Ultegra 6800 Shifter

[Colin S]

Hello there.

My rear shifter has stopped working.
The gears stopped changing properly last ride out, it wouldn't go into the small sprockets. When I got home I tried to run it up and down the cassette and the lever was very stiff. I forced it and the cable snapped.

I assumed the cable had been the problem but now on replacing the cable the shifter will not pull any cable.
As far as I can see the lever is not pulling any cable at all, where the cable goes in is not moving and the lever will only click (as if to change to easier gear) 1ce or 2ce.

Any ideas if this is something simple as the lever itself doesn't seem to be serviceable.

TIA

C

 

[HLaB]

It could be the frayed cable end is still in there (I've had to unscrew the side panels on my shifter a few times to get at it or you never fed the cable through the right hole with the lever pushed so as its in the smallest spocket, Ive been guilty of that in the past

 

[iluvmybike]

When they break like that you can get strands of wire jammed in the mechanism - you need to get these out fully for it to operate again. It is best to take the lever off the bike so you can have a really good look at it and fish them out

 

[Globalti]

You can isolate the problem by working backwards from the rear derailleur. Unclamp the cable and check:

Does the RD move in and out freely?

Pulling the end of the cable, what happens when you shift?

Pulling the cable where it enters the front length of cable outer going to the shifter, what happens when you shift?

Pulling the cable directly from the shifter itself while operating the lever, what happens?

 

[Colin S]

You can isolate the problem by working backwards from the rear derailleur. Unclamp the cable and check:

Does the RD move in and out freely?

Pulling the end of the cable, what happens when you shift?

Pulling the cable where it enters the front length of cable outer going to the shifter, what happens when you shift?

Pulling the cable directly from the shifter itself while operating the lever, what happens?

Thanks for the suggestions

The old cable was snapped as in my previous post.
I have not yet re-attached the RD as the lever isn't pulling any cable at the lever.
I think Hlab and iluvmybike are probably on the right lines and that there may be some bits of cable left in the lever.
I am going to have a proper investigate later today

C

 

[Heigue'r]

Bets also on frayed cable end skill in there.It can be a right pig to get out,lots of f'ing and blinding involved.Same as above,had to unscrew the side/underside of the lever to get anywhere.Also if I was dealing with it again,I would first completely pull the rubber hood out of the way,Trying to peel just enough back to get where you want to be is not a good idea and leads to even more frustration

 

[Globalti]

Do that indoors so the rubber is more flexible in the warmth.

 

[Colin S]

Thanks for your replies

It was indeed the end of the old cable. I should have noticed the new cable hadn't gone in properly but hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Managed to get to a few strands of the old cable (about 1 cm of frayed cable still attached to the nipple) and with a bit of pulling I eventually removed the offending bit of cable and the nipple. Lovely free clicks now so sure all will be well when I re-install the new cable.


C