Drilling extraction hole in shifter to remove broken cable head stuck inside
#51
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It's a design fault, alright... having the cable end secured 20 degrees further around the barrel would prolly sort it.
Or using more cable pull would not only make indexing more robust, but also provide a larger radius for the cable to wrap onto, possibly eliminating this issue.
Or using more cable pull would not only make indexing more robust, but also provide a larger radius for the cable to wrap onto, possibly eliminating this issue.
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Strange question, but how old was the cable when it broke? I'm trying to get an idea of cable longevity. Thanks.
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BTW good tip on how to accomplish the fix!
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The cable broke just before 9000 km (at about 3-4 years). That is the age and odo of the bike. I use it mostly for commuting to work so probably more shifting and road dirt etc than many users would have in that time.
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ok. I told him that all this grief could be avoided if they designed in 'extraction holes' for this repair... we'll see if they do or not.
(Don't hold your breath, dtbaker61... Shimano is kind of like Microsoft, I think... it's not about you...)
In the meantime, all seems to be well with my repair. I suspect there may be a few chips of metal floating around in there from drilling, which I hope won't cause problems, but all is well for now. I am attempting to attach some pix.....
(Don't hold your breath, dtbaker61... Shimano is kind of like Microsoft, I think... it's not about you...)
In the meantime, all seems to be well with my repair. I suspect there may be a few chips of metal floating around in there from drilling, which I hope won't cause problems, but all is well for now. I am attempting to attach some pix.....
P.S. I wouldn't worry about the aluminum shavings-- they're soft and relatively harmless, not gritty, and they won't rust...
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Just drilled a hole, worked perfectly
Just want to say thanks for this post and the great pictures.
My shifters are Shimano Tiagra STI. Almost 5 years old. I was stupid and never changed out my cables since they had never given me any problems. 40 miles into a 50 miles hill ride the rear shifter cable snapped. Made for a very interesting rest of the ride (my bike now a 2 speed). Driledl the hole and used some solid copper wire to "help" the end of the cable out the hole. Had it done in under 10 minutes.
Lesson learned, preventive maintenance is a good thing. Going to be replacing the front cable now in the hope of avoiding this on a later ride.
Thanks again
My shifters are Shimano Tiagra STI. Almost 5 years old. I was stupid and never changed out my cables since they had never given me any problems. 40 miles into a 50 miles hill ride the rear shifter cable snapped. Made for a very interesting rest of the ride (my bike now a 2 speed). Driledl the hole and used some solid copper wire to "help" the end of the cable out the hole. Had it done in under 10 minutes.
Lesson learned, preventive maintenance is a good thing. Going to be replacing the front cable now in the hope of avoiding this on a later ride.
Thanks again
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What I can't figure out is that I don't change cables on my older friction jobs but rarely. Is the newer stuff harder on cables?
My 84 Trek 660 has over 150,000 miles on it and I think I replaced the cables about a half a dozen times plus or minus once. I just check the cables once a year at the beginning of riding season and if they look good I go. I have a 07 Campy Athena group but it has only about 2,000 miles on it so it's not to the point of considering replacing.
Just curious.
My 84 Trek 660 has over 150,000 miles on it and I think I replaced the cables about a half a dozen times plus or minus once. I just check the cables once a year at the beginning of riding season and if they look good I go. I have a 07 Campy Athena group but it has only about 2,000 miles on it so it's not to the point of considering replacing.
Just curious.
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What I can't figure out is that I don't change cables on my older friction jobs but rarely. Is the newer stuff harder on cables?
My 84 Trek 660 has over 150,000 miles on it and I think I replaced the cables about a half a dozen times plus or minus once. I just check the cables once a year at the beginning of riding season and if they look good I go. I have a 07 Campy Athena group but it has only about 2,000 miles on it so it's not to the point of considering replacing.
Just curious.
My 84 Trek 660 has over 150,000 miles on it and I think I replaced the cables about a half a dozen times plus or minus once. I just check the cables once a year at the beginning of riding season and if they look good I go. I have a 07 Campy Athena group but it has only about 2,000 miles on it so it's not to the point of considering replacing.
Just curious.
