Shimano RSX 7speed triple

wilfred kazoks said:

I have a bike with Shimano RSX levers. the number is ST-A410. It was my
brother in laws bike and he never got into cycling. I got it from him and
the LH shifter doesn't work. The inner lever couldn't engage and shift. I
opened it a bit and found there is a small spring loaded lever that had
become gummed up presumably through lack of use and the lubricant drying
out.

Is the RH lever prone to similar problems? What are other common problems
with these levers. I am reluctant to go touring with these if they have a
reputation for unreliable service. My old downtube levers have never let me
down on my other tourer.

I have noticed on EBAY other 7 speed triple levers numbered ST-A416 and
ST-A417. How do these differ from the ST-A410?

If I want to go back to my Retro comfort zone with down tube levers, what
should I look for?

Thanks in advance for any help.

There are about a million old topics about this and STI reliability and
traditional shifter coolness is something people love to needlessly
rehash, but...

The right one is indeed prone to similar problems. STI's all wear out
eventually. It usually takes something like 2-5 years of regular use,
approximately. Those are totally arbitrary numbers that I just made up.
If these are largely unused then they should have a lot of life left.
Statistically. Sometimes, they just break. They have little eensy
springs inside them that just die sometimes. How often it happens or to
whom is pretty religious. They do die more slowly than that in most
cases.

Some people say you shouldn't use them at all or take them touring
because of this. That makes a lot of sense, but you do already have
them, and they don't actually fail spontaneously in practice that
often. If one does, you'll still be able to use the other one.

wilfred kazoks said:

I have a bike with Shimano RSX levers. the number is ST-A410. It was my
brother in laws bike and he never got into cycling. I got it from him and
the LH shifter doesn't work. The inner lever couldn't engage and shift. I
opened it a bit and found there is a small spring loaded lever that had
become gummed up presumably through lack of use and the lubricant drying
out.

Is the RH lever prone to similar problems? What are other common problems
with these levers. I am reluctant to go touring with these if they have a
reputation for unreliable service. My old downtube levers have never let me
down on my other tourer.

I have noticed on EBAY other 7 speed triple levers numbered ST-A416 and
ST-A417. How do these differ from the ST-A410?

If I want to go back to my Retro comfort zone with down tube levers, what
should I look for?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Change the cables and flush out both levers with WD-40. Then see how
they work.

Life is Good!
Jeff

wilfred kazoks said:

I have a bike with Shimano RSX levers. the number is ST-A410. It was my
brother in laws bike and he never got into cycling. I got it from him and
the LH shifter doesn't work. The inner lever couldn't engage and shift. I
opened it a bit and found there is a small spring loaded lever that had
become gummed up presumably through lack of use and the lubricant drying
out.

Is the RH lever prone to similar problems? What are other common problems
with these levers. I am reluctant to go touring with these if they have a
reputation for unreliable service. My old downtube levers have never let me
down on my other tourer.

I have noticed on EBAY other 7 speed triple levers numbered ST-A416 and
ST-A417. How do these differ from the ST-A410?

If I want to go back to my Retro comfort zone with down tube levers, what
should I look for?...

New Shimano bar-end shifters are available that can switch between
indexing and friction modes.

Reports of brifters (integrated brake/shifter) failing are common,
reports of bar-end shifters failing are almost unheard of.

--
Tom Sherman - Fox River Valley (For a bit)

On Sun, 22 Jan 2006 01:10:07 GMT, "wilfred kazoks" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I have a bike with Shimano RSX levers. the number is ST-A410. It was my
brother in laws bike and he never got into cycling. I got it from him and
the LH shifter doesn't work. The inner lever couldn't engage and shift. I
opened it a bit and found there is a small spring loaded lever that had
become gummed up presumably through lack of use and the lubricant drying
out.

Is the RH lever prone to similar problems? What are other common problems
with these levers. I am reluctant to go touring with these if they have a
reputation for unreliable service. My old downtube levers have never let me
down on my other tourer.

I have noticed on EBAY other 7 speed triple levers numbered ST-A416 and
ST-A417. How do these differ from the ST-A410?

If I want to go back to my Retro comfort zone with down tube levers, what
should I look for?

Any friction shifter will work, and a seven speed Shimano SIS downtuvbe shifter
will also work so it'll click into place and make shifting all easy and happy..

Ron

Jeff Starr said:

wilfred kazoks said:

I have a bike with Shimano RSX levers. the number is ST-A410. It was my
brother in laws bike and he never got into cycling. I got it from him and
the LH shifter doesn't work. The inner lever couldn't engage and shift. I
opened it a bit and found there is a small spring loaded lever that had
become gummed up presumably through lack of use and the lubricant drying
out.

Is the RH lever prone to similar problems? What are other common problems
with these levers. I am reluctant to go touring with these if they have a
reputation for unreliable service. My old downtube levers have never let me
down on my other tourer.

