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Shimano Dura Ace St-7400 Shifters

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Shimano Dura Ace St-7400 Shifters

Old 08-14-13, 04:22 PM
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Shimano Dura Ace St-7400 Shifters

Hi guys, my front (left) Dura Ace ST-7400 shifter has started to go on me. It shifts up, but will only shift down 1/10 shifts.
It's about to die. Is there anything I can do to rescue it? Does anyone have any spares lying around that they would be willing to sell? I live in Western Canada. I'm motivated. I just got into cycling this year, and got a Vintage 1980's colnago ESA Mexico with full dura ace. It's a lovely bike. What can I do?
Please help!
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Old 08-14-13, 04:32 PM
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It would be helpful to know what exactly happens in the 9/10 times when it doesn't work. The lever moves, but not the front derailleur? Does the cable go slack? If that's the case, it could be a problem with the Front derailleur (for instance, damaged tension spring).
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Old 08-14-13, 06:24 PM
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It's not too likely the shifters are the problem. I would guess something's up with the cable or the front derailleur as suggested above. Pictures of the shifters disassembled could perhaps be helpful.
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Old 08-14-13, 06:39 PM
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Maybe a cable housing compression problem? You can check for broken or missing housing ferrule at the stops.
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Old 08-14-13, 07:53 PM
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The guy in SC on eBay. He's a guarantee. If they can be fixed, he can fix them, and he can fix 99% of them.
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Old 08-14-13, 08:11 PM
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Shimano Dura Ace St-7400 Shifters

Wait I misunderstood. This is about STI shift brake levers, not down tube shifters. Different story. So it is likely the problem is with the shifter. I agree with Robbie's suggestion.
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Old 08-14-13, 08:12 PM
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In general, functional 7400 STI go for pretty strong prices. Long obsolete, a lot of people are looking for them. Hoods and faceplates are getting hard to find.

I've had a few rebuilt by the guy on facebook (Robbie beat me to it).

I've got two bikes running those right now, and keep an eye out for spares myself. I cannot part with spares, as these are becoming unobtainium.

Spares = ebay or a donor bike.

If your bike is 1980s, then those shifters are not original, as the 8 speed Dura Ace STI did not come out until 1991.

It would have been a common upgrade on a DT lever 7400 series bike.

Last edited by wrk101; 08-14-13 at 08:25 PM.
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Old 08-14-13, 08:14 PM
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Try flushing it with wd40 or something similar while working the shifter.
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Old 08-14-13, 08:20 PM
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Originally Posted by jiangshi
Try flushing it with wd40 or something similar while working the shifter.
Brake clean and then compressed air followed with a light lube like triflow.
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Old 08-14-13, 08:22 PM
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Shimano Dura Ace St-7400 Shifters

^^^ I tried that with two levers, wasn't very successful.
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Old 08-14-13, 08:35 PM
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Originally Posted by gaucho777
It would be helpful to know what exactly happens in the 9/10 times when it doesn't work. The lever moves, but not the front derailleur? Does the cable go slack? If that's the case, it could be a problem with the Front derailleur (for instance, damaged tension spring).
Sorry, my mistake. I read 7400 and assumed downtube shifters. Disregard my advice for STIs. Chances are you have old grease gunking up the innards. I have very little experience with brifters, but I did bring one back from the dead by flushing with, then soaking in, WD-40 as suggested above, followed by some light oil. If that fails, this photo essay may be of help (though it's for a 600 STI overhaul): https://imgur.com/a/0tPBK

