dcrocker

I've been using Campy Ergo Shifters (Record carbon 10-speed, vintage 2005 maybe) for 5 years and last year had my rear brifter rebuilt quite nicely by Branford Bike. Then in January 2010 I moved to Panama. Within 3 months both brifters froze up on me during a race. I was able to dislodge the front one and get it working again, but then when the rear brifter froze up on me I managed to break the inner shifter arm while trying to get it working again. I can confirm that the problem was isolated in the brifters because I was able to shift by pulling the cables along the downtube.

So when I took the brifters off the bike the problem was obvious. A huge amount of rust inside the mechanics. The thing that bothered me was that I bought these levers used 5 years ago, rode them hard year round in the Washington DC area, and never had a problem. And since the rear brifter was rebuild in mid-2009, it had relatively fresh grease inside. So the humidity of Panama and perhaps the sea air, coupled with unbelievable sweating that I'm obviously doing down my hands while holding the brifters is resulting in rapid deterioration.

I just replaced the Campy levers with the new Centaur 10-speed ultrashift ones, which are quite nice. But I don't want to ruin them. So what's the answer? Has anyone else seen this sort of problem - do riders in Miami have this issue? And what sorts of solutions, other than "throw grease at it" are there?

A related and possibly troubling addendum: I am using aluminum bars - Ritchey WCS. I've notice a slight amount of pitting from what I have to assume is the salt corrosion just above where the brifters attach to bars - in other words, where I rest my hands on the tops of the brifters while riding much of the time. That just looks dangerous, have people seen this kind of deterioration of equipment in hot humid climates as well? I've ridden through summers in Washington that don't feel any hotter but have never experienced such a problem.

Al1943

Having lived in Panama two years when in the service I can believe what you are saying.
I recommend Pedro's bicycle grease on any critical metallic parts. Or boat trailer bearing grease which seems to be similar.
Shoot some WD40 into the shifters occasionally, follow the WD40 with light oil.
Store the bike in a dry area when not in use.
Wipe the sweat off the bike after a ride.
Wear bike gloves and head sweats.
Avoid riding in the hottest part of the day.
Avoid riding in the rain (not easy to do in the rainy season).
Keep the bike away from salt water spray.
Eat plenty of ceviche for me.

dcrocker

A belated thanks for the advice - and I can tell you that when you lived here the riding must have been much nicer, with so much less traffic! It is quite dangerous to ride here nowadays