Hamsom69

Hi,

------------------------Skip These Part if you hate long winded story --------------------

I havent been cycling with my bike for quite a while. Almost 18 years give or take. So i decided to take out my bike from the store room, dust it off and ride again just for exercising purposes. (Dont ask how long have i not been exercising myself)

Of course I didnt get to ride it straight away. Went to a local shop and got those tires pumped, aligned, new grips. The guy at the shop told me that my derraileur couldnt shift properly and suggested that I use the bike at one gear first, to get it going. And he fixed it at the third gear. So me never knowing or fixing a bike myself before agreed, since the guy looks like he knows what he is talking about.

So i took a few rides for a week or so. And then heres where i first start adjusting my derraileurs for the first time ever. All i did was toy with the high low screws after i got some info on what it does from the net. After a little more fiddling, i figured best leave it to them pros plus i realized its probably good that I change the cable as well.

----------------Stop skipping here for the issue---------

So since the earlier shop I went before was further away than where I currently reside, I had to go to another bike shop. Im not sure of the expertise of these guys either since im new here. But apparently the guy said my shifter is the problem. To be exact the right shifter(rear derraileur changer). He said there wasnt any clicks to the small shifter. Then i told him to just go ahead and put the new cable on. And then he said something is wrong because the holder for the cable end within the shifter werent visible. Its lowered to the bottom and he couldnt take the old cable out.

Attached are some images i had taken after following some of the guides in this forum on how to dissasemble the brifter.

As you can see, the cable head holder is not where the hole of the grey cover/calipher is. After stripping the grey cover/calipher you can see more clearly.


My questions(being my first time ever disassembling any bike parts myself) are:

1. Is it supposed to be that far off from the hole?

2. If it is, then how do i insert/take out the cable without dissasembling the brifter?

3. If it is not supposed to be that way, does it mean I have to dissasemble it even further (which im so much trying to avoid due to its complicity)?

4. Or does it mean that its totally busted?

5. Please provide me the easiest solution that I can do myself without spending much money.

Hamsom69

Guides that I had followed to get where I am now are from the user QuangVuong. Link at :
https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-me...ti-levers.html

And what I am trying to avoid now is as per link below. From user Kimmo's link.
Right 6400 STI overhaul - Imgur

Thanks guys.

Hamsom69

In addition, I had done the flood with WD40 thing. Yeah it had some clicks and nots. Not consistant.
Plus i havent soaked this in petrol yet.(as suggested in guide to clean it up)
And for later, what lube would you reccomend to use.

I could youtube the clicks if it would make any better.

bikeman715

Use a light oil ,like Triflo to lube the shifter .

QuangVuong

1. Yes, the mechanism rotates with each click. Over the 18 years, the grease has gummed up, and everything isn't free to move. To remove the cable, you want to be in the hardest gear(click the smallest paddle all the way).

2. Try to get the shifter into the hardest gear. If the shifter isn't free, then pull really hard on the gear cable and click the small paddle once. The shifter should start rotating one gear. Keep going til you reach the hardest gear.

3. If you can't, then it is almost impossible to remove the cable without disassembly. Disassembly is fairly easy, and there is a YouTube guide now available which may help more than my picture guide.

4. No, it isn't totally busted, unless there's something broken inside(which is unlikely).

Hamsom69

Thanks bikeman715

Hamsom69

1. The guy at the last shop already tried this. It doesnt work. It doesnt rotate.

2. Done this too. Didnt work. Thats why i had dissasembled it till it is like what it is now in those pictures.

3. As for the cable, as you can see its already out. I had to dissassemble first before taking out. If you could provide me the youtube link please.

4. This is also my problem. How do i know if something is broken.

Thank you for the quick reply.

QuangVuong

Oh, so you have already disassembled it as in the pics. All you do now in chuck the while thing into degreaser or whatever solvent you like using. Then scrub away. The old grease should be cleaned up or thinned down and the shifter should begin to work fine.

I have not ever seen a broken/worn shifter yet, other than ones that were crashed and bent, etc. I highly doubt that yours is broken.

Hamsom69

Magically right after i replied earlier, i went to fiddle with it again.
Guess what. It works now. Guess I was lacking patience.

Thank you all for your time and knowledge.

Cheers.

Hamsom69

Erm. Since i left it for couple of days to get the wd40 working the gears...I kinda forgot if the shifter is supposed to behave this way after reassembly. Can any of you pros view the video and advise please?

ST-6400 Reassembly Issue: https://youtu.be/4vmWY5OteBU

I know whats causing it to behave that way. What I am wondering is, is it supposed to spring/bounce out like that?

Hamsom69

Ok nevermind. Found solution here:
How To Disassemble/Reassemble Shimano RSX STI Shi…: How To Disassemble/Reassemble Shimano RSX STI Shifters/Brifters (Left Shifter) - YouTube

At 9:05 instead of using that return spring tube part (tlst02 tlst03) , i used the middle stick part of a cotton butt.
It worked.

Cheers.