I have noticed on EBAY other 7 speed triple levers numbered ST-A416 and
ST-A417. How do these differ from the ST-A410?

If I want to go back to my Retro comfort zone with down tube levers, what
should I look for?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Change the cables and flush out both levers with WD-40. Then see how
they work.

Life is Good!
Jeff

Jeff's advice is worth following. I have the ST-A410 shifters (circa
1998) on my bike. I annually flush the shifters out with WD-40 and
relube the cables with very light oil ... and I've never had any problem
with them.

Jean

I know this will probably sound like a troll, but it is really a
sincere question, because I'm planning on equipping both of my road
bikes w/ campy systems. Aren't Campy brifters mo reliable than Shimano?
If not more reliable @ least they're rebuildable, no? Of course Campy's
could appear to be mo reliable cuz there are so few around to fail.
John

"wilfred kazoks" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have a bike with Shimano RSX levers. the number is ST-A410. It was my
brother in laws bike and he never got into cycling. I got it from him and
the LH shifter doesn't work. The inner lever couldn't engage and shift. I
opened it a bit and found there is a small spring loaded lever that had
become gummed up presumably through lack of use and the lubricant drying
out.

SNIP

Thanks in advance for any help.

I'm amazed nobody's suggested ditching the thing for a set of salad tongs
yet.

-Hank

john said:

I know this will probably sound like a troll, but it is really a
sincere question, because I'm planning on equipping both of my road
bikes w/ campy systems. Aren't Campy brifters mo reliable than Shimano?
If not more reliable @ least they're rebuildable, no? Of course Campy's
could appear to be mo reliable cuz there are so few around to fail.
John

Almost apples and oranges. They are very different.
Yes the Ergo has about 1/5 as many pieces, easily rebuilt.
By "easily" we mean:
http://www.yellowjersey.org/ergo1.html

The wearing bits are a $10 set of springs. Those springs by
the way have been the standard wearing bit in Campagnolo
systems since 1987 - readily available.
Ergos may be switched 9/10 or 8/9 ( theoretically from 8 to
10 but practically, no)
Some riders prefer the shape of one or the other. That's a
push. Small hand riders sometimes like the ability to
upshift the front in a couple of short steps rather than one
long push.
You may love or hate that the brake lever moves laterally.
Or not.
People either love or hate one or the other cable paths.
(handlebar bags can interfere with STi controls)
STi is arguably 'smoother' feeling when new but then again
STi get sloppy faster and are not serviceable (except by
Bill Cotton. Mere mortals throw them across the room in
mid-rebuild)
Ergo doesn't care if your front is double or triple,
vintage or modern. STi is sensitive to specific front changers.
At the end of the day people like what they like. Or what
some other rider rides. Or says he rides.
After listening to customers on the subject for, what, 13
years?, I don't think the decision is always made rationally.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

"A Muzi" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

john said:

I know this will probably sound like a troll, but it is

really a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

sincere question, because I'm planning on equipping both of

my road

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

bikes w/ campy systems. Aren't Campy brifters mo reliable

than Shimano?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

If not more reliable @ least they're rebuildable, no? Of

course Campy's

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

could appear to be mo reliable cuz there are so few around to

fail.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

John

Almost apples and oranges. They are very different.
Yes the Ergo has about 1/5 as many pieces, easily rebuilt.
By "easily" we mean:
http://www.yellowjersey.org/ergo1.html

The wearing bits are a $10 set of springs. Those springs by
the way have been the standard wearing bit in Campagnolo
systems since 1987 - readily available.
Ergos may be switched 9/10 or 8/9 ( theoretically from 8 to
10 but practically, no)
Some riders prefer the shape of one or the other. That's a
push. Small hand riders sometimes like the ability to
upshift the front in a couple of short steps rather than one
long push.
You may love or hate that the brake lever moves laterally.
Or not.
People either love or hate one or the other cable paths.
(handlebar bags can interfere with STi controls)
STi is arguably 'smoother' feeling when new but then again
STi get sloppy faster and are not serviceable (except by
Bill Cotton. Mere mortals throw them across the room in
mid-rebuild)
Ergo doesn't care if your front is double or triple,
vintage or modern. STi is sensitive to specific front changers.
At the end of the day people like what they like. Or what
some other rider rides. Or says he rides.
After listening to customers on the subject for, what, 13
years?, I don't think the decision is always made rationally.

I use STI, but I would like to have a Campy front Ergo for
trimming my triple -- which is where STI falls down, IMO. STI is
fine on a double. -- Jay Beattie.

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I have a bike with Shimano RSX levers. the number is ST-A410. It was my
brother in laws bike and he never got into cycling. I got it from him and
the LH shifter doesn't work. The inner lever couldn't engage and shift. I
opened it a bit and found there is a small spring loaded lever that had
become gummed up presumably through lack of use and the lubricant drying
out.

