Arnolfini

Would loosening the lever then giving it a good spray with WD40 be sufficient to 'flush it out'? I'm just talking about the flushing bit - I'd relube it with some proper foaming spray lubricant (I just got some Tri-Flow Superior Lubricant for that job). I just don't have that many tools, and am a total newbie to all this stuff, so am a little wary of taking the whole thing apart.

markk900

I'd go for it - its a nice easy step for you to get "closer" to your bike - I would consider loosening the shifter first to allow the most flow, and after flushing use your tri-flow with the shifter still loose to ensure you get good penetration.

What part of Ontario are you in? Plenty of Canadians on this forum......

Arnolfini

Yeah, that's what I was thinking of doing - glad I was on the right track!
I'm in the GTA (sort of) - Richmond Hill to be a bit more specific. May actually be looking for some cycling buddies soon, although I'm extremely slow and unfit (for now)...

Narhay

Well based on the white layer of late April snow on the ground these days you have some time to tinker with it a bit.

pcb 

I'd take the lever out of the housing and spray it. No need to do a deep-dive disassembly, but I'd think you'd want more access for spray/runoff than you'd get leaving the lever in the housing.

I think you can take the black cover off without too much trouble, maybe just one small screw holding it in place? Might give you a better peek at the innards.

dddd

The WD40 applied to the loosened shift lever mechanism should do it. It won't last too long but could be a good step at this point in time.

Only thing is you will have to re-adjust the lever screw/nuts whenever you do it again with a better lube.

If the cable is only moving against plastic-lined surfaces you should have easy shifting feel. Metal on metal not so much.

Arnolfini

Yeah, I was thinking of using WD40 purely for flushing out any gunk, then following it up with proper lubricant right away

Arnolfini

I'll take a closer look and see how daring I'm feeling! I do have a good set of allen keys, so the tools shouldn't be an issue.

pcb 

The only allen key you'd need would be to install/remove the body from the bars, and you don't need to remove the body to remove the lever. All you need for the lever, and for the shift cover I think, are screwdrivers.

You can confirm that from the exploded view that was posted.

Arnolfini

Just finished changing my cables and lubing everything and now it's so much better! Thanks everyone for the tips... although despite everyone's warnings, I *still* managed to lose the lock nut from one of my shifters

due ruote 

Here’s a cheap fix:
Select an appropriately sized pan head screw. Stick it in a vise, drill the center of the slot, then cut the head off and tap for M4. Then for heaven’s sake put a drop of blue Loctite on this one!

Arnolfini

Thanks! Don't have the relevant tools to do all that, but will save the thread for if/when I do!

Arnolfini

And here she is with new cables, hoods and tape

Cougrrcj

Newer 'slick' drawn stainless inner cables will work wonders with the SunTour barcons - even if you're still using the original bare stainless housing like I do on my bikes...

dddd

I would expect the stainless cable riding in un-lined stainless housing to be particularly sticky, not to mention the primitive housing's notorious compressibility.

The amount of motion error going from one end of the cable to the other will tend to be equal to the friction force multiplied by the elasticity of the combined cable and housing.
And them are some long cables!

markk900

Arnolfini Beautiful bike - well done. Looks like it is raring to go!

Cougrrcj

I've had the SunTour barcons and the original stainless coiled housing on my Fuji since 1976. Never been an issue. Well, with the original cables, they tended to bind a bit if neglected for too long. A drop or two of oil applied to the outer housing always did the trick. Then after 25 years or so, I replaced the inner cables with new slick drawn cables. I also put the original-style housing on my Miyata six years ago when I converted it to SunTour barcons, also with new slick inner wire, and likewise not a problem.

dddd

Looking at the cumulative effect of all the deleterious friction and elasticity that goes on between the shift lever and the derailer, it makes a huge difference when old-style cable housings are replaced with modern, lined, compressionless, pre-lubricated housings.
Together with smooth-drawn or coated inner cable and plastic-lined guide at the bottom-bracket, there is an enormous reduction in error motion (known as hysteresis in the world of control systems) between the lever's movement and the derailer's movement, giving the lever more of the feel of being connected to the derailer by a rigid metal rod rather than by a flexible, friction-plagued cable.

Maybe it's because I live in the foothills (where more frequent shifting is required) that I can't stand to ride a bike with longer cables (as with bar-end shifters) that aren't as friction- and stretch-free as possible. Having that rubber-band feeling at the shift lever just doesn't cut it.
I run bar-end shift cables out from under the tape, just below the brake lever body for the most-direct routing possible (and that never gets in the way of anything).

Out on the road (particularly where there is a need to shift frequently), the error-free communication of lever motion to the derailer will be greatly appreciated!

Cougrrcj

The original bare coiled stainless cable housing is perfectly fine for friction-shift systems. Mine work just fine. For indexed shifting systems, I'd use modern lined housing.