Originally Posted by
P!N20
Sounds like a big job for such a small area. The only part that would be able to be stripped and polished is the lever arm, and as mentioned above it would need to be removed before stripping otherwise you are likely to damage the adjacent plastic/rubber parts. Shimano brifters have never been made to be pulled apart and while it can be done, it's not exactly an easy task. If you go through all that I'm not totally convinced they'll look any less modern. Sure, if you've got some other polished parts on your loyal steed it will look consistent. Report back with the results.
Yeah, that is my dilemma. And nearly every component is polished silver. I think 1 chainring is matte anodized, I don't have any black.
I appreciate the ideas, I'm just not sure I can flush any part of the upper section of the brake lever without damaging the shifter mechanism. I'll need something that won't destroy the aluminum. I'm not entirely sure if the gray is anodized or just painted.
I've thought about sanding those surfaces with fine wet/dry, but then there is a risk of getting grit into the inner workings. I do have more than enough time to do this project. Unfortunately these types of jobs are either a success or the result looks like garbage. Hard to find a middle ground where it will look nice regardless.
The newer ST-R2000 version looks to be easier to get to the lever, without a complete disassembly, (attached), but it still presents problems.
Thanks!
John