STI misfunction -- ideas?

Matt O'Toole said:

Yesterday I was having a problem with my right STI shifter (Ultegra). When I went to downshift,
the lever moved freely with no resistance, literally flopping around. But when I moved it a second
time, it shifted normally. Any offhand notions of what's going on? I haven't even investigated it
myself yet. I've been busy, and today the garage is too cold!

I've had the same thing happen on an older RSX STI shifter.

The problem is that there's a small mechanical piece that is supposed to slide down as you shift
that is not sliding and therefore not catching the mechanism that causes the gears to shift. I
particularly see this happen in the cold, when the grease around the area hardens a bit and things
move more sluggishly.

I find that by moving the level more slowly, I give it more time to catch up and slide into place,
so that might help if this happens in the middle of a ride (the worst you can do is try to move the
lever really quickly, which was my initial reaction).

Once at home, you can open up the STI lever and try to clean it up a bit. Oil things well and stay
clear of grease that will harden with cold (maybe triflow would be a good choice). This has helped
in my case, but it still happens sometimes in cold weather.

Good luck.

--Noel

Quoted message said:

Yesterday I was having a problem with my right STI shifter (Ultegra).

When I

Quoted message said:

went to downshift, the lever moved freely with no resistance, literally

flopping

Quoted message said:

around. But when I moved it a second time, it shifted normally. Any

offhand

Quoted message said:

notions of what's going on? I haven't even investigated it myself yet.

I've

Quoted message said:

been busy, and today the garage is too cold!

Your levers may just need a dose of Powerlube, available at finer autoparts stores everywhere! It
frequently "cures" STI levers with exactly the symptoms you describe.

www.ChainReaction.com/noisystilevers.htm (go to the very bottom of the page, where it talks about
this problem and how to fix it).

It's also possible that you're missing a tiny screw that goes into the backside of the smaller (low-gear-
moving) lever.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles chainreactionbicycles.comchainreactionbicycles.comOpen ↗

On Sun, 25 Jan 2004 22:40:53 GMT, "Matt O'Toole" <[email hidden]>

may have said:

Yesterday I was having a problem with my right STI shifter (Ultegra). When I went to downshift, the
lever moved freely with no resistance, literally flopping around. But when I moved it a second
time, it shifted normally. Any offhand notions of what's going on? I haven't even investigated it
myself yet. I've been busy, and today the garage is too cold!

The lubricant in the shifter is congealing in the cold. It will cure itself when the temp comes up,
or you can dismantle and relube the shifter with a more appropriate light oil now. (It's the small
spring-loaded pieces which get stiff in the cold.) Or, tie a Swedish handwarmer to it a few minutes
before you go for a ride.

I've had the same problem with two different Shimano shifters, even here in the relatively balmy
Houston winters. Finish Line shock oil worked well to keep them both freed up.

--
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Mike Jacoubowsky said:

Quoted message said:

Yesterday I was having a problem with my right STI shifter (Ultegra). When I went to downshift,
the lever moved freely with no resistance, literally flopping around. But when I moved it a
second time, it shifted normally. Any offhand notions of what's going on? I haven't even
investigated it myself yet. I've been busy, and today the garage is too cold!

Your levers may just need a dose of Powerlube, available at finer autoparts stores everywhere! It
frequently "cures" STI levers with exactly the symptoms you describe.

Well, as the others mentioned, it could very well be the cold. It's been in the 20s and 30s this
week. So the flush/relube might work.

Quoted message said:

www.ChainReaction.com/noisystilevers.htm (go to the very bottom of the page, where it talks about
this problem and how to fix it).

It's also possible that you're missing a tiny screw that goes into the backside of the smaller (low-gear-
moving) lever.

I'll look for this. Could this be why it's harder to make the last shift into my lowest gear? (The
lever isn't stiffer to move, but seems like I have to move it twice as far, compared to the other
7 shifts.)

Matt O.

matt-<< Yesterday I was having a problem with my right STI shifter (Ultegra). When I went to
downshift, the lever moved freely with no resistance, literally flopping around. But when I moved it
a second time, it shifted normally. Any offhand notions of what's going on? >><BR><BR>

May be dying, amy be gunked up. Check your inner wire and housing first. Try the WD-40 flush,
followed by a thin lube..If it dies and is less than 2 years old, warranty. If greater than 2
years...replace. Might be a good time to switch to Campagnolo ERGO and rear der...you will never
have this problem again.

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 vecchios.comvecchios.comOpen ↗ "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"