Left hand lever stiff

[Fifelad]

I put a new front derailleur gear cable in today, which involved a lot of swearing as it was internal routing; anyhoo, the gear lever prior to changing the cable felt a bit stiff, but more so after, which made me think the changing of the cable is somehow connected to the problem. The front derailleur is changing fine. When the cable is disconnected, the lever is smooth. The cable is routed correctly. Ideas ?

 

[fossyant]

Does the cable move freely if you pull it (disconnect from mech and lever if poss).

 

[Cycleops]

How old are the outers? Might be they could do with changing too, not a fun job but could be the reason. Otherwise look for any sharp bends that might be causing it. Also look at the operation of the mech itself with the cable detached.

 

[iluvmybike]

See how easily the front derailleur moves without the cable attached. Corrosion around the pivots can make them hard to shift even with a brand new cable