babyboomer

Recently I took my 2004 Trek 5200 along with a Shimano Ultegra 6700 group o a local bike shop to have it assembled. The Ultegra group includes a compact crankset, and control levers that facilitate concealed cables (i.e., routing under the handlebar tape). Since getting it back I've noticed that the left brake lever does not operate smoothly. For lack of a better description, it has a "ratchety" feel. I don't know whether it's coming from the caliper, from within the lever body, or whether it's normal. On my other bike where I'm running Ultegra-SL, there's no such sensation. Do I have cause for concern?

AlphaDogg

Have you ever replaced brake cables? If so, when is the last time you did that?

dsbrantjr

It sounds like the inner brake cable is running over an edge, like an improperly-seated cable housing. Perhaps the housing has gotten dislodged from your brake lever when the bars were wrapped. Another possibility is that the housing has gotten a groove worn into it and the wire is no longer traveling along the groove but instead crossing it. You can help eliminate the caliper as a culprit by disconnecting the wire from it and haveing a helper apply tension to the wire as you work the lever.

babyboomer

Hmmm, sounds interesting. I will check those things.

Also, for the benefit of others who might read and reply, everything in the group that was installed is new, and I have yet to ride the bike. Consequently, wear is not an issue.

HillRider

Since you had a bike shop do the installation, your first recourse should be to them.

babyboomer

I will do that.

After ruminating over dsbrantjr's comment, it did occur to me that I'd heard/felt this sensation before. When I don't properly finish the end of cable housing I've cut, this is the sound I get. I will return it to the shop and have them take a look.

FastJake

Probably a poorly cut/seated piece of housing. It's easy to be careless and not jam the housing all the way into the brake lever where it belongs.

But since this is a new bike/setup that a shop did for you, take it back and make them fix it.

babyboomer

Thanks everyone!

For sentimental reasons I had the bike built at a shop that's twenty miles away. Consequently, using them is not very convenient. It's not likely that I'll get the bike back to them before the weekend, but that is the plan.