Shimano Golden Arrow Shifter restoration help
10-07-20, 08:02 PM
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Shimano Golden Arrow Shifter restoration help
Howdy!
I recently purchased a used 1984 Lotus Classique bicycle in pretty good condition but I want it rolling great so I got right to work.
One of the first things I noticed is the friction shifters were unreliable so I'm trying to take them apart and clean/de-rust them. From my research online I'm pretty certain I have the Shimano SL-A105 Band A type levers here, and I've found the parts breakdown on a pdf, but I can't just link it as I haven't posted enough. You can find it by googling the part, it's on a shimano web address.
From that PDF I was able to remove parts 2, 3, 4, and 5 from the piece but the levers seem to be rusted stuck to part 11 on the inside I believe and I can't get any further. The rear shifter spins freely now so I definitely need to get in there and see what isn't providing friction, but I can't because the rest of the pieces spin as one unit and I can't pull it off of the band.
Things I've tried so far:
- soaking in vinegar/water solution for a couple hours to loosen rust
- tapping with a wrench medium/hard, but I don't want to damage it.
- Pulling really hard on it
I don't really know what to try next, I might go get some WD40 and see if that helps. Figured I'd ask here cause I'm sure someone has gone through something similar before. Any tips? How would you get it apart? Am I missing something painfully simple?
Thanks in advance.
I recently purchased a used 1984 Lotus Classique bicycle in pretty good condition but I want it rolling great so I got right to work.
One of the first things I noticed is the friction shifters were unreliable so I'm trying to take them apart and clean/de-rust them. From my research online I'm pretty certain I have the Shimano SL-A105 Band A type levers here, and I've found the parts breakdown on a pdf, but I can't just link it as I haven't posted enough. You can find it by googling the part, it's on a shimano web address.
From that PDF I was able to remove parts 2, 3, 4, and 5 from the piece but the levers seem to be rusted stuck to part 11 on the inside I believe and I can't get any further. The rear shifter spins freely now so I definitely need to get in there and see what isn't providing friction, but I can't because the rest of the pieces spin as one unit and I can't pull it off of the band.
Things I've tried so far:
- soaking in vinegar/water solution for a couple hours to loosen rust
- tapping with a wrench medium/hard, but I don't want to damage it.
- Pulling really hard on it
I don't really know what to try next, I might go get some WD40 and see if that helps. Figured I'd ask here cause I'm sure someone has gone through something similar before. Any tips? How would you get it apart? Am I missing something painfully simple?
Thanks in advance.
10-07-20, 08:14 PM
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Not specific to this shift lever but... some levers have a pressed on/brazed on base (onto the band) that the lever and it's various washers/friction discs mount from. Unless this, usually round or square, base is loose on the band it shouldn't be any cause of the lever not having enough friction. That failure of function is often a lacking of a part, the parts being assembled in the wrong order, any anti loosening washer/layer (usually having a tab that fits a slot or fingers) not being held tightly still or the bolt/screw bottoming out before full compression of the layers happens. Andy
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AndrewRStewart
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10-07-20, 08:39 PM
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Naval jelly.
10-07-20, 08:42 PM
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Hi Andy,
That does help, I see the piece inside the band spins freely from the band but is fixed with the movement of the lever, hence why I assumed it was rusted stuck or something so I don't think it's brazed to the band if I understood you correctly. I'll try seeing if there's anything on the inside washers I can get to pop it off. Thanks for the tips!
That does help, I see the piece inside the band spins freely from the band but is fixed with the movement of the lever, hence why I assumed it was rusted stuck or something so I don't think it's brazed to the band if I understood you correctly. I'll try seeing if there's anything on the inside washers I can get to pop it off. Thanks for the tips!
10-08-20, 05:10 PM
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Update:
I realized that there was dirt/old dried grease in the shift lever caked very thick. I worked at it with a pick for a good while on each side and was able to force it into pieces. I was sort of right it was just stuck together from years of being in that state. Found the bad side is a little torn up near the band, going to try to clean and repair all the pieces and reassemble it now. Thanks for the help.
I realized that there was dirt/old dried grease in the shift lever caked very thick. I worked at it with a pick for a good while on each side and was able to force it into pieces. I was sort of right it was just stuck together from years of being in that state. Found the bad side is a little torn up near the band, going to try to clean and repair all the pieces and reassemble it now. Thanks for the help.
