Shimano 105 Front shifter adjustment/repair

Gyck

Hi,

I’m looking for advice on servicing a Shimano 105 STI 10 speed front shifter. I’ve had a look at it myself but so far have had no success. I tried one bike shop so far but they wouldn’t touch it. Does anyone have any recommendations on a shop that services 105’s?
Just as any FYI the shifter won’t work going either up or down.

Thanks.

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Not sure why the bike shop wouldn't touch it.

Try Kieran in Square Wheel Cycles on Temple lane, he seems to be able to turn his hand to anything.

Gyck

Thanks!

I should mention that I'm located in Ballinteer, so any recommendaitons on southside shops would be great, otherwise I'll be taking a trip into Square Wheel Cycles.

AstraMonti

Where are ye based? I left mine (105 as well) in Joe Dally few days ago for a service.

Gyck

I left mine (105 as well) in Joe Dally few days ago for a service

That's where I tried...
In fairness the lads in there did have a look but from the start said that there was not much that they could do, so I can't fault their service.

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Gyck wrote: »

That's where I tried...
In fairness the lads in there did have a look but from the start said that there was not much that they could do, so I can't fault their service.

Did they say why not?

Chips Lovell

Shimano shifter aren't rebuildable, which means if its broken or if a part needs to be replaced, you are fresh out of luck and have to buy a new one.

Having said that, you should check if the shifter isn't gunked up with mud or the like. A blast of WD40 might fix it. The other thing to check is cabling, to make sure something isn't obstructing the cable movement. I was bamboozled once by an Ultegra shifter that wasn't moving and found that the cable end wasn't seated in its slot properly.

Gyck

Did they say why not?

No, they just seemed reluctant to go beyond the basic adjustments.

I hope it's not broken, the shifter is pretty new and hasn't been knocked around. I've read varying reports on the 105s and their durability.

A blast of WD40 might fix it.

I've also tried the wd40 trick, no luck so far.

Explosive_Cornflake

I broke my front shifter awhile ago, 105 also. Came down in ice and landed on it, I think it went back to far and snapped something. Ended up getting a new set for €120 or something. It was a disappointment as they were only on the bike about 3 weeks at the time.

Gyck

Ended up getting a new set for €120 or something.

That's the worrying me, I don't fancy having to fork out that much money for a problem with one part of one component. I guess if I can't get it sorted then I can always look at ebay.
As it stands I'll try Hollingsworths in Kilmacud to begin with before heading into some of the places in town.

bcmf

I dismantled my Ultegra a few weeks back.Same problem as yours .Felt like it was seized.Turns out the cable had dislodged and got jammed.Wasnt easy and a lot of PATIENCE was required.

kenmc

Gyck wrote: »

That's the worrying me, I don't fancy having to fork out that much money for a problem with one part of one component. I guess if I can't get it sorted then I can always look at ebay.
As it stands I'll try Hollingsworths in Kilmacud to begin with before heading into some of the places in town.

Not sure I'd trust them to do a brifter rebuild to be honest.
If it's reasonably new, and not crashed, surely it's a candidate for a warrenty replacement?

bcmf

If its your front shifter are you sure that the cable hasnt come loose on the mech itself.If your lever is moving side to side the (from my understanding of the mechanicals) either 1 of 2 things has happened.
1. The cable has come apart in the shifter and will need to be replaced,Easy enough job
2. The cable has slipped from the front mech and just needs to be undone,redone and retightened.

If your lever isnt moving from side to side then more then likely something has got jammed in the internal workings of the lever.
The lever works on a fairly easy mechanism of barrel and ratchet/teeth.

damoz

Not sure if i can resurrect a thread - if not feel free to lock it.

I have a problem with the left shifter on Shimano 105 STI. It wont shift the front derailleur onto the big ring. It will move it, but wont hold it there. The problem came on yesterday and is not a result of any damage or crash.

Anyone come across this before ? Looks like the ratchet is broken. Ive heard its quite common failure on these.

I am looking to go the warranty return route with CRC (bike bought 11 months ago) - so will see how that goes. Trouble is i need the bike for commuting and sportives in the next few weeks so i dont want to stuck in the small ring for ages - good for cadence, but not so good for speed.

Chips Lovell

damoz wrote: »

Not sure if i can resurrect a thread - if not feel free to lock it.

I have a problem with the left shifter on Shimano 105 STI. It wont shift the front derailleur onto the big ring. It will move it, but wont hold it there. The problem came on yesterday and is not a result of any damage or crash.

First thing's first, are you sure that the cable hasn't just stretched?

Bikerbhoy

In fairness Dave fixed a 105 shifter for me before so he is well capable or repairing them so maybe yours is just bunched

damoz

Bikerbhoy wrote: »

In fairness Dave fixed a 105 shifter for me before so he is well capable or repairing them so maybe yours is just bunched

Whos Dave?

Chips Lovell

damoz wrote: »

Whos Dave?

