How To Service Your Shifters | Road Bike Maintenance
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
- Shifters are possibly the most complex component on your road bike.
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We've been fortunate enough not to have had too much go wrong with our shifters over the years, but, it does happen. As they're one of the most complex components and also really open to damage from crashing and the elements, it pays to know how to service them.
This video is inspired by an audience request - let us know the maintenance videos that you'd like to see down in the comments!
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Using gcn maintenance videos and some clips by other UA-camrs I have successfully built a road bike from a bike I found at a recycling centre. I have always wanted a trek road bike to go with my hybrid and now I have one built by myself 😀. It’s definitely worth doing as it’s costs a fraction of the price of a new bike and you get the satisfaction of knowing everything about the bike. Next I’m doing a cyclocross bike!
I used WD-40 (solvent) to free up frozen shifters and then followed with a silicon based spray lube after giving the WD-40 time to evaporate overnight. It worked a treat!
about to do exactly that. not perfect but only pros should maintain a bloody 100 of different lubricants for such a simple machine as a bicycle. wd40, silicon based thin lube and bearing grease are priceless to have for far beyond bicycles, bike chain lube makes the necessary list pretty complete if you service about a handful of bikes in the house.
Use a hairdryer on the internals, this melts down the clumped up factory grease back into the moving parts. It's very difficult to replace grease into most of the moving parts once you spray solvent into it.
Clingfilm wrapped around the bar tape before doing this job might save it from getting dirty from the flushed out dirt, especially light coloured or white bar tape.
Air compressor to blow out everything after applying solvent, then air compressor to distribute grease back into all parts. I use a silicone based gel lube with Teflon.
My ultegra wouldn’t grip the cable and couldn’t down shift. Was about to pull it apart, but checked this out and did it. Working perfectly!
you might want to add to the 2nd part of the video (where you disconnect the cable to test stiff shifting) that people ONLY ever click a lever with some tension on the cable, even just pulling the loose end with your fingers. this mitigates against the risk of the most Catastrophic disaster to befall a shifter - getting a loose bit of cable or the loosened cable head stuck in the mechanics of the shifter. THAT will often result in you having to discard the jammed shifter, as it's nearly a jammed cable bit is almost impossible to extract.
I had pretty good luck with isopropyl alcohol in a small spray bottle for an evaporative degreaser, after my LBS bulshitted me and sold me a normal water based degreaser that needs a rinse and a dry. Also with STI levers you can get access just by pulling the brake
Great maintenance video as always and great to keep the back catalogue for those of us still riding older steeds...
I took your advice and waited for the original grease to do it's job.. and here I am 10 years later fixing / cleaning my shifter for the first time... Worked a treat and now clicking away as new! Used a whole tin of degreaser though but that worked out at about £1 per year 😂😂
I pulled my shifters apart,no worries. Now I just need someone to help me put them back together lol.
Lmao
+Phil G don't worry now you have a fixie
+Esseker Fit lol.
+Phil G Haha!!
Now that is Funny and sounds like me in real life!
Newbie Revelation Moment: You can take the hoods off just like that?!
Brilliant! Replaced my cable this weekend to find out the shifter was still acting up. That's $12 down the drain. Basically did the above and all is working great now.
1. don´t throw the old cables (or parts generally as a matter of fact) away immediately 2. don´t buy them silver coated, for 12 I would expect to cover all four:-)
This was extremely useful. I had a floppy inner shifter on my ultegra lever after replacing the rear mech cable, and after a bit of lubrication it worked fine!
You my guy, are a legend. I have recently bought an old race bike (like literal mid 90s pro spec race bike) and the dura-ace 9speer inner shifter is floppy as all hell and I was wondering how to fix that.. well I guess it's just maintenance
I used a high temperature steam cleaner for the grease and a hair drier once I pack some grease back into the area again to make the grease move a bit into the mechanism.
Use a compressor to dry off the levers it also kiks out the dirt that didn't came out
I've just spent all afternoon replacing gear cables, mech hanger and rear derailleur to then come across this same problem. I knew GCN would have a video about it!
I can tell ya a story about taking a shimano ultegra shifter apart, jesus it took me 5hours to get it back to work again, so just never do it :"D
I bought a cheap 90's racer for commuting, and the ST-1055's were completely seized up. I ended up dismantling them and soaking the guts in Coleman fuel, and brushed them clean with a toothbrush. Re-greased and reassembled them, and they are now clicking nicely :)
You might want to show Shimano, and Campy. As not everyone uses Sram. Thanks.
