Bicycle Mechanics - Shimano RSX brifter shifting problem

I have a road bike that I don't use anymore that has Shimano RSX brifters on it, from about 1998. I am thinking about steeling the drop handlebars from this bike, brifters and all, and putting them on my mountain bike that I use for commuting. Before I do that though, I want to determine if a problem I'm having with the RSX shifter is a simple maintenance issue, or a bigger problem. On the left shifter, the lever that clicks the gears from a larger ring to a smaller ring usually does not work. The lever moves but does not engage the mechanism to index the gear; it just moves freely. With just the right pressure on the larger brake lever and a little luck, the smaller lever will occassionally engage and shift the gear. If I go ahead with changing the handlebars, I'll have my LBS do that work. But before I cart the two bikes there and have them tear into it, I would just like to know if this is a simple fix.

Thanks!

take the cables out, and blast the shifters internals with wd-40 or pb-blaster or the like, then allow then to dry, and lube the internals with some graphite.

My old RSX brifters need this from time to time.

DO NOT DISASSEMBLE THE SHIFTERS!!!!!

I have a road bike that I don't use anymore that has Shimano RSX brifters on it, from about 1998. I am thinking about steeling the drop handlebars from this bike, brifters and all, and putting them on my mountain bike that I use for commuting. Before I do that though, I want to determine if a problem I'm having with the RSX shifter is a simple maintenance issue, or a bigger problem. On the left shifter, the lever that clicks the gears from a larger ring to a smaller ring usually does not work. The lever moves but does not engage the mechanism to index the gear; it just moves freely. With just the right pressure on the larger brake lever and a little luck, the smaller lever will occassionally engage and shift the gear. If I go ahead with changing the handlebars, I'll have my LBS do that work. But before I cart the two bikes there and have them tear into it, I would just like to know if this is a simple fix.

Thanks!

I have fixed a dozen or more of these by squirting plenty of WD 40, or Silicone lube, through them.

The factory lube, plus accumulate road grime, seem to harden up after time and simply cleaning the mechanism has worked for every one that I have come across so far.

Hope this will help you.

I had the exact same problem with my RSX front derailer brifter. It sounds like you are doing the same thing I was, which was to very carefully downshift by applying just the right pressure in just the right place. It's a really simple fix: just flush the whole assembly out with WD-40 (using more than you think you need), then lube it with something heavier (I use Tri-Flow). I've done this to great success on both the aforementioned RSX front brifter and a 600 rear brifter, the latter which didn't respond to anything before using WD-40/Tri-Flow. If it's really shot, you might need to let it sit overnight with the Tri-Flow (or whatever lubricant you use).

Hey, this reply might seem like thread necromancy, but for anyone googling "Shimano RSX", this is the best advice they could stumble across. I found a Novara Randonee at Desert Industries (like Goodwill for Mormons, based in Utah) with full Shimano RSX for dirt cheap. The front brifter worked fine, but the brifter that shifts the rear derailer was broken. Without dismantling it, it seemed really ****ed up. Like completely non-functional. I assumed some fine toothed piece was broken inside, and thus it was a lost cause. I was searching Ebay for a replacement. I found this thread, and thought what the hell. I used a degreaser where the cable exits the shifter, and poured as much in as I could. Then, I worked the levers back and forth. I was amazed to find that it started to ratchet the cable in and out, instead of doing nothing as it was before. I worked it some more, and poured a bunch of prolink inside. After working the lever for a good 5 minutes while adding more oil (to the shifter cable ratchet, don't just peal the hoods back and pour it into the brifter body, locate the cylindrical ratchet device at the very front of the brifter), it began to shift perfectly. After dicking around with it for 10 minutes it was totally revived. It now shifts perfectly. If you have RSX Brifters that aren't working properly, don't hock them and buy expensive replacements on ebay. Just hose that mother out with wd-40 or some kind of degreaser while working the leavers, then oil it up with your favorite chain lube. If you need better access to the cable ratchet, you can undo the Allen bolt on the very front of the device and remove the faceplate, but be prepared to mess around with it until you figure out how to get the spring properly seated again (this was the hardest part of the procedure, but don't panic it just requires patience). I don't care how many forum posts say these are low level garbage equivalent to modern day plastic Tiagra... Once cleaned and lubed, they click reliably and solidly. Keep em lubed and I bet they will outlast any budget plastic replacements floating around today.

