Road Cycling - Derailleur Problems

Just when I have the time to ride the #*&@ Derailleur won't work! The front derailleur won't operate, and of course it is on the small ring. Any one know how the 105 big ring derailleur works??? It seems like the ratchet in the shifter is broken. Oh well it is still in warranty, but it sure ticks me off.

Just when I have the time to ride the #*&@ Derailleur won't work! The front derailleur won't operate, and of course it is on the small ring. Any one know how the 105 big ring derailleur works??? It seems like the ratchet in the shifter is broken. Oh well it is still in warranty, but it sure ticks me off.

Try shooting a little WD40 into your shifter and blowing the cobwebs out with an air hose and see what that does.

or if you have an old downtube shifter around, you could always slap that on for a few rides until you can get around to taking the STI crap to the shop.

(note: i use STIs, and am frequently disappointed in the performance of the front shifter, i think the rear is absolutely wonderful, except that i can't sweep through more than one cog in one motion, but i've gotten used to it now. i just gotta get around to ordering parts)

or if you have an old downtube shifter around, you could always slap that on for a few rides until you can get around to taking the STI crap to the shop.

(note: i use STIs, and am frequently disappointed in the performance of the front shifter, i think the rear is absolutely wonderful, except that i can't sweep through more than one cog in one motion, but i've gotten used to it now. i just gotta get around to ordering parts)


That maybe why Lance Armstrong uses just the rear STI on his climbing bike, and a downtube for the front. The late Marco Pantani used the same setup.

or if you have an old downtube shifter around, you could always slap that on for a few rides until you can get around to taking the STI crap to the shop.

This of course assumes the frame has downtube bosses which seem to not be as common as they once were. It's a shame really. Even when using STI or Ergo, I think they look nicer than a boring cable-guide.

That maybe why Lance Armstrong uses just the rear STI on his climbing bike, and a downtube for the front. The late Marco Pantani used the same setup.

I heard they mainly did it for weight purposes. I do however know a few people who do it for both weight and reliability. One person I know just runs a leverless hood on his left side. He's switched the front brake over to the right Ergo lever, uses a downtube shifter for the front derailleur and doesn't bother running a rear brake. And in case people are wondering, no the bike isn't just limited to the flats. He's ridden RAMROD with this setup.