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Front Left Shimano Shifter Freezing?

22871 Views 36 Replies 18 Participants Last post by .je, 3 mo ago

thedips

Discussion Starter · Nov 19, 2007

just got my bike redone with new housing and cables a few weeks ago at my LBS.. and ive been seeing some problems...

SHIMANO ULTEGRA 10 shifters... sometimes my left shifter freezes up and i cant shift from my big to small chain ring.. when i press the lever in... it wont click feels... like its stuck... when i apply firm pressure it feels like ill break it... then i dont know how.. but later on i get it un-stuck and it will shift up and down fine... seems hard to replicate... as it is right now its stuck again... and i will leave it alone until i fix it.

one of the LBS mechanics checked the derailleur cables seem fine... said it could be something with the shifters but told me to come back later to see another tech who could better help me out with it...

just wanna come here and ask the forum and if anyone knows anything that i could have possibly overlooked please let me know.. :idea:

1 - 20 of 37 Posts

Kerry Irons

· #2 · Nov 20, 2007

Things to try

thedips said:
sometimes my left shifter freezes up and i cant shift from my big to small chain ring.. when i press the lever in... it wont click feels... like its stuck... when i apply firm pressure it feels like ill break it... then i dont know how.. but later on i get it un-stuck and it will shift up and down fine... seems hard to replicate... as it is right now its stuck again.

Is this one of those situations where you can shift back in the other direction and then get it to work? This is an occasional problem with Campy front shifters, but it is quickly fixed by shifting back and forth. Assuming the cables were properly done by your shop, the only standard fix for Shimano shifters is to flush them out with solvent or aerosol lube (like TriFlow) while working them through the gears. If that doesn't work, and the cables are done right, then it might be time to submit a warranty claim.

thedips

Discussion Starter · #3 · Nov 20, 2007

Kerry Irons said:
Is this one of those situations where you can shift back in the other direction and then get it to work? This is an occasional problem with Campy front shifters, but it is quickly fixed by shifting back and forth. Assuming the cables were properly done by your shop, the only standard fix for Shimano shifters is to flush them out with solvent or aerosol lube (like TriFlow) while working them through the gears. If that doesn't work, and the cables are done right, then it might be time to submit a warranty claim.

actually no.. shifting back in the other direction doesnt free it up unfortunately.... yes assuming that the cables are done properly.. ill have them flushed first.. i mean i they were working fine right before i decided to go put on a new chain/cables/housing....
thanks again

and does anyone know what the warranty is with shimano and their shifters?

the Inbred

· #4 · Nov 20, 2007

thedips said:
they were working fine right before i decided to go put on a new chain/cables/housing....

and does anyone know what the warranty is with shimano and their shifters?

somehow i've killed 4 9sp Dura-Ace shifters this year after replacing cables and housing. a couple Ultegra and 105 shifters, also. my favorite phone call to make is "sorry, but your shifter died."

2yr warranty on Ultegra. shouldn't have to spray them out...doesn't seem like a spraying out issue, actually. they aren't triple shifters with a double set-up, are they? the way you describe it sounds like what happens when you force a 105 shifter to into the "third" position on a double setup. the tension on the cable becomes so high that it's hard for the shifter to release cable.

nintense

· #5 · Nov 20, 2007

One more option...

thedips said:
just got my bike redone with new housing and cables a few weeks ago at my LBS.. and ive been seeing some problems...

SHIMANO ULTEGRA 10 shifters... sometimes my left shifter freezes up and i cant shift from my big to small chain ring.. when i press the lever in... it wont click feels... like its stuck... when i apply firm pressure it feels like ill break it... then i dont know how.. but later on i get it un-stuck and it will shift up and down fine... seems hard to replicate... as it is right now its stuck again... and i will leave it alone until i fix it.

one of the LBS mechanics checked the derailleur cables seem fine... said it could be something with the shifters but told me to come back later to see another tech who could better help me out with it...

just wanna come here and ask the forum and if anyone knows anything that i could have possibly overlooked please let me know.. :idea:

Try to flush and lube your front derailleur .

brblue

· #6 · Nov 20, 2007

Another suggestion...

