Bicycle Mechanics - Took apart shifter, cant reassemble

I was re-cabling the wife's bike last night and for some stupid reason took too many parts off the front shifter to try to reinsert the new cable. Well, I humpty-dumpty'ied it and now I can't get all back to together again. Its a low end shimano rapidfire shifter (the kind with two thumb levers and integrated brake lever). Ok, so two questions here.....

1. How do you keep the new cable end from fraying as you reroute it. I had two thoughts let me know if they sound like good ideas. Dipping the end of the cable in wax or putting a small piece of heat shrink tubing on the end

2. Should I hang my head in shame and take it into the LBS with a bag or parts or is it just cheaper to buy a new set of shifter / levers?

Question 1 can be answered with, buy nicer cables.

The cables that I buy (that cost maybe a dollar more?) are prelubed and have a soldered end that keeps them from fraying easily (I've never frayed one but I'm not going to say it's impossible).

Question 2, if you're willing to buy a new shifter why not just try your darndest to fiddle that one you took apart back together, if you break it, what's the big deal.

I don't know what you mean by: took too many pieces off. Generally replacing a cable on a Rapid Fire shifter involves shifting it into the lowest gear position and pushing the cable through. Sometimes there's a little plastic plug that you have to remove to let the cable out.

If you have taken it apart to a very significant degree, it's probably toast. New ones aren't hugely expensive, athough the connected brake lever ups the price, and it will come with a brand new cable already installed.

Speaking of cables, the secret is to acquire a good quality tool for cutting them. Using an ordinary side cutter flattens the ends and causes them to fray more easily. On my personal bikes I prefer to solder the ends before I cut them. If you do a neat job that lets you slide them back through the cable housing if you need to.

I always dip the end of the new cable in super glue

I dip the (previously carefully degreased) end of the cable in hammerite paint. It takes considerable time to completely set, but then it's as good as the metallic cap.

For example, that's what I did with the brake cable on the Nexus 8, so now I don't bother re-capping it every time I change the tire.

You know the old adage? There are only two types of people who try to repair a watch.*

In the case of brifters, I'm not sure that there is more than one. You won't find many here willing to adimt having done it, much less able to tell you how to undo it. Good luck. :)







* watchmakers and fools

I hada similar situation on my wifes Bike Friday. Only difference was that the shifter fell apart in my hand:eek: . Like you I tried to reasssemble with no luck. after confering with Shimano found out that they are NOT rebuiltable . Had to purchase a new set.:(

yea shifter arent really ment to be taken apart....

even if you can take it apart and put it back together....lest say you find whast broken...try to buy that part. you cant

i forget what theyre called ...but they have shifter cables that arent metallic theyre like fiber strands in the center wraped in teflon or something...idk really they look good ill probably try those next

Follow up with lessons learned:

1. I swung by the LBS and picked up a different set of cables (Shimanos) and they had felt like they had better flex and they had a soldered end to keep from coming undone. I had originally purchased a recabling kit from REI (Novara). The housings and all the doo dads that came with the kit were nice, but the cables had both Mnt Bike and Rd Bike ends so you had to clip off the wrong end and it frayed rather quickly.

2. YOU DONT HAVE TO TAKE APART THE SHIFTER TO REPLACE THE CABLE. It was late and I was getting sloppy. I tried again to reassemble it but it was a no go. I'm sure there is a little chinese woman somewhere that could do it, but I sure couldnt. So I pulled the shifter off and found a replacement on eBay for $15 w/ shipping. Its the wrong color, but Ill just swap the original cover when I install it.

Follow up with lessons learned:

1. I swung by the LBS and picked up a different set of cables (Shimanos) and they had felt like they had better flex and they had a soldered end to keep from coming undone. I had originally purchased a recabling kit from REI (Novara). The housings and all the doo dads that came with the kit were nice, but the cables had both Mnt Bike and Rd Bike ends so you had to clip off the wrong end and it frayed rather quickly.
2. YOU DONT HAVE TO TAKE APART THE SHIFTER TO REPLACE THE CABLE. It was late and I was getting sloppy. I tried again to reassemble it but it was a no go. I'm sure there is a little chinese woman somewhere that could do it, but I sure couldnt. So I pulled the shifter off and found a replacement on eBay for $15 w/ shipping. Its the wrong color, but Ill just swap the original cover when I install it.

Proper cable cutters are a must

I used my guitar string tool to cut the cables. They did a good job, the problem was the crappy cables. But I agree, the correct tool for the job.