Road bike shifters onto a mountain bike? An issue I had with trying to put road brifters on my
Scott sportster (my commuter) was the front shifter / derailleur was not compatible. Apparently, the MTB front der requires more cable pull to get from the big wheel to the little ( 3 spd). I could never get it adjusted for all 3 wheels ... I could get small and middle or large and middle but not all three. Had to abandon the brifters and go with barend shifters.

Not that you will have this same problem but might as well check for it first ...

...I'll 2nd, 3rd, and 4th what everyone else has already told you...."spray the hell out of it with WD40".

I had the EXACT same problem with the left RSX shifter on my '96 Bianchi a few months ago, and took the advice of an apparent "expert" on them (Andy Zeigler andyzeigler@gmail.com ) that I stumbled across on an old bike forum thread, and he advised me to spray lube it - and it worked!

If you still have problems with it, Andy says he rebuilds them for $25 ea. He says he's sucessfully ("sucessfully" being the operative word here) rebuilt several dozens of these old RSX's. You certianly can't get even cheap replacements for less than that.

I'm holding off til the end of the "season", before shipping my off to him for a little TLC tune-up.

I'll second tippy's warning that an MTB front derailleur generally won't index properly with road brifters. I "roadified" an older Trek MTB and the rear 105 STI worked fine but the front wouldn't index all three chainrings with the stock Deore LX fd. The odd cable routing prevented me from using a road fd so I used a barend shifter (friction) for front shifting.

What they all said.

I was given a set of 'dead' RSX STI levers a few years ago, and the rear worked fine, but the front did not. I tried the WD40 trick and that did not help. Much to my surprise, there was actually something wrong with them beyond hardened Shimano lube... the return spring on the top ratchet pawl was broken (or bent - I forget) and I was able to revive them by re-bending a new end on the spring with a set of tiny needlenose pliers (and about 3 hours of spare time). They have worked well ever since.

I did have to flush the rear shifter with degreaser at one point, though.

I'll second tippy's warning that an MTB front derailleur generally won't index properly with road brifters. I "roadified" an older Trek MTB and the rear 105 STI worked fine but the front wouldn't index all three chainrings with the stock Deore LX fd. The odd cable routing prevented me from using a road fd so I used a barend shifter (friction) for front shifting.

My front der has a low clamp because the seat tube diameter starts expanding in the area where a normal high clamp would fall. If I could have found a road compatible low clamp front der I would have swapped it.
The bar end shifters ended up a better option due to simplicity.

I have a 1999 Trek 2100 with RSX STI. One year on TOMRV the left STI jammed in the outer chain ring. Not good when your climbing 6000 feet of hills in a day. At the first sag stop one of the wrenches was there. Unfortunately he wasn't a certified mechanic and didn't know not to take the STI apart. He called the lead mechanic that was at the next stop and he drove back to fix my bike. He was a bit pissed he took the STI apart. He put it back together. Flushed it and lubed it with ProLink. He told me if it every happened again. To do what was said here. Flush it and lube the ratchet. Mine has worked ever since. He stressed never take this STI apart. Because I had to wait and I was a regular customer they didn't charge me. I was just relieved I had my granny back for the next climb.

I have a really stupid question. I have seen the term "cable ratchet" many times in this thread. I really want to know what exactly is cable ratchet? Is it the shift cable housing that come out horizontally from the brifter? Do i have to take the cable out or just the cable housing out in order to blast WD-40? How can i take the cable or cable housing out from the brifter??

Also, if you blast WD-40 and then lube to the cable ratchet, the brifter will be filled with those liquid. Will those WD-40 and lube go down to the bar tape? and soak the bar tape?? Or i have to take the brifter out from the bike before i do that?

I know these are really basic. I as well have a RSX 7-speed drivetrain that i may need to service later.

Thanks!!

I have a really stupid question. I have seen the term "cable ratchet" many times in this thread. I really want to know what exactly is cable ratchet? Is it the shift cable housing that come out horizontally from the brifter? Do i have to take the cable out or just the cable housing out in order to blast WD-40? How can i take the cable or cable housing out from the brifter??

Also, if you blast WD-40 and then lube to the cable ratchet, the brifter will be filled with those liquid. Will those WD-40 and lube go down to the bar tape? and soak the bar tape?? Or i have to take the brifter out from the bike before i do that?

I know these are really basic. I as well have a RSX 7-speed drivetrain that i may need to service later.

Thanks!!

