shimano 300lx

[gazintoon]

hi, i am now and wanted to see if anyone could help me. I have a diamond back topanga MTB which i use for bobbing around in town and it has shimano 300lx front (triple) and rear gearing with the added complication of integrated STI shifters/brakes. My issue is they are not working properly and i wanted to try and repair or replace them. not sure if the problem is with the shifters or the gears??

anyone got any ideas? is it worth trying to fix or am i better to get rid and buy a different run around??

 

[dan_bo]

When you say not working properly. How so?

Are the brakes OK or is it not shifting properly?. How has the bike been maintained in the past?

 

[Browser]

Whereabouts in the world are you? There might be a member nearby who'd be willing to lend a hand.

 

[gazintoon]

they work most of the time but they are really stiff and sometimes dont shift down/up as needed. They stick and i have to go back and then shift twice, this often gets it. i suspect it is the shifters as they are old? i had the bike serviced a year ago but they couldn't tune things only suggest a replacement.

hence my question as to whether i can get a replacement set and from where? or alternative gear set that would work and perhaps update ?

thanks for the replies so far

 

[gazintoon]

west london

 

[John the Monkey]

Is it the levers that are sticking, or the gear change?

(I.e., do you push the lever, and nothing happens, or can you not push the lever?)

 

[Steve Austin]

You won't get replacement 300lx components. they must be at least 15 years old. and if the rest of the bike is that old, then you could lots of compatibility problems.

the first thing to try replacing is the cables. inner and outer.
squirt wd40 inside the shifters.
spot of oil on the front rear mechs

Follow the Park Tool Guide if you're not sure how

 

[John the Monkey]

FWIW, I upgraded Mrs Monkey's bike (Shimano 200CX originally). Acera STi levers and V-brakes went on with new gear and brake cables - the original 7 speed derailleurs, chainset and freewheel work great with them.

 

[gazintoon]

thanks everyone for the replies and advice. I will try the sti's as suggested and see if they work, otherwise will ditch the bike and get something else perhaps

regards
Gaz

 

[Globalti]

Take the advice and replace the cables, the shifters will work fine for years but the cables need replacing every year at least to maintain the best performance. The curved bit of cable round to the rear derailleur should be replaced every six months. Go to a good bike shop and buy a couple of metres of cable outer, two gear cables, a handful of plastic end ferrules and some aluminium end caps. A good investment would be a cable cutter, otherwise the shop might agree to cut the lengths of outer to match those on your bike. It will be the best few quid you've ever spent because your bike will feel like new.