Dave in Joe Daly's. He's referring to the earlier part of the thread, from last year.

damoz

el tonto wrote: »

First thing's first, are you sure that the cable hasn't just stretched?

Pretty sure - only 1000 km or so on the bike. Showed in to the LBS and they reckon it is a very common failing on the STI 5600 models. They said they returned 7/8 of them so far. I will give it another look later and maybe tighten the cable a tad and see.

Still waiting for CRC to reply so will see what they say - if its that common, they must have a load of returns given the amout of bikes they sell compared with a LBS.

Chips Lovell

damoz wrote: »

Pretty sure - only 1000 km or so on the bike. Showed in to the LBS and they reckon it is a very common failing on the STI 5600 models. They said they returned 7/8 of them so far. I will give it another look later and maybe tighten the cable a tad and see.

Cables usually stretch when new, so if were to happen, it would occur in the first 1,000km.

damoz

el tonto wrote: »

Cables usually stretch when new, so if were to happen, it would occur in the first 1,000km.

Ok ill take a look at it. Is it just a matter of loosening it at the derailleur, pulling it a bit tighter and re-tightening. I am hoping to cycle about 90km in an hour or so, so id rather have a functioning front derailleur if possible !

Chips Lovell

damoz wrote: »

Ok ill take a look at it. Is it just a matter of loosening it at the derailleur, pulling it a bit tighter and re-tightening. I am hoping to cycle about 90km in an hour or so, so id rather have a functioning front derailleur if possible !

Pretty much. Just make sure you do it when it's shifted into the small ring. I'd usually use a pliars to hold the cable tight while tightening the bolt.

damoz

el tonto wrote: »

Pretty much. Just make sure you do it when it's shifted into the small ring. I'd usually use a pliars to hold the cable tight while tightening the bolt.

Ill give it a go. I dont have any tools at work other than a multitool. Ill see what the tension is like in the small ring and it i can tighten it manually - dont want to make it worse. Will report back on findings tomorrow ! Cheers for the advice.

Chips Lovell

damoz wrote: »

Ill give it a go. I dont have any tools at work other than a multitool. Ill see what the tension is like in the small ring and it i can tighten it manually - dont want to make it worse. Will report back on findings tomorrow ! Cheers for the advice.

One more thing, a lot of bikes have a barrell adjuster on the downtube and if you have one, you might get it tight enough just by adjusting that.

garo

damoz wrote: »

I am hoping to cycle about 90km in an hour or so, so id rather have a functioning front derailleur if possible !

90km in an hour? Boy you sure planning to go fast.

Turbulent Bill

damoz wrote: »

Pretty sure - only 1000 km or so on the bike. Showed in to the LBS and they reckon it is a very common failing on the STI 5600 models. They said they returned 7/8 of them so far. I will give it another look later and maybe tighten the cable a tad and see.

Still waiting for CRC to reply so will see what they say - if its that common, they must have a load of returns given the amout of bikes they sell compared with a LBS.

Be very careful with this - I've a colleague with the same shifter who broke it on a new bike as the cable tension was excessive when delivered by his LBS. From what I understand the ratchet mechanism is quite weak, hence it's easy to break if not setup correctly. His LBS eventually replaced it for free (after a lot of arguing).

I also have the same FD model (I think), never really been happy with the front shifting. Bike is due for a service anyway so I'll have it seen to then.

FYI, Shimano have lots of instruction sheets on their tech site.

Bikerbhoy

damoz wrote: »

I am hoping to cycle about 90km in an hour or so, so id rather have a functioning front derailleur if possible !

W T F ... 90 k in an hour .... fair play ..????

Joxer_S

On the subject, I went over the handlebars recently, and given the previous posts here I think I was lucky to come away with just cosmetic damage to the shifters (and myself).

When I went to replace the shifter caps the shop were only able to order me either a black or silver pair, when what came on the bike (Trek 2.1 2010) were kind of a silvery metallic pewter colour. He said to me that it must have been some kind of a limited run etc. and thats why they didn't stock them as spares.

This is relatively trivial but would be great if anyone could shed some light on it

damoz

Bikerbhoy wrote: »

W T F ... 90 k in an hour .... fair play ..????

For clarity - i intend to cycle a 90km journey, starting in an hours time. Better?

FWIW - it was only 82km. I looked the the cable tension etc and it did not fix the issue. The derailleur is travelling the full way over to the large ring but wont engage and stay there. So im pretty convinced the shifter is banjaxed.

Still waiting on CRC to reply re: warranty.

damoz

Ok CRC replied - predictably they want to get the shifter returned to verify the fault.

Anyone know how to remove it or a link to it? I have the Zinn book so im sure its covered in that. Will i have to remove the hood and bar tape etc to get it off. Bummer.

