How to fix a 9 speed gear lever that has jammed?
01-15-11, 01:51 AM
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How to fix a 9 speed gear lever that has jammed?
i have a 9 speed rapidfire gear lever and I cant seem to move the gear lever to the smaller sprockets anymore. I had been riding it in the rain a few days ago and it was working well but today I was intending to go for a ride for a ride and found it dont work. This was totally unexpected.
Anyone had a gear lever jam like this? What could be wrong? How do I go about fixing it?
Anyone had a gear lever jam like this? What could be wrong? How do I go about fixing it?
01-15-11, 07:04 AM
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Spring loaded pawls can stop moving due to lube drying out, being washed away, or getting gummed up with dirt/dust.
First thing to try is hosing it out with WD40 while trying to operate it to free up any stuck parts, wash out contamination, and redistribute any lube.
01-15-11, 05:59 PM
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ive spayed some lube into the mechanism but no go. should i open it up? I cant remove the cable since it need to be on the smallest sprocket to be able to thread through.
01-15-11, 06:24 PM
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did you just spray a little wd40 in there?
First if possible, I'd use a better solvent, like Clean Streak, when spraying the shifter, spray a LOT of solvent in, it should leave a little puddle on the floor (put something under the drip, especially if you're using clean streak).
I'd then hit it with a compressor and a blower, or a can of compressed air if you don't have access to a compressor.
This will usually fix the problem, if not, you can try to open it up and see what's stuck. At this point though it may be better to head on down to the LBS and pick up a new (or used) shifter.
First if possible, I'd use a better solvent, like Clean Streak, when spraying the shifter, spray a LOT of solvent in, it should leave a little puddle on the floor (put something under the drip, especially if you're using clean streak).
I'd then hit it with a compressor and a blower, or a can of compressed air if you don't have access to a compressor.
This will usually fix the problem, if not, you can try to open it up and see what's stuck. At this point though it may be better to head on down to the LBS and pick up a new (or used) shifter.
01-15-11, 11:33 PM
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If Rapidfire internals resemble STI internals, you better hope solvent and lube works.
Otherwise, it's more of a watchmaker's job than a bike mechanic's... are you game?
Otherwise, it's more of a watchmaker's job than a bike mechanic's... are you game?
01-28-11, 09:59 PM
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I managed to fix it. I unscrewed the 3 screws on the bottom and jiggled the cable free, then put them back. now it is back to normal.
