Hello, do you think this Shifter is broken or is there anything else I can check/verify before buying a new one?
by 6regThompson
Hello, do you think this Shifter is broken or is there anything else I can check/verify before buying a new one?
by 6regThompson
13 Comments
Can you get video about the rear casette and derailure. The lever mecanism brobably isint broken
Not necessarily… There should be a little Phillips head screw on the side of the shifter, unscrew that and squirt a little bit of pb blaster in it and it might loosen up the little “pawls?” And advance the shifter. Sometimes they get a little sticky and need to be loosened up.
If it’s not reliably clicking, I’d get a spray oil of some kind and just blast into the inside of it. Let it sit for at least an hour, then try to use it a lot. It might revive it, otherwise just get a new one.
This is exactly what it looks like when the pawls or springs inside break. But it also can do this if there is not enough tension on the cable when shifting. If the derailleur is connected and moving, and all the cable housing is correctly seated. Then yes it’s probably broken.
Lucky for you, these are like $10-20.
Seconding WD-40 or PB blaster, follow up with tri flow or other lubricant. Likely just gummed up, I’ve revived a lot of shifters this way. Best of luck!
Looks like your derailleur is prevetnig further movement, because you arent actually shifting. Try giving it a few pedals, and then try shifting again.
Going to take the obvious question off the table, but are you not pedaling while trying to shift? Cause if you’re not pedaling, it’s probably broken now…
Spin the pedals while shifting see if the problem persists
Spray 1 step into it and work it. Old grease is dried out and the little latches/pawls are getting stuck .
It might just be gummed up inside. Blasting the inside with a solvent (like PB Blaster), or a solvent + lube solution such as Finish Line 1-Step. It might be a better idea to make sure it’s done with a solvent before waiting for it to dry, then spraying it lightly with a lubricant (PTFE type?). A little bit of lube after cleaning will make it feel better than brand new.
Just spray that sucker in any opening with a ton of lubricant, like WD40. It tends to sort the issue without using any tools.
Not enough cable tension in the lower gears, loose cable maybe right?
First: Whenever you shift with a derailleur you need to turn the crank a few times, so the chain actually changes gears. Otherwise the chain will still be in the original gear, while the derailleur keeps pushing or pulling more and more on the chain, potentially causing damage to the shifter, the cable or the derailleur.
Second: When you cannot fully shift towards the larger gears (i.e. up in front, down in the rear) your derailleur might be physically restricted from moving further. This can be due to poor indexing (while the shifter hasn’t reached the last notch, the derailleur is already at the largest gear) or due to an incorrectly set limit screw (H and L limit screws prevent the derailleur from dropping the chain past the last chainring). Proper indexing and limiting are important and poor setup could result in dangerous situations when riding, so look up some tutorials to help you along, like this one from [park tools](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkZxPIZ1ngY&t=610s&ab_channel=ParkTool).
If neither of these were the cause, you can try some of the other suggestions in this thread. But if money isn’t super tight just know, that a shifter costs about 10-20 bucks with another 5-10 for a new cable.