General Cycling Discussion - Replacement 6-speed shifter for mountain bike

Hi All,

I have an old Trek 800 mountain bike that has a three chainring crank, and a 6 speed freewheel. The index shifters for the rear derailleur seem like they are about to fail. I think some part has worn down in it, and often when I press the lever to shift to a larger cog, there is no tension on the lever.

I'm going to inspect the shifter some time soon, but in the event that I can't fix it, can anyone recommend a good set of replacement shifters for my bike? Most of the stuff that I've seen online is for 8 and 9 speed bikes. I haven't found any 6 speed index shifters except for some grip shifters.

Where can I find some good 6 speed mountain bike/hybrid shifters? Does anyone make friction shifters for mountain bike/hybrid style upright bars?

Thanks in advance.

If you do Ebay, there are several 6 speed options, and friction as well for thumb shifters.

Go to bicycling and search on "thumb" to browse through.

However, with no pressure on your shifter, it sounds to me more like a cable problem... If you replace the cable, my guess is that things will be fine.

Thanks Little Darwin. I just searched ebay and found several 6 speed shifters listed.

I am going to check my cables this weekend. I'm wondering if the cold temps (around 27 deg F this morning) has something to do with the problem.

I'm wondering if the cold temps (around 27 deg F this morning) has something to do with the problem.

It's very possible. The factory lube inside the shifter pod has likely turned to a very thick, gunky substance over the years, and the cold temps will definitely affect this. I would try a thorough flushing with WD-40 inside the pod, working the shifters as you do so, and see if that doesn't free things up. The WD-40 treatment is a pretty standard method for getting old index shifters that have become stubborn to begin working again-

You can always use these, Shifters (http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/SL407A01-Falcon+Friction+Atb+Thumb+Shifters.aspx)

Thanks all for the replies. I'll try the WD40 trick. I think it might be temperature related, because the problem seems worse when it's cold outside.

Dr. Raleigh - thanks for the link. I really like friction shifters. I recently bought a new Trek 520 touring bike and I run the bar-end shfiters in friction shift mode and really like it.

well biked - thanks for the tip. i just sprayed the problem shifting pod with WD40, let it soak in, then tipped the bike so I drained the excess WD40 and it seams to shift much better/more reliably. I will try and ride a lot this Turkey weekend and test it out. When I peered inside the shifting pod, it was grimy and much dirtier than the other pod.

After you get it cleaned out with WD40 you might want to put some oil in there because WD40 doesn't last as a lubricant.

You can always use these, Shifters (http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/SL407A01-Falcon+Friction+Atb+Thumb+Shifters.aspx)

I've seen them beford. Have you ever tried them? I'd be tempted to buy them just for the bases if you could swap out the shifter for another brand of thumb shifter or barcons.


Tim