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My gears were slipping on a ride out, then they stopped shifting altogether. It’s on the lowest speed and won’t go up.

I had the issue a couple of months ago, and the mechanic said something about a ratchet. I’m thinking a cable has come loose. I’m not sure where to start! The shops are all booked up for several days, so wondering if anybody has any ideas?

I’ve looked on YouTube but they don’t seem to go into the level of detail I need.

The working lever:

enter image description here

The affected lever:

enter image description here

What do I need to do to pull it though? I don’t want to crack the whole thing open and break something!

Christian
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  • Welcome to Bicycle Exchange. It sounds like the pawl/ratchet in your shifter has gotten gummed up with a sticky/dried up oil or grease (could be dirt added to the mix too). This is a common problem (I have had it myself) and I am sure the solution is already here on BE. The solution is to clean out the old grease with a spray cleaner using the red tube to direct it into the mechanism. This will dissolve and dislodge the old grease. The shifter will begin to work again. Now, after the solvent has evaporated, spray in a light lubricant to replace the sticky grease you just removed. – Ted Hohl Feb 05 '23 at 16:43
  • Here is a similar question with an accepted answer that should solve your problem.

    https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/16335/how-to-repair-sticky-ultegra-shifter

     – Ted Hohl Feb 05 '23 at 16:48
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    Can you do some diagnosis first ? Please try pulling on the exposed gear inner cable and make sure the derailleur moves. It may help to hang the bike up somehow to get the rear wheel clear of the ground, and try slow pedalling by hand. – Criggie Feb 05 '23 at 18:04
  • @TedHohl thanks, I think this was the same prob I had a few months ago but I couldn’t confirm the terminology. I’ve compared both handles and the affected doesn’t appear to show the cable. The prob is all my cabling is internal. I’m not sure how to attach a photo here! – Christian Feb 06 '23 at 17:25
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    @TedHohl I’ve attached the photos to the original post. – Christian Feb 06 '23 at 17:31
  • @Christian - have you tried what Criggie mentioned, that is, can you move the rear derailleur towards the smallest sized cassette cog (away from the centerline of the bike) while trying to actuate the shift at the lever at the same time? It is a long stretch, but can be done by one person. Don't over stress the derailleur mechanism, if the cable moves, allowing it to shift to the next smallest cog, that would be good information to know. – Ted Hohl Feb 06 '23 at 21:07
  • @Christian - You could possibly have a frayed cable, and it is common to have it fray right as the cable goes into the shifter (the other side from the pictures you are showing). When it frays, some shards of the cable can get jammed into the mechanism, first limiting the shifting range, until finally it won't move (Ask me how I know...). The prevention of this is done by replacing your shift cables at regular intervals, before it gets bad. – Ted Hohl Feb 06 '23 at 21:10
  • @Christian - another thing, on the right lever the cable end with the lead "ball" on it is deep in the mechanism (where it should be when the rear derailleur is on the largest cog). The cable needs to be pulled back from the rear derailleur end while actuating the inner shift lever (just like shifting to a smaller cog) until it is all the way to the smallest cog. Then the cable end will be visible and be hooked/grabbed through the larger hole. There is more to it at this point, but at least you are at the next step. If a frayed cable shard is jamming the mechanism, this could prove difficult. – Ted Hohl Feb 06 '23 at 22:57
  • you don't want to take the mechanism apart. – Ted Hohl Feb 06 '23 at 22:58
  • @Christian - take a CLOSE look inside the right shift mechanism to see if there is any fraying of the cable strands. We cannot see that detail in the picture. Again, it is a common wear point for a cable to fray (also look on the other side of the shift lever mechanism where the cable comes in - you will have a small cover to pop up to expose the cable. The cover has a small retaining piece to keep it from getting lost/falling to the floor. It is also easy to slide back into place. – Ted Hohl Feb 06 '23 at 23:04

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