And there was me thinking I'd need new shifters 🤣. Thank you
Took a cue from this clip; using a pressurized isopropyl alcohol and an aerosol dry finishline aerosol lube cans (2rounds of alcohol wash-overnight dry time/ 2 light rounds of lube) the 105 shifter are providing smooth near perfect clicks once again. As always much obliged, thank you 🙏.
Can you send a link to the aerosol lube you used please?
great video, glad I've seen it before attempting to take apart my perfectly good shifters.
Thanks for this it was really good. 105 shifter very stiff going from small to large Chainring.
Sophie Scott did it work for you. My friend is having the same problem.
Rick Paquet I lubed using GT85 as this is what I had. Better but not great. Hope your friend sorts it.
Sophie Scott ok thanks
Thanks for this. Such an easy fix and now my previously defunct shifter now clicking away perfectly :)
When my Dura Ace STIs got sticky I sparingly applied several drops of tacky Freehub Oil to the shifter pawls and spread it using a can of dry computer air. No mess!
I've replaced the inner parts of my Campy shifters 4 times on 3 of my bikes.
I did this to the Shimano Deore 9 speed mountain shifter because it was missing shifts & lost bold clicks. The problem was old grease indeed & the shifter is all good now.
Classy UA-cam T-shirt rag you used there, surely someone could have worn that?
I was almost shocked when Si didn't say "what we need is an aerosol evaporative degreaser like this one... or if you don't have that knocking about a solvent based lubricant.. like WD40" #DieHardGcnFan
"If the shifter is really stiff to move, then the chances are..." you have a SRAM product! To remedy this, gently remove the offending component and replace with Shimano (just kidding... kind of)
I think your japanese phone tried to correct you, since you wrote Shimano?
you did mean campagnolo i hope😉
I use spray grease i.e. grease that's designed to be dispensed from an aerosol can. Works a treat.
SRAM shifters are very serviceable Si is right you don't need to disassemble them unless a part needs replacing but they are quite easy to strip and reassemble
Yeah I hate my bar tape too. I guess I can do this with my DI2 shiftaz?
The very first time I actually almost saw a GCN video that basically consists in: don't ever try to do that shit.
I think we can see those muc-off logos plenty good from afar. No need for zooming, thank you very much.
+Danial Arif Sponsors require clear and close-up exposition. That's how it works in media business.
If one does not like it, the Leonard Zinn's book "Zinn & The Art of Road Bike Maintenance" can be purchased for a fraction of cost of, let's say, chain replacement labor at bike shop.
Chapter 5. Cable Actuated Shifting Systems (pp. 67-121). Nice! Includes SRAM shifters
LisaPet you must be fun at parties.
+Danial Arif The lack of self awareness is stunning...
Most spray lubricants and degreasers say "not for use on plastics", but it seems you ignore that, and all is well. Am I missing something?
Any chance for how to service seazed break calipers?
Please take the chain off before you start flipping your shifters when cleaning !
I had a problem on my GRX levers. It turns out there is a lower cover that had come loose. The screw had shaken out, it was still in place but the cover was loose. This loose cover fouls the upshift release lever. Hence the gear changing was intermittent and not smooth. So was a simple fix :)
Do you need to let it air dry after either the degreaser or lube?
What about protecting the bar tape by wrapping it in cling-film while doing this?
I've had a shimano ultegra shifter break, si is right they are extremely complex and once I started pulling it apart there was absolutely no going back
How about a video on how to replace a Shimano Press Fit BB?
Why would you hose your bar tape with degreaser?
I have done thid procidure with my di2 shifters, but they arent working anymore. Thank you, gcn!
this was a mechanical groupset genius
very appreciative of these vids. ty sirs
do the pro use standard compact handlebar like you find in most cycling shops
Can we have a video for Shimano shifter maintenance.
took my 1990s 105 sti lever apart when it ate the end of the cable. only problem is fitting the faceplate with the return spring. needs to be done off the bike.
Ahhhh....thank God for Di2! Or SRAM eTap, if you have that!
Wish these guys would introduce themselves. There are always newbies to the sport and I notice many (Except Liggett and Sherwen) very seldom mention each other by name when commentating on channels or like in this case just expect us to know the person hosting the video?
