Left Tiagra 4600 shifter goosed??

[pfm401]

All

I'd appreciate a bit of advice here! On a ride this evening the left shifter (Tiagra 4600 triple) stopped "clicking" into indexed positions. It's on the smallest chain ring; if you push right and hold whilst pedalling it moves to the middle chain ring but no "click"; if you let go it shifts back down to the smallest chain ring. I can't push it further than the middle chain ring. To check it's not the cable, I undid the cable, and no "click" without the cable attached.

Goosed or simple fix? I had a quick look for replacements and they're not exactly cheap!!!!

Any advice appreciated!!

Thanks, Paul.

 

[themosquitoking]

Check the cable isn't fraying inside the shifter or anywhere else.

 

[raleighnut]

A good squirt of oil might free off the detents as long as you've eliminated the frayed cable.

 

[pfm401]

Cheers guys! The cable is quite new; I've checked it and no fraying ends. I sprayed GT85 in there very liberally which has helped; it sticks in the shifted position now but still no "click". I reconnected the cable and it shifts horribly; no "click" shifting from small to middle or middle to top (at least it engages!!) and clunky at best dropping back down. At worst it drops from top to bottom position with one click down (on the shifter as well as the derailleur).

Part of the above is obviously because I haven't adjusted the cable when I refitted it but surely it shouldn't move from largest to smallest chainring (it's a triple) in one click down??

Rightly or wrongly I'm giving up and going to the LBS! Thanks for your help.

Paul.

 

[ianrauk]

What ever the Shimano shifter, it always seem to be the left one that goes. I have had both 105 and Ultegra left shifters go.

 

[pfm401]

It's done 11,000 miles and is 3.5 years old if that helps - no idea if that's good or not!

 

[Ajax Bay]

It's done 11,000 miles and is 3.5 years old if that helps - no idea if that's good or not!

I'd say 11,000 miles was pretty good. Probably less than the MTBF but nonetheless. If it can be fixed a decent LBS will know how. Otherwise, any triple STI should be effective, but cosmetically/aesthetically I guess you'd want to find one to match your RH STI.

it always seem to be the left one that goes.

Just to add, the cable tension and changing force (changing up) on the LH STI is greater (than on the RD/right hand STI) because of the poorer leverage angles of the FD's clamp arm (behind the seat tube, down pull) and the 'clunk' when one drops to a smaller chainring (further than the lateral distance between adjacent sprockets). Think about a plot of the cable tension against time when such a change is made. And then extrapolate that a thousand-fold for 1000s of miles of changes and the step changes in cable tension at the detents in the STI.

 

[si_c]

Sounds to me like a new left shifter.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

What ever the Shimano shifter, it always seem to be the left one that goes. I have had both 105 and Ultegra left shifters go.

you’d think it would be the other way round, although perhaps moving from small ring to big puts greater strain on the shifter...

 

[Ajax Bay]

you’d think it would be the other way round,

Did you read my post?

 

[pfm401]

Update: LBS reconnected the cable and it shifted ok, but when I collected it it was shifting down 2 at a time and not engaging when moving from small to middle. LBS blamed old grease or pawl damage and to try it for a bit to see if the GT85 loosens it.

200 miles and half a can of GT85 later and no joy - so I'm giving up! As I also need a new crankset soon, it's not much dearer at the minute to replace the whole groupset as to replace the left shifter and crankset (admittedly moving to compact) so that's my plan.

Thanks for the help.

Paul.