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On my older bikes when I see a cable starting to look a little fatigued I replace all of them regardless if they needed it or not, most of the time not, so really in those half a dozen times I replaced cables on the high mileage bike I replaced one because it needed it and the others I still replaced even though they didn't need it.
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gear shift cable breaking/giving up on deraliers
After nearly 4 years, I've decided it's a bad design by Shimano re. their 105 shifter. Probably too small a cam radius, breaking the cable about every 5 months.
Then, recently, the shifter itself broke. Didn't look repairable, so decided on the following:
Swapped out the deralier for an 8 - speed Sturmey hub gear about 6 months ago. So far, no problems. Also, gear selection is very precise - something I never had with the shimano 10 - speed.
Then, recently, the shifter itself broke. Didn't look repairable, so decided on the following:
Swapped out the deralier for an 8 - speed Sturmey hub gear about 6 months ago. So far, no problems. Also, gear selection is very precise - something I never had with the shimano 10 - speed.
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Stupid question, but will those internal geared hubs work with a front 2 or 3 ring gear derailleur system? In other words you can have a 8 speed rear end for a total of 16 or 24 gear choices?
#63
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Sorry to drag this up but I have a problem like this, however my cable (and thus) shifer wont move, I can only guess where the end is
Any ideas?
Any ideas?
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I haven't had this problem (don't even have shimano shifters), but it appears that this thread has helped a lot of people, and is somewhat of an issue. Perhaps it could be stickied somewhere in the mechanics forum for ease of discovery to newcomers?
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Would read again! Great thread although I don't have the cable problem, still was enjoyable to see it help'd someone. Nice Pics!!
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https://ccorlew.blogspot.com/2011/06/...0-shifter.html
is my blog, with links on this stuff.
Don't miss the links!
is my blog, with links on this stuff.
Don't miss the links!
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I guess you could retain the larger chain rings for 16 or 24 gears, but then the highest speed gearing would be somewhat like the velodrome bikes! I doubt if you'd be able to pedal it in top gear, unless on the level, with slick tyres and no load or head wind! You may also have problems retaining the necessary chain tensioner in addition to fitting the somewhat bulky sturmey.
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Great tip. Worked perfectly. The hole lined up with the cable head but I did not have a tweezers small enough to get into the hole. I used a couple of small jewellers screwdrivers (the kind you use to fix your glasses) to fish out the cable end. Shifts thru the whole range now and I'm about to put in the new cable. Thanks again.
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what if you push a brake cable in backwards pushing the old broken cable out?
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Thank you!
Just did this and it worked like a charm.
Just did this and it worked like a charm.
ok. Today Shimano USA called me in response to a letter I wrote requesting 'good will replacements'. They basically said since i was not the original owner I was SOL. The guy was pleasant, and we chatted a bit; he explained that STI shifters are assembly by machines, not intended to ever be taken apart. I told him that all this greif could be avoided if they design in 'extraction holes' for this repair... we'll see if they do or not.
In the meantime, all seems to be well with my repair. I suspect there may be a few chips of metal floating around in there from drilling, which I hope won't cause problems, but all is well for now. I am attempting to attach some pix.....
In the meantime, all seems to be well with my repair. I suspect there may be a few chips of metal floating around in there from drilling, which I hope won't cause problems, but all is well for now. I am attempting to attach some pix.....
#73
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Another victory for DT shifters..........
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It works! For me, just drilling the guide hole through the A lever as per the first pic in post #27 was enough. Somehow when the drill bit went through the A lever, it must have knocked the cable end into position and then the B lever would release all the way to 10th and the cable end could be removed.
Shimano keyhole surgery!
Interestingly, this proves that it is not necessary to have the spring tension of the rear derailleur for the B lever to release the mechanism. There must be a spring for this in the shifter.
Shimano keyhole surgery!
Interestingly, this proves that it is not necessary to have the spring tension of the rear derailleur for the B lever to release the mechanism. There must be a spring for this in the shifter.
Last edited by frogs; 01-09-13 at 03:12 AM.
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I had the same thing happen on my DA7800 brifter. I was the 2nd owner of the bike. Took it to the shop and the Shimano rep happened to be there. Owner talked to the rep and it was warrantied, no questions asked. He said it was very common.