Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 6,645
Likes: 2,370
From: Colorado Springs, CO
Bikes: 2015 Charge Plug, 2007 Dahon Boardwalk, 1997 Specialized Rockhopper, 1984 Nishiki International, 2006 Felt F65, 1989 Dahon Getaway V
Not really a commute report, but an update on my main commuter, the 2015 Charge Plug, on which the rear derailleur cable broke inside the 8-speed Shimano Claris shifter and became jammed in there.
Yesterday, after 45 minutes of cajoling with a needle nose pliers I managed to free the cable.
This morning I put on a new shifter cable, but it became immediately apparent something was wrong. The shifter would pull the cable up three shifts and then no further cable movement and the shifter would become jammed.
What is evident to even an modestly competent bike mechanic like myself is that a plastic cable guide has worn-down and partially disintegrated. I don't know if that was the cause of the cable snap, a result of the cable snap, or happened while I was fishing the cable out. However, there were some black "crumbs" that tumbled out when I unscrewed the plastic sheath that sits on top of the unit and holds the cable-exit routing. The sheath looks fine, but the plastic guides under it look worn away.
A new 8-speed Claris shifter is about $55 on Amazon, I can get a new compatible 2x8 Microshift setup for $58. But first I will wait until Tuesday when the bike Co-op re-opens to see what they have, which will probably be $25, if that.
Fortunately I have 5 other bikes.
I have some travel coming up this week...plus the holidays, then out of town guests...all the while we are moving my wife's mother to assisted living. And there's more spring yard work, so I don;t know when I'll get to this replacement. It may be worth the cost of having a shop do it. Also I wanted to put drop bars on the Mountain bike. I guess I just have to be patient.
I enjoy riding my two bikes with brifters, but the simpler, cheaper and more reliable thumbies and down tube shifters seem pretty appealing right now. My new 1997 Specialized Rockhopper has rapid fire trigger shifters like the old NIshiki Blazer it replaced, and that setup wore-out twice over 25 years.
If I was back to commuting with just one bike, it would not have cable brifters...well, maybe.