Common Shimano Failures, AKA POS STI Levers.

Mark Wolfe <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<ZiN6d.267763$4o.8765@fed1read01>...

Quoted message said:

<rant> My Dura Ace (7700) right brifter just decided to stop upshifting
last Friday on the commute home. From what I'm seeing this is a very
common failure on shimano STI's. It seems that if you hold the brake
lever it will shift, but if you don't, it doesn't seem to engage. Upon
disassembly, nothing looked terribly wrong inside. There was a little
bit of wear on the inner lever, which I suspect coupled with the
movement on the main lever keeps it from engaging. Anyway, after
googling I find this is common, and that my lever may have been under
warantee (so much for trying to fix it myself). Right now I'm looking
at 2 other sets of STI and wondering how long they'll last now. One is
Ultegra on my daughters/wife's bike (daughter pretty much owns it now),
and the other is Sora 8 speed on the other daughters Terry.
In the mean time I've ordered a Jtek shiftmate which I hear is the
"bomb", and a pair of Campy Chorus (aluminum levers) 10 speed brifters.
The bike is in the stand, and I'm waiting for parts. Right now I'm
really irritated about the situation, as I've never dropped the bike,
ridden it in the rain, and yes, it gets wiped down with a towel and
washed regularly. I'm kicking myself for not going Campy on the build,
since that's how Schwinn would've done it. (Waterford Paramount) I
think with the jtek I'll have the best of both worlds. Campy
rebuildable levers, with wheel and cassette selection of Shimano and 3rd
party. Plus I can throw a Triple on it for next years Death Ride. I'm
curious as to if anyone has found a cure for the dead brifter. The way
I look at it, it has cost me 220 miles over the last week. Not to
mention $15 in gas while the bike is down. </rant>

You may wish to consult your doctor about a morphine drip.
$15 in gas last week. Thats a real bummer. You could pick up a tiagra
shifter for about a $120 at any bike shop on your way home from work.

markw-<< <rant> My Dura Ace (7700) right brifter just decided to stop
upshifting
last Friday on the commute home. From what I'm seeing this is a very
common failure on shimano STI's. It seems that if you hold the brake
lever it will shift, but if you don't, it doesn't seem to engage. >><BR><BR>

Very common, particualrly in 9s/flitedeck ultegra and DA. DA 3 year warranty,
ultegra 2 year warranty.

markw-<< Right now I'm
really irritated about the situation, as I've never dropped the bike,
ridden it in the rain, and yes, it gets wiped down with a towel and
washed regularly >><BR><BR>

We have had an alarming number fail outta the box...

Remember you can use a Campagnolo 9 or 10s ERGO, any Campagnolo rear der and a
shimano 9s wheel/cogset w/o problem. A lowish end Campagnolo rear
der(completely compatible with any ETGO) is about the same as the shift mate
thingy.

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

gevans-<< You could pick up a tiagra
shifter for about a $120 at any bike shop on your way home from work.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

<BR><BR>

Or a SET of Campagnolo shifters for the same price.

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

Qui si parla Campagnolo said:

markw-<< <rant> My Dura Ace (7700) right brifter just decided to stop
upshifting
last Friday on the commute home. From what I'm seeing this is a very
common failure on shimano STI's. It seems that if you hold the brake
lever it will shift, but if you don't, it doesn't seem to engage. >><BR><BR>

Very common, particualrly in 9s/flitedeck ultegra and DA. DA 3 year warranty,
ultegra 2 year warranty.

markw-<< Right now I'm
really irritated about the situation, as I've never dropped the bike,
ridden it in the rain, and yes, it gets wiped down with a towel and
washed regularly >><BR><BR>

We have had an alarming number fail outta the box...

Remember you can use a Campagnolo 9 or 10s ERGO, any Campagnolo rear der and a
shimano 9s wheel/cogset w/o problem. A lowish end Campagnolo rear
der(completely compatible with any ETGO) is about the same as the shift mate
thingy.

The shiftmate and Chorus 10 speed ergos should be here by tomorrow.
IMHO you shouldn't hang low end components on high end frames. 🙂
Besides, other than the shifter issues, the rest of the components seem
fine. Or should I be aware of other Dura Ace failure modes??

--
Mark Wolfe Lakeside, ca http://www.wolfenet.org
gpg fingerprint = 42B6 EFEB 5414 AA18 01B7 64AC EF46 F7E6 82F6 8C71
Out eth0, through the Cat5K, Across the ATM backbone, past the firewall,
past the provider, hit the router, down the fiber, off another
router... Nothing but net.

"Mark Wolfe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:ZiN6d.267763$4o.8765@fed1read01...

