sk0tt

I got the spring on and then the part that sits on the pawl broke off

I had an old guitar string and made another spring, doesn't look all that good, but works good at the moment

Thanks eeforme

mzeffex 

Way to revive an old thread that has not been viewed for 4 months

sk0tt

If you start a thread which has been covered here before you get told to search, if you search and post in a 4 month old thread you get told to stop reviving old threads?

mzeffex 

But it was resolved. I'm not sure what you gained from this, as I think the OP had his/her question answered, sorry for being rude.

sk0tt

If you actually read it, you would know I was after confirmation of where a spring went for the problem I had, I was asking those who had a similar problem and fixed it.

blumsdc

New to the forum. Just started riding again as I have a six year old that loves it. I have a mountain bike for kicking around. Today my dad gave me his older trek 1220 with the rsx shifters. Well of course one didn't work. Instead of going to the shop I looked around on here. Found the info I needed and it worked perfectly. Thanks BikeForums!

BotByte

I'm am so sorry about reviving an old thread, but I have to thank eeforme, even if he hasn't been on in a while because I had the same problem and was freaking out over it.

But it turned out it was a simple fix and I was saved.


Once again, sorry to revive the dead.

kaiheekai

sorry to awake the sleeping giant, but i recently bought my first road bike on craigslist.. it's a 1996 klein quantum with shimano rsx components.
i'm gonna start by saying i know nothing at all about road bikes, so the more ignorant the answers the better i'll understand them

the left brifter won't move at all, it seems to be stuck on something, however the brake mechanism works fine.
the right brifter moves smoothly for both the up and down shifters, however it won't engage at all with the derailer.

i've read through the thread and i'm still a little unsure on what to do. i haven't wd-40'd it yet, i wanted to know what kind of greaser to get to spray after i wd-40 it, and also if there is something else i'm not getting with the right shifters.. i'm not sure how the tension on the cable works or how to tighten it if that's the problem. like i said this is my very first road bike, and i'm hard pressed not to give up just yet. oh, and i'm a broke college student..

DieselDan

The left one may have a broken cable and the end has jammed the mechanism. The right needs to be flushed as described above.

Donsell

I've been using Brakleen to clean out my RSX shifter. It works very well. Are there plastic or nylon parts that I need to be concerned about damaging?

eeforme

You can't get a cable jammed in a left side like you can a right. Sounds to me like every bit of lubricant has already been washed out with WD-40 already which results in the parts becoming 'glued' together. When that happens I have to actually pry them apart to disassemble a shifter.

If the right side is 'smooth,' it is probably all bound up also and none of the working parts are actually doing anything, you're just feeling the levers move. WD-40 is not a fix and brake clean is probably worst.

Spraying lubricant on top of whatever mess is inside of them is not going to 'fix' them.

Kimmo 

The left one sounds like a bit of a puzzle; I'd try fiddling with it more and more insistently; maybe it's jammed and you can persuade it to come good.

Disagree with eeforme re the right lever; WD40 will probably fix it since it sounds like both pawls are gummed up.

Agree brake cleaner is a terrible idea as it'll strip out all the lube, whereas with WD40 you can sorta cross your fingers it'll recondition some of the grease.

eeforme

Ya'll keep using WD-40. It'll keep me in the rebuild business for a long time, lol. Go ahead and force the left one while you're at it. I have properly rebuild replacements when it breaks to sell. I also have new hoods when the WD-40 turns the rubber on them to mush. IMO the problems you are having were caused by WD-40 or some such solvent. But again what do I know? I haven't rebuilt thousands of them. Oh wait, yes I have. No wonder I stopped posting here, people want quick 'fixes.' You can have quick, cheap, or proper; pick one.

Kimmo 

I'd have said follow the guide linked in my tag, but most folks aren't up to that, hence the WD40. What else can you do without tearing them down?

