Messed up gear cable replacement
08-20-23, 02:22 AM
#1
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Thread Starter
Messed up gear cable replacement
Hi there
My shifter is a Tiagra 4700.
My rear gear cable broke so I started fitting a new one. As usual I wasn't as careful as I should have been such that I didn't have the gear in the highest gear. As a result the head of the gear cable wasn't in the correct place. The result is that the head of the gear cable is now jammed at the top of the mechanism and I am unable to get it out of the housing. I have tried pushing it through from the other side and also tried pulling at it from this side with some of my wife's crochet hooks.
I would submit a photo but it says that I need to submit 10 postings before I can do that
I have removed the bottom cover such that I can see the gear mechanism moving better but I haven't removed all the plastic covering around the shifter itself. I am a little scared to do that!
Any suggestions? I realise that had I taken more time and care in the first instance then I wouldn't be in this pickle, but that doesn't help me now! Thoughts?
One option is to take it to my local bike shop tomorrow but I am not sure quite what they would do to fix this...
Thanks in advance
Mark
My shifter is a Tiagra 4700.
My rear gear cable broke so I started fitting a new one. As usual I wasn't as careful as I should have been such that I didn't have the gear in the highest gear. As a result the head of the gear cable wasn't in the correct place. The result is that the head of the gear cable is now jammed at the top of the mechanism and I am unable to get it out of the housing. I have tried pushing it through from the other side and also tried pulling at it from this side with some of my wife's crochet hooks.
I would submit a photo but it says that I need to submit 10 postings before I can do that
I have removed the bottom cover such that I can see the gear mechanism moving better but I haven't removed all the plastic covering around the shifter itself. I am a little scared to do that!
Any suggestions? I realise that had I taken more time and care in the first instance then I wouldn't be in this pickle, but that doesn't help me now! Thoughts?
One option is to take it to my local bike shop tomorrow but I am not sure quite what they would do to fix this...
Thanks in advance
Mark
08-20-23, 06:04 AM
#2
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08-20-23, 06:39 AM
#4
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Thread Starter
I have also added a photo to my Album JohnDThompson . It doesn't show much other than the end of the gear cable being trapped up at the top of the mechanism. I have tried pushing it through from the other side as well as trying to get a hold of it from this side with something. I have also just tried using another gear cable to push it through from the other side. But no joy
It is such a stupid thing that I have done that I am trying to fix...
M
It is such a stupid thing that I have done that I am trying to fix...
M
08-20-23, 08:01 AM
#5
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I know for a fact that you are not the first to make this error. I did it with a Tiagra 4400 and ruined it trying to get it out. I did it again with a different Shimano shifter, which I was able to remove without damage. That has been a number of years ago. Not sure exactly what I did, but, I know it involved a thin pick and a pair of hemostats. I think the tip of the pick was small enough to work it sort of onto the side of the cable end facing the entrance slot, allowing backing it out just a bit, then the hemostats were thin enough, with a strong enough clamp, to grab it and pull it out.
08-20-23, 11:21 PM
#6
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Eons ago, I used to make tiny punched for jobs like this out of sewing machine needles.
They're exceptionally strong and stiff, and perfectly suited as punches. However, be sure to wear eye protection as they're also prone to shattering if you're not careful.
They're exceptionally strong and stiff, and perfectly suited as punches. However, be sure to wear eye protection as they're also prone to shattering if you're not careful.
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08-21-23, 08:36 AM
#8
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Thread Starter
Thanks all..My LBS didn't want to know. Just said that it would take him ages and he didn't really fiddle with Shimano shifters. So I will continue to fiddle using a broken bike spoke that he gave me..
m
m
08-21-23, 09:20 AM
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Get a cheap set of dental picks from Amazon / eBay / Ali Express - they're useful for lots of small jobs and will probably work better than a spoke in this situation, but keep the spoke because they're useful too.
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08-21-23, 09:24 AM
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08-21-23, 09:24 AM
#11
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Thanks. The head of the cable looks to be completely.jammed in. Have tried using my wife's smallest crotchet hook as well as making something from a clothes peg spring. My plan with the bike spoke is to push it through from the other side. At this rate I'll be buying another shifter 😓. I am a bit grumpy about this as I was saving up for a bike computer.
