Servicing Shifters



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Watimena

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Do shifters need to be serviced? Specifically Shimano LX ones (9 Speed variety from circa 2001)

And if so how do you do this?

I have noticed a my shifting getting harder on an LX equipped bike I have (mainly the rear gears).
even after putting a new gear cable on. I thought it might be the rear mech, but I have recently put
on a new XT rear derailleur (plus new cables and outers) and the shifting is still fairly stiff.

It shifts accurately, but you need a bit of force to make it change, particularly when changing into
lower (bigger gears).

I recently bought a second bike with an LX drive train, and the first thing I noticed was how light
and fast the shifting was....The merest flick with my thumb sent the chain jumping up three cogs
like that....

I have seen parts for shimano shifter pods available on some internet bike shops, and was wondering
if anyone could shed some light on shifter pod maintenance......

Jeremy
 
Have you tried lubing the shifter pivot points, and the cable itself?

--
- Zilla Cary, NC (Remove XSPAM)

"Watimena" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Do shifters need to be serviced? Specifically Shimano LX ones (9 Speed variety from circa 2001)
>
> And if so how do you do this?
>
> I have noticed a my shifting getting harder on an LX equipped bike I have (mainly the rear gears).
> even after putting a new gear cable on. I
thought
> it might be the rear mech, but I have recently put on a new XT rear derailleur (plus new cables
> and outers) and the shifting is still fairly stiff.
>
> It shifts accurately, but you need a bit of force to make it change, particularly when changing
> into lower (bigger gears).
>
> I recently bought a second bike with an LX drive train, and the first
thing
> I noticed was how light and fast the shifting was....The merest flick with my thumb sent the chain
> jumping up three cogs like that....
>
> I have seen parts for shimano shifter pods available on some internet bike shops, and was
> wondering if anyone could shed some light on shifter pod maintenance......
>
> Jeremy
 
Watimena <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Do shifters need to be serviced? Specifically Shimano LX ones (9 Speed variety from circa 2001)
>
> And if so how do you do this?
>
> I have noticed a my shifting getting harder on an LX equipped bike I have (mainly the rear gears).
> even after putting a new gear cable on. I
thought
> it might be the rear mech, but I have recently put on a new XT rear derailleur (plus new cables
> and outers) and the shifting is still fairly stiff.
>
> It shifts accurately, but you need a bit of force to make it change, particularly when changing
> into lower (bigger gears).
>
> I recently bought a second bike with an LX drive train, and the first
thing
> I noticed was how light and fast the shifting was....The merest flick with my thumb sent the chain
> jumping up three cogs like that....
>
> I have seen parts for shimano shifter pods available on some internet bike shops, and was
> wondering if anyone could shed some light on shifter pod maintenance......
>
> Jeremy

Hey Jeremy!

This is what I'd do - take the cover off the shifters, remove the cable. Liberally soak the
internals with something like WD 40, and work them through the range quite a few times. Give them
another good squirt to wash any dirty gunk off and leave them to dry. Fill them with a good thin
waterproof grease, taking care to work it right into all the contacting moving parts, put cables
back in, re-fit the covers taking care to have the 'indicators' correctly located (if your pods have
them), and you should be good to go.

I do this from the start with new shifters, and my Deore ones are in excellent smooth light shifting
condition after 18 or so months heavy use, with zero re-lubing.

HTH!

Shaun aRe
 
"Shaun Rimmer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Watimena <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Do shifters need to be serviced? Specifically Shimano LX ones (9 Speed variety from circa 2001)
> >
> > And if so how do you do this?
> >
> > I have noticed a my shifting getting harder on an LX equipped bike I
have
> > (mainly the rear gears). even after putting a new gear cable on. I
> thought
> > it might be the rear mech, but I have recently put on a new XT rear derailleur (plus new cables
> > and outers) and the shifting is still fairly stiff.
> >
> > It shifts accurately, but you need a bit of force to make it change, particularly when changing
> > into lower (bigger gears).
> >
> > I recently bought a second bike with an LX drive train, and the first
> thing
> > I noticed was how light and fast the shifting was....The merest flick
with
> > my thumb sent the chain jumping up three cogs like that....
> >
> > I have seen parts for shimano shifter pods available on some internet
bike
> > shops, and was wondering if anyone could shed some light on shifter pod maintenance......
> >
> > Jeremy
>
> Hey Jeremy!
>
> This is what I'd do - take the cover off the shifters, remove the cable. Liberally soak the
> internals with something like WD 40, and work them through the range quite a few times. Give them
> another good squirt to wash any dirty gunk off and leave them to dry. Fill them with a good thin
> waterproof grease, taking care to work it right into all the contacting moving parts, put cables
> back in, re-fit the covers taking care to have
the
> 'indicators' correctly located (if your pods have them), and you should be good to go.
>
> I do this from the start with new shifters, and my Deore ones are in excellent smooth light
> shifting condition after 18 or so months heavy use, with zero re-lubing.
>
> HTH!
>
> Shaun aRe

Then again, so are my XT shifters after probably the same if not more time, and I *MAYBE* dribbled
some teflon lube in there once. If it ain't broke, don't fix it... or break it so you can ;) Worth a
try if they're nasty tho.