Anyway, who's prepared to pay the labour on STI overhaul? I wouldn't bother doing it for less than $75... and that seems generous. I just bought some post-2001 9spd Ergos for 40 Euro, FFS.

What do you charge?

Pff. The problem is Shimano's poxy grease, as you well know. Otherwise there'd be nothing to prompt folks to go squirting whatever in them.

I suspect you're spreading misinformation to help drum up business. I've only overhauled a few sets of STIs, but sticky grease was an issue with every one of them.

Sure, the ultra-shagged 6500s I just did required some spring tweaking too, but they still would've been improved a great deal just with lube.

eeforme

My fees are much less than $75. I have two rate schedules. $33 for one and $55 for a pair paid via PayPal. $30 for one and $50 for a pair paid by cash. Shipping is in addition to that, but even shipping around the world added to that is much cheaper than the cost of upgrading to the newer varieties. I also offer a guarantee that if my customer's ever have problems with their shifters again I will take care of it at no charge. So to answer your question on who's prepared to pay to have them overhauled? I've never counted, but I have had over a thousand customer's who want it done right so they can ride without worrying about their shifters failing during a ride. It's amazing how many people in your corner of the world have sent me shifters to repair for them. It must be worth it to them!

I agree the biggest problem is with the dried out grease, but when you wash out all the grease with WD-40 or some other such solvent it starts to cause other problems. Without any lubricant, parts start to wear and when you force them parts break. Another problem with WD-40 and most solvents is that when you saturate the rubber hoods with it, they turn to a soft mush and you'll ruin them. New hoods are harder to find and more costly than the rebuilding. The larger problem is that the WD-40 only washer out the stuff on the surface. It doesn't clean out the grit from in between the moving parts so as soon as that solvent dries out again the shifters quit working.

I have more than enough business to keep me busier than I need to be without trying to drum any up here. I repaired 12 shifters last week for example. I used to try to explain to people how to do it themselves, but most people end up losing important parts and I have to charge more to get their shifters fixed and get them back on the road again. If I spent more time on here trying to talk people through the repair process I would never have time to ride myself.

As for me spreading misinformation, that is total crap. You're entitled to your opinion, but to tell people I don't know what I'm talking about is just total ignorance. I've seen your so called rebuild guide. I know how to do it and I can't even follow your instructions. I have no idea how someone who has never done it before could ever succeed if they took them all the way apart.

You keep "helping" people by telling them to spray solvent in there and I'll keep repairing them the correct way. If I'm not doing it correctly why is my service recommended here for example: https://sheldonbrown.com/sti-repair.html You keep doing it the "Mickey Mouse" way.

eeforme

Here's an example of an email I get asking for help this morning. No way I can just make this stuff up. I could also send you an example of one where a shop told them that the plastic gears are worn out inside. I don't have to tell you that there is no plastic inside.

"Hi Jim, As you can imagine, I found your email address on Sheldon Brown's web page, which in turn I found via a Google search. I have a Shimano RSX 7-speed shifter that sticks. It's my fault, I didn't ride the bike for seven years. I took the bike to my local shop, and they sprayed a bunch of WD-40 or similar into the shifter, which now works part of the time. I was wondering if you could tear it down and get it going for me? Actually, I should probably send the pair; the other 3-speed shifter has allegedly been fixed, but I'd feel better if you would do that one also. Regards, - ****"

Kimmo 

If you weren't so nasty and condescending, perhaps you'd find folks less likely to troll you in return.

As for the quality of my guide; at least I published one. AFAIK it's the most comprehensive to date, for whatever that's worth... since you're so happy to work for chicken-feed for your thousands of customers, perhaps it's no surprise you're keen to slag it off and straw-man me.