08-21-23, 09:35 AM
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I recently had a 105 cable break three strands inside the shifter, and found that removing the shifter from the bike and
accessing the works by removal of the plastic cover held on by a single screw on the underside of the shifter. This made
getting the inner works of the shifter so the head was in the most accessible position and prying it loose. It also facilitates
removing the hood from the exterior of the shifter, which also made getting at the works easier.
accessing the works by removal of the plastic cover held on by a single screw on the underside of the shifter. This made
getting the inner works of the shifter so the head was in the most accessible position and prying it loose. It also facilitates
removing the hood from the exterior of the shifter, which also made getting at the works easier.
Last edited by sch; 08-21-23 at 09:40 AM.
08-21-23, 09:37 AM
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Pic assist:
08-21-23, 05:16 PM
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Not much. All I can deduce is that you somehow buggered the head of the cable inside the shift barrel.
Here's what to do. Shift to the loosest cable position (as if going to the smallest cog) and push that old cable out completely. I don't know how bad it is, but you'll never know until you remove it. Then assess the damage. Can you use that cable? Probably not. Cycle the lever through a few shift cycles to make sure it works properly. Then shift back to the looses position and thread a new cable in. You might have to put a mild bend in it so it can follow the radius of the barrel. And don't try to insert it into the housing on the first time--observe where it exits the shifter. Pull it snug, then cycle through the shift notches. Confirm that it is pulling and releasing cable as expected. If it isn't, start over. Only insert into the housing after you've confirmed its in the shifter and pulling and releasing correctly.
Here's what to do. Shift to the loosest cable position (as if going to the smallest cog) and push that old cable out completely. I don't know how bad it is, but you'll never know until you remove it. Then assess the damage. Can you use that cable? Probably not. Cycle the lever through a few shift cycles to make sure it works properly. Then shift back to the looses position and thread a new cable in. You might have to put a mild bend in it so it can follow the radius of the barrel. And don't try to insert it into the housing on the first time--observe where it exits the shifter. Pull it snug, then cycle through the shift notches. Confirm that it is pulling and releasing cable as expected. If it isn't, start over. Only insert into the housing after you've confirmed its in the shifter and pulling and releasing correctly.
08-21-23, 05:37 PM
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Is it cable removal? If so I remember something like this happened to a throttle cable on an US Army Gamma-Goat. One of our guys tediously picked apart the cable by slowly unwinding it eventually pulling the cable strands out one at a time.
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08-21-23, 06:04 PM
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That's what we do when somebody uses it so long that if unravels inside the shifter. A pick, a needle-nose pliers, and sometimes tweezers and a mirror will help.
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08-22-23, 12:10 AM
#17
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Not much. All I can deduce is that you somehow buggered the head of the cable inside the shift barrel.
Here's what to do. Shift to the loosest cable position (as if going to the smallest cog) and push that old cable out completely. I don't know how bad it is, but you'll never know until you remove it. Then assess the damage. Can you use that cable? Probably not. Cycle the lever through a few shift cycles to make sure it works properly. Then shift back to the looses position and thread a new cable in. You might have to put a mild bend in it so it can follow the radius of the barrel. And don't try to insert it into the housing on the first time--observe where it exits the shifter. Pull it snug, then cycle through the shift notches. Confirm that it is pulling and releasing cable as expected. If it isn't, start over. Only insert into the housing after you've confirmed its in the shifter and pulling and releasing correctly.
Here's what to do. Shift to the loosest cable position (as if going to the smallest cog) and push that old cable out completely. I don't know how bad it is, but you'll never know until you remove it. Then assess the damage. Can you use that cable? Probably not. Cycle the lever through a few shift cycles to make sure it works properly. Then shift back to the looses position and thread a new cable in. You might have to put a mild bend in it so it can follow the radius of the barrel. And don't try to insert it into the housing on the first time--observe where it exits the shifter. Pull it snug, then cycle through the shift notches. Confirm that it is pulling and releasing cable as expected. If it isn't, start over. Only insert into the housing after you've confirmed its in the shifter and pulling and releasing correctly.
08-22-23, 05:34 AM
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When we do this "procedure " in the bike shop we automatically replace the other cable as well. Preventative Maintenance!
08-22-23, 08:18 AM
#19
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Finally managed to get the head of the cable out. A friend helped whose wife was a nurse so she had some old surgical instruments that were just the ticket. I am so happy to have got this out but I can't quite face doing this again right now. So I will wait for a friend to get back from his hols to make sure I don't mess this up again!
Thanks all for your suggestions. I am new to this forum but I will be using it again in future, I think!
Mark
Thanks all for your suggestions. I am new to this forum but I will be using it again in future, I think!
Mark
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08-22-23, 10:18 AM
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Really, there are no short cuts or "secrets" to fishing out a buggered cable. Persistence, a pick,and maybe some penetrating oil.
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