Originally Posted by Steve_A .
A few comments: Sporadic shifter could possibly be cured by soaking in solvent (remove from bike and remove rubber hood) and then lubing. People used to just spray WD-40 into it like heck and let it sit overnight or longer. I actually wrote an article on disassembling and cleaning an STI shifter, could dig it out if anyone is interested; it's a pain to do. On upgrading to 9-speed: I just purchased a cassette for my 8-speed, and in the process, noticed pricing for the 9-speed cassettes: $30 (8) vs. $90 (9)? I don't understand it. Glad to keep my 8 speed for now.