I picked up 2 Rockhoppers which I plan to fix up as commuters. They both already have fenders and one has a rack.

They are set up as 21 speeds and both have shift issues on the front. One shifter is non-working in that it won't hold when you move the shifter. It doesn't click and returns to its original position. The other one works but so far I have been unable to adjust it to shift to all 3 rings.

The rear 7 speed works well on both bikes. I'm thinking that replacing the shifter for the FD with a friction shifter may be the best solution. It will be a bit of a complication because the shifter and brake are combined.

Any advice appreciated.

Sandy

Maybe you can find the left side of this set: https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-EF-51-.../dp/B004V2ACD8 on ebay or a fellow bike member in the ISO thread

You should take apart the first shifter and see if you can figure out what is wrong. Sometimes just taking it apart and putting it back together is enough to fix it.

The second one is an issue with your front derailleur adjustment and has nothing to do with the shifter.

Thanks for the replies. I took the non-working shifter apart and compared it to the working one and I can't determine why it won't work (I can fix most things and I know this should be easy to figure out but so far no luck). The reason I asked about using a friction shifter instead was that the original owner told me that neither of the front setups had ever worked very well and in fact both had been replaced during the time he owned the bikes. He said that even when they shifted ok he could never completely eliminate chain rub when using the middle ring. I am finding the same thing on the one which does work.
thanks,
Sandy

imo, friction shifting for the front will always be the best. you can set it up indexed to work with a range of gears, but you will never get it to eliminate chain rub on all of them (which is still OK).

Inside your shifter are a couple of spring-loaded pawls.

You could identify those and then work them loose manually with some good oil, but I have had much more reliable luck by dunking the whole shifter in 160-degree motor oil for an hour, then working the shifter to verify function, and finally putting the still-hot shifter on a strong bungee and whirling it outdoors for 15 seconds. Lastly you'll want to use a light spray like WD40 and wipe the thing down.

I heat the oil by first heating a quart or so of water in a large bowl in the microwave, to boiling.
While the water is heating up, I put the shifters in a 1QT yogurt tub with a half-quart of motor oil (which can be re-used many times or put in a bottle/can to oil your chain later).
I then put the covered tub in the bowl of hot water, and cover the whole thing with several bags, for insulation.
The oil and shifters will get very hot, to about 160 or so, at which time they can be tested for function and worked through a bunch of shifts (You'll want to hold the shifter clamp with pliers) before finally extracting the excess oil from the shifter at the end of the bungee. Pay attention so as not to make a huge mess.
Keep the whole operation outside, except for heating the water, and don't let the yogurt tub tip over in the water in the mixing bowl. If you're careful, your wife's mixing bowl won't even get contaminated.
This is tested to give effective lubrication such that the shifters will work even if you later put them in the freezer overnight, and lasts for years, unlike many other methods I've used.
Don't try to super-heat the oil though, I can only say that I've gone to 170 degrees actual oil temperature with no damage to any plastic.

just turn em into 1x7 speeds

I wonder if the front derailleur on the first bike is bad. If it won't hold the tension it's supposed to against the shifter, it won't hold position. BTDT. Maybe try a test-swap?

Thanks again for the replies. I've decided to make another attempt to adjust the FD on the one which I moved the operating front shifter to. I've tried this adjustment a couple of times but have not had much luck getting it to work properly. I'm messing myself up working on both bikes at the same time. Once I figure out that one I will try the hot oil bath to see if I can get the shifter working on the second bike.
Sandy