Lubricating STI shifters

[Blott's Mate]

I have just bought the loveliest R600 Cannondale bike off ebay. It is spotless & the general view fm clubmates on today's ride is that it has barely been ridden.

I have been riding an ancient steel Peugeot which is too big for me but I love to pieces and did the L2P on it which turned me fm a runner into a cyclist. Sadly everything is failing on the Peugeot which is why I have replaced it.

The Cannondale is heavenly.Picked up yesterday, first ride today. Hills what hills? Effortless. One big BUT is that the inner r hand shifter ( to move to a higher gear) is stiff & towards the end of the ride I had to hold the brake lever in place and put big pressure on the inner shifter to move into higher gears or both levers would move inwards. Intermittently it was ok. My question is should I lubricate it & if yes would a drizzle of Teflon dry chain lube be the thing to do? The shifter is a Shimano 105 with a flight deck computer thingy which is a mystery to me even after attempting to read the instruction book.

 

[numbnuts]

I spray mine with WD40 it seems to work for me

 

[jayce]

dont use wd40 use dry lube ,,finish or something like that i dont use wd40 on anything to do with the bike .If you got chain lube that will be fine have a peek inside of the shifter to see if its cloged and lube the cable put it on top cog on rear then click the shifter all the way until it stops clicking then the cable should be slack then lube the inner. Also check the h and l on the mech it might need readjusting

 

[Steve Austin]

what 'dry lube' do you use Jayce?

I give mine a squirt with WD40, and then squirt a little 3in1 oil in there. keeps them running smoothly IME

 

[jags]

if you disconnect the cable from the rear mech,no big deal. now try the sti leaver is it still stiff ,or is it nice and free.if it's stiff spray with a good penatrating oil and leave for a couple hours let the oil do its work.also spray some oil into the outer cable housings ,and rear mech.hopefully this will work if not it's a trip to the bike shop.

 

[Blott's Mate]

Have drizzled Finish dry lube onto shifter. Pretty sure it is a shifter problem. will leave it for a couple of hours & report back

 

[Dave5N]

GT85 or similar is fine inside.

 

[Dave5N]

WD40 or GT85, use some pipecleaners top clean.

That's a good idea. I have been known to use cotton buds on bikes. Pipecleaners sound great.

 

[jayce]

i use light oil or finish dry lube never wd40 its not good it holds dirt and becomes dirty after a short while and its not a good penitrator for cables it dries up

 

[Blott's Mate]

Lubrication hasn't helped. For some strange reason the gear wires cross under the bike. The r shifter cable crosses & is attached to the left of the main tube & vice versa the r one which means they cross over & rub lower down the tube.

I hadn't noticed but it was pointed out by the knowledgable 17yo at the cafe stop on today's ride. Presumably that will affect the gear shifter? The gear shifter worked fine when I tested the bike & for the first 10miles. Has me totally foxed. Have dropped it off at the knowledgable 17yo's to change the cables round as it needs doing & if the gear shifter still doesn't work I can go back to fretting about that.

Thanks for all the advice

 

[jags]

give that lad a tip ,safely say he solved your problem.

 

[Domestique]

For plastic against plastic/metal you need a silicone spray, something like this
http://www.choiceful.com/choiceful-id-102028-3-in-1-Silicone-Spray-Lubricant-400ml.html

wd40 etc will attract dirt to stick to the parts you dont want it to

 

[Blott's Mate]

Nope straightening the wires hasn't helped. Knowledgable 17yo degreased the front part of the shifter overnight & used " something better" to lube it. No better poss sl worse.

Phoned LBS.Apparently crossing the wires is acceptable. Will get bike there. 17yo reckons I need a new unit. Bum.