melon

i was riding along, and i went to change gear, but then nothing happened and my shifters became slack. im not really sure what happened.

i have a 105 front derailleur on a 50/35 compact, and 105 shifters.


the derailleur is now stuck on the big ring and the shifter wont move it back. there is still tension on the cable.


anyone know how to fix this? its a new bike and i cant bear to not ride it.

operator

New bike? Bring it back to the shop. Don't try to fix it yourself.

AEO

might be sheered cable or broken shifter.

melon

it is a new bike and i am going to take it back to the shop. unless its somthing i can fix easily myself. id rather fix it myself if i can. id also like to know what the problem is.

im concerned the shifter is completely broken which is bad news. ive waited for over a month to get this bike (dont have another) and now i have to find a way to get 50~miles back to the shop. im also completely broke from buying the thing so i have no money to pay for repairs. urghh.



the cable is still taught so i dont think its sheered.

AEO

you shouldn't have to pay for repairs as it will be covered under warranty.

shimano parts have at least 3yr warranties

operator

Precisely the reason why you shouldn't **** with it on your own.

neil0502

"Mess" got bleeped out??

melon

ive taken a bunch of stickers off the frame, is that gonna be a problem? i guess not as i dont want it replaced, just fixed.

taking the bike back is going to be problematic, its too far for me to ride there on the big ring and i dont drive.

i still want to know what the problem is, and what caused it. anyone?

embe

you can remove your derailer and manually set it to whatever cog would be best for your 50mi trek, good luck

CCrew

Shouldn't be.

norwood

The cable may have pulled loose from the anchor bolt. (they perhaps didn't get the anchor bolt tight enough when the bike was assembled.) It could still be tight enough to feel taut but loose enough to slip when you went to shift. Easily fixed, but not so if you don't have a clue how it works. I'm guessing that your shifter is probably fine. Every shop I've had experience with offered free adjustments on new bikes, at least for a while. Get it to the shop somehow.

melon

hmm, im not sure, the shifters are completely slack, but the cable is tight.

surely if the anchor bolt wasnt tight the derailluer would return to its rest position?

neil0502

Is that the closest shop, or just the one from whom you bought the bike?

If there's a closer shop, you may want to take it there. I'd call the shop that sold you the bike, first, in either case. They may have a solution (wrench that lives out your way, or ..... ?).

norwood

You would think so. I'm not intimately familar with the Shimano brifters, but I think they should "shift" (index) even without a cable hooked up. So if they truely are "slack" then maybe they are toast. As I said before, get it to the shop somehow. Any friends that can haul you?

melon

its where i bought the bike. another shop isnt going to do it without me paying them. i havnt got any money from buying the bike. can we stop talking about the shop. i want to know whats up with my bike so im armed with more information.

neil0502

I see a pattern forming, in the answers that you ARE getting.

Sorry if you aren't getting (ONLY) the answers you want

It works that way, sometimes.

norwood

Then I guess you should fix your bike. If you want help you should post more info and pictures too.
At some point your bike will require some money spent on it.

melon

im not sure that theres anymore i can tell you, i think ive explained all i can.

ive only just bought the bike and im gutted somthing has already gone wrong/broken.

im not having a go at people, but i wouldnt have posted the thread asking what is/how to if i didnt want to know. take it to a shop isnt really an answer.

AEO

pop the cable off the FD, let it go slack, might be able to fish it out of the shifter if you give the cable some slack.

neil0502

I'm being perfectly sincere, here, when I say....

If you have the skills to fix it yourself, then you likely have the skills to diagnose it yourself.

Since you don't, and since the bike is new and covered under warranty, I think people are giving you good advice when they tell you to have it fixed, under warranty, by the LBS.

What happens if somebody gives you a logical idea about what IS wrong with the bike, you make an effort at fixing it yourself, and screw something up in the process (it happens)?

If you THEN take it to the place where you bought it, you have just given them a reason NOT to cover the needed fix under warranty.

I mean no disrespect to you OR to those who are trying to point you in the right direction, but ... if it were me ... I'd find a way to get it fixed by an LBS. If geography were an issue, then I'd explain THAT TO the LBS that sold it to me, and see if THEY would reimburse you for paying the CLOSER LBS to fix the thing.

Seriously.

But ... that's me.

melon

well that pretty much negates the whle mechanics forum doesnt it then. just answer everything with "take it to the shop".

what else can i screw up, it already doesnt work.

norwood

Troubleshoot by process of elimination. Take the cable loose. Is the cable viable? Does it seem O.K.? Try to work the FD by hand, does it work? With the cable loose or removed from the shifter, does the shifter seem to work (index) or is it slack as you claim. If they really are slack, then there is something amiss in the shifter. Tearing apart the internals of a brifter is a bit much over the internet, (for me anyway).

"what else can i screw up, it already doesnt work"
This is going to be a learning experience for you, you've got to start somewhere.

AEO

if you narrow the problem down to the shifter...
you can pull it apart a broken shimano STI lever, but there are no replacement parts available and you end up with a voided warranty broken shifter.
So if the problem is truly in the shifter, it's best to have it covered by warranty.

neil0502

Not at all.

I'm not sure "everything" is a new bike that should be covered under warranty..

When we ARE talking about a new bike that should be covered under warranty, though, "take it back to the shop" IS the most common answer ... and for good reason.

Ohhhhh. You really shouldn't say such things

BigBlueToe

I'm wondering if it isn't something simple. I had a similar problem with a new bike I had set up myself. It turned out I had put the front derailleur on to see how it looked when I first got it, and had never tightened it down. It was moving around the seat tube. I say release the tension on the cable, then make sure everything is set up properly (and tightened down.) If it's a good-quality derailleur there shouldn't be any problem, should there?