Shimano STI repair?

[reohn2]

I've just recently had an Ultegra righthand (rear mech) 9sp sti fail,luckily I bought a pair of 105's from a forum member (thank Deliquium).The thing is I'm tempted to strip the offending item to see if I can make it work again.
The $64,000 question is has anyone out there stripped one and can a repair be effected or will I finish up with a small box of springs,things and STI chaff?

PS I have the mask on,I'm all scrubbed up scalpel(sp?) at the ready and about to operate.

[Mick F]

Can you get all the bits?
It looks to me from the Shimano website exploded view PDF, that the ratchet stuff is contained within the lever assembly and is all one single replaceable bit.

What bit failed?
Were you left high and dry?
Did you have to walk?
Come on, spill the beans! (or springs and various STI chaff)

[reohn2]

Can you get all the bits?
It looks to me from the Shimano website exploded view PDF, that the ratchet stuff is contained within the lever assembly and is all one single replaceable bit.

What bit failed?
Were you left high and dry?
Did you have to walk?
Come on, spill the beans! (or springs and various STI chaff)

I don't think I can get spares but thought I may be able to repair it.
The symptoms are gears changing spontainiously (mainly to smaller sprockets)
I wasn't left high or dry or had to walk as it wasn't a total failure just the occasional 'change' becoming more frequent over a period of about six months,though that particular lever has never felt quite right somehow,,a little woolly is the best I can describe.

[Mick F]

I know little about Sss (you know who), but the symptoms you describe come with Campag too. It's the G springs that hold the ratchet system in one place against the return spring of the rear derailleur. As the G springs wear, the rear derailleur takes charge and pulls the cage to a smaller sprocket.
(They're called G springs because of their shape)

No doubt Shimano have the same system, but I don't think Shimano do them as spares.


This is from the Campag spares PDF. You can see the little G springs.

[reohn2]

thanks for that Mick

[thirdcrank]

A while ago I read something, probably in the CTC mag, from somebody who had been tempted to 'service' an STI lever. He undid and inviting looking screw and then found out the true meaning of the expression 'exploded view'.

[vernon]

A while ago I read something, probably in the CTC mag, from somebody who had been tempted to 'service' an STI lever. He undid and inviting looking screw and then found out the true meaning of the expression 'exploded view'.

Reminds me of the time when my pal opened up a Triumph sprung hub we we lucky to escape serious injury.

Anyone contemplating doing something similar should first acquire a suit of armour before attempting to dismantling the hub.

[pete75]

A while ago I read something, probably in the CTC mag, from somebody who had been tempted to 'service' an STI lever. He undid and inviting looking screw and then found out the true meaning of the expression 'exploded view'.

Reminds me of the time when my pal opened up a Triumph sprung hub we we lucky to escape serious injury.

Anyone contemplating doing something similar should first acquire a suit of armour before attempting to dismantling the hub.

Nothing on a bike or anything else mechanical is quite like opening a sprung hub without all the right tools, body armour, crash helmet, four leaved clover, lucky rabbits foot etc etc

[Phil_Lee]

In the roof of the garage at my parents old house, there was embedded part of a shock absorber, right through the roof joist.
It was there when we moved in, and I'd have loved to have heard the story of how it got there (although I can imagine the basic scenario).

Motor vehicle suspension systems are very dangerous indeed if you don't know exactly what you are doing, and have all the proper tools.

[reohn2]

In the roof of the garage at my parents old house, there was embedded part of a shock absorber, right through the roof joist.
It was there when we moved in, and I'd have loved to have heard the story of how it got there (although I can imagine the basic scenario).

Motor vehicle suspension systems are very dangerous indeed if you don't know exactly what you are doing, and have all the proper tools.

MacPherson struts could be a b*gg*r without a compression tool as I remember,though when I found the ideal NCB substitute (called a JP clip in the pit,ask any exminer and will tell you a thousand and one uses for one)
I was more than pleased.

[birdy]

I've got a right hand ultegra playing-up. At various times and it's hard to predict it won't shift down (high) so I shift up which works all the time and then it will click down. I can live with it this way but know its days are numbered.

[hamster]

Sorry, I don't think they are serviceable. I've never heard of one that could.

[kwackers]

In the roof of the garage at my parents old house, there was embedded part of a shock absorber, right through the roof joist.
It was there when we moved in, and I'd have loved to have heard the story of how it got there (although I can imagine the basic scenario).

Motor vehicle suspension systems are very dangerous indeed if you don't know exactly what you are doing, and have all the proper tools.

I decided to strip the shock absorbers on my motorcyle when I were a yung jedi.
Not having the proper tools I use four tyre levers, two on each side of the spring, one at the top, one at the bottom and pulled them together with pair of g-clamps.
I'd just about managed to compress them enough and was removing the collets (hunched over the spring) when it all went pear shaped. The spring parted my hair and made a decent sized hole in the asbestos roof in it's escape to the outside world. Took me half an hour to find it again.

[eeforme]

I wish people would stop perpetuating this false rumor when it is not true. I have successfully repaired more of these levers than I can count. 7 and 8 speed levers except Sora are repairable 99% of the time. Sora usually break springs or indexing gears and are not worth bothering with. Other 9 speed levers can be repaired about 50% of the time without parts or 100% of the time if you have donor (crashed) levers to steal parts from. No you don't have to be a swiss watchmaker, you just have to follow simple instructions. 10 speed I have yet to try. Try this link for servicing 9 speed levers.

http://www.norvil.net/pedal/service/shi ... /index.php

[reohn2]

I wish people would stop perpetuating this false rumor when it is not true. I have successfully repaired more of these levers than I can count. 7 and 8 speed levers except Sora are repairable 99% of the time. Sora usually break springs or indexing gears and are not worth bothering with. Other 9 speed levers can be repaired about 50% of the time without parts or 100% of the time if you have donor (crashed) levers to steal parts from. No you don't have to be a swiss watchmaker, you just have to follow simple instructions. 10 speed I have yet to try. Try this link for servicing 9 speed levers.

http://www.norvil.net/pedal/service/shi ... /index.php

eeforme
Thanks so much for the link its most helpful (I haven't done anything with the offending article yet)I just knew someone, somewhere, with STI's at £150 a pop, would have got around the 'can't be done, oh, just buy a new one 'scenario(don't you just get tired of the lack of serviceability of most of todays consumer goods ).
Anyway I hope its a success and I will let everyone know the out come.Thanks again.