I'm not certain, but I suspect when they say "cable ratchet", they're talking about the mechanism down inside the brifter, that looks like a little toothed gear, that literally "ratchets", as it moves up or down a toothed knotch. It's this ratcheting action that takes up or lets out very small amounts of the shifter cable slack, in order to make the derailleurs move.

Yes, when you blast down inside the brifters with WD40, it WILL run down your bar tape and make a mess. I found out the hard way, right after having brand new white foam bar tape installed, when I switched to a wider set of bars. I'll tell you what I wish someone had told me...WRAP SOME RAGS TIGHTLY AROUND THE BASE OF THE BRIFTER, BEFORE YOU SPRAY IT!!!

Best of luck with it, and if all else fails, take 'em off the bike and send 'em to Andy Zeigler (see his email contact info in my previous post in this thread); he'll fix 'em.

Cheers

I have a really stupid question. I have seen the term "cable ratchet" many times in this thread. I really want to know what exactly is cable ratchet? Is it the shift cable housing that come out horizontally from the brifter? Do i have to take the cable out or just the cable housing out in order to blast WD-40? How can i take the cable or cable housing out from the brifter??

Also, if you blast WD-40 and then lube to the cable ratchet, the brifter will be filled with those liquid. Will those WD-40 and lube go down to the bar tape? and soak the bar tape?? Or i have to take the brifter out from the bike before i do that?

I know these are really basic. I as well have a RSX 7-speed drivetrain that i may need to service later.

Thanks!!


THe term "ratchet" generally refers to something that turnd freely in one direction but has limited or blocked motion in the other - like a "ratchet" socket set that can tighten a bolt in one direction and spin freely in the other to put the wrench in position to tighten the bolt some more.

I believe the "cable ratchet" people are talking about is the internal mechanism in the shifter that can be twisted with the large lever to pull cable in, and does not allow cable to slip back out until you use the small lever to release the mechanism by one click.

Lubing the cable ratchet is probably best done by pulling the brake lever toward the bars (or to where the bars would be if the shifter is not on the bars) and look inside for a mechanism made up of small parts and springs and such. THe grease in this mechanism is notorious for hardening and making the mechanism malfunction after several years, and some WD40 or degreaser in this mechanism can help thin it out and get the shifters working again. Since the mechanism is not well sealed, any fluid sprayed in will simply run out the bottom... the stuff that doesn't will eventually evaporate.

I'm not certain, but I suspect when they say "cable ratchet", they're talking about the mechanism down inside the brifter, that looks like a little toothed gear, that literally "ratchets", as it moves up or down a toothed knotch. It's this ratcheting action that takes up or lets out very small amounts of the shifter cable slack, in order to make the derailleurs move.

Yes, when you blast down inside the brifters with WD40, it WILL run down your bar tape and make a mess. I found out the hard way, right after having brand new white foam bar tape installed, when I switched to a wider set of bars. I'll tell you what I wish someone had told me...WRAP SOME RAGS TIGHTLY AROUND THE BASE OF THE BRIFTER, BEFORE YOU SPRAY IT!!!

Best of luck with it, and if all else fails, take 'em off the bike and send 'em to Andy Zeigler (see his email contact info in my previous post in this thread); he'll fix 'em.

Cheers

Thanks for the information. So how did you spray the WD-40 to the brifter? Did you hold the brake lever and then spry inside? or pull out the shift cable housing on the brifter to spray into it?

Sorry to bump an old thread, but HUGE thanks for the advice in this one.
I´ve just successfully revitalized a seized pair of RSX shifters with half a can of WD40 - they were completely, utterly seized and now shift silky smooth.
I´ve saved $$$ on a new pair!

Just fixed my Shimano RSX shifters with advice from this thread - thanks to all.

Richard

I was given a set of 'dead' RSX STI levers a few years ago, and the rear worked fine, but the front did not. I tried the WD40 trick and that did not help. Much to my surprise, there was actually something wrong with them beyond hardened Shimano lube... the return spring on the top ratchet pawl was broken (or bent - I forget) and I was able to revive them by re-bending a new end on the spring with a set of tiny needlenose pliers (and about 3 hours of spare time). They have worked well ever since.

I did have to flush the rear shifter with degreaser at one point, though.

