Originally Posted by
zacster
A third possibility. The shift lever was not catching on the ratchet advance mechanism internal to the shifter so it wasn't pulling the cable at all. All is good now. A few squirts of WD40 loosened it, and some fresh lube put in its place and it all works again. It holds and shifts pretty cleanly for an indexed front triple.
That's what I meant by the first possibility. Glad you found it. Ride on.