Can anyone tell me if these shifters can be tore down and rebuilt. I have two that hardly move and I tried to lubricate them but they are still stiff and I am not sure if there are replacements for these so I want to make sure before I tear them apart.

Firstly, they'll be easy to find replacements for, they're basic friction shifters, and any other friction shifter will be a plug-and-play replacement. They're also fairly easy to take apart, but if they feel stiff, that's probably either a) the shift cables or b) the fact that friction shifters have to be stiffer than indexed ones to stop the lever slipping and letting the cable go slack.

+1 on the possibility that it could be the cables, that is if they are installed with cables. If the shifters are not installed and just feel stiff, maybe the top screws are too tight? In any case, i have a similar sunrace shifter which can be dissassembled and serviced. Good luck.

I bought a pair of those last year for under $10 on Ebay. They are actually pretty good working (though not elegant looking) shifters. It's easiest to just go buy another pair. Or, if you aren't in a rush, search around and find a nicer pair of thumb shifters. I picked up a bag of Deore XT drivetrain parts for $15 at a swap meet yesterday, which included some very nice Deore thumb shifters.

Velo-Orange offers them for $12. Not much choice in thumb shifters these days, but they wouldn't offer something that didn't at least function well. https://store.velo-orange.com/index.p...-shifters.html

Are the Falcon shifters the same as the Lee Chi. I know that they look the same but I was just wondering if the cables would fit into the falcon.

Did you try loosening the "D" ring a bit?

They are comparable. The Falcon comes with new cable and cable housing. As others have mentioned it could be old cables causing the problem. Cables are universal. When was the last time you replaced the cables?

I would buy the new shifters, cable, and housing and be done with it. Rather than trying to rebuild a $10 part and still have old cables.

I haven't replaced the cables. These are bikes that are giving to me and I fix them up and give them away to our church.

I'll try looseing the "D" ring. I wasn't sure what it was there for.

Ya, I get all my bikes for free but try not to have to put to much money into them. Then give them to the church that I go to and they give them to people that need them. So I have to keep my cost down to a minimum.

Loosen the D-ring, they should loosen up.

Those funky cheap shifters actually work pretty well, reliable and durable. They aren't indexed but they click so you can shift pretty precisely if you are careful. Great simple shifters for a cheap kid's bike or a beater-bike. They are metal so they are good replacements for plastic parts on cheapie dept. store bikes.

I've got one of the original Suntour thumb shifters on my now 7 speed cruiser (used to be 5 speed when it was built up in the 1970s). looks nearly exactly like that. about every 5-10 years I've taken it apart, cleaned and lightly greased the friction washers and reassembled, and it just keeps on working.

If the cables are still attached, the problem is likely the cables. Tear off the ancient crusty cables and then see how they feel.

when you say, you 'tried' to lubricate them, did you diassemble them or just dribble oil around the edges?

remove the D ring screw on top, remove the black plastic cover (which may have a small screw holding it on from the side, I think mine do), and the shifter should lift off the axle, and have a washer or 3 under it. note the exact stacking order of the washers so you reassemble it the same way. clean and lightly grease all contact surfaces. when you reassemble it (using new shift cables), tighten the D ring screw just enough to hold it in any given gear.

Thanks for the information, I'll try that.