I had the exact same problem. The return spring for the downshift pawl broke on my summer bike during the last ride of the season. I found this thread last night and started tinkering an hour ago and was able to make the exact same fix. It took me an hour fidgeting with the needlenose pliers which were probably a size too big and too loose. But when I got the spring back on I tested it a dozen times and perfect shift every time. It looks ugly as hell, but I think it'll hold up. I kept bending the spring in the wrong spot with the crappy pliers, so I've got some kinks in the spring now. At least it works. *brag*

Since I, like Andy, have rebuilt many of these shifters (several hundred) let me add a few pointers to this string. Using the WD-40 flush will make them work for a while. Many of the shifters I have repaired came from people who tried this first. I dissasemble the shifters and remove the ratchet that causes the problem and clean the shaft it rotates on completely so I can guarantee it won't jam up again. If you want to try this flush yourself, I highly recommend that you remove the levers from the bike and remove the hoods. Wetting the hoods with water first makes them much easier to remove and replace. Longterm exposure to WD-40 and various lubes tends to swell the rubber in the hoods and then they will move around on the bracket and wear themselves out. New hoods can be very hard to find. I have a few pair if you need some.

The preferable lube for these shifters is grease, not any kind of oil. I am starting to see a large number of these shifters with a groove worn in the ratchet everyone is talking about due to inadequate lubrication from flushing and inadequate relubrication. The only fix is to replace the ratchet from a parts shifter which requires dissasembly. You can buy a grease that sprays in with a carrier and dries into a normal grease. I use a white lithium and a spray version can be bought at most auto parts stores. White lithium is a synthetic grease that will not dry out like the original organic grease and it is supposed to be waterproof so it will not wash out when you clean your bike. It costs a litlle more, but is well worth it. Shimano seems to use this type of grease in their newest shifters.

Yes they can be completely dissasembled and reassembled. Is it easy, no. I do not recommend you try the complete dissasembly at home. They fit together multiple ways, but only one way works and it is very easy to lose parts. You have to compress springs while at the same time rotating parts and it would be easier to do if a person had three hands. Sometimes it takes me several tries to get it right and I have done piles of them. I charge double my normal repair price if someone else takes them apart and I have to put them back together.

If the flush does not work, there are actually four springs that can be the problem. Three of them can be fixed like a couple of people have described, two of them are easier than what has been described. Who knows how long that fix will last, but it can be worth trying instead of scraping a shifter. That fix is not for the faint of heart as some of you have found out. The easiest and best way to rebend the springs is to remove them from the shifter, but again you probably don't want to try this at home. The ultimate solution is to replace them with a spring from a parts shifter that is broken because of the fourth spring being bent or broken. The fourth spring that can be a problem gets bent from people trying to force a shift when the shifter is not working properly and they jam some of the parts together. Once this spring is bent the shifter is shot and it usually breaks pretty quickly.

One of these days I will get the time to post the numerous pictures I have taken of these shifters in various states of dissasembly, etc. Until then if you want to see pictures of the ratchets that are mentioned, broken springs, complete breakdown, etc. email me direct (jrmcvey@aol.com) and I will try to respond as quickly as possible. If one of you wants to post the pictures you have me permission to do so, but please let me know where so I can access them.

Good luck in your repair efforts.

Even after that long essay I missed a few of important points.

If you flush your shifters with WD-40 you need to wash them out before relubing them. WD-40 is a solvent and you don't want solvent contaminating your new lube.

If you take the front cover, namplate, off be very careful putting it back on. The small tab that sticks through the main lever can get bent very easily. If you push the tab in too far you may lose or hinder your shifting to the last one or two large cogs on your cassette. To fix the problem, you have to take the shifter apart and bend it back out.

One last point that I have never seen discussed before. If you are going to store your bike for any extended period of time; shift the small levers as many times as possible so your bike is in the small chainring, small cog combination. This leaves the shifters with all of the springs in their most uncompressed state and they should work better longer. I have only seen one broken because of this (not one of the four mentioned above), but hey why take chances for something that is so simple to do?

LarDasse74 and slacker00, I’m wondering if you still have the RSX shifters you fixed, I have the same problem when shifting from a larger ring to a smaller one (the small lever).
The plastic cover that covers the inside was broken so I pulled it out and there is a small spring that is not doing anything, I assume it is meant to hold the pawl down to stop it slipping up.

I have tried to carefully tension it while trying to get the end of the spring to sit in the groove in the pawl but it doesn’t seem to be long enough. Does it look broken to you? Do you have a photo?

The rear 'brifter' doesn’t have the same plastic cover as the front one, so I can’t look inside to see what it should look like without taking it apart.

