Broken 105 front STI lever ratchet

steerpike

My bike's in for repairs to the front mech (I have Shimano 105 front & rear) that I couldn't fix myself and they've just called to advise the ratchet mechanism in the front left shifter has broken which is why it won't shift between chain rings. They mentioned they have a spare Ultegra shifter hanging about and will fit this to save the combined cost of replacing both 105 sti levers at circa £150. They're gonna charge me approx £50 for the ultegra shifter, plus labour.

as a bit of a newcomer to this, my questions are:-

1. The bike has done approx 1000 miles - should I expect a shifter to break like this so soon? i.e. should I seek replacement under the warranty (Halfords) or is this taking the pi$$?
2. Does the £50 price suggest they will be fitting a whole new shifter/gear mechanism? Or can they just replace a part? Sorry - forgot to ask them!

Cheers

John.T

1/ If the bike is still under warranty (probably one year) you should get it back to Halfords asap for them to sort.
2/ It will be a complete shifter unit. £50 for Ultegra is reasonable for a new unit. If used it is a bit much.

There seems to be rather a lot of 105 LH shifters going wrong here lately. There could be a faulty batch around.

steerpike

thanks John - I think I need to go back to Hafords for them to investigate asap.

steerpike

sorry, I meant to say, if I get it done under warranty then I forgo the upgrade to Ultegra - would you suggest the upgrade is worthwhile in any event?

FSR_XC

It's a well know problemwith 105 shifters.

Mine was replaced for the second time today.

LBS said they'd probably have done it even if it was out of warranty. I think Shimano are being a little leaniant about this.

steerpike

thanks FSR - perhaps all the more reason to go with the upgrade to Ultegra as I want something durable

ForumNewbie

A few months ago I upgraded to a Shimano 105 front mech as the spring went on the original which I think was a Tiagra after about 3,000 miles - which the LBS said was unusual. Concerning to note that your 105 went even sooner as I was given the impression that the 105 was pretty good and unlikely to fail.