bonsai171

Hello,

I got a bike second hand, and need to change the shift cable for the rear derailleur. The shifter is a 6 speed falcon twist shifter. The set screw is already loose, and I tried prying the shifter body away from the shift knob, but it won't come apart. Is there a trick to this?

HMJ

From what I recall, these are very low end shifters and, like many low end parts, really aren't designed for long term maintenance. I think I've busted a couple myself.

The good news is that grip shifters are cheap and readily available. Sure, you can buy a new one - or if there is a co-op local to you they probably have a bin full of these that can be had for a couple bucks each. Even more thrifty, maybe you can get lucky and find a free bike somewhere and salvage the shifter from it.

Good luck.

bonsai171

They definitely are inexpensive. The bike is a huffy, and I got it from a garage sale. The lady gave it to me because she didn't know how to fix anything on it. It's perfect for my 11 year old since he just outgrew his old bike. I can fix most of the issues on it, just haven't worked on shifters like this. Honestly I would prefer to go with a trigger shifter since he had a hard time twisting the shifter on his old bike. The rear derailleur is a falcon 6 speed, is there a Shimano trigger shifter you can suggest that will work?

Dave

dedhed

https://www.google.com/search?q=falc...&bih=599&dpr=1

Kai Winters

It is possible the cable feed hole is just under the rubber grip. Pry up the cover and see if there is a hole with the cable stop/head showing.
Some have to pull the shifter twist part away from the shifter itself.
Some checking is required.
Likely not an expensive part to replace.

Trakhak

Amazon shows a number of very inexpensive Grip Shift knockoffs with 4.5-star ratings, for what that's worth. Probably easier to shift than the ones supplied on a Huffy, anyway. To see the choices, search for "Twist Shifter 3 x 6" on Amazon.

XxHaimBondxX

Remove from the handlebar to separate twisting piece. There is a metal or plastic spring inside, so be mindful of it and don't lose it. Looks broken though, so not sure if it can be used.

BlazingPedals

I don't know about the Falcon, but most twist shifters have a rubber flap that covers the cable entry port. Logically, it's where the cable would feed into the exit/housing. Once you find the port, shift to high gear and feed the cable through. You shouldn't have to remove the shifter from the handlebar to replace a cable; that just doesn't sound right.

ScottCommutes

I am not familiar with this particular grip shifter, but I did just change cables on a couple of similar grip shifters for my kid's bikes. Step one is to remove it from the bike and study what you are working with. Peel back any rubber parts. The plastic housing is likely a clamshell type design that snaps together. Identify how it splits and where the two pieces are. The assembly snaps together. Look for a little plastic snap/locking tab that you can defeat with something like a small screwdriver. After you change the cable, the two sides should snap back together with finger pressure.

wheelreason

Some of those gripshifts on BSOs aren't designed to have their cables changed (or shift gears really ). There is a way to do it, but not worth it when a shifter with cable is under $10, often way less than that.

soyabean

This is a copy of a SRAM grip shifter.

In the photo between the 6-5, that's a little black top plate that can be removed.

The cable is pulled up from that "trapdoor".

soyabean

That is wrong.

I have NEVER encountered any shifter ever, no matter how economy, where the cable could not be changed.

There would be no profit for me on reselling dumpster finds if I had to replace whole shifters.

I'm always able to swap the cable. And a used cable at that.

wheelreason

Neither have I, reading comprehension much?...

bonsai171

Does it pry up? It does look like there's a bit of space there.
​

soyabean

It slides in the direction towards the center of the handlebar.

JohnDThompson 

While that may be true, there are some grip-shift designs that make the process sufficiently tedious that it hardly seems worth the bother. My preferred fix is to replace the grip shifter with a friction thumb shifter. No issues with cable-pull incompatibility, easy cable installation and replacement, simple mechanism that seldom gives trouble, etc.

soyabean

Same could be said for automotive shops that use Mitchell-on-Demand to quote the owner to repair their 20 year old car.

They don't give opinions if it's worth it or not, the manuals just show the mechanic how to do the repair with precise certainty, which was my point.

Doc_Wui

I like Shimano Trigger shifters as an upgrade. Around $15-20l,

Duragrouch

As others have stated, there may be a small cap or flap to allow access to change the cable. Important note: On mine, after removing the old cable, I tried inserting a lightly used cable in its place, had a HECK of a time to get it in more than an inch or two. Here's why: The cable has to make a fairly tight turn in a plastic tube after it comes off the "drum" (cylindrical part that moves when you shift), and a cable that has been cut, the sharp end grabs too much, won't make the turn, even as I tried spinning the cable in the twist direction while pushing. So... when replacing the cable, use a new cable that has the tiny melted ball on the feeding end of the cable, that will probably go through more easily.

soyabean

The original SRAM shifter has a removal cover for the 90-deg curved part to solve the mentioned issue of used cables that fray.

I spot weld the ends of all my used cables just so they don't fray in storage.

wheelreason

lol.

Duragrouch

They are indeed SRAM GRIPSHIFT MRX COMP (I'm sure the cheapest they make as it came on a Dahon Speed 7), just inboard of the grip is a champagne colored triangular panel, and from the cable side there is a tiny slot just wide enough for a smallest size standard flat screwdriver blade, with what looks like a champagne colored tapered tab that holds the panel on. But I haven't been able to figure out how exactly to push on that tab to release the panel, tried gently, no luck. But good to know, thanks.