set up a rear derailleur before?

Shifting without the cable is not an issue. If it really does not work I would ask for a refund.
seat_boy
02-01-07, 05:45 AM
Thanks for the reply. I haven't bothered to try it on other gears, simply because it doesn't feel right on the gears it can shift across now--I can't feel any ratchet action. I do have some experience setting up STI, just not the road brifters.

Some people have mentioned spraying WD40 and/or compressed air into the shifters to clean them out. Is this recommended, and do I need to remove any bits to do this?

Thanks,

Eric

Steev
02-01-07, 10:04 AM
The grease inside those things can get pretty stiff with age, I have one just like you describe. I suspect one of the pawls is too gunked up to catch. You probably need to flush it out and re-lube.
monogodo
02-02-07, 04:05 PM
If I don't ride my 8-speed Ultegra STI bike frequently, I have to spray WD-40 in the shifters to de-gunk them so that they'll work. I haven't tried compressed air, so I don't know if it'll work. When I spray them, I just squeeze the lever as if I'm braking, then spray the internals with WD-40. Let it sit a few minutes, then try shifting. You may have to spray them a couple of times to get them to work.