For ruling out cable issues, you can unfasten the derailler cable, pull off the housing, so you only have the cable coming out of the shifter body. Then slightly pull the cable so there is some tension in it (gently!) And shift up/down a lot of times. If it works flawlessly then the problem is somewhere in the cables/housings.
If you get your shifter stuck then it's a shifter problem. Right now the best idea seems not to touch the setup and let the LBS check out the problem..

good luck
brblue

thedips

Discussion Starter · #7 · Nov 20, 2007 (Edited)

double post...

thedips

Discussion Starter · #8 · Nov 20, 2007

the Inbred said:
the way you describe it sounds like what happens when you force a 105 shifter to into the "third" position on a double setup. the tension on the cable becomes so high that it's hard for the shifter to release cable.

OK CAME BACK FROM TTHE LBS.. this is exactly it! but now hes saying that my FSA CHAINRING 50t (SUPER CHAINRING) is the culprit.. and i need a shimano chainring on my crank? does that sound right? hes saying its not ramped and pinnned properly to work?

has anyone heard that before? and if he sets it to where it shifts up and down.. that its gonna freeze again... any comments anyone? do i really need a SHIMANO BRAND 50t compact chainring... i thoguht the FSA super chainring is better or atleast equal ..

andulong

· #9 · Nov 21, 2007

Isn't this a new problem?

thedips said:
actually no.. shifting back in the other direction doesnt free it up unfortunately.... yes assuming that the cables are done properly.. ill have them flushed first.. i mean i they were working fine right before i decided to go put on a new chain/cables/housing....
thanks again

and does anyone know what the warranty is with shimano and their shifters?

I do not think you said how long you have had this bike but if you are replacing cables I am guessing it is not brand new. And from your own words it would appear that all was fine before they "fixed" it for you. HOW could it be the FSA ring?

thedips

Discussion Starter · #10 · Nov 21, 2007

thats what i was saying.. the mechanic at the LBS is now telling me because i have an FSA chainring with a shimano compact crankset.... that its not ramped and pinned... im looking at the back of it AND it looks ramped and pinned to me? am i missing something? it was working with this setup before... and the original mechanic that was working on my bike is on vacation for the holiday... hes telling me to put an original shimano r600 50t chainring so that it works with my crank and that it can get set properly...

i have that chainring with a R600 crankset...

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Wildstar87

· #11 · Jan 2, 2008

thedips said:
thats what i was saying.. the mechanic at the LBS is now telling me because i have an FSA chainring with a shimano compact crankset.... that its not ramped and pinned... im looking at the back of it AND it looks ramped and pinned to me? am i missing something? it was working with this setup before... and the original mechanic that was working on my bike is on vacation for the holiday... hes telling me to put an original shimano r600 50t chainring so that it works with my crank and that it can get set properly...

i have that chainring with a R600 crankset...

Sounds to me like you need to get another mechanic, this shouldn't have any problems at all. I don't have a compact crank setup, but I had a Dura Ace 9 shifter setup, with Suntour Superbe Pro cranks, with FSA chainrings. Never had any issues with this setup, and that is a lot more "bastardized" than your setup there. All the new FSA ring have ramps and pins, unless we are talking about track specific rings, so I call BS on your mechanic.

I would tell them, put a R600 50t ring on, at their cost if they are sure it will fix the problem and let you ride it, if it does than you will pay for the fix, or make sure they let you return it if it doesn't fix the issue.

Rubber Lizard

· #12 · Jan 3, 2008

The most likely cause is some sort of burr or kink in one of the cable housings.
Check to see if there is some goo on your bottom bracket cable guide, as this may interfere with shifting.
If neither of those are the culprits, remove the shifter, spray a bunch of WD-40 in there, then blast it with the air hose, this will get rid of any sticky **** in the shifter, re-lube with tri-flow.

