Originally Posted by
SkyDog75
It could just be gummed up. Over time, the lubrication in the shifter becomes a lot less effective, preventing the shifter's pawls from engaging. Before giving up on the shifter, flush it thoroughly with WD-40, then re-lubricate with something like Tri-Flow.
Had done all this, and as far as I can tell, there are no loose pieces - the springs seem to work, the pawl seems to engage and disengage quickly as it's supposed to, the innards *look* clean, at least ... was hoping I could see the actual teeth of the gear inside, but that's the part I don't have access to when I take off the housing. When the cable's disconnected, it's the last click that strips, and that cog is not visible without taking the whole thing apart. When the cable is connected, I can only shift from the innermost ring to the 3rd (of 8) rings before it strips out beyond any hope of shifting further.
Originally Posted by
SkyDog75
If you need to replace your shifters, just about any 8-speed Shimano or Shimano-compatible mountain bike shifter should work. For example, Shimano Acera SL-M310 8-speed shifters, which are available for about $30 per pair online. They're not considered high-end parts -- you'll need to scout used parts for "high end" 8-speed stuff -- but they're perfectly serviceable and reliable for day-to-day riding.
Even though the current levers are combined brake/shifters? How would I know that a M310 SL would fit to the M739 BL? I found some ST-M950s online, including the combined shifter/brake levers ... according to the chart at
Shimano '97 Shift & Brake/Shift Lever Specification Table - the Buyer's Guide, 2015, the M950 is the only set that's equivalent to the Deore XT M739s, right? I'm trying to match a new SL to an existing BL - or is this a lost cause? Is there some sort of Shimano document that indicates whether or not a particular shifter (SL) would connect to a different brake lever (BL)? For example, I've found that the ST-M738 is NOT for v-brakes, but could I just get the SL-M738 and attach it to the BL-M739, or is that a no go? Do I need to replace the entire BL/SL combination?
The primary issue is simply that I can't seem to find M739 shifters/levers for reasonable prices (i.e., for prices I'm willing to pay
)... but I have found M738 and M950s, which I'm hoping could work ...
I hope my questions are clear enough - Thanks for all your input!
bsker