Deore XT thumbies
 

How do I take these apart?

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=454697 http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=454698

Shimano didn't design these to be taken apart and reassembled. IIRC the silver logo disk is a sticker which can be pried off then there is a trapped nut on the end of the pivot shaft. Don't expect to get them back together and working. Why do you want to take them apart? Andy.

If you go to work with a loupe in one eye and wearing a visor, you have a shot at it. But then again, you'd also probably be messing with the guts of the shifter already.

Word of advice. Buy a buster one on eBay and practice on that before you try fixing the one that you need to work. Opps! Maybe you did!

They seem to work fine, I just thought I'd dis-assemble and lube - like I've done often with down-tube, stem, and bar-end shifters. I guess this marks the advent of planned obsolescence, a clever strategy designed to screw the consumer!

You don't .. dunk them in Oil , wipe off the excess .

It has to do with a factory that is automated, and complex machines put things together.

cutting labor costs, is how things get cheaper without less Profits.

We can debate Shimano's methods of designing and marketing but it is the way of the present and future regardless of what we feel about it. I sometimes joke that everything Microsoft knows about doing their business was learned from Shimano:) Andy.

Planned obsolescence? It didn't work out very well. As far as I've seen these things work without fail for 20 years or more.

Planned obsolescence isn't about reliability or robustness or even design/manufacturing effort. It's about after the sale support and forward compatibility. Andy.

How does a product that continues to work year in and year out constitute a screw job ?

Do your XT thumb shifters still work ?

Shimano doesn't owe anyone an apology. It's business.

I like their gear. Always have and can accept that there are practical limits to the usefulness of any given component. But for the rider, not the collector, the issue of obsolescence is typically moot. You ride it, it wears out/breaks, and you replace it. Soon you replace the entire bike, you outgrow it, your tastes change, something new comes along... Sure it's all part of Shimano's business but who exactly is the victim?

Can you imagine if Microsoft still had to distribute Windows OS software on floppy disks because some folks don't want to upgrade their computers to DVD ROM drives? That would be something like 40 lb of floppy disks!!!

cale- I'm not YET attaching any opinion to Shimano's methods. Their approach is very successful and is mimicked by many companies. Just trying to explain the differences between terms. Andy.

Unless someone pulls them apart for no real reason... ;)

Ha...you guys are a rough crowd. Didn't mean to get anybody in a tither. My general reference to planned obsolescence was not a criticism of Shimano specifically, and certainly not intended to raise the ire of Shimano devotees.

Home appliances used to last 20 years, now I've had repairmen tell me they're lucky to go 10. Stereo gear from the 70's and 80's would last almost forever if not abused, and even then could be taken apart and repaired. In the 90's quality declined dramatically, with repairs ridiculously expensive.

It's my belief that many companies intentionally design their product to have a limited life expectancy, requiring the consumer to pony up for frequent replacements. Good strategy if you are the company...screw job if you are the consumer. Other examples include ink cartridges, video games, college textbooks, consumer electronics, automobiles, lithium-ion batteries, and lightbulbs.

By the way...the Deore XT shifters seem to work fine, but I have nothing to compare them to since I've never used them before. All I know is that I like to dis-assemble, lube, and re-assemble vintage bikes and components. New life for good-quality components, designed to last and able to be maintained.

i've taken them apart.

as stated previously, that chrome cover is glued on, IIRC, and can be pried off. then the innards can be reached and lubricated, i guess. that chrome cover may need some assistance in order to be re-attached securely and may suffer cosmetically from the prying off experience. and i think, i say think, the mechanism was pretty simple. it's been a while :)

BTW, i have no opinion concerning Shimano's or anybody else's products or marketing practices, visa-a-vie obsolescence, but i'm convinced, Panerra Bread and GE have consipired to render my 40-year old toaster obsolete... their bread won't fit. :(