I cant email from here atm, so cant ask eeforme to see if I can get some pics of the spring.


Scott.

The spring is definitely your problem. It is hard to tell what the exact problem is from you picture. The spring has to be broken or incorrectly installed to be in teh postition it is in. As you note it should be pressing down on the ratchet. If the spring rotates freely it is broken or the other end is not in place correctly. If you could see in the right side it would look the exact same, but a mirror image. Some people claim to have fixed the spring in place. I take them apart, but as others in this post have noted I would not recommend you do this. You can contact me directly at jrmcvey at aol dot com.

I just looked at your picture again. The spring is not broken it has come unwrapped by one turn. Notice the other end ot the spring sticking up. It should be flat against the metal piece it is above with tension on it.

Thanks eeforme,
I thought that was the problem, but couldn't get the spring rotated 1 turn, it didn't seem long enough.
I'll have to try again.

I got the spring on and then the part that sits on the pawl broke off :(

I had an old guitar string and made another spring, doesn't look all that good, but works good at the moment :)

Thanks eeforme :)

Way to revive an old thread that has not been viewed for 4 months

If you start a thread which has been covered here before you get told to search, if you search and post in a 4 month old thread you get told to stop reviving old threads?

But it was resolved. I'm not sure what you gained from this, as I think the OP had his/her question answered, sorry for being rude.

If you actually read it, you would know I was after confirmation of where a spring went for the problem I had, I was asking those who had a similar problem and fixed it.

New to the forum. Just started riding again as I have a six year old that loves it. I have a mountain bike for kicking around. Today my dad gave me his older trek 1220 with the rsx shifters. Well of course one didn't work. Instead of going to the shop I looked around on here. Found the info I needed and it worked perfectly. Thanks BikeForums!

I'm am so sorry about reviving an old thread, but I have to thank eeforme, even if he hasn't been on in a while because I had the same problem and was freaking out over it.

But it turned out it was a simple fix and I was saved.


Once again, sorry to revive the dead.

sorry to awake the sleeping giant, but i recently bought my first road bike on craigslist.. it's a 1996 klein quantum with shimano rsx components.
i'm gonna start by saying i know nothing at all about road bikes, so the more ignorant the answers the better i'll understand them ;)

the left brifter won't move at all, it seems to be stuck on something, however the brake mechanism works fine.
the right brifter moves smoothly for both the up and down shifters, however it won't engage at all with the derailer.

i've read through the thread and i'm still a little unsure on what to do. i haven't wd-40'd it yet, i wanted to know what kind of greaser to get to spray after i wd-40 it, and also if there is something else i'm not getting with the right shifters.. i'm not sure how the tension on the cable works or how to tighten it if that's the problem. like i said this is my very first road bike, and i'm hard pressed not to give up just yet. oh, and i'm a broke college student..

sorry to awake the sleeping giant, but i recently bought my first road bike on craigslist.. it's a 1996 klein quantum with shimano rsx components.
i'm gonna start by saying i know nothing at all about road bikes, so the more ignorant the answers the better i'll understand them ;)

the left brifter won't move at all, it seems to be stuck on something, however the brake mechanism works fine.
the right brifter moves smoothly for both the up and down shifters, however it won't engage at all with the derailer.

i've read through the thread and i'm still a little unsure on what to do. i haven't wd-40'd it yet, i wanted to know what kind of greaser to get to spray after i wd-40 it, and also if there is something else i'm not getting with the right shifters.. i'm not sure how the tension on the cable works or how to tighten it if that's the problem. like i said this is my very first road bike, and i'm hard pressed not to give up just yet. oh, and i'm a broke college student..

The left one may have a broken cable and the end has jammed the mechanism. The right needs to be flushed as described above.

I've been using Brakleen to clean out my RSX shifter. It works very well. Are there plastic or nylon parts that I need to be concerned about damaging?

The left one may have a broken cable and the end has jammed the mechanism. The right needs to be flushed as described above.

You can't get a cable jammed in a left side like you can a right. Sounds to me like every bit of lubricant has already been washed out with WD-40 already which results in the parts becoming 'glued' together. When that happens I have to actually pry them apart to disassemble a shifter.

If the right side is 'smooth,' it is probably all bound up also and none of the working parts are actually doing anything, you're just feeling the levers move. WD-40 is not a fix and brake clean is probably worst.