Quoted message said:

<rant> My Dura Ace (7700) right brifter just decided to stop

upshifting

Quoted message said:

last Friday on the commute home. From what I'm seeing this is

a very

Quoted message said:

common failure on shimano STI's. It seems that if you hold the

brake

Quoted message said:

lever it will shift, but if you don't, it doesn't seem to

engage. Upon

Quoted message said:

disassembly, nothing looked terribly wrong inside. There was a

little

Quoted message said:

bit of wear on the inner lever, which I suspect coupled with

the

Quoted message said:

movement on the main lever keeps it from engaging. Anyway,

after

Quoted message said:

googling I find this is common, and that my lever may have been

under

Quoted message said:

warantee (so much for trying to fix it myself). Right now I'm

looking

Quoted message said:

at 2 other sets of STI and wondering how long they'll last now.

One is

Quoted message said:

Ultegra on my daughters/wife's bike (daughter pretty much owns

it now),

Quoted message said:

and the other is Sora 8 speed on the other daughters Terry.
In the mean time I've ordered a Jtek shiftmate which I hear is

the

Quoted message said:

"bomb", and a pair of Campy Chorus (aluminum levers) 10 speed

brifters.

Quoted message said:

The bike is in the stand, and I'm waiting for parts. Right

now I'm

Quoted message said:

really irritated about the situation, as I've never dropped the

bike,

Quoted message said:

ridden it in the rain, and yes, it gets wiped down with a towel

and

Quoted message said:

washed regularly. I'm kicking myself for not going Campy on

the build,

Quoted message said:

since that's how Schwinn would've done it. (Waterford

Paramount) I

Quoted message said:

think with the jtek I'll have the best of both worlds. Campy
rebuildable levers, with wheel and cassette selection of

Shimano and 3rd

Quoted message said:

party. Plus I can throw a Triple on it for next years Death

Ride. I'm

Quoted message said:

curious as to if anyone has found a cure for the dead brifter.

The way

Quoted message said:

I look at it, it has cost me 220 miles over the last week. Not

to

Quoted message said:

mention $15 in gas while the bike is down. </rant>

I am still using 8sp STI from, what, about 1992. The only
problem I have is lack of lubrication during the rainy season and
loss of the anchor screws that hold the down shift lever to the
back of the main lever. I replaced these with a couple of screws
from the local hardware store and filed down the heads so they
clear the lever body. These levers have many thousands of miles
on them. It does not sound like you give your DA levers hard
service (no riding in the rain, dusting the bike regularly), so
they should last many years. If not, get warranty replacement --
although I know you have already bought the Campagnolo. Still get
warranty replacement and sell them cheap on e-Bay. -- Jay
Beattie.

Quoted message said:

Mark Wolfe <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<ZiN6d.267763$4o.8765@fed1read01>...

Quoted message said:

<rant> My Dura Ace (7700) right brifter just decided to stop upshifting
last Friday on the commute home. From what I'm seeing this is a very
common failure on shimano STI's. It seems that if you hold the brake
lever it will shift, but if you don't, it doesn't seem to engage. Upon
disassembly, nothing looked terribly wrong inside. There was a little
bit of wear on the inner lever, which I suspect coupled with the
movement on the main lever keeps it from engaging. Anyway, after
googling I find this is common, and that my lever may have been under
warantee (so much for trying to fix it myself). Right now I'm looking
at 2 other sets of STI and wondering how long they'll last now. One is
Ultegra on my daughters/wife's bike (daughter pretty much owns it now),
and the other is Sora 8 speed on the other daughters Terry.
In the mean time I've ordered a Jtek shiftmate which I hear is the
"bomb", and a pair of Campy Chorus (aluminum levers) 10 speed brifters.
The bike is in the stand, and I'm waiting for parts. Right now I'm
really irritated about the situation, as I've never dropped the bike,
ridden it in the rain, and yes, it gets wiped down with a towel and
washed regularly. I'm kicking myself for not going Campy on the build,
since that's how Schwinn would've done it. (Waterford Paramount) I
think with the jtek I'll have the best of both worlds. Campy
rebuildable levers, with wheel and cassette selection of Shimano and 3rd
party. Plus I can throw a Triple on it for next years Death Ride. I'm
curious as to if anyone has found a cure for the dead brifter. The way
I look at it, it has cost me 220 miles over the last week. Not to
mention $15 in gas while the bike is down. </rant>

Perhaps you should change your diet. They have been Sweet Like Pork to me.

Mark Wolfe <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<ZiN6d.267763$4o.8765@fed1read01>...

Quoted message said:

party. Plus I can throw a Triple on it for next years Death Ride. I'm
curious as to if anyone has found a cure for the dead brifter. The way
I look at it, it has cost me 220 miles over the last week. Not to
mention $15 in gas while the bike is down. </rant>

Not so sure that STI failure is "common". I have 105 and Ultegra STI
brifters with tens of thousands of miles on them and not a single
failure. Same for my friends. And the ability to change
double-triple is not unique to Campy; all Ultregra/105 brifters since
about 2001 are capable of either.

Now the question is, is your brifter dead or just in need of cleaning?
Most times folks think they have a dead STI brifter a good flush
with WD-40 seems to cause a resurrection.

