davida

Hi

It's been an interesting time with my bike.

I have full Ultegra 6700 on my bike. There was an issue of rust on the shifting levers and some other metal components that are within the shifters. These are steel, not stainless steel.

Anyway, the shifters were replaced, and the bike shop owner said I should hose off the bike once a week. I don't use a jet, but I just make sure that I slosh plenty of water from the hose up into the shifter from the underside.

Can anyone see a potential problem with all this water going into the shifter from below on a regular basis?

Should I spray WD 40 or similar into the shifter after I wash it?

Is there any grease in the shifter that will be washed away by the WD 40 over time?

Thanks

mzeffex 

That's the only one I know - yes. It will get the grease out.

datlas 

I was wondering what happened, thanks for the update.

Did you ever find out if shimano has a "fix" for this problem? They can't go replacing all the 6700 shifters.

I am especially interested because I have a full 6700 build on my new bike. So far, no rust. Maybe we should paint the shifters with clear nail polish?

FlashBazbo

Here we go again.

Don't believe everything you read on the BF.

Did they also recommend not storing your bicycle under your house?

hammond9705

Personally, I think that you would be better off figuring out why yours corroded, and nobody else seems to have that problem.

AEO

I'm pretty sure you can get some thicker oil than WD-40 in compressed can form.

learnmedia

+1. Davida, I responded to your original thread as I was keenly interested, since I had recently purchased 6700 shifters. To date, no one else has experienced this issue. Did you ever pursue an explanation from Shimano why this happened to your shifters (and only yours)? Did a catalyst of some sort come into contact with your shifters that would result in the corrosion? Again, this is a problem unique to you and your shifters and no one else. There has to be an explanation.

Of course, I hope that in nine or so months I'm not PM'ing you to let you know that I've experienced the same.

davida

Hi

The corrosion was not just on the lever, there are some little plates and springs that were also corroded. I put it down to sweat depositing salt on the steel components which causes them to rust. I don't know of a finish that can be applied to steel that will guarantee that it doesn't rust if it is regularly exposed to salty water other than heavy duty galvanising.

The explanation from the bike shop was that the shifters should be washed regularly to remove the salt to stop the corrosion. That was not my idea - that apparently is the advice. The shifters were replaced under warranty, and I would like to ensure that whatever caused the corrosion does not recurr.

We live in a two storey house. The lower level is above ground and is double brick construction and well sealed. I cannot see that the location that the bike is stored in is creating the problem - the regular exposure of steel to salty sweat is the problem. We have just been through a humid Summer where I live, and when I ride I sweat alot and this has created the problem.

(Our Summers are long and wet compared to some other places - Winter starts next week and our minimum temperatures in the morning now are regularly down to a very chilly 10C (50F), but during the day we get back up to around 24C (75F). So it may be that in 9 months of Spring, Summer and Autumn, I sweated more salt than some people would sweat in several years in a more temperate climate.)


I can see that regularly washing off the sweat will help stop the long term build up of salt, but I think that the application of some spray on oil or similar would provide a coating that will reduce or even stop the build up of salt in between washes. It is not really possible for me to paint on a finish that will stop the corrosion - there are too many little parts to do this and some of them bear on other metal surfaces, so any finish would be rapidly removed in those locations.

So back to the original questions, slightly modified -

Will washing the shifters in fresh water cause any issues.

Is a light application WD 40 OK or will it actually cause some issue by removing grease

Does anybody have any actual other suggestions to prevent further corrosion.

davida

bismillah

gumbii

what kind of bike was it again...????

RJM

This will actually work quite well I would imagine. The stuff keeps my guns clean and protected.

FlashBazbo

I perceive that you're the type who doesn't like ambiguity.

AngryScientist 

silly shimano cheaping out with carbon steel levers.

i would NOT flush the shifters out with fresh water regularly, there are moving parts within that require lubrication, and you'll be washing it out if you do that.

if you are around a boat supply store, they sell spray on corrosion inhibitor, meant to keep engine parts from corroding when not in use, pretty common in the marine industry with prolonged salt water and salt air exposure, i think this stuff would be your best bet.

as others have mentioned though, maybe try correcting the problem. if you sweat THAT much, maybe consider wearing gloved or wrist sweat bands (hello 80's) to absorb some of the sweat reaching your shifters....

i forget where you said you kept the bike, but a dehumidifier would probably help with dry storage too...

RichinPeoria

You should break up and dispose of those those unsafe and unreliable off brand parts like Shimano and spend your money on the best parts money can buy

Wanderer

Just as a point of information - I find G-96 a better product in all ways. Cleans better, lubricates better, stops corrosion better, stays around better - and also comes in a spray can.

Available at most gun shops/outlets.

amillhench

ScrubJ

GT85 https://www.gt85.co.uk/

FWIW, I live in coastal Florida and often ride through salt spray and sweat a lot. Never had any problem with corrosion. I like GT*% because it doesn't gum up the works like other lubes. For more serious matters i use CorrosionX https://www.corrosionx.com/

wanders

done and done.