mentsrix

I'm a complete road bike newbie but spent about 3-4 weeks looking for my first bike to purchase. I couldn't find a decent bike locally so I began searching craigslist and ebay. My budget was really around $200-250 and mainly was looking for an older bike (80-90's) to start out on. I definitely didn't want to spend $80 on shipping for a vintage bike blindly.

Here's my situation: I bought a 1997 Lemond Reno for $340, which I thought was a steal at the time. However, the left shifter is broken. LBS quoted it would cost me $150+ to replace and I feel kinda cheated. I barely have enough money for a lock, pump, helmet, pedals etc.

Is the bike still worth it at this point? I don't even know if I need the left shifter, I've ridden with it broken but don't know exactly what to expect if it did work (I know its mainly for climbing hills etc.)

Any advice or suggestions would be great, Thanks!

Additional info:
the purchase was 4 days ago via craigslist (an hour away). It has a 7 speed rear cog. When the left shifter is pressed, it moves over but has no tension on it. The derailer still works without the shifter (manually; LBS pro checked it out).

mercury168

A replacement left shifter can be found on ebay for as little as $60.

If money's tight, I suggest you just put the chain onto the small chainring and ride it like that. The big ring is for fast flats and downhills.

tollhousecookie

Well you have a nice garage door...look for a used deal on a brifter and just ride the thing.

mentsrix

Haha. nice observation. However, thats the picture the guy that sold it to me used, I'm just a broke college student in an apartment, no garage

NormanF

Scour eBay. A college student should NEVER pay retail!

banerjek

If the broken shifter wasn't disclosed when you bought, you should hassle the seller. Not sharing that kind of info is dishonest.

However, since almost a month has passed, I'm wondering why you're only noticing this problem now.

The left shifter is not that important since it is not used nearly so often as the right. One cheap alternative would be to get a downtube or bar end shifter for the left rather than replacing it with an STI lever like you have. But if you want the job done right, you should ebay as others have suggested.

Homebrew01

Is it 8 speed ? This is a basic moel that should do the job for $60 incl shipping:

https://cgi.ebay.com/SHIMANO-SORA-8-S...d=p3286.c0.m14

paulrad9

If you want to replace the broken shifter with a perfect replacement, than spend the $150. Otherwise, look for a bike shop in your area that sells used parts. One way to locate is to open Google maps, enter your zip and the words 'used bikes' and hit enter

Phantoj

Flush out your left shifter with WD-40 or similar before declaring it dead.

buddy

It is a good looking bike. Should be fun to ride.

skol

nice bike and still a good deal I think - stuff happens to the components but the frame should be solid for you - enjoy

banerjek

Hey mentsrix -- how do you know the shifter is messed up? What happens when you try to move the levers? Sometimes the head just pulls entirely or partially off the cable.

I've seen situations where guys who thought they had a busted shifter really just needed a new cable and someone to fish a little junk out of the old one?

The reason I'm wondering is that left shifters rarely go bad because they don't get used much.

mentsrix

To answer some of the above questions, the purchase was 4 days ago via craigslist (an hour away). It has a 7 speed rear cog. When the left shifter is pressed, it moves over but has no tension on it. The derailer still works without the shifter (manually; LBS pro checked it out).

I appreciate all the responses, thanks guys. And yes, I'd definitely buy a used shifter via eBay first.

Retro Grouch 

A broken left shifter is a pretty significant defect. If the seller hadn't disclosed that fact I'd be checking to see what recourse I might have.

Walter

If you can't get your money refunded the easiest/cheapest fix is to put a downtube shifter on the frame boss for the front derailleur. You should be able to find some d/t shifters cheap enough.

For us old guys d/t shifting is old school eay but even for a noob having it for the FD isn't hard. In fact, I'd say it's going to shift better than 7speed STI anyways (ability to trim the FD).

ridethecliche

If you don't have recourse, either get a sora left shifter, or just get a downtube shifter for the front.

Procione

The shifter might not be really broken, the LBS want you to buy their new stuff. It happens all the time to me, especially on mountain bikes. What happens is when you move the lever to shift, nothing happens. It's kinda feels like the ratchet inside have stripped teeth (slight chance). What usually happens is the mechanism inside have grease, which dries over time, and little hook, which latches to the gear inside freezes and you can't move the gear which moves the cable. In this case WD40 might not always work if you just spray it inside, well, 15% chance. You will have to carefully disassemble the whole thing, than find little ratchet inside, than oil it, than grab it with some wire, forceps, etc, and move it back and forth like 40, than oil it again and move it 80 times. You should notice that after moving it back and releasing it, it falls on to the tooths of the gear. Hopefully that solves the problem.
Here are a few sites about ergo shifter repair:
https://www.chainreactionbicycles.com/noisystilevers.htm
https://www.billcotton.com/sti_shifter_repair.htm

banerjek

The seller definitely is responsible if it's that obvious.

If you pull on the cable (not the cable housing that the cable runs through) that feeds into the left shifter, how tight is it? If you hold the cable while operating the shifter, what do you feel?

j944

If it is broke.......Do you have a bike coop on your city? If so you may come across one cheap or free.

liquefied

I had a problem like this with my old Cannondale. I put an ad on craigslist for a new shifter and found a guy who rebuilds them and wound up getting a working one for $30 after I gave him the old one to fix.

Also, craigslist is generally accepted to be an as-is kind of deal so unless you bought it from a really nice guy he's probably just going to tell you to **** off. I would.

Homebrew01

Keep WD-40 away from your bike. It will dissolve the oil & grease. If you want to spray something in there, use a proper lubricant.

liquefied

In this case it's being used specifically to dissolve the old oil and grease so it's fine to use. It just needs to be lubricated afterward.

enigmagic

Yep, one of the few times this is the proper tool for the job. WD-40 works great for freeing the gummed up springs in shifters, spray generously and work the shifter back and forth until it starts working or you're convinced it's truly dead.

SteelCan

That $340 wasn't a "steal" and you may have paid on the high end of fair value but you didn't get hosed (and after a "month" I don't think you have any recourse for the shifter)

I have a 2006 Reno.
Not sure of what the changes are from your 97, but I like mine. (to the irritation of the guys I ride with who own pricier, lighter carbon frames) If it's any consolation, mine might be 9yrs newer, but looks like it went through a war zone compared to yours.

Hmm. Just looked at the pic again. Big change in shape. Mine has compact frame geometry (sloping top tube). Also has square and oval shaped down tube.

Enjoy the bike.

Dhorn33

Like the others - I seriously doubt if that front shifter is bad. My bike was the same way when I bought it - and it was fixed with some WD40 in less than 5 minutes. Hang the bike from the rear wheel and spray the crA#$ out of the inside of the shifter mechanism to flush it out. Let it sit for a few minutes - then spray it again. Moving the shifters around to loosen everything up and keep doing it until it starts to ratchet like it is supposed to. After you get it working - spray it out with some air - let it dry a little and lubricate it. It will work fine.