BTW, why didn't you just throw a DT shifter on it until you came up
with a game plan? Simple, easy, no miles lost. And *that*, not a
Campy brifter, is how Schwinn did it!

- rick

[email hidden] (Evan Evans) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Mark Wolfe <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<ZiN6d.267763$4o.8765@fed1read01>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

think with the jtek I'll have the best of both worlds. Campy
rebuildable levers, with wheel and cassette selection of Shimano and 3rd
party. Plus I can throw a Triple on it for next years Death Ride. I'm
curious as to if anyone has found a cure for the dead brifter. The way
I look at it, it has cost me 220 miles over the last week. Not to
mention $15 in gas while the bike is down. </rant>

You may wish to consult your doctor about a morphine drip.
$15 in gas last week. Thats a real bummer. You could pick up a tiagra
shifter for about a $120 at any bike shop on your way home from work.

Hey, it's a 90 Civic, what can I say. 🙂 The only thing that sucks
about it at the pumps is when you have to wait for the SUV in front of
you to get done so you can leave. 🙂 Did I mention I will never buy
Shimano STI brifters again? That includes Tiagra, Sora, 105, Ultegra,
or DA. With the conversion, I'll have 2/5's of my bikes using Campy
ergo.

I was able to set up a mirage 9 speed shifter from Peter's shop with my
otherwise-shimano drivetrain when my 9 speed dura ace lever similarly went
[censored]-up. By mounting the derailleur cable further inboard using a couple of
large washers, I was able to decrease the throw-per-shift of the dura ace
derailleur. It works fine, and I like the clean look of the lever.
BTW, I've got a lance-style downtube shifter for the front.

--
--------------------------
Andre Charlebois
AGC-PC support
http://agc-pc.tripod.com
BPE, MCSE4.0, CNA, A+

"Qui si parla Campagnolo " <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

gevans-<< You could pick up a tiagra
shifter for about a $120 at any bike shop on your way home from work.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

<BR><BR>

Or a SET of Campagnolo shifters for the same price.

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

Rick Warner said:

Mark Wolfe <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<ZiN6d.267763$4o.8765@fed1read01>...

Quoted message said:

party. Plus I can throw a Triple on it for next years Death Ride. I'm
curious as to if anyone has found a cure for the dead brifter. The way
I look at it, it has cost me 220 miles over the last week. Not to
mention $15 in gas while the bike is down. </rant>

Not so sure that STI failure is "common". I have 105 and Ultegra STI
brifters with tens of thousands of miles on them and not a single
failure. Same for my friends. And the ability to change
double-triple is not unique to Campy; all Ultregra/105 brifters since
about 2001 are capable of either.

Now the question is, is your brifter dead or just in need of cleaning?
Most times folks think they have a dead STI brifter a good flush
with WD-40 seems to cause a resurrection.

BTW, why didn't you just throw a DT shifter on it until you came up
with a game plan? Simple, easy, no miles lost. And *that*, not a
Campy brifter, is how Schwinn did it!

- rick

Did the WD-40 flush first, then disassembly, cleaned/lubed, no go. 🙁
I didn't take the ratchet mechanism apart, as that looked like something
I wouldn't be able to get back together. 🙂 I've been itching for the
campy levers to begin with. Yeah, I know DT shifters are what the bike
probably came with, but being a Waterford Paramount, it probably had
campy from the factory. I did update it a bit with an "un-authorized"
paint job http://tinyurl.com/44gfl , reset the rear to 130, and removed
those top tube cable guides in favor of guides at 7 O'clock. Just
checked the mail and my shiftmate has arrived. Neat little part. I also
knew about the ultegra/105 ability to shift a triple. Right now I'm
running the ultra rare 12-27 cassette on back, but there are some hills
that I've struggled on with that.

--
Mark Wolfe Lakeside, ca http://www.wolfenet.org
gpg fingerprint = 42B6 EFEB 5414 AA18 01B7 64AC EF46 F7E6 82F6 8C71
"The irony is that Bill Gates claims to be making a stable operating system
and Linus Torvalds claims to be trying to take over the world." - Drakmere

jay-<< I am still using 8sp STI from, what, about 1992. >><BR><BR>

8s STI was way more reliable than any 9s STI.

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

rick-<< Not so sure that STI failure is "common". I have 105 and Ultegra STI
brifters with tens of thousands of miles on them and not a single
failure. Same for my friends. And the ability to change
double-triple is not unique to Campy; all Ultregra/105 brifters since
about 2001 are capable of either. >><BR><BR>

Actually 6500 since 1998 has been double ot triple.

I can send you all ouit RA numbers for levers we have warrantied(about 3
dozen). This NG has frequent tales of 7700/6500 levers failing and being either
warrantied or replaced.

Great that yours are going strong but two types of STI levers. Those that have
failed and those that will. Only difference is that when they do, no repair is
possbile.

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"