What is the aerosol lube you used?
I did have shifters that were 15 years old but i recently got new ones because one of the clicks wasn't working
By the way is the degreaser any harmful to the metal parts on the shifters ?
can you do a vid about roadbike shifter not cachting
+Global Cycling Network HI GCN. I currently have a road bike with downtube shifters. I'm wondering if you have any videos that can show me how to upgrade it to STI shifters. Thanks
Can somebody tell me what lube should I put in the shifters: silicone spray or lithium grease?
hi there is some sort of gap created between the two shifter handles of my rear derailer can we fix that please i need advice on that....
I have an issue where my front derailleur shifter keeps down shifting in three steps with a full press of the down shifter paddle. It used to do two steps. Not sure what the issue is, it’s like it should be catching on something but slips and downshifts a third step by itself.
It also shifts up from the bottom in three steps with a full press of the up shifter paddle. Used to do two steps with a full press.
I've just reassembled my shifters after getting rid of a load of gunk inside but my right one is now in the "brake on" position permanently even though I have put the springs back in the right way....any advice?! :s
Thanks Si, nice video thanks for listening! A Viewer 😉
I’m enjoying the bike so far ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxMesz3KOGEmwmvyKQfLfrRSUXLFzfVHZA My only real complaints are the brakes and the pedals. I feel like a bike designed for bigger people should have much larger pedals and more heavy duty brakes. I’ve only gotten two really good rides out of it, minimal downhill action, and the brakes feel like they’re already going out. A larger person has more momentum, so I think this wasn’t thought through very well. Also, I wear size 13-14 wide shoes. My feet cramp up on these pedals that are clearly made for smaller feet. Since I’m not a pro rider (and I don’t think many are who purchase this bike) I don’t think that the straps on the pedal are necessary at all. None of this takes away from the enjoyment I get from riding, however. I’ll just head to a bike shop to improve on a few things.
i had a campagnolo shifter snap off once- and it was a source of great annoyance to me that i was unable to replace only the little plastic bit- in fact, i had to buy both new shifters- left and right, new.....
+toasty bear you should have been able to find the parts or shifter body to fix it.
spiff spaceman they are riveted on- so unfortunately you cant really, without pretty specialised tools, and even then I'm not sure! also, I'm sure you know, but campy only have a small plastic shifter behind the brake and a button, not the double shift like shimano or sram, so its not a big part either
toasty bear: you can get just replacement shifter body so you don't need to buy a new shifters(Everything below Chorus and from Chorus to Super Record same+spare parts).
toasty bear: you can get just replacement shifter body so you don't need to buy a new shifters(Everything below Chorus and from Chorus to Super Record same+spare parts).
Martin Galik fair enough! i couldn't at the time, i looked very hard- it was a few years old though, the old xenon's!
should you be worried about all that degreaser getting all over your handlebar tape?
What? No WD-40 were used in this video! Where is real Simon and who is this imposter?!?
+Kapash09 Solvent based lube, I would guess that means WD-40 in Simons dictionary.
+Kapash09 I believe he used Muc-Offs equivalent of WD-40 (MO-94) as the lubricant.
That's the first thing that came to my mind! Tough life beeing sponsored ey!
I guess GCN might have gotten sponsored by Muc-Off. Since MO is pretty standard so i do not really mind.
My shifter is stack i cant change gear and i saw something sticking out what should i do?
All the shifter videos & nobody posted the ome I have
Please help if csn
Shimano Altus 3×9 SL M570
i need new shifters, mine are old shimano ef-29's, took it out today and the left shifters wont even shift, i pull the shifter trigger and no clicks and its really hard to pull
What is a "solvent based lubricant"? Like CLP? or wd40?
Dry lube
GCN need some help here. I don’t know if it’s the fd or shifter that’s my prob. Fd doesn’t move too far out where the h limit screw is. It moves out to the big ring on my triple chain ring, but not enough, causing chain rub on 2x9, 2x10, 3x9, 3x10. If i manually push the fd out, or when i push the shifter a bit more, only then does it sit where the h limit screw is. The cable barrel adjuster cannot be adjusted as there’s already tight tension even when i’m only in the 2nd chain ring. I ‘ve screwed and unscrewed the cable a few times already, i’ve screwed the barrel adjuster all the way in everytime i undo the cable. I even removed and reinstalled the cable from the shifter just to make sure the cable head sits correct. I’ve lubed the fd pivots. Prob still persists.
