CoogansBluff

My right shifter wasn't catching (working) when trying to go into smaller cogs yesterday. I'm going to spray some degreaser in there to clean it out, but what should I use to lubricate it? Does chain lube work? Or is there something better? A bike shop guy told me he uses Muc - Off spray, but that's not a lube, right? That's just to keep water out. I might need to call him to clarify.

Steelman54 

What kind of shifter? Shimano brake lever style, downtube shifter? If brake lever style spraying degreaser isn't usually done, I'd look for a frayed shifter cable.

CoogansBluff

;It's Shimano Tiagra ST-4700-L 2x

CoogansBluff

FYI, I can get it back to shifting, but I don't think it's going to hold for long.

coupster

The first half of this thread is relevant to your situation, the second not so much.

Lubrication port on Shimano Dura Ace 7800 integrated shift lever? - Bike Forums

You don't really explain 'not catching'. It could be dried up grease or a frayed cabled or kinked housing. Try clean & lube first. Cabling issues are a completely different can of worms

CoogansBluff

When I move the lever to go down into a smaller cog, there is not sound. It just moves from right to left. I can move to a bigger cog, that lever works, but not down to a lower one. I adjusted it on the ride, moving it back and forth (not while riding, but while stopped), and it started working, and I finished the ride without incident. And today I cleaned w/ degreaser, but not sure what lube to use, whether chain lube is OK. I'm about to go ride again and see if things have cleared up.

Thanks for link. I'll read up.

Jack Tone 

On my old brifters that did the same thing, I turned the bike upside down and flushed with WD 40 till it shifted fine. Then I lubed with TriFlow. Chain lube might be a little too sticky, depending on the type.

MidTNBrad

RCMoeur 

RJ may get all the video hits for his easy fix, but flushing / flooding a shifter or brifter is often only a temporary solution which softens the original grease for a while - until it resolidifies and the problem recurs.

I've degummed dozens of shifters and brifters using an ultrasonic cleaner. Sometimes it takes many passes to get the old crud out of there, and sometimes it's just too far gone to save. But my long term success rate is rather high. I just did nearly a dozen in the past week from donated bikes.

The drawback is you have to take the shifter or brifter completely off the bars, which means pulling cables and rewrapping bars. For some people, it's not worth the effort, so they periodically flush with solvent. Most of the bikes I work on are likely to go to riders who aren't mechanically-inclined, so I prefer a more labor-intensive but permanent solution.

curbtender

I've had good luck with Triflow after a flush.

Silver02M5

Flush with any spray solvent (original WD-40 actually does work great) while working over and over, then spray in grease. I use spray white lithium, but others are likely just as good.