my 8 speed Shimano 105 STI lever died - SOS

Paul Nevai

I have a 1992 Bridgestone RB 1 with an 8 speed Shimano 105 STI lever which
died [the right one]. Now what?

Please advise me about the best resolution of the problem. Money is not a
problem if spent prudently.

E.g., can I just buy a new 9 speed Shimano 105 STI lever and have it adjusted
it to work with 8 speed? Or should I buy a Shimano Sora STI set? I would
even be willing to buy an Ultegra STI set if it can be made to work with 8
speeds.

Please advise me. Many thanks, Paul

Kyle.B.H

"Paul Nevai" <2me@PaulComputing.com> wrote in message
news:c60dtc$hqb$1@charm.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu...
> I have a 1992 Bridgestone RB 1 with an 8 speed Shimano 105 STI lever which
> died [the right one]. Now what?
>
> Please advise me about the best resolution of the problem. Money is not a
> problem if spent prudently.
>
> E.g., can I just buy a new 9 speed Shimano 105 STI lever and have it
adjusted
> it to work with 8 speed? Or should I buy a Shimano Sora STI set? I would
> even be willing to buy an Ultegra STI set if it can be made to work with 8
> speeds.
>
> Please advise me. Many thanks, Paul

Paul,

You can stay with 8 speed, but that means buying Sora (Shimano 9 speed
shifters will not work). They're good levers, a different up-shifting
mechansim, but it may not be worth putting more money into 8 speed
components.

For about $50 more, you could upgrade to 9 speed by buying only the right
shifter (Tiagra, 105, Ultegra), and then replacing your rear cassette and
chain, although it may be difficult to find just a right shifter, and
possibly just as expensive as buying the pair. That's it. Don't let any
bike shop tell you that you have to replace the derailers or crankset,
becuase you don't.

Kyle

Qui si parla Campagnolo

2me-<< I have a 1992 Bridgestone RB 1 with an 8 speed Shimano 105 STI lever
which
died [the right one]. Now what? >><BR><BR>

A set of Veloce 9s levers and rear der, a shimano 9s cogset and chain-go ride-

2me-<< E.g., can I just buy a new 9 speed Shimano 105 STI lever and have it
adjusted
it to work with 8 speed? >><BR><BR>

Yes if you space the cogset to 9s spacing or just buy a 9s right lever and
cogset and chain.



Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

Paul Southworth

In article <c60dtc$hqb$1@charm.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>,
Paul Nevai <2me@PaulComputing.com> wrote:
>I have a 1992 Bridgestone RB 1 with an 8 speed Shimano 105 STI lever which
>died [the right one]. Now what?
>
>Please advise me about the best resolution of the problem. Money is not a
>problem if spent prudently.

If the shifter is just losing stops, ie, you move the lever to shift
and it just swings freely past the point where it should have
clicked, that is very often just sticky grease in the ratchet and
immersing the shifter in solvent and blowing it out with compressed
air will often fix it. Shimano 7 and 8 speed shifters (both road
and mountain) often have this problem, after a certain age it becomes
quite prevalent.

After cleaning, I lube it with Tri Flow or similar very light lube
and work the action 100 times. If it doesn't work I soak it overnight
and do it again. It's amazing some times how they will come back
after extraordinary efforts to resuscitate.

If the shifter is really dead, then going to 9-speed is the best
spent money. Replace shifters, chain and cassette. Buying more
8-speed is just investing in obsolescence unless you have some
strong reason why you need it - nobody should be nostalgic for
8-speed Shimano :-)

--Paul

Michael Press

2me@PaulComputing.com (Paul Nevai) wrote:
>I have a 1992 Bridgestone RB 1 with an 8 speed Shimano 105 STI lever which
>died [the right one]. Now what?

When my '93 Ultegra 8-speed right shifter died a couple of years ago,
I took the opportunity to upgrade to 9-speed (I bought the 9-speed
upgrade kit from Colorado Cyclist). Certainly not the cheap option,
but a good investment if you ride often and plan on keeping the bike
for a while.

Michael

Paul Nevai

Michael Press <michaelpressNOSPAM@yahoo.com> aszonygya:
:2me@PaulComputing.com (Paul Nevai) wrote:
:>I have a 1992 Bridgestone RB 1 with an 8 speed Shimano 105 STI lever which
:>died [the right one]. Now what?
:
:When my '93 Ultegra 8-speed right shifter died a couple of years ago,
:I took the opportunity to upgrade to 9-speed (I bought the 9-speed
:upgrade kit from Colorado Cyclist). Certainly not the cheap option,
:but a good investment if you ride often and plan on keeping the bike
:for a while.

Yes, but would my 8-speed 1992 Bridgestone RB 1 frame accept 9 speeds? Isn't
there a difference of a couple of millimeters which could matter? Best
regards, Paul