Or you can contact Jim McVey for repairs (the SC guy suggested by Robbie Tunes): reajcorp2@aol.com

https://www.facebook.com/home.php#/gr...d=100856572916

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shima...r/137062087082

Last edited by gaucho777; 08-14-13 at 09:32 PM.
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Old 08-14-13, 09:01 PM
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I agree with trying to flush them with something like WD-40 as suggested above. I've brought a few back from what seemed like death.
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Old 08-14-13, 09:55 PM
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Originally Posted by gaucho777
Sorry, my mistake. I read 7400 and assumed downtube shifters. Disregard my advice for STIs. Chances are you have old grease gunking up the innards. I have very little experience with brifters, but I did bring one back from the dead by flushing with, then soaking in, WD-40 as suggested above, followed by some light oil. If that fails, this photo essay may be of help (though it's for a 600 STI overhaul): https://imgur.com/a/0tPBK

I was gonna post something about a meticulous partial breakdown of the shifter, but WOW that's impressive. I've partially torn down 105's and 600's and the build is similar enough that your(?) guide is thorough enough that it will get someone through the work on nearly any shifter from that era.
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Old 08-14-13, 11:49 PM
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^Thanks. I hope the link is of use, but I can't take credit for the photo essay. It's something I stumbled upon and bookmarked a few months ago when I needed to repair my STI lever.
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Old 08-15-13, 10:41 AM
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Originally Posted by Pibber
(...) WOW that's impressive (...)
+1. I won't be trying that for a while. I don't think I can muster the patience ....
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Old 08-15-13, 02:29 PM
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I have a lot of experience working on these levers, I've done everything from basic flush-n-lub to complete tear downs. Complete tear downs are very, very never needed, unless some of the pivots are rusted solid there's no need for it.

Try 1 of these 2 options:

Option 1: Thorough flush n lube. As mentioned earlier automotive brake cleaner works well, so does carb cleaner. I leave the lever mounted with the cable still attached. Disconnect the cable from the FD and pull it taught with your hand. While pulling shift it as if you were going from small ring to big and pull the brake at the same time. This will allow the lever to move further back and expose areas where you can in with the spray cleaner. Liberally spray inside and then shift back and forth while pulling on the cable. Keep this...spray, shift, spray **** until it doesn't hang up. Once it shifts OK let it dry our and then lube the heck out of it with a light lube like Tri-Flow. That's it,

Option 2: Remove from bike...spray it with cleaner and then run it through a few ultra-sonic cleaner cycles. Re-install and follow option 1.

If any of you need your STI levers serviced I'll do it for free. Pay shipping to and from Tampa and I'll turn them around in a day or 2. I have no spare parts.
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Old 08-15-13, 05:05 PM
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I agree with all the posts above in trying to revive the shifter. This is for if that fails and you just can't get it fixed or replaced for a decent price.

Since the shifters aren't original to the bike there's no point in losing sleep over keeping it "original" or even "period correct". You're free to do whatever you want, and which is within your pricepoint and sense of aesthetics.

So, cheap-ish alternatives: get a new 8 speed matched shifter set. Either good used or new. A couple of alternatives I can think of are 8 speed Sora, or Microshift.

Second, not as cheap: "upgrade" to 9 or 10 speed, in which case you'll have many options at many pricepoints. You'll need cassette, chain and shifters, but probably not derailleurs or crank. The rear spreading and the hub on the wheel for an 8 speed cassette should accommodate a 9 or 10 speed cassette. Cassettes and chains, can be cheap enough that it won't be shocking. 9 or 10 speed shifters in Dura Ace (assuming you want to stay there) aren't cheap but can be found used for decent price compared to new, especially if you're willing to go with the earlier versions of 10 speed rather than the latest. Used Ultegra, 105 and Tiagra of course will be cheaper. While new high end Shimano might be expensive, new low-mid grade Shimano or Microshift won't be horribly expensive.

All of the above costs will be significantly mitigated when you go to sell that 7400 right shifter. My guess is that there will be someone highly motivated to purchase a functioning Dura Ace 8 speed right shifter. I'll bet you'll get some decent bucks for the left shifter if it's not totally ruined, but sold "as is". People are looking for the parts they can remove from a non-functional shifter as well.

Just some additional thoughts. I hope (and am optimistic) that you can revive what you have.

Last edited by Camilo; 08-15-13 at 05:11 PM.
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