Is the RH lever prone to similar problems? What are other common problems
with these levers. I am reluctant to go touring with these if they have a
reputation for unreliable service. My old downtube levers have never let me
down on my other tourer.

I have noticed on EBAY other 7 speed triple levers numbered ST-A416 and
ST-A417. How do these differ from the ST-A410?

If I want to go back to my Retro comfort zone with down tube levers, what
should I look for?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Hi Wilfred (another Aussie)

I also have these RSX STI levers on both my wifes bike and my own tourer.

As others have said, they do dry out or otherwise get full of rubbish and
jam up, but can be easily fixed.

Mine did not like a tour of NZ South Island, where I finally understood
what heavy rain is like. Symptoms on my RSX were missed shifts.

On return, I exposed the mechanism barrel (the front cover screw) but did
not dismantle. I used cotton buds, moistened with WD40 to clean away all
exterior grit and grime, then flushed the insides with WD40, while
operating the levers continuously. I let them drain dry for a while,
then gave them a shot of good synthetic spray lube (a high tech version
of WD40 to leave a better lube film). I have done another 7000 Km on
those shifters with no problems.

Good luck - Bruce Graham

john said:

Aren't Campy brifters mo reliable than Shimano?
If not more reliable @ least they're rebuildable, no? Of course Campy's
could appear to be mo reliable cuz there are so few around to fail.

I'm a Campy fan but the word 'reliable' makes your question difficult
to answer. Being reparable doesn't mean more reliable to me. I've
seen the mouse ear break off Campy levers several times. Shimano
levers just stop indexing. I'd say the 2 brands are equally reliable.
Barend or downtube friction shifters are likely the most reliable.

John said:

Quoted message said:

Aren't Campy brifters mo reliable than Shimano?
If not more reliable @ least they're rebuildable, no? Of course Campy's
could appear to be mo reliable cuz there are so few around to fail.

Paul said:

I'm a Campy fan but the word 'reliable' makes your question difficult
to answer. Being reparable doesn't mean more reliable to me. I've
seen the mouse ear break off Campy levers several times. Shimano
levers just stop indexing. I'd say the 2 brands are equally reliable.
Barend or downtube friction shifters are likely the most reliable.

Thanks to all who answered.
After reading the answers, I'm left w/ the impression that they are
about equal when it comes to reliability, but because of the far
greater # of Shimano units out there, I hear more about their brakeage.
It's just that here @ rbt, I've read so much about Ultegra brifters
breaking down & / or being a defective design from the get-go. Aren't
buying Ultegra brifters a bit of a crapshoot if they fail after the
warrantee expires?

I quote Paul again

Quoted message said:

Being reparable doesn't mean more reliable to me.

When I first posted, I hadn't fully realized my line of thinking. My
thinking goes like this; after a few years of use, & the brifters are
no longer shifting properly, I would rather spend <$100 to repair them,
than to fork over >$250 to replace a pair. So my not fully developed
question was more of a 'what is the long term cost of ownership?' Which
means that I just answered my own question ; ) I will be buying Campy
cheaper than the Chorus line,

I've always said that if one can figure out the right question to ask,
they can often answer it themselves, John

John said:

Quoted message said:

Aren't Campy brifters mo reliable than Shimano?
If not more reliable @ least they're rebuildable, no? Of course Campy's
could appear to be mo reliable cuz there are so few around to fail.

Paul said:

I'm a Campy fan but the word 'reliable' makes your question difficult
to answer. Being reparable doesn't mean more reliable to me. I've
seen the mouse ear break off Campy levers several times. Shimano
levers just stop indexing. I'd say the 2 brands are equally reliable.
Barend or downtube friction shifters are likely the most reliable.

Thanks to all who answered.
After reading the answers, I'm left w/ the impression that they are
about equal when it comes to reliability, but because of the far
greater # of Shimano units out there, I hear more about their brakeage.
It's just that here @ rbt, I've read so much about Ultegra brifters
breaking down & / or being a defective design from the get-go. Aren't
buying Ultegra brifters a bit of a crapshoot if they fail after the
warrantee expires?

I quote Paul again

Quoted message said:

Being reparable doesn't mean more reliable to me.

When I first posted, I hadn't fully realized my line of thinking. My
thinking goes like this; after a few years of use, & the brifters are
no longer shifting properly, I would rather spend <$100 to repair them,
than to fork over >$250 to replace a pair. So my not fully developed
question was more of a 'what is the long term cost of ownership?' Which
means that I just answered my own question ; ) I will be buying Campy
cheaper than the Chorus line,

I've always said that if one can figure out the right question to ask,
they can often answer it themselves, John