Dismantling Shimano Rapidfire shifters

[Andy in Germany]

Has anyone any experience of trying to open Rapidfire shifters just enough to get at jammed up parts to get them moving again?

I know that they reputedly have a tendency to spring apart when opened completely, but I have heard rumours that if you carefully open them a bit, it is possible to get at the pawls in the mechanism to move them back and forth to get them working again.

Has anyone tried this? and is there a method to it?

It'd be a pity to throw perfectly good parts away if the grease is simply a bit bunged up.

 

[Illaveago]

Has anyone any experience of trying to open Rapidfire shifters just enough to get at jammed up parts to get them moving again?

I know that they reputedly have a tendency to spring apart when opened completely, but I have heard rumours that if you carefully open them a bit, it is possible to get at the pawls in the mechanism to move them back and forth to get them working again.

Has anyone tried this? and is there a method to it?

It'd be a pity to throw perfectly good parts away if the grease is simply a bit bunged up.

I might have . Have you got a picture of them just to make sure ?

 

[raleighnut]

Are they flat bar levers and if so do they have the cover on top that you need to remove to change the gear cable. If so then that cover gives access to most of the gubbins in order to free them off.

 

[Illaveago]

Are they XTS rc shifters if so I have takennthem apart ?

 

[Illaveago]

I found it is best to take it slowly and carefully when removing the plastic covers. I discovered that they have hidden a small screw which prevents you from removing the rest of the body. Once the screws are removed you should be able tongain access to the mechanism which tends to gum up .

 

[classic33]

Any use?

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AKLejn7f_Po

 

[Yellow Saddle]

There's no need to take them apart. Just open the lid and spray with copious amount of your favourite spray oil stuff until it works again.

 

[Levo-Lon]

There's no need to take them apart. Just open the lid and spray with copious amount of your favourite spray oil stuff until it works again.

That's all I do when they get mud and gritt in them

 

[Milkfloat]

There's no need to take them apart. Just open the lid and spray with copious amount of your favourite spray oil stuff until it works again.

This worked for about 15 years on my commuter, until one day it did not. The subsequent ham-fisted repair meant I knackered the plastic teeth inside and I had to buy a new shifter. However, I think 19 years was a pretty good innings. The front shifter is still going strong

 

[Blue Hills]

Are they flat bar levers and if so do they have the cover on top that you need to remove to change the gear cable. If so then that cover gives access to most of the gubbins in order to free them off.

Andy in Germany if like these you should be sorted.

I had some seven speed rapidfires with the cover on which jammed up totally after years of neglect.

I undid the small screw/s on top and squirted a load of GT85 or similar in and all then worked perfectly. No need to take any of the mechanism apart at all. In fact I'm pretty sure that if you tried that it would be curtains. A while later I came across someone while touring whose bike shop attended to his rapidfires every year with some mysterious process. Pretty sure it was this simple bit of bike DIY.

The bad news is that if it is that type.

1: Be very careful not to lose the tiddly screw/s - I would advise doing the job inside where you have a fighting chance of retrieving a dropped screw.

2: It is possible that if not careful you could round off the screw or wreck the bit it screws into so be careful - after I eventually trashed my screw mount I had to use some duct tape to help keep the cover in place. Still, the shifter lasted over 15 years so can't complain.

I have some higher quality Shimano shifters where new cables are fed through a hole in the body with no need to remove a cover and lubing/freeing those may be more problematical. I have had one pair 15 years and did peer at them but then decided not to bother, on advice from others, as they are still working perfectly.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Andy in Germany if like these you should be sorted.

I had some seven speed rapidfires with the cover on which jammed up totally after years of neglect.

I undid the small screw/s on top and squirted a load of GT85 or similar in and all then worked perfectly. No need to take any of the mechanism apart at all. In fact I'm pretty sure that if you tried that it would be curtains. A while later I came across someone while touring whose bike shop attended to his rapidfires every year with some mysterious process. Pretty sure it was this simple bit of bike DIY.

The bad news is that if it is that type.

1: Be very careful not to lose the tiddly screw/s - I would advise doing the job inside where you have a fighting chance of retrieving a dropped screw.

2: It is possible that if not careful you could round off the screw or wreck the bit it screws into so be careful - after I eventually trashed my screw mount I had to use some duct tape to help keep the cover in place. Still, the shifter lasted over 15 years so can't complain.

I have some higher quality Shimano shifters where new cables are fed through a hole in the body with no need to remove a cover and lubing/freeing those may be more problematical. I have had one pair 15 years and did peer at them but then decided not to bother, on advice from others, as they are still working perfectly.

Very good advice that. Those screws are proprietary and not replaceable with something from a hardware shop. Also, they have JIS (semi) Philips heads which are very easily destroyed by standard Philips or Pozi screwdrivers. Ideally you need JIS but...

 

[DCBassman]

Very good advice that. Those screws are proprietary and not replaceable with something from a hardware shop. Also, they have JIS (semi) Philips heads which are very easily destroyed by standard Philips or Pozi screwdrivers. Ideally you need JIS but...

I used the tiny crosshead drivers from my venerable Victorinox Cybertool 34 knife. I kept a magnet handy too!

 

[raleighnut]

I've a set of 'model makers' screwdrivers.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I've a set of 'model makers' screwdrivers.

I've a set of those too. Looks like they'll have another use. Again.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I've a set of 'model makers' screwdrivers.

I've a set of those too. Looks like they'll have another use. Again.

Yes but are they JIS or plain old plain old?