Drivetrain wear and tear questions.

robb_o
robb_o Posts: 332
edited November 2010 in MTB workshop & tech
Hi everyone, got an ongoing annoying problem with my gears... but to cut a long story short for now, can you please help with the following 2 questions...


Can 'rapid fire' shifters wear out over time?
There must be some sort of cog in there with teeth that click into place or something.


Can rear mech springs become weaker over time?
Therefore not shifting down to smaller cogs on the cassette efficiently.

Comments

  • joshtp
    joshtp Posts: 3,966
    cables most likely. Sound like it to me. Clean everything, and get new inner and outer cables. And if you don't know how to set them up properly, get a shop or a mate that knows to do it.
    I like bikes and stuff
  • Neily03
    Neily03 Posts: 295
    Yep, new cable inners and outers and it'll be fine.
    Transition Covert.
  • El Capitano
    El Capitano Posts: 6,400
    robb_o wrote:
    Can rear mech springs become weaker over time?

    Yes, but it takes years...

    As others have said, your issue is most likely cable related.
    1 2 3 4 (Dead)5 6
  • njee20
    njee20 Posts: 9,613
    What El Cap said, both things can happen, but it's unlikely to be that if you've got old crappy cables.
  • allen.coulson
    allen.coulson Posts: 424
    Rapid fire shifters are stronger than they look. I had a long standing problem with mine - very old ones - and could not locate the source of the problem - I thought it was the shifters, cable, cable housing. I eventually removed the covers from the sg=hifters, freed the cables and there was a steel paddle in there which pulled the cable. I oiled the spindle and the system was fine after that.

    I doubt if you ciould dismantle and repair the shifter but moving the parts and lubricating is dead easy.

    I originally thought they were flimsy and fragile - anything but!
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,816
    My last commuter was running 16 year old shifters that worked perfectly, of course they wear, but not very quickly!

    Simon
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • robb_o
    robb_o Posts: 332
    thanks for the replies.

    the shifter and rear mech are both about 10 years old i would say.
    both shimano STX-RC if that makes a difference.

    the gear cable is only about 6 months old, and the looped rear mech part of the cable housing is the same.

    the other parts of the housing are about 5 years old. but i'm wondering if maybe i left a sharp edge inside the new bit of housing or something.

    Also i think i might have smothered the lot in lithium grease for some reason when you're only supposed to use light oil on cables?

    i can't actually look at anything untill this saturday cos of long working hours and darkness. but i'm defo gonna give the cable system a clean and see where i go from there. i'm still wondering if it's the mech spring or shifter though...

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