Hmm... think I'll make a video.

eeforme

Maybe I'm just better at it and can do it much faster than you. $75 would be a rip off IMO, kind of like your nasty comment of who would pay to get them fixed. I offered free advice with absolutely zero solicitation for business in my first post. You're the one who wanted to say I was wrong. FYI I have repaired dozens of the for FREE for non-profit junior cycling development organizations, have you ever done that? Since you have no clue what I have published and what free advice I give in other forums you need to stop throwing stones. If it was so easy and your 'guide' was so good everyone would just do it themselves. Obviously it is not.

I'm out of here. Hope the rest of you have a good day.

Kimmo 

Hey look, I thought I saw you conflating some stuff and getting all dick-swingy back there, and it rubbed me the wrong way... you could seem a tad more unsurprised about that.

And because we're bumping chests, you're still at it; you know as well as I do no guide is ever going to be good enough to help everyone DIY. One or stages of reassembly are a bit of a mission, I suspect even after thousands (really?) of sets.

The $75 figure is based on two things; first, I find it hard to imagine doing a pair properly in less than three hours, and second, hourly wages here in Oz are close to double what they are in the US; I can make $30/h driving a forklift. Not that I've ever charged anyone for doing it; that's what I'd charge if I was going to do it professionally. I mostly do it just to be awesome and impress the chicks.

As for WD40 advice (completely distinct from recommending someone actually attempt a rebuild): who's telling folks to get WD40 all over the hoods rather than in the guts? Anyone who's serious about it will remove the lever assembly. And if they're going to either bin them or try WD40, what's the harm if it does result in a bit of extra wear? Total red herring there. Besides, like I said - the WD40 is going to thin out the dried-up grease, not flush it entirely away.

I hate to contradict someone As Seen On Sheldon, so I don't do it lightly - your WD40 hate is OTT, and given its proven track record of reviving dead STIs, harms your credibility.

Having said all that, I'm sure I'm not alone when I say this degree of animosity is not only undignified but also at least faintly ridiculous, and offer an olive branch by way of an apology for rubbing you the wrong way in return. Reckon you could at least agree to disagree despite your unparalleled experience?

Tell you what - in future I'll recommend following the WD40 with chain lube.

eeforme

I stand behind every thing I have stated and here are pictures to show what WD-40 does when you use it and force shifters. I have many more.

Kimmo 

Nobody's recommending anyone force their shifters. Jiggle and twiddle maybe, but not force.

I can see possible WD40 damage on the pictured hoods, but I can't see any particularly worn components there, only broken ones.

And to reiterate my point re WD40: if the choice is between throwing away the shifters and trying WD40, an increased rate of wear is completely moot.

Oldpeddaller

Hey, Kimmo & eeforme - come on guys, shake hands and make up! You are both obviously experienced and knowledgeable on this subject and speaking personally I have appreciated your sharing this with me on the Forum. As a result I'm going to have a go myself, something I now feel confident about having studied Kimmo's pictures and wouldn't have dreamed of doing before. If it goes wrong, well on the one hand they don't work at the moment anyway and on the plus side eeforme seems to offer a reasonably priced professional repair service. You are clearly true artists, hence the temperament? :-)

jtlidste

Hi guys, just another confirmation that I had the exact same issue with the shifters not engaging. I squirted plenty of GT85 in the mechs and hey ho, the problem was fixed that simply. Thanks guys, awesome

OCNYBob

Thanks for this post. I found the forum trying figure out why my RSX brifter wouldn't down shift. Bike has been hanging up for 10 years and just got back into the sport when if my brifter wouldn't bring the chain to the small sprocket. I removed the front part of the brifter, wrapped a rag around the rubber boot and tape, flushed it WD 40, blew it out with compressed air and the lubed it up with Teflon based lube. Works like a charm.

Thank you all!

Ancient Mariner

My RSX shifter works fine (left hand), but the lever doesn't return far enough for the pawl to engage the ratchet. If I push the lever all the way to the stop, it engages, and shifts perfectly. I THINK I've narrowed the problem down to a weak spring, specifically the coil spring under the front cover. Is there a way to re-tension the spring, or better, are preplacements available?