Spraying lubricant on top of whatever mess is inside of them is not going to 'fix' them.

The left one sounds like a bit of a puzzle; I'd try fiddling with it more and more insistently; maybe it's jammed and you can persuade it to come good.

Disagree with eeforme re the right lever; WD40 will probably fix it since it sounds like both pawls are gummed up.

Agree brake cleaner is a terrible idea as it'll strip out all the lube, whereas with WD40 you can sorta cross your fingers it'll recondition some of the grease.

Disagree with eeforme re the right lever; WD40 will probably fix it since it sounds like both pawls are gummed up.



Ya'll keep using WD-40. It'll keep me in the rebuild business for a long time, lol. Go ahead and force the left one while you're at it. I have properly rebuild replacements when it breaks to sell. I also have new hoods when the WD-40 turns the rubber on them to mush. IMO the problems you are having were caused by WD-40 or some such solvent. But again what do I know? I haven't rebuilt thousands of them. Oh wait, yes I have. No wonder I stopped posting here, people want quick 'fixes.' You can have quick, cheap, or proper; pick one.

I'd have said follow the guide linked in my tag, but most folks aren't up to that, hence the WD40. What else can you do without tearing them down?

Anyway, who's prepared to pay the labour on STI overhaul? I wouldn't bother doing it for less than $75... and that seems generous. I just bought some post-2001 9spd Ergos for 40 Euro, FFS.

What do you charge?


IMO the problems you are having were caused by WD-40 or some such solvent.Pff. The problem is Shimano's poxy grease, as you well know. Otherwise there'd be nothing to prompt folks to go squirting whatever in them.


Spraying lubricant on top of whatever mess is inside of them is not going to 'fix' them.
I suspect you're spreading misinformation to help drum up business. I've only overhauled a few sets of STIs, but sticky grease was an issue with every one of them.

Sure, the ultra-shagged 6500s I just did required some spring tweaking too, but they still would've been improved a great deal just with lube.

Anyway, who's prepared to pay the labour on STI overhaul? I wouldn't bother doing it for less than $75... and that seems generous. I just bought some post-2001 9spd Ergos for 40 Euro, FFS.

What do you charge?

Pff. The problem is Shimano's poxy grease, as you well know. Otherwise there'd be nothing to prompt folks to go squirting whatever in them.

I suspect you're spreading misinformation to help drum up business. I've only overhauled a few sets of STIs, but sticky grease was an issue with every one of them.

My fees are much less than $75. I have two rate schedules. $33 for one and $55 for a pair paid via PayPal. $30 for one and $50 for a pair paid by cash. Shipping is in addition to that, but even shipping around the world added to that is much cheaper than the cost of upgrading to the newer varieties. I also offer a guarantee that if my customer's ever have problems with their shifters again I will take care of it at no charge. So to answer your question on who's prepared to pay to have them overhauled? I've never counted, but I have had over a thousand customer's who want it done right so they can ride without worrying about their shifters failing during a ride. It's amazing how many people in your corner of the world have sent me shifters to repair for them. It must be worth it to them!

I agree the biggest problem is with the dried out grease, but when you wash out all the grease with WD-40 or some other such solvent it starts to cause other problems. Without any lubricant, parts start to wear and when you force them parts break. Another problem with WD-40 and most solvents is that when you saturate the rubber hoods with it, they turn to a soft mush and you'll ruin them. New hoods are harder to find and more costly than the rebuilding. The larger problem is that the WD-40 only washer out the stuff on the surface. It doesn't clean out the grit from in between the moving parts so as soon as that solvent dries out again the shifters quit working.

I have more than enough business to keep me busier than I need to be without trying to drum any up here. I repaired 12 shifters last week for example. I used to try to explain to people how to do it themselves, but most people end up losing important parts and I have to charge more to get their shifters fixed and get them back on the road again. If I spent more time on here trying to talk people through the repair process I would never have time to ride myself.

As for me spreading misinformation, that is total crap. You're entitled to your opinion, but to tell people I don't know what I'm talking about is just total ignorance. I've seen your so called rebuild guide. I know how to do it and I can't even follow your instructions. I have no idea how someone who has never done it before could ever succeed if they took them all the way apart.

You keep "helping" people by telling them to spray solvent in there and I'll keep repairing them the correct way. If I'm not doing it correctly why is my service recommended here for example: http://sheldonbrown.com/sti-repair.html You keep doing it the "Mickey Mouse" way.

