removing a stripped bar-end shift lever (SunTour, 1986)



cloudhead

New Member
Jul 8, 2010
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Hi there,

Upon purchasing my new Allez, I have an old Trek 720 touring bike from 1986 that I would like to fix up, as it's the perfect compliment to my new fast-and-uncomfortable road bike.

trek720.png


It was my first 'real' bike, and there is a romantic attachment to it for that reason, therefore I am restoring it the right way. Some restoration is fun, such as picking out a fresh Brooks saddle and leather tape, but some is not so fun. Such as:

I have a problem with the existing shift levers, one of which are frozen inside the end of the handlebar with a stripped bolt. basically, the bolt presses the shift lever base into the handlebar, the same way that the handlebar stem holds to the fork.

I would love to preserve the Cinelli handlebars and stem on the bike (both of which looks like I will have to throw out if i can't get the shift lever removed), and am looking for any tips on how i might be able to remove a shift lever without destroying the bars. I was thinking of a drill and a good hard bit? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Another question I have is, what are good recommended replacements? I would like to use those cool new Shimano brake/shift levers if I can, but I don't know if i need Shimano derailleurs with them. I want to keep the Sachs Huret set that exists now on the bike to keep as much vintage as possible. I couldn't care less about the existing levers. I never liked them at the end like that anyways.

PS: Bonus points for any info on weather I should keep or replace the Biopace crank. It was added on a couple years after I bought the bike. Thanks.


Court
 
Corroded aluminum is typically treated with household ammonia ...

So, remove the bars from the bike ... remove the good barcon shifter ... pour some ammonia into the open handlebar end & tilt the bar so that the ammonia reaches the other end where the stuck barcon shifter is located ... let sit.

After 12-to-24 hours, try to rotate the bar end counter-clockwise in the handlebar.

Repeat, as necessary, for a few days ...

Hopefully, you'll be able to free the barcon shifter after less than 48 hours.
 
cloudhead said:
I would like to use those cool new Shimano brake/shift levers if I can, but I don't know if i need Shimano derailleurs with them. I want to keep the Sachs Huret set that exists now on the bike to keep as much vintage as possible. I couldn't care less about the existing levers. I never liked them at the end like that anyways.

PS: Bonus points for any info on weather I should keep or replace the Biopace crank. It was added on a couple years after I bought the bike. Thanks.
BTW. You'll need new derailleurs if you want to use indexed shifters ...

You can continue to use your BioPace chainrings if you want to.
 
alfeng said:
BTW. You'll need new derailleurs if you want to use indexed shifters ...

You can continue to use your BioPace chainrings if you want to.

Are you sure you need new derailleur’s? I thought the shifting was dependant on the cable pull dictated by the shifters. Well I learn something every day. Thanks for the info.
 
alfeng said:
Corroded aluminum is typically treated with household ammonia ...

So, remove the bars from the bike ... remove the good barcon shifter ... pour some ammonia into the open handlebar end & tilt the bar so that the ammonia reaches the other end where the stuck barcon shifter is located ... let sit.

After 12-to-24 hours, try to rotate the bar end counter-clockwise in the handlebar.

Repeat, as necessary, for a few days ...

Hopefully, you'll be able to free the barcon shifter after less than 48 hours.

Thanks! I'll give this a shot starting this evening. I wasn't even thinking that I can remove the bar from the good side. I was too stressed on the bad shifter.
 
alfeng said:
BTW. You'll need new derailleurs if you want to use indexed shifters ...

You can continue to use your BioPace chainrings if you want to.

Thanks. I just read Sheldon Brown's article on Biopace which is making me try them again. Biopace Chainwheels

I also learned more about friction vs indexed, and yeah, the compatibility issue is required for indexed. Looks like i'll be sticking with bar-end. There's a few cool models out there.
 

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