Will i be able to use the bike without it - obviously i can use it as a 10 speed, but more concerned about running with just one set of brakes.

tyler71

Zinn Chapter 5 walks you through it - I had the exact same problem last year with a 105 left shifter and got one off Ebay for about 30EU. You have to strip the tape below the bars, and have to remove both the gear and brake cable - I had to replace both cables as the ends were slightly frayed and wouldn't thread through the external housings again, but that was something that needed doing anyway, but I did have to invest in a pair of proper cable cutters to make sure it didn't happen again - and buy some more of those little end caps.
Threading the gear cable through the shifter at the start is a complete bitch, there must be a trick to it, but I don't know it, so just give yourself plenty of time to get it done. After that it's grand, retune the gears and re-wrap the tape - maybe take the opportunity to get some Euro rules compliant Cinelli white tape while you're at it

damoz

tyler71 wrote: »

Zinn Chapter 5 walks you through it - I had the exact same problem last year with a 105 left shifter and got one off Ebay for about 30EU. You have to strip the tape below the bars, and have to remove both the gear and brake cable - I had to replace both cables as the ends were slightly frayed and wouldn't thread through the external housings again, but that was something that needed doing anyway, but I did have to invest in a pair of proper cable cutters to make sure it didn't happen again - and buy some more of those little end caps.
Threading the gear cable through the shifter at the start is a complete bitch, there must be a trick to it, but I don't know it, so just give yourself plenty of time to get it done. After that it's grand, retune the gears and re-wrap the tape - maybe take the opportunity to get some Euro rules compliant Cinelli white tape while you're at it

Thanks for the tip. Ill tackle this over the weekend.

Anyone know if id be ok to use the bike sans left shifter and brake on spins and a sportive - apart from looking like a tool would it be dangerous ?

Jumpy

damoz wrote: »

Not sure if i can resurrect a thread - if not feel free to lock it.

I have a problem with the left shifter on Shimano 105 STI. It wont shift the front derailleur onto the big ring. It will move it, but wont hold it there. The problem came on yesterday and is not a result of any damage or crash.

Anyone come across this before ? Looks like the ratchet is broken. Ive heard its quite common failure on these.

I am looking to go the warranty return route with CRC (bike bought 11 months ago) - so will see how that goes. Trouble is i need the bike for commuting and sportives in the next few weeks so i dont want to stuck in the small ring for ages - good for cadence, but not so good for speed.

Same thing happened to mine. I just took the cable off the screw while in its lowest mode at the derailleuer, pulled it tight and reconnected it. Works like a dream now.

tyler71

You could live without the left shifter ok and stay on the small ring, it would make you work on keepng your cadence high, but I'd be wary of coming down a steep descent with only an operational front brake, you'd be in danger of coming over the handlebars if you had to make a sudden stop. You could compensate a bit I suppose by putting a lot of weight on the back of the saddle when you brake but it wouldn't be ideal.
Is this because you're thinking of sending the broken one off and won't have anything in the meantime?

damoz

tyler71 wrote: »

You could live without the left shifter ok and stay on the small ring, it would make you work on keepng your cadence high, but I'd be wary of coming down a steep descent with only an operational front brake, you'd be in danger of coming over the handlebars if you had to make a sudden stop. You could compensate a bit I suppose by putting a lot of weight on the back of the saddle when you brake but it wouldn't be ideal.
Is this because you're thinking of sending the broken one off and won't have anything in the meantime?

Was my thinking too. Yes - once i send if off ill be at the mercy of CRC as to when i get a replacement. Hoping it will be before the tour de burren on June 19 but not if they have to wait on Shimano.

tyler71

I still have the crocked left hand Shimano shifter which I replaced around somewhere I think - if you just wanted it to use it for the brake part you'd be welcome to it.

damoz

Sorry to resurrect this, but better than starting a new thread i hope.

I got the replacment from CRC - i got a triple 5600 105 shifter. I have a standard double on the bike. I know the triple shifter can be used on the double but wondering if its a good idea or not. I had asked on the returned item to get a double specific one if possible ( i think the 5601 is double only).

So should i stick on the triple shifter and hope for the best or should i push to have it replaced for a double specific ?

Confused.

hynesie

damoz wrote: »

Sorry to resurrect this, but better than starting a new thread i hope.

I got the replacment from CRC - i got a triple 5600 105 shifter. I have a standard double on the bike. I know the triple shifter can be used on the double but wondering if its a good idea or not. I had asked on the returned item to get a double specific one if possible ( i think the 5601 is double only).

So should i stick on the triple shifter and hope for the best or should i push to have it replaced for a double specific ?

Confused.

I've got a triple 105 shifter on which came on by double Focus Cayo. The only issue I've had is that sometimes if you try and shift into the big-ring when you're actually already in the big ring the shifter gets stuck as you've actually shifted into the triple zone (I hope this makes sense).
It's an easy fix, just loosen the front derailleur slightly to get a bit of slack in the cable and shift down as usual.
This has happened to me about 2 or 3 times (I've got the bike over a year) and mostly in the first couple of months.

In summary, it works grand just dont try and shift into the invisible big-ring.