Jon Bond
 
It COULD be that you're shifting too late? Are you shifting during a climb (you shouldn't) or before
(as you should be)?

That may be your answer.

"Jon Bond" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:Rg5Fa.1172146$F1.138301@sccrnsc04...
>
> "Shaun Rimmer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> >
> > Watimena <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> > > Do shifters need to be serviced? Specifically Shimano LX ones (9
Speed
> > > variety from circa 2001)
> > >
> > > And if so how do you do this?
> > >
> > > I have noticed a my shifting getting harder on an LX equipped bike I
> have
> > > (mainly the rear gears). even after putting a new gear cable on. I
> > thought
> > > it might be the rear mech, but I have recently put on a new XT rear derailleur (plus new
> > > cables and outers) and the shifting is still
fairly
> > > stiff.
> > >
> > > It shifts accurately, but you need a bit of force to make it change, particularly when
> > > changing into lower (bigger gears).
> > >
> > > I recently bought a second bike with an LX drive train, and the first
> > thing
> > > I noticed was how light and fast the shifting was....The merest flick
> with
> > > my thumb sent the chain jumping up three cogs like that....
> > >
> > > I have seen parts for shimano shifter pods available on some internet
> bike
> > > shops, and was wondering if anyone could shed some light on shifter
pod
> > > maintenance......
> > >
> > > Jeremy
> >
> > Hey Jeremy!
> >
> > This is what I'd do - take the cover off the shifters, remove the cable. Liberally soak the
> > internals with something like WD 40, and work them through the range quite a few times. Give
> > them another good squirt to
wash
> > any dirty gunk off and leave them to dry. Fill them with a good thin waterproof grease, taking
> > care to work it right into all the contacting moving parts, put cables back in, re-fit the
> > covers taking care to have
> the
> > 'indicators' correctly located (if your pods have them), and you should
be
> > good to go.
> >
> > I do this from the start with new shifters, and my Deore ones are in excellent smooth light
> > shifting condition after 18 or so months heavy
use,
> > with zero re-lubing.
> >
> > HTH!
> >
> > Shaun aRe
>
> Then again, so are my XT shifters after probably the same if not more
time,
> and I *MAYBE* dribbled some teflon lube in there once. If it ain't broke, don't fix it... or break
> it so you can ;) Worth a try if they're nasty tho.
>
> Jon Bond
 
"Watimena" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Do shifters need to be serviced? Specifically Shimano LX ones (9 Speed variety from circa 2001)
>
> And if so how do you do this?
>
> I have noticed a my shifting getting harder on an LX equipped bike I have (mainly the rear gears).
> even after putting a new gear cable on. I
thought

You said you replaced cable, but you didn't mention housing. Make sure you get lined housing,
although almost all have that anyways.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training
 
Jon Bond <[email protected]> wrote in message news:Rg5Fa.1172146$F1.138301@sccrnsc04...
>
> "Shaun Rimmer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...

> > Hey Jeremy!
> >
> > This is what I'd do - take the cover off the shifters, remove the cable. Liberally soak the
> > internals with something like WD 40, and work them through the range quite a few times. Give
> > them another good squirt to
wash
> > any dirty gunk off and leave them to dry. Fill them with a good thin waterproof grease, taking
> > care to work it right into all the contacting moving parts, put cables back in, re-fit the
> > covers taking care to have
> the
> > 'indicators' correctly located (if your pods have them), and you should
be
> > good to go.
> >
> > I do this from the start with new shifters, and my Deore ones are in excellent smooth light
> > shifting condition after 18 or so months heavy
use,
> > with zero re-lubing.
> >
> > HTH!
> >
> > Shaun aRe
>
> Then again, so are my XT shifters after probably the same if not more
time,
> and I *MAYBE* dribbled some teflon lube in there once. If it ain't broke, don't fix it... or break
> it so you can ;) Worth a try if they're nasty tho.

If they're stiff, it's likely they're gummed up - dried up lube/dust etc. WD 40 will dissolve that
and flush it out, the grease helps keep the **** out and away from the moving parts while providing
lubrication.

Shaun aRe - If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
 
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