Lever Return

Is your knee tender or bruised? The most common cause of the problem you decribed is bending the shift lever up a bit by hitting it with your knee or something else in a crash. This allows you to push it in, but then it can get hung up on the other lever (trigger), preventing it from returning completely, and not allowing the indexing detent to clear inside the shifter.

I have repaired at least 5 shifters with this problem, when friends were convinced they were going to have to pony up for a new shifter soon.

That said, I have no first-hand experience with the lower Shimano shifters, but have seen this problem on both xt and xtr shifters.

Good luck!

 

did you abuse it?

maybe it's hiding from you in a home for abused shift levers? try talking real nice to it, maybe send it flowers, and maybe it will come back.

 

Had the same problem

Well, I still do sometimes. Mine is a deore rear shifter lever. pulled the cable tight checked the shifter for bent/broken peices. To me it is intermitant though. After a few shifts to larger rings it will go limp?? Gotta pump it an extra time then all is fine. Like i said though it doesn't happen all the time HHHMMM...

 

Same situation

Well, I still do sometimes. Mine is a deore rear shifter lever. pulled the cable tight checked the shifter for bent/broken peices. To me it is intermitant though. After a few shifts to larger rings it will go limp?? Gotta pump it an extra time then all is fine. Like i said though it doesn't happen all the time HHHMMM...

I had an XT rear shifter that did the same thing, it took a couple of clicks to get the ratchet inside to engage for shifts on the middle rings of the cassette.
I ended up loosening the bar clamp, spun the shifter horizonal with the ground/floor, & drowned the thing with WD-40 around the seal @ the lever shift body interface. I figgured, what the heck, worst case i'd have to replace it anyhow. Well, that did the trick, works like new. Did this just last week, still working great.

 

ugh...shimano shifters...

I had this problem once as well, noticed that the shifter was resting ever so slightly on the bulge of my riser bars, only touching lightly. When I shifted the lever 1mm to the outside, the problem was fixed. I guess it just worked its way over there with force from the brake lever.

Yes, I'm not like you, I ran my shifter this way because it was on a rarely-shift bike (trials/jumping) and the shifter got in the way of braking. Although having said this, I guess it means it isn't the problem of the original gentleman.

- Joel

 

I work at a bike shop and this is a fairly common occurance.

What has happened is that hte pawls inside the shifter have gummed up, and they no longer "spring" to extended.

What is needed is to take the housing of the shift lever off, find some "bike aid" at a bike shop, also refered to as "dry slide", and then lubricate the heck out of the shifter. Work the shifter as you are lubing it and after, and "magically" the shifter will start to work again. Sometimes they need a little "help" getting going by prying open a pawl while the housing is still off and you are working it with the lube.

This is the only kind of lube that can be used in a shifter or cable housings. The stuff is a godsend for us, but anything else for the most part only makes the problem worse. Sometimes I spray them out with carb cleaner before I attack with the dry slide.

 

Dang, Jm, you beat me.

I work at a bike shop and this is a fairly common occurance.

What has happened is that hte pawls inside the shifter have gummed up, and they no longer "spring" to extended.

What is needed is to take the housing of the shift lever off, find some "bike aid" at a bike shop, also refered to as "dry slide", and then lubricate the heck out of the shifter. Work the shifter as you are lubing it and after, and "magically" the shifter will start to work again. Sometimes they need a little "help" getting going by prying open a pawl while the housing is still off and you are working it with the lube.

This is the only kind of lube that can be used in a shifter or cable housings. The stuff is a godsend for us, but anything else for the most part only makes the problem worse. Sometimes I spray them out with carb cleaner before I attack with the dry slide.

to the punch by just seconds.

 

my knees are pretty good

I feel that whatever the problem, it is somewhat incremental. No recent wrecks or abuse. The other one was replaced during a recent drivetrain overhaul/upgrade. The shifter is not coming in contact with anything other than the upper shifter lever.

I may try the tighten cables/douse with WD-40 combo - what do I have to loose?

But if I open it up is there a spring? If not, what returns the lever?

I was looking in a catalog last night and it looks like a new shifter is $40+. Ouch!

I'd be less ticked off if the same thing hadn't happened to the other. And given the number of shifts per front/rear derailers, I was expecting a lot more life out of the front shifter.

Thanks,

-capt p

 

replies while I reply. interesting

I work at a bike shop and this is a fairly common occurance.

What has happened is that hte pawls inside the shifter have gummed up, and they no longer "spring" to extended.

What is needed is to take the housing of the shift lever off, find some "bike aid" at a bike shop, also refered to as "dry slide", and then lubricate the heck out of the shifter. Work the shifter as you are lubing it and after, and "magically" the shifter will start to work again. Sometimes they need a little "help" getting going by prying open a pawl while the housing is still off and you are working it with the lube.

This is the only kind of lube that can be used in a shifter or cable housings. The stuff is a godsend for us, but anything else for the most part only makes the problem worse. Sometimes I spray them out with carb cleaner before I attack with the dry slide.

Thanks, Jm. You must have posted while I was typing.

So is "bike aid"/"dry slide" something the bike shop sells over the counter, or do I need to bring in a 6 pack for trade?

OK, while I've got your ear I have one more maintenance question. I cleaned the rear derailer jockey wheels the other night - just wiped with a cloth; I'm going to hit the chain/cogs/rings today with degreaser and do it right. The bottom jockey spins beautifully. The upper drags badly. I tried cleaning b/w the jockey and the spindle with a screwdriver hoping to get out any gunk, but it didn't really do anything.

What is the right way to clean and relube this piece?

Thanks.

-capt p

 

You can remove the jocky wheels from thhe cage, slide the axles out, gently pry off the seals, clean out the bearings / bushings & relube w/ a light waterproof grease. If XTR, be very careful, there are a handfull of the smallest bearings known to man lightly imbeded in the top pully axle. XT is bearing & bushing setup.
I'd be interested "dry slide" as well.