My Shimano shifter's "hoods" are discontinued. Options?
 

Update: 11/2/17
Issue resolved. The ST-4600 hoods fit perfectly. Scroll to the bottom of the thread if you want to see before / after pictures.


Hi. I have an old pair of Tiagra 9 speed (model ST-4500) shifters on my touring bike and the hoods really need to be replaced (sometimes called the bracket covers; basically the rubber material covering the shifters). The problem is that Shimano has discontinued these replacement hoods. What are my options? Will the hoods from the current model Sora shifters (3500) work? They look similar but I am not sure if they will fit. Aside from buying all new 9 speed Sora shifters, which is not something I'm prepared to do since from a functional standpoint mine are just fine, what are my options?

For anyone interested, here is the actual part number that I would need: Mfr Part #: Y6LP98070

Google around, you may find NOS, or you may find out which modern hoods will work for your shifters.

Else, your SOL. I'm in the same boat with my old Dura ace brifters. $80 for a pair of hoods...

Thank you. I've gone ahead and purchased it. I just need a "right one" now. Luckily my right hood is in slightly better shape but I'd still love a new one.

Looks as if the replacement hood options are Sora 3500 and/or Tiagra 4600, I wonder if either of those are suitable. (I have two sets of the 4503 lever sets.) Both hood pairs are on ebay for less than $10 shipped.

edit: Looking more closely at the ebay pictures and my 4503 levers, it appears the 4600 Tiagra hoods are similar. I ordered a set, only $9.77 shipped. I'll report back when I receive them.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shimano-Tiag...kAAOSw32lYr530

Thank you. Please do report back. I looked at the pictures of the 4600 Tiagra, and 3500 Sora, and to my eyes the Sora 3500 looks more similar, but I guess the only way to find out is to actually try.

The Tiagra 4600 hoods arrived, they appear to be an exact match. I didn't actually fit them to my levers, I can't say if they will work. Next winter I'll try to replace a set.

It makes you wonder if you should buy a couple of extra hoods when you're shifters are new. If you do decide to sell or upgrade then you can always sell the hoods. I'm sure someon else will be looking for a set also.

Oof
 

I am in the same situation. Can't seem to find the ST-4500 hoods anywhere and mine are all gummy. Has anyone found a suitable replacement yet? Much obliged!

here... i tagged the OP..... SouthFLpix.... someone is facing the same situation... did you find a suitable hood?

I was able to find an original left hood (new old stock), but I just left the old right hood on. I also took the word of the gentleman who responded and said the new 4600 series hoods seem like an exact match, although I have not tried to actually install them. Good luck. Let me know if you find a solution that works for you.

Last summer on my 9 speed tiagra hoods that were getting slightly sticky also, I used dish detergent to wash them well and then put some baby powder on them and rubbed it all over, and this helped destickyfying them to a certain degree.

I'd also be interested in knowing which new ones will fit reasonably well.

I bought some FastCap MyGrip from Amazon. You heat it in hot water and mold it to the levers. Takes it few tries to get it just right. It's $10, worth a try if you can't find the right hoods.

Quick update: I bought the hoods for the Tiagra 4600 levers, they are an EXACT match of the old 4500 hoods. Same mold marks, same letters on the inside even, I can't find any difference. I have ~1000 miles on them with my 4503 levers they work very well. I just order a few sets to keep just-in-case, only $10 a set from Universal Cycles:

https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...&category=1603

scroll down to
Tiagra ST-4600 STI (Black)
Mfg #:Y6UM98090
UPC: 689228987470

Hudz sells Shimano compatible hoods in a range of colors. They're actually OEM spec on my Bianchi.

These have ridges which I don't think you would want on any hoods but re-grip.com is just flat sheet which someone more adventurous that I might find it would work.

I wasn't able to find Hudz hoods for Shimano 4500/4600, do you know if they're available?

Once you heat it up, the ridges become pliable so you can reshape then or flatten them.

They consider Tiagra too low end. Yet Tiagra sells more units than the higher priced Shimano groups. Go figure.

Who does? For 99% of the world population, even low end Shimano stuff is expensive. Ratio in my country is about 100 to one in favour of low end stuff sold (high end stuff stays on the LBS shelfs for years often). And't it's far from the poorest world countries...

In my experience, Sora is quite good quality. Not the lightest, but shifts fine and lasts long. Tiagra is one step higher than that.

As for replacement parts - planned obsolescence comes to mind. Shimano won't mind if you give up sourcing replacement parts and start looking for a good discount on a brand new groupset.

That was exactly the point I was trying to make.

Thank you! I grabbed a couple. Just in time too.

Issue resolved! I finally budgeted the time to replace my hoods, which was perhaps a little time consuming in my case as I also had to remove the shifter cables and housings, which means re-tuning the shifting system of course. The old pair of hoods lasted me 6 years, 5 before they really started to become bad, so with the 2 pairs I just purchased I should be good for another decade (hopefully!). See before and after pictures below. :thumb:



https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Gm...w1458-h1094-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/99...w1458-h1094-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hf...w1458-h1094-no


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/wC...w1458-h1094-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/sW...w1458-h1094-no