mjordan123

Hi All,
New to biking and have found this forum very helpful. Now my question. I purchased a used bike, full shimano 105, triple, 9-speed, only to find out the left shifter was pretty much shot. Tried all the lube techniques but decided I need to replace. Money is tight at the moment so I only want to replace the left shifter to get the bike functioning better. I have watched ebay and am amazed what some of the older, used, 105's and ultegra shifters go for (almost the cost of new). I found a Dura-Ace 7800 left shifter (new) at a price under $100.00, however, it is for a 10-speed, triple (vs. my 9-speed triple). Since I am only shifting the front derailleur, do the number of speeds matter? Will I be able to get away with the DA 10 speed front shifter with my 9-speed FD?

JiveTurkey

As far as cable-pull and mechanical design is concerned, it would be compatible.

However, note that the ergonomics/feel of the brake hoods were changed between generations, so you will probably feel the mis-match while riding.

Regarding your current shifter (I kniw you said you tried lubing, but...) Is it not up-shifting? Does the brake lever swing but not stick in gear? If that's the case, many people have had luck soaking the internals of the shifter in WD-40 to break up the gunk in there that may be preventing the ratcheting pawls from clicking into place. I had luck revitalizing a Deore MTB left shifter this way recently.

mjordan123

Thanks JT.
The right shifter only needs a mild push to change gears. The left one needs a little bit harder push to change from the small ring to middle ring and it needs a HEAVY push (and then push some more) to engage the third ring. On the downshift from the third ring, it is very hard to shift and when it does, it skips the middle chainring altogether and jumps from the large chainring to the small chainring

JiveTurkey

The right shifter has much less cable to move per shift. There may be other factors in play that might contribute to bad front shifting. The most common culprit is the cable and housing. Another might be gummed up internals (use the WD-40).

Regarding down shifting: my 10-speed 105 triple front shifter actually has 5 or 6 positions. There is a "trim" position between each gear. I don't know about the 9-speed set. But, it is possible that the shifter is set up so that it is going into a trim position rather than a gear position for one of your chainrings.

Others should chime in, but it sounds like the problem may be able to be diagnosed and solved without the need for a new shifter.

If it were my bike, I'd
-Do the WD-40 method
-Uninstall and re-lube (or maybe even replace) the housing and cable
-And re-set up the shifter/derailleur from scratch.

SSBully

Just try adjusting your FD and if that doesn't work, try checking your cable tension. If both of those don't work, R&R will be your easiest bet, but not your cheapest. Also, the sticking, and tension that you may be feeling could be coming from the FD pivots and not your brifter. Also, when upshifting, you can try using the double-tap instead of trying to get the shift in one stroke. A lot of people with small hands have to go that route.

mjordan123

Okay, I thought learning about shifters and brifters was daunting, I just looked up cables and housing. For the newbie here, what type of cables / housing should I be looking at for my 105's. I want to try this route first as the cable did seem kinked in one spot when I put it together (after fedex got done shipping it across country). HELP on the cables / housing!! Too many choices on ebay. Is there a decent online site I can purchase these and know I am not getting ripped off? I don't mind a fair price for a good product....just don't want to overpay. Thanks

JiveTurkey

For such small parts, it would be much easier/cheaper to just go to your local bike shop if you have one. If you're going to go online, this will work: https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...3_10000_201354

Shift/derailleur is different than brake housing and cables. Also, shift cables have two different ends--one for road and one for MTB. The Nashbar set above has different ends on either side, you cut off the head you don't need.

Al1943

This could easily be the problem. STI shifting is very sensitive to cable and cable housing problems. Always replace housings when replacing cables. If the old housing is the correct length you can cut the new housing the same length.