Wabeery

Bike fitted with Campagnolo 2x9 xenon shifters has decided to stop shifting. About 3months ago the left shifter lever snapped at the fulcrum and needed replacing. Recently the right shifter seized up entirely and wouldn’t shift up or down. Took it off and stripped it down (quite familiar with the internals after the other side broke), cleaned, regressed, and put back together. Amazingly it works! Shifts up and down with nil problems. Clamp it to the handlebars: stills works. Thread a cable through: still works. Through cable housing: still works. Attach it to the rear mech: doesn’t work. Shifter clicks but doesn’t pull any cable through.

So remove from the rear mech, still won’t work. Completely disassemble and find that the disc (not sure what the part name is) has rotated round so the shifter doesn’t latch. Reassemble correct. Repeat the process and the same thing happens obviously. Any ideas? I’m trying to avoid LBS or service centres as money is tight.

Dave Mayer

I have successfully serviced many Ergopower shifters. Not to be unhelpful, but if these are the Escape mechanism shifters, I would cut my losses and abandon any further work on these.

I would try and track down some functional 9-speed shifters with the Ultrashift internals and the newer generation rounded hoods. Keep in mind that about half of the used Ergopower levers that land in my hands exhibit at least one of the following:

• G-springs worn out or broken
• Spring carrier cracked
• Hoods torn or irrecoverably worn out
• Shift cable head (Shimano) jammed into mechanism and cannot be removed
• Missing parts due to a failed attempt at overhaul
• Bodies cracked in some kind of collision.

Hence they are for sale. The last set of Ergopower (Chorus 10 speed) levers that came into our bike Co-op would have required double the cost in parts than it would have cost to buy a new set, if they can be sourced.

Sorry and good luck.