Tiagra 4600 btw.
How did you get the hoods to come off so easily? I can't do it
Broke 2 x of my Sram Force shifters. Both left-hand ones. :(
Me too. There was a design fault apparently.
I´ve been too rough with my left shifter, because I didn´t notice, that the chain was stuck on one side of the pulley. Now it SOMETIMES work - with a far too hard click - and often not. The mechanic thought, it works ok and looks ok, but his hands ar larger and stronger than mine. Can the wire be pulled too tight for parts to move? Would this be part of the solution?
Hi, the cable cant be too tight, it could be the cables need replacing/lubricating or maybe the derailleur adjustment screws need adjusting.
thanks
And if the brake part of these shifters isnt working what then
Cuanto pesa la bicicleta
got my shimano right shifter broken lol they seem to be very fragile
Never broken a shifter? They seem to be the first thing to get bashed whenever I see a crash!
Any good recomendations on where i can rent a roadbike in mallorca?
Same question
we need more titanium bikes at gcn
you are washing bar tapes with PTFE lube.
Can you please tell us how to fix scratches on the shifter because I accidentally dropped my bike on the ground and scratched one shifter please or anyone tell me how I can fix it it would mean the world to me 😭
Dash of lube needed on the hair I think Si ? ;-)
how many bikes do you have??
N + 1.....you can never have to many bikes !!
How to now if a bike is decent or of value?
I have broken my shifter in my first crash :D
When Si says "solvent based lubricant" is that the non-sponsor WD40?
+Rixter If you use WD40 to lube your chain all I can say is "Im sorry"
bad idea if you have white bar tape
I broke mine in a crash on Thursday
Poor mechanics... The chain cleaner is a degreaser that doesn't evaporate well so you have to wash it off with water otherwise it will most likely remove any lube you apply. MO94 removes the water if you do wash it out and you can use dry dear easer which evaporates so you don't have to wash it out with water...
120th!
It's like the best, duh!
Next up....How to replace your bar tape. 😜
+Swiss Meerkat they've already done that before
+a1l2e3x4s5o6 I don't think you understood Swiss Meerkat's comment
Whilst on a Sunday ride with 2 friends recently, we came to a long stretch of boring A road, and with 50 miles in the legs I was starting to feel tired. They seemed fresh and rode away, leaving me trailing. I was exposed to a headwind and not enjoying the road we were riding. I felt mentally destroyed by this, how do you keep yourself going when everything seems against you? #askgcn
+Andy Paintino Sounds like prime time to dig in the pockets for the emergency caffeine gel pick-me-up. Low blood sugars mess with the head and the legs. After that it's all mind games from...
1. distraction - observe minute details about your bike, the surface, the air, the scenery, do sums with car number plates.
2. fantasy - you're not behind, you're in front on a long break and they're all suffering equally. You are a Rapha ad.
3. reframing - think of the greats, think of cyclists doing crazy long events like RAAM and the states they must get in. You are having a taste, you are preparing for a perhaps tougher time in the future, you are setting a low that most future rides will taste sweeter in comparison to.
4. zen - let go of expectation, self/situation judgement, feelings like happy or hate... you turn the pedals in the moment. That is all there is. I found this the most effective when I was running long distance.
Best wishes
+Craig Lloyd some good stuff there, I can definitely see myself using some of them in the future:)
3rd
If you do in fact get your jollies by watching the strip down of a right-hand Shimano Ultegra ST-6700 shifter, watch this video: ua-cam.com/video/wJj6dASBMN0/v-deo.html. If you attempt the procedure yourself, be sure to take no less than a billion stills of the disassembly process. Once you start digging in, you will understand why.
No need for that much de-greaser. Save the environment (and $).
I sprayed my shifter for half a second, then tried shifting. Walaa, it was working again.
Si you notice that we don't have sponsor and so we can't really use one whole bottle of aerosol degreaser on a pair of shifters right? lol
NEVER DO IT...!!
Si finding Muc-Off more reliable as a lubricant than his trusty old WD40.
Flushing out the grease is a bad idea. Best left alone unless you have problems. Pump new grease back in using a grease gun if you do.
mmmm oil all over your bar tape....