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    Girlfriend’s new bike can’t shift below 4


    My girlfriend got a bike recently that's in pretty good shape, just needed a little tweaking, and as I'm getting everything dialed I can't get the shifter to go below 4th gear. We live in a hilly area so those lower gears are pretty necessary.

    I tried tightening AND loosening the derailleur cable to no avail. The indexer won't go below 4.

    I opened up the shifter and as far as I can tell it's like it was designed to only go as low as 4. The thing that pushes the ratchet only seems to reach far enough to get it a little past 4 (but not enough to catch on 3). The way it's fixed to the thumb lever I can't see how I could get it to push the ratchet farther, and there's also a piece of metal that limits the range of the thumb lever, so it's not even like she could just push really hard to get it all the way to first.

    The shifter has an index from 1-7 and seven speeds on the rear, yet it seems like the shifter was designed in such a way as to only make 4-7 accessible.

    Here's a video of what is going on inside for reference. You can see that little silver thing is pushing the ratchet over but can't push it far enough for anything below 4 to catch. At the same time, when shift up to seventh the ratchet sits snugly against it so even if I somehow moved the silver thing over to push farther then I wouldn't be able to shift into the higher gears.

    On the bottom you can see how the thumb action is limited and so can't reach further in order to keep cranking that ratchet.

    Any idea what's going on and how to fix it? I've never worked inside a shifter before and don't wanna just take it apart and figure it out like I do with most other things what with all those little pieces (learned the hard way years ago about the bearings inside the bracket). All the videos I've found are about tightening the cable or cleaning out the shifter (tried both) so if anyone can point me to a video or diagram or even just clarify that, yeah, some shifters are designed like that and 4 usable gears is all I'm gonna get.

    Girlfriend's new bike can't shift below 4
    byu/MaxxtheKnife inbikewrench



    by MaxxtheKnife

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    13 Comments

    1. PlaidBastard on

      What happens if you shift it to where it’s stopping, then pedal some (lifting the back wheel off the ground), and let the chain move after you shift? Right now, you’re clicking the shifter, but without pedaling the chain can’t actually *shift* to a different gear. It might just need to actually complete the shift you’re asking the mechanical parts to do, to shift further. Disregard if this still happens while the bike is moving and being pedaled.

    2. Fluffy_Tadpole3574 on

      Take the shift cable off the derailleur, pull it tight, and operate the shifter. If only 4 still work, spray some wd-40 in the mechanism and pull the cable and keep working it up and down and up an down and it usually gives.

    3. LeatherBroccoli9815 on

      if there is a ratchet system inside the shifter, the locking pawl always gets stuck once dirt and grime gets in there. I restored plenty of them.
      You could take it all apart and cleaned it, OR, spray it with some penetrating oil while you move it (useful to have a pick to force the pawl to move).

      Also, the derailleur needs to move while you do this, either remove the wheel or disconnect the cable (but do keep some tension on the cable with your hand)

    4. broom_rocket on

      The thing that pushes the ratchet should drop down onto some more teeth that will push it the rest of the way. The pivot it moves on is probably gummed up(this happens in all Shimano shifters with this design given enough time due to the fish-based oil they use). 

      Spray some wd40 right onto it and then use a little pick to wiggle it back and forth on the pivot until it move freely(it should be spring loaded to drop down) and drops onto the lower teeth. Then flush the whole shifter with actual lubricant and you’ll be good to go

    6. ligonier77 on

      I assume you are turning the crank while you are trying to shift? Can’t tell from the video. It won’t shift if you aren’t. Try this – take the cable off the derailleur. Operate the shifter until it is in the very last position. Make sure the derailleur is lined up so the chain is on the smallest cog. Hook the cable back up to the derailleur so it is snug, no slack. Shift down while pedaling and see if all cogs can be engaged.

    7. That_Cartoonist_9459 on

      The pawl (at the top in this video, looks like a little hammer) is gummed up. Spray some degreaser in there, then using a small pick or screwdriver work it up and down to free it up. Then put a few drops of lube on it, work it up and down again. Re-assemble.

    8. Styil on

      Spray the hell out of with degreaser. Shift while doing it. Then don’t put wd40 in it, use some tri flow or some other lightweight lubricant.

    10. Future_Lab4951 on

      Spray it out and use a pick to pull back on that pawl a few times. It will come right back to life

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