Grasschopper

Well my LBS who I generally love just got minus points for this one. When they were helping me with my LaRaza shifting issue they lengthened a housing and had to replace a cable because of the added length. They did this all for free which was grat...at the time. Well now I have torn down the La Raza and am in the process of building the Roubaix and I can't get the shift cable they put in OUT of the Ergo lever. Clearly the end of the cable is larger than the Campagnolo cable end and due to the forces of shifting the RD it has become pretty well wedged in there.

Any thoughs on getting this out winout screwing up the Record lever?

I have tried pushing it out as it should normally come out...that didn't work. I also took a steel piket and tried to push it out from the back but it broke the tip off (that came out so no issue there)...clearly that didn't work. I was trying to grab the head with some angle dikes but the soft head of the cable end seems to deform and fall away (are these ends lead? Seems like it)...so that didn't work either.

My next thought is to drill the head off of cable...but I am not sure I want to go there yet...any other thoughts?

Thanks
Oh and my LBS WILL be hearing about this.

Edited to add a photo so we could be clear about the issue here.

cuda2k

Well the end probably isn't any sort of steel so a powerful magnet isn't going to help. You could try to tap a small screw into the head to give you something to grip onto from above and pull. Or very very very carefully drill it out. Or you could take it back to your shop - look at them and say "Well you guys put it in there, now I'd like to see you get it out" with a smug yet serious tone. Good luck.

Slice2

Can you get in there with any kind of Dremel attachment?

Grasschopper

Dunno...don't have a dremel. I thought about both the go to the LBS route and the tap a screw in there route...I think I will try the screw next...but it is going to have to be a pretty small screw.

cyclintom

I've had this with THREE (count 'em) levers since I'm often given stuff. Here's the way I've solved it:

I have a small battery powered drill motor and I fit a drill about 2/3rds the diameter of the lead endpiece. I drill EXACTLY in the center. Since the drill goes easily through the lead it's pretty easy to tell that you aren't drilling into the steel component. OK I missed in two of the three and got off-center).

In one of them the cable pulled up as I retracted the drill, in another one I could use long nosed pliers to retreave the end and in the third I used the tip of the pliers to bend in the sides of the end and then it just slipped right out.

It turned out to be a pretty easy job and it didn't even scratch the component.

NOTE: When I received the levers the cables had been twisted around and around until they frayed and broke off about 1/2" from the back side of the holder. This steel wire is TOUGH stuff and with it fanned out you cannot get the end pieces out.

One I could cut off clean and another I could twist into a semblance of cable so that it slipped through. The third one was easy - I dead centered the hole which released the cable from the lead end cap. I then pulled the wires out with the long nosed pliers like picking lint.

So although this seems a major problem it isn't by a long shot.

jqnj

You should be able to drill it out. But, prior to guzzling a Big Gulp of Jolt. Stabilize the shifter in a vise (rubber on jaws to protect the blingy) and get your smallest, SHARPEST bit and go slowly. Next size bit and so on. Do not hit the cable seat as you do not want to enlarge this. Common sense stuff. Actually, this sounds like a pita. Have your LBS do it with the understanding that they are on the hook.

Grasschopper

Well I got it out. As mentioned about I started with a small bit...but was unable to keep it anywhere near center...it was so far from center in fact that I was able to drill a second hole on the other side of the head (this was a pretty small bit. Then I took the next bit up and went for the middle and as it started in it grabbed hold and started spinning the cable end. At this point I kept the drill going and I pulled the cable out. Turned out to not be so hard.

Now where are my bars I want to build this thing.

cuda2k

Great to hear you got it out. We need more pics when you start building! Some of us are stuck at work today and dreaming of any sort of cycling - be it riding or wrenching.

Grasschopper

Well I am sort of at a stand still until the UPS truck gets here...I need my bars so I can mount the Ergo levers and run the cables. I will snap a shot of where she stands right now though and post it just for you...since I am in a holiday mood and all.

DinoShepherd

I am not trying to bait Campy lovers here, I have no dog in that race, but I have a serious question here.

Do Campy levers require Campy cables? And failure to use them will result in this sort of stuck cable later on?

It seems from this post that the cable fitting on Campy levers are smaller than the standard generic cables that are widely available.

If so, would annoy me. I like the luxury of pulling a cable off the shelf in an emergency and not having to worry about extracting it later.

-Z

Grasschopper

Dino,

The shift cable end is smaller than Shimano, I believe the brake cable is the same. I agree that it is a PITA but oh well. I have also heard that it isn't too hard to modify a stock cable to fit better than my LBS clearly did in this case...and to be fair it did function properly it was just a PITA to get out.

roadfix

Not that I know of. I've used generic teflon coated derailleur cables in my '96 Record Ergos in the past and have taken them out without any problems.

squeegy200

Replying to the original post --Why does this fall back on the Local Bike Shop doing you wrong?
According to your post, they gave you the part and did the work for FREE. That's a nice courtesy far above what I would consider to be their obligation.

When you first encountered the problem, why didn't you take it back to them?

If I were in their shoes, I would have probably done the same. In your mind what SHOULD they have done?
Should they have broken open a brand new set of Campagnolo cables so you could use one of them?

I understand the issue, but its a mechanical one. I have to side with the local bike shop on this one. They do a customer a courtesy at no charge and then get dragged out in public on a forum such as this.

If I worked in a local bike shop, you would probably be the kind of customer I wouldn't want.

Grasschopper

To be honest it was VERY nice of my LBS to replace the cable and housing for free...to continue to be honest I would have rather they use Campagnolo specific parts rather than cut corners...and I would have been happy to pay for the service either way, in fact I tried and asked several times if they were sure they didn't want something for their time and the parts.

Having gotten the part and the work for free and didn't see going back to the LBS when I knew in time I could correct the situation myself...why request they do MORE work for free to correct the work they did for free before. I will simply let them know that I had an issue and that while I appreciated what they did for me in the future when they work on my bike (which honestly isn't often as I do my own service...I was stumped when I took it in) they need to use only Campagnolo parts to replace Campagnolo parts and if I have to wait and pay for that I have no issue with it.

Yea I am sure they don't want a customer like me...one that walks in off the street and drops $2k on a CF bike without taking the time of anyone on the sales staff because I knew exactly what I wanted...and then ordering upgrades for that bike...the only thing they had to do for the sale of my Roubaix and the other parts I ordered for it was to order the parts and take my money.

zaphodbeeblebro

you've been lucky, a cable designed to fit in campy will work in shimano no problem, but not vice-versa. I had this same problem and did something slightly different. i drilled a rather shallow hole, then inserted a small hardened steel screw and got a few threads in, then clamped the screw with clamping pliers and gently tapped clamps with mallet until it came out...sounds like the way described here is better.

roadfix

Thank you......I'll keep this in mind on my next cable change whenever that may be...

2Rodies

I think you miss the point the fact is they used the wrong part to fix his bike. Weather or not they did if for free is irrelevent. If they had broken something would they be off the hook just because they didn't charge him? To paraphrase your post "If I shoped at your LBS you are the type of employee I wouldn't want to deal with".

DocRay

I helped a club rider out with this problem once. The solution was to put the whole shifter in the freezer for an hour, then in warm water for a few minutes-this loosened up the stuck ball-end and it pushed out.

Grasschopper

Hmm good use of differing rates of thermal expansion...I thought about heating it but was worried about melting something plastic...hadn't thought about putting it in the freezer first. Drilling it out was pretty damn easy though.