Here's an example of an email I get asking for help this morning. No way I can just make this stuff up. I could also send you an example of one where a shop told them that the plastic gears are worn out inside. I don't have to tell you that there is no plastic inside.

"Hi Jim, As you can imagine, I found your email address on Sheldon Brown's web page, which in turn I found via a Google search. I have a Shimano RSX 7-speed shifter that sticks. It's my fault, I didn't ride the bike for seven years. I took the bike to my local shop, and they sprayed a bunch of WD-40 or similar into the shifter, which now works part of the time. I was wondering if you could tear it down and get it going for me? Actually, I should probably send the pair; the other 3-speed shifter has allegedly been fixed, but I'd feel better if you would do that one also. Regards, - ****"

If you weren't so nasty and condescending, perhaps you'd find folks less likely to troll you in return.

As for the quality of my guide; at least I published one. AFAIK it's the most comprehensive to date, for whatever that's worth... since you're so happy to work for chicken-feed for your thousands of customers, perhaps it's no surprise you're keen to slag it off and straw-man me.

Hmm... think I'll make a video.

As for the quality of my guide; at least I published one. AFAIK it's the most comprehensive to date, for whatever that's worth... since you're so happy to work for chicken-feed for your thousands of customers, perhaps it's no surprise you're keen to slag it off and straw-man me.

Hmm... think I'll make a video. Maybe I'm just better at it and can do it much faster than you. $75 would be a rip off IMO, kind of like your nasty comment of who would pay to get them fixed. I offered free advice with absolutely zero solicitation for business in my first post. You're the one who wanted to say I was wrong. FYI I have repaired dozens of the for FREE for non-profit junior cycling development organizations, have you ever done that? Since you have no clue what I have published and what free advice I give in other forums you need to stop throwing stones. If it was so easy and your 'guide' was so good everyone would just do it themselves. Obviously it is not.

I'm out of here. Hope the rest of you have a good day.

Hey look, I thought I saw you conflating some stuff and getting all dick-swingy back there, and it rubbed me the wrong way... you could seem a tad more unsurprised about that.

And because we're bumping chests, you're still at it; you know as well as I do no guide is ever going to be good enough to help everyone DIY. One or stages of reassembly are a bit of a mission, I suspect even after thousands (really?) of sets.

The $75 figure is based on two things; first, I find it hard to imagine doing a pair properly in less than three hours, and second, hourly wages here in Oz are close to double what they are in the US; I can make $30/h driving a forklift. Not that I've ever charged anyone for doing it; that's what I'd charge if I was going to do it professionally. I mostly do it just to be awesome and impress the chicks. ;)

As for WD40 advice (completely distinct from recommending someone actually attempt a rebuild): who's telling folks to get WD40 all over the hoods rather than in the guts? Anyone who's serious about it will remove the lever assembly. And if they're going to either bin them or try WD40, what's the harm if it does result in a bit of extra wear? Total red herring there. Besides, like I said - the WD40 is going to thin out the dried-up grease, not flush it entirely away.

I hate to contradict someone As Seen On Sheldon, so I don't do it lightly - your WD40 hate is OTT, and given its proven track record of reviving dead STIs, harms your credibility.

Having said all that, I'm sure I'm not alone when I say this degree of animosity is not only undignified but also at least faintly ridiculous, and offer an olive branch by way of an apology for rubbing you the wrong way in return. Reckon you could at least agree to disagree despite your unparalleled experience?

Tell you what - in future I'll recommend following the WD40 with chain lube.

I stand behind every thing I have stated and here are pictures to show what WD-40 does when you use it and force shifters. I have many more.

Nobody's recommending anyone force their shifters. Jiggle and twiddle maybe, but not force.

I can see possible WD40 damage on the pictured hoods, but I can't see any particularly worn components there, only broken ones.

And to reiterate my point re WD40: if the choice is between throwing away the shifters and trying WD40, an increased rate of wear is completely moot.

Hey, Kimmo & eeforme - come on guys, shake hands and make up! You are both obviously experienced and knowledgeable on this subject and speaking personally I have appreciated your sharing this with me on the Forum. As a result I'm going to have a go myself, something I now feel confident about having studied Kimmo's pictures and wouldn't have dreamed of doing before. If it goes wrong, well on the one hand they don't work at the moment anyway and on the plus side eeforme seems to offer a reasonably priced professional repair service. You are clearly true artists, hence the temperament? :-)