Bicycle Mechanics - Ultegra 9-speed brifter upshift problem - beyond WD-40?

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biketrouble
01-30-12, 01:17 PM
I have a 2000 Ultegra 9-speed right/rear brifter that does not "release" the cable properly.

My initial search on this problem suggested that this could often be cured by flushing with WD-40. So I've done that, and the problem persists. But after comparing the operation of the right brifter with the left I got more insight on the problem.

It turns out that if I hold the outer lever vertical (i.e don't let it move), then the inner lever clicks and releases properly. But if I don't hold the outer lever, the inner one will eventually start pushing the outer lever around without the inner ever clicking.

So it seems to me that there is an arrangement like this:

Outer lever -> Inner actuator -> Inner lever

And there is supposed to be something between the outer lever and inner actuator that is offering resistance to the movement of the inner actuator so that the inner lever will be able to, umm... actuate the actuator.

So, is there an obvious adjustment or missing part that I should be looking for here. Or just more WD-40? It seems like the problem is not enough resistance, not too much, so it doesn't seem like a lube problem anymore.


rsacilotto
01-30-12, 05:06 PM
I had the same exact problem, never found a solution. The issue just seemed to be an internal failure, and there was no way to inspect the mechanism to see if something was wrong. I ended up replacing the brifters with a NOS 6510 set - a little pricey, but I'm happy with the outcome.

Stannian
01-30-12, 05:51 PM
We have about three of those in the shop drawer right now, all dead, nothing we can do to them...


2manybikes
01-30-12, 05:55 PM
Happened to my Dura Ace 9 speed. Got a warranty replacement. It was a long time ago when it was in warranty.