Your mechanics ring theory is bullshit. Go someplace else.

The Flash

· #13 · Jan 3, 2008

That's a BS excuse....

Sounds like they did not set it up correctly. I can see the pins on the picture that is posted above. Sounds like the derailleur is not set close enough to the chain ring and that the high limit is set in to close. I would make sure that the FD is about 2-3mm off the ring, and then loosen the outside adjuster screw until it throws the chain off. Start tightening it back in until it shift up fine without getting thrown over.....that should take 3 minutes tops....

bill rose

· #14 · Jun 15, 2021

thedips said:
just got my bike redone with new housing and cables a few weeks ago at my LBS.. and ive been seeing some problems...

SHIMANO ULTEGRA 10 shifters... sometimes my left shifter freezes up and i cant shift from my big to small chain ring.. when i press the lever in... it wont click feels... like its stuck... when i apply firm pressure it feels like ill break it... then i dont know how.. but later on i get it un-stuck and it will shift up and down fine... seems hard to replicate... as it is right now its stuck again... and i will leave it alone until i fix it.

one of the LBS mechanics checked the derailleur cables seem fine... said it could be something with the shifters but told me to come back later to see another tech who could better help me out with it...

just wanna come here and ask the forum and if anyone knows anything that i could have possibly overlooked please let me know.. :idea:

well yes this is such a long time ago but I always believe in starting with simple solutions and working from there. I had a similar issue and put some chain lube in my shifter, leaned the bike over for coverage, wiped excess and wala its shifting quite nicely again. Will have to ride just to make sure. Normally if you live in a coastal place as I do then the salt air corrodes everything. Easy solutions first and then work from there...

cxwrench

· #15 · Jun 15, 2021

Please don't resurrect long dead threads just so you can pad your post count.

bill rose

· #16 · Jun 16, 2021

padding my post count is far from in my interest. but thanks so much for your kind reply. perhaps someone will learn that you can just lube your shifters for an easy fix. Anyways have a nice day. My second post haha

Lombard

· #17 · Jun 24, 2021

bill rose said:
padding my post count is far from in my interest. but thanks so much for your kind reply. perhaps someone will learn that you can just lube your shifters for an easy fix. Anyways have a nice day. My second post haha

@bill rose ,

Hi and welcome. FYI, cxwrench can be harsh at times, but he is actually a very knowledgeable mechanic and if you buy him a six pack of beer every so often, he can be a soft cuddly bunny.

LongSimple

· #18 · Jun 30, 2021

bill rose said:
padding my post count is far from in my interest. but thanks so much for your kind reply. perhaps someone will learn that you can just lube your shifters for an easy fix. Anyways have a nice day. My second post haha

Funny enough I currently have the same issue above with my Ultegra R8000 shifters. Will try the WD-40 + Lube route.

Carbonman

· #19 · Jan 28, 2022

LongSimple said:
Funny enough I currently have the same issue above with my Ultegra R8000 shifters. Will try the WD-40 + Lube route.

I have a dead DA 7800 10-speed front shifter and am trying to figure out whether I can get new 10-speed shifters or whether I'll have to replace almost everything to get the bike functional again. I'm willing to change to anything that lets me keep the gearsets and chain.

cxwrench

· #20 · Jan 28, 2022

Carbonman said:
I have a dead DA 7800 10-speed front shifter and am trying to figure out whether I can get new 10-speed shifters or whether I'll have to replace almost everything to get the bike functional again. I'm willing to change to anything that lets me keep the gearsets and chain.

Have you tried spraying WD40 or some aerosol degreaser inside the shifter? They rarely 'die' they just get sticky. Try that before pronouncing it dead. You can find shifters online yourself if you take a couple